Canadian Journal for Traditional Music (1996)

"La Lettre de sang" / "Chanson de Louis Riel"::
Addenda

Phillip J. Thomas

Ed note. As addenda to his article, "The 'Louis Riel Song': A Perspective" (CFMJ 21: 12-18), Philip J Thomas has sent the following important song-variants.

The first consists of the lyrics for a version of "La lettre de sang" gathered in Québec during 1948 by Carmen Roy from the singing of Leon Collins, then 62 years old. Archived as MN5101 in Roy's collection at the National Museum this variant corresponds to no. II-N40 in Conrad Laforte 's Catalogue de la chanson folkiorique française (1977-87). According to Thomas, Collins's variant contains all 13 elements identified in the analysis of 29 texts summarized on pp. 15-17 of his earlier study.

The second variant is from Thomas's own collection and comprises both words and melody. Transcribed from the singing of Joe Venne, Birtle, Manitoba, this version of "La lettre de sang," known as the "Chanson de Louis Riel" or "Louis Riel's Song" in the tradition of Manitoba and Saskatchewan Métis people, bears comparison not only with the many text-variants Thomas. considered but also with Donald Deschênes' report on "Les chansons de Joe Venne, Métis" (CFMJ 21: 3-1 1). We apologize for delay in publishing these valuable components of a sign ificant pair of studies.

Le fils tue an combat
[La lettre de sang]
The Son Killed in Combat
[The Letter of Blood]
1. La vie la plus infame,
C'est aufond d'un cachot.
On ne craint pas ses peines;
On n 'y boit que de 1 'eau.
Plutó t que d 'être esciave
Le reste de ses fours,
Il faut mourir en brave.'
Chacun meurt a son tour.
The most infamous life
Is at the bottom of a dungeon.
One does not fear his pains;
One drinks only water.
Rather than be a slave
For the rest of one's days,
One must die bravely:
Each dies in turn.

2. Sur le champ de bataille,
C'est un cr1 de douleur.
On voit le lit de mort:
Ca fait fremir le ceur.
Mourir, ilfaut mourir:
Chacun meurt a son tour.
Mourir pour sa patrie:
Chacun meurt a son tour.

On the battlefield,
There is a cry of pain.
One sees one's deathbed:
It makes one's heart shudder.
To die, one must die:
Each dies in turn.
To die for one's country,
Each dies in turn.

3. J'ai reçu une lettre
De ma chère maman.
J'avais ni plume ni encre
Pour pouvoir lui répondre.
J'ai hale mon canif
L'ai trempé dans mon sang
Pour écrire une lettre
A ma chère maman.

I received a letter
From my dear mother.
I had neither pen nor ink
be able to answer her.
I drew my penknife,
Dipped it in my blood
To write a letter
To my dear mother.

4. Quand Maman vit cette lettre,
Cette écriture de sang,
Ses yeux baignant de larmes,
Son coeur s 'en va mourant.
Sejette a genoux par terre,
Appelle tous ses enfants:
<<Prions pour votre frère
Qui est mort au regiment.> >

When Mother saw this letter,
This writing in blood,
Her eyes suffused in tears,
Her heart departed, dying.
She throws herself kneeling on the ground,
Calls to all her children:
"Let us pray for your brother
Who died in the regiment."

1. Dans le champ de bataille,
C 'étaient crimes et douleurs.

2. Mais j'ai reçu une lettre
De ma chère maman.
J 'avais aucune plume n i d '1 'encre,
Maisje pouvais écrire.

3. J 'ai pris mon canif;
Je le irempe dans mon sang.
Et j'ai écris tine lettre
A ma chère maman.

4. Quand elle a r 'çu cette lettre,
L 'écriture toute en sang,
Se met a g 'noux par terre,
En disant a ses enfants:

5. <<Priez, mes chers enfants,
Priez pour votrefrere,
Priez pour votre frere,
Qui-l-est au regiment.>>

6. Mourir, c 'est pour mourir;
Chacun meurt a son tour.
Je veux mourir en brave:
Faut tous mourir Un jour.

In the battlefield,
There were crimes and pains.

But I received a letter
From my dear mother;
I had no pen nor ink,
But I could write.

I took my penknife;
I dipped it in my blood,
And I wrote a letter
To my dear mother

When she received this letter,
Its writing entirely in blood,
She fell to her knees,
Saying to her children:

"Pray, my dear children,
Pray for your brother,
Pray for your brother
Who is in the regiment."

Dying, 'tis for dying:
Each dies in his turn.
I want to die bravely:
All must die one day.

4, 5, 6 to the melody for 2, 3, and 2, respectively.

Résumé: Afin de completer de manière sign ificative son article sur la <<Chanson de Louis Riel>>, Philip J. Thomas présente deux variantes du chant qui mettent considérablement en lumière son étude précédente: la premiere, collectée par Carmen Roy ii y a cinquante ans, contient la totalité des 13 themes que M Thomas a identifiés parmi les nombre uses variantes qu 'ii a analysées, tandis que la seconde fournit une interpretation complete de la version du chanteur Joe Venne.