Gué-gué Solingaie
Gué-gué Solingaie
Dreamland Opens Here
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Louisiana Creole)
(English)
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Calbasse, li connain parler!
Calbasse, il connain parler!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Cocodril, li connain chanter!
Cocodril, il connain chanter!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Balliez chimin-là,
M'a dis li,
Oui, m'a dis li,
Pichou, li connain trangler!
Pichou, li connain trangler!
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen little child,
Now listen well,
What the tortoise may have to tell
What the tortoise may have to tell.
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen child,
Dear little child,
To the song of the crocodile,
To the song of the crocodile.
Dreamland opens here,
Sweep the dream-path clear.
Listen child,
Now close your eyes,
In the canebrake* the wildcat cries,
In the canebrake the wildcat cries.
Notes
*A canebrake is ground covered with a thicket of canes.
Comments
"Solingaie" can also be found as "Solingué"
The literal translation goes:
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The tortoise knows how to speak!
The tortoise knows how to speak!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The crocodile knows how to sing!
The crocodile knows how to sing!
Gué-gué Solingaie,
Sweep this path,
S/he told me
Yes, s/he told me,
The bobcat knows how to strangle!
The bobcat knows how to strangle!
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Wade Falcon for sharing this song with us!
This song and the loosely based translation can be found in "Bayou Ballads : Twelve Folk-songs from Louisiana" (1921), compiled by Mina Monroe.
