By/par Rhea Côté Robbins

ma rhia chapdelaine
ma réveil a chap de laine
Maria Chapdelaine
ma rhia achapper* de laines
échapper, peut-être pour vous
échapper, to escape la laines
ou, laissez tomber les laines
ma rhia chapeau de laines
ma rhia chaplet de laines
maria drop the wool
maria of escape the wool
maria hat of wool
maria prayer beads of wool
filer la laine
spin
chapitre/chapter 
fermer.
chapped.
chap
as in guyed
man
manded
made to man
given to man
manned.
wooled, dyed in
the wool
escape the farm.
yes/oui?
No/Non.
 

avez trop Gagnon
Eutrope Gagnon
(ou, aux opinions de m. Surprenant et
m. paradis:
aux trous gagnon
perdu sur le ferme
poigne bien dur...on disons chez-nous)
Gagnon, on vas gagner
he/lui who has the most wins Gagnon.
winner/gagnon/gagner/win all.
The Middle Man.
All of Europe and Canada combined 
in a one-man lottery won
the land/ferme/farm and the femme and the future.
...of those who have, more will be given;
on donnera à celui qui a,
those who have less, all
mais à celui qui n'a pas 
will be taken from them.*
on ôtera même ce qu'il a.

which is what
faites ça Paradis
François Paradis
had taken from him.
I'll make things like paradise 
his promise
and lost it all in getting lost
in Paradise...his version
dans les bois...patron...
at the end of his days...
je te souhait le Paradis au fin de tes jours, Paradis.
"le Paradis à la fin de tes jours!" 
And that is just what he got.
Paradis/Para-dies/Paradise.
Dead man walking.

...meantime, in the manufactured, disneyed,
macdonalded, walmarted, sears and roebuckeyed,
jcpenneyed, woolworthsnot, targeted, homedepoted
ebayed, verizoned, horizon
paradise south of the border
"La frontière"
Entre Enfer et Paradis
Hell, dead ahead.
Lorenzo Surprenant
L'arrangez ça Surprenant
All will be arranged surprisingly well.
M. "E-U,"
M. ils vu
dit
comme le serpent dans jardin de dieu
il a vu tout, "E-U"
not telling the truth ça 
ne pas,
ne

[insert verb here, between the ne and the pas, I was taught 
in conversational french
par/by mme. vallière
des RhodesIsland
using the Big Mac song:
"two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles,
onions on a sesame seed bun."]

l'arrangez
pas 
 ça comme ça
the only truth being the surprise for
marhia drops the wool
au bout de sa corde...
à les États, sa va pas comme ça--
il n'va pas comme celui là
to spin,
not a tale--
but bobbin
after
bobbin
after bobbin
des laines 
pour envoyer chez-nous
des sous
et pas trop plus.

Marhia Chap de Laine
doesn't lose her wool,
hat, or beads--
while praying avec la vierge
la l'autre Marie
for 
her only shot at Paradis/e
lost;
"...je n'suis pas venu au mondes, hier," 
ma mère disait
et
elle n'éprenez pas des
"promesse de
pipe"*
non plus Maria Chapdelaine
je dit.
Elle/she
instead
chooses him
who has enough
to win/pour gagnon.

October 11, 2004
 
 

I'm intrigued by the question of language "lost" and assimilation's effects upon cultures...so, even if I make mistakes, I've decided, I'm going to try to express myself in my language...because when I do, things change...they become more themselves...My French is instinctual, historical, without memory--coming from my gut, memorial, meaning I write from the memory of sounds spoken to me and trained in as many ways as one can think of: Adult Ed, 3 semesters, college classes, reading, etc. so,...if there is an error in the French, my French, it is a reflection of the condition of assimilation in transition...write me with corrections, or suggestions...I welcome/bienvenue them.  RJCR@aol.com

*ACHAPPER
pour échapper "Il a achappé son couteau" (Glossaire du Centre) vient de l'ancien français : escaper, du latin vulgaire : excappare = sortir de sa chape. (Robert)
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/gatinais.histoire/glossA.htm
Glossaire de l'ancien parler gâtinais

*Luke 19:26 :: New International Version (NIV)
Luke 19
26"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 

Luc 19:26 :: Louis Segond (LSG)
Luc 19
26 Je vous le dis, on donnera à celui qui a, mais à celui qui n'a pas on ôtera même ce qu'il a.

"promesse de pipe"...my maman said a saying toutes le temps which "sounded" like what I've written...is it correct, I'm not sure.  I had conversations with her about it...and her explanation to me was "something not true"...but who knows what is the real word.  I had put pitre at first, but my sister-in-law, also struggling with the language reacquisition, came up with the suggestion of "pipe," and I think she is right...otherwise: the answer to the question/secret is buried deep in the earth  Unless you know the saying and can tell me...email me above...merci pour me lire.  Rhea