Document text
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ORIGINAL MSS. OR FIELD NOTES (Cheek one)
PUB. Living Lore in New Englapd
(Maine)
TITLE Ovide Morin (French songs)
WRITER Robert Grady
DATE YIDS. PP. 7
COCKER DATE
SOURCES GIVEN Interview
COMMENTS
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town 1
EXTRA COMMENT ON THE LIFE OF OVIDE MORIN
1 4;4,
:7)
Several days ago I let Mrs. Morin take a book of famous
Canadian folk songs, Mantes La Bonne Chanson, by Charles Emile
Gadbois, ptre. This work, first of a series of books to be brought
out, was produced and illustrated entirely by Father Gadbois. The
book is the property of Father Oullette of Old Town. It bears the
imprint of no publisher and was intended, I think, only for private
distribution. When I went over to get the book I asked Mrs. Morin
if she had ever heard any of the songs. She said the girls had
played and sang all of them, but she couldn't remember ever bating
heard any of them before. Mr. Morin hadn't either. However Mrs.
Morin was born in Old Town and never actually lived in Canada.
Mr. Morin was born in Quebec, but left there when a young man. He
lived in a small, isolated village and his folks were so poor that
none of them acquired a musical education. Maybe the Canadian folk
songs were not very well known except in the larger cities among
members of the upper middle classes.
Mrs. Morin said that the song she liked in the book is
Bvangeline. A Soupe aux Pots, she said, was "not so hot." Both
of these songs are enclosed.
Mrs. Morin said she liked to listen to songs sung in French,
and that they were often sang in that language over the Canadian
radio stations. These stations, however, she said, didn't came
in well on her radio.
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town 2
"The cellar under one part of this house," she said, "was
out out of rock, and I think all that rock under there affects
the radio. I'm going to try moving that machine back to the
kitchen and see if there is any improvement. Mt. Martin, over
here, has the same make of radio as mine and he gets the Canadian
stations very well. One night when I couldn't get Montreal, it
came in good over there. I know it did, for I went over. We
ought to get those stations better than he does for although his
machine is the same make as this one, it is a different model.
That machine cost only $100.00, but this machine cost $400.00.
It is one my son Edmond gave me. I told him that when he got
married he could have that back and I would get a smaller one."
(The fact that Edmond was able to give his mother a $400.00 radio
illustrates how conditions, for this particular family, have changed
during a generation.)
"Radio is a wonderful thing, and television will make it even
better. It will be fine to see the singers as well as hear them."
(Mr. Morin was out when I paid the unexpected call, but re-
turned as I was preparing to leave. His daughter, Florence, came
down from upstairs while her mother and I were talking and joined
in the conversation. Miss Morin, who is about twenty, is very well
bred and extremely good looking. When Mr. Morin came in he asked
me again how much I would take for the boy who was with me. In
that way the talk got around to adoption in general. Mrs. Morin
said that during the first years of their married life there was
a couple in Old Town who had no children and who wanted to adopt
one of the Morin children.)
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town 3
"They had plenty of money," she said, "and although we could
have used more at that time, our children always had enough to eat
and clothes to wear. I couldn't think of letting any one else bring
up one of my children. Those people finally adopted a child who was
brought here with some others from an orphan asylum. Foster parents
were found for those little ones by the priest. We were down in
Searsport last summer on a motor trip and we called on that woman
(who adopted the child). She told me what a fine young woman their
child grew up to be and how much they thought of her, but I don't
believe a person can love another's child as they do their own."
(we talked quite a while over there although I had intended
to stay only a few moments but the conversation for the most part
was in the nature of small town gossip, without value so far as the
work was concerned.)
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town lA
A SOUPE AUX POIS.
Par Albert Larrieu.
(Droits reserves par Ed. Arehanbault pour la musique.)
(1) Sur lee bords du Saint Fran?oiss
Jadis qu'il pleuve ou quill ventes
Jfallais jouor dans les bole,
Jusqu 'au soir la brunantet
Au retaur, Mere en,gmoi, me grondait,
male sans colere,
Puis me disait: "Petit Pierre, Viens
manger ta soups aux pois1"
(Chorus) Venez gar?ons et filles,,
Manger la soupe aux pois,
Ca se mange en families
Pres du grande feu de boist
Ca se mange en families,
La bonne soupe aux pole,
La bonne soupe aux poisl
(2) Bientat je devins ligpoux,
Diun fillette au coure sage
A
Grace a ses jolis yeux doux
J'avais du Coeur liouvragel
Le soir je quittai le bole
Pour regagner ma demeure,
Je trouvais toujours a ltheure
Mon grand bol de soups aux poisl (Choeur)
Maine'
Living Lore
Old Town 2A
A SOUPE AUX POIS.
(3) Voila mes oheveux tout blanos
A
Et ma taohe est terminee;
Vest an tour de mes enfants
De prendre enfin la cogneel
us feront tous comma MOI;
Pour pouvoir mieux se defendre
Ils n'auront pas peur de prendre
Leur plein bol de soups aux poist (Cboeur).
(4) Notre bon Pere Eternal
Me laissera, palms a oroire,
Tout de suite entrer au Ciel,
Sans passer au,Purgatoire!
S'il le permet quelque fois,
A
Je lui demanderai meme
A
Comme une faveur supreme,
Un pftit peu de soupe aux past (Choeur).
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town 1B
EVANGELINE.
Par A. T. Bourque.
(Alt0e l&bieiiveillante autOrisation de la 8ociote
L'Assomption, Moncton, N. B. Potts droits reserves Copyright.)
Jo l'avais eru ee reve_du jeune
Qui souniant mean non 9ait le-bon:hour
Et eonfiante en eft heureux presage,
Moe jeunes ans sfecoulaient sans douieur
II oat si doux, au printemps-de la vie
-d
Dtaimer. d'amour lea amis de son oeuer,
De vivre heureux au sein de la Patnie
Loin du danger ‘s. liabni du maiheur. (bis).
Cho our.
Evangeline, Evangeline,
Tout ehante iei ton noble nom,
Dana le vallon sur la coin°,
Llecho repete et nous repond:
Evangeline, Evangeline.
(2) Qu'ils etaient beaux, ees jours de notre enfanee
Cher Gabriel, au pays de Grande Pre.
Car la regnaient la paix et l'innocenee,
Le tendre amour et la franehe gaito;;
Oulils etaient doux, le soil' sous la eharmille,
Les entretiens du village assemble!
Comm on mistimaitl_ Quelle aimable famine
On y formait sous ee eiel.adore. (bis).
Maine
Living Lore
Old Town 2B
EVANGELINE.
(3)
La lea anciens, devisant du menage,
_
Avec amour contemplaient leurs enfants
_ _ _
Qui reveillaient lea edhos du village
Par leurs refrains et leurs amusements.
La vie alors coulait douce et paisible
Au vieux Grande Pre, dans notre ober pays
Lorsque soudain, notre anneal. terrible
Nous alreuva de maiheurs inouis. (bis).
(4) Helast depuis sur la-terre etrangere
J.terre toujours en proie a la douleur
Car le destin dans sa sombre colere
Mta tout ravi mos amis, mon bohheur.
Je ne vote plus ltami de mon enfanoe
A qui payola, jurg mon tendre amour,
Mats dans mon coeur je garde llesperanee
De le revoir dans un meilleur se jour. (bis).