Occitan poetry  980-2006

by Joan-Frederic Brun

 Robert Lafont (1923-2009)

Born in Nîmes (Languedoc), he discovered the Occitan literature during adolescence and devoted his whole life to this language, both as a scholar and a writer. He published many books about sociolinguistics, normalization of Occitan language, and history of Occitan literature. In all these areas his works are of outstanding importance. 

He was also passionately engaged politically as a leader of movements fighting for the autonomy of Occitania and wrote many important theoretical books on this issue. 

His relation with Occitan, actually, is a relation of love, and for him language is first of all pleasure. As a novelist his  influence on the evolution of Occitan prose during the XXth century has been seminal. His style ideally associates modernity, classicism and elegance, contributing to the emergence of a true modern literary language.  This mad lover of language and words is also an important poet. In this area I personally prefer his very early poems  (Dire - to say (1953), full of music and sensuality, to the later which contain too much ideas and intelligence and less sensitivity. Bernard Manciet told me once that he had the same feeling. 

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Poetry

• Paraulas au vielh silenci : I.E.O, Tolosa, 1946.
  = Dire : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1957.
  = Pausa Cerdana : Action poétique, Marselha, 1962.
  = L'Ora : Òc, Tolosa, 1963.
  = Aire Liure : P.J. Oswald, Paris, 1974.
  = Lausa per un solèu mòrt, ill. d'A. Clement e D. Viallat : Jorn, 1984.
  = La gacha a la cisterna : Jorn, 1998.
  = Cosmographia monspessulanensis : Jorn, 2000

Narratives

• Vida de Joan Larsinhac, (1951) - online
• Vida de Joan Larsinhac : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1951, reed. 1979.
  = Lei camins de la Saba : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1965, reed. 1979.
  = Lei maires d'anguilas : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1966, reed. 1979.
  = Tè tu Tè ieu : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1968, reed. 1979.
  
• L'Icòna dins l'Iscla (1971) - online
• Lo Decameronet (1983) - online
• La Festa (1983-84), formé de Lo Cavalier de Març et Lo Libre de Joan.
• L'enclaus (1992)
•  I.E.O., 1971, réed. 1979, trad. francesa, Fédérop, Lion, 1983.
  = Lo sant pelau (anonim) : Cap e Cap, Agen, 1972.
  = Tua culpa : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1974.
  = La primièra persona : Fédérop, Lion, 1978.
  = Nani Monsur : Vent Terral, Enèrgas, 1979.
  = Lo decameronet : Vent Terral, Enèrgas, 1983.
  = La festa, 1, lo cavalier de Març, 2, lo libre de Joan : Fédérop, Lion, 1983.
  = Bertomieu : Fédérop, 1986.
  = La Confidéncia fantasiosa : Fédérop, Esgleisa Nuèva d'Issac, 1989.
  = La Reborsiera : Fédérop, Esgleisa Nuèva d'Issac, 1991.
  = Temps Tres : El Trabucaire, Perpinyà, 1991.
  = L'Enclaus : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1992.
  = Insularas : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1996.
  = Pecics de mièg sègle, Le Pont du Rôle, Fédérop,1999
  = Contes libertins e faulas amorosas : Perpinhan, El Trabucaire, 2000
  = La Fèsta, Morceaux choisis avec trad. française par Danièla Julien : Baiona, Atlantica, 2000
  = L'eròi talhat : Perpinhan, El Trabucaire, 2000.
  = Lo Fiu de l'Uòu : Baiona, Atlantica, 2001.

Theatre

Lo pescar de la sépia : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1958.
= La loba, ò la frucha dei tres aubas : Aubanel, Avinhon, 1959.
= Teatre claus : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1959.
= La bourrida dau Comte : U.F.O.L.E.A., Paris, 1966.
= Ramon VII : L.L.O., Lavit, 1967.
= La nuech deis enganats, in cinc peçòtas : I.E.O., Nimes, 1967.
= Los ventres-negres : I.E.O., Nimes, 1967.
= Dòm Esquichòte : I.E.O., Tolosa, 1973.
= Lei cascaveus : C.D.O., Tolon, 1977.
= La Croisade : Edisud, Ais de Provença, 1983.
= Istòria dau trauc, lo relòtge, la cabra, in Teatre d'Òc al sègle XX : C.R.D.P., Montpelhièr, 1984

Studies in French

• La révolution régionaliste (1967)
• Sur la France (1968),
• Décoloniser en France (1971)
• Le travail et la langue (1978) étude sociolinguistique
• Nous, Peuple Européen (1991)
• La Nation, l'État, les Régions (1993)

 After he retired from his job of  University Professor, he spends his life in both Florence (Italy) and Montpellier (Occitania), still writing literature studies and new amazing narratives in Occitan.  

1

 
Lo sol poder es que de dire.
Dire doç ; una aranha
penchena lo solèu
sus la pònt de l'aubeta.
Dire fèr : la montanha
es una frucha amara
qu’enteriga lei sòrgas.
dire larg : la marina
a pausat sei doas mans
sus l’esquinau dau mond.
Dire amic : l’amarina.

La lenga es davant ieu nusa coma una dròlla.

II

I a de paraulas que dobrisson
pelha traucada de lausetas
auròra.
I a de paraulas qu’an vergonha
viet d’ase uflat de nuechs sagnosas
leis òrtas.

I a de paraulas desgaubiadas
tira la nifla Joan de Milhau.
I a de paraulas fòrça vièlhas
jorn consirós d’auba nafrada.
I a de paraulas demembradas
Paratge blau coma una abelha.
E i a l’amor d’aqueu lengatge.

Nuech mon vièlh clòt pestèus estèlas
i a de camins crosant crosant
dessús la mapa dis Ensenhas
e vira la clau dins lei vèrnhes
la clau dei tèrras de Sant Jaume.

Ma lenga monta au cèu coma un arbre d’agost.

III

L’annada es dins ma man
ponhada de borraus.
Ai mossegat l’espatla de la vinha
ai mossegat l’amor a bèlei fruchas.
La Ròsa de Ponènt
estrifa la Cevena.
Ma vida aicí coma una fònt
ont s’abeure mon vièlh pòble.
Paure pòble atrabalhit
ai mi mans dedins ti mans
e te tòrne çò que balhas
perqué sabe mièus que tu
que la lenga es de nosautres

Paure pòble pòble rèi
te sauvarem ta corona
de verbena de vèrda gaug
te menarem amb nòstra lenga
sus l’estrada di mainadas.

Perqué sabe mièus que tu
que lo matin es de nosautres.

IV

A MEIS AMICS OCCITANISTAS

Aquí es ombra aquí es lutz
sabe lo verai coma d’arbres
amb nòstri mans pastam lo vènt
e lo trasèm sus lo tèmps clus.
Parle a vosautres me parlatz
e cada barta es un aucèu
que sòmia d’auba a jorn falit
e cada aucèu es una pluma
que sus li nívols fai escrich.
Aquí es uei aicí deman
tastam deman dias nòstra fam

e siám solets coma de pastres. 

Lenga d'òc

I

The only power is to tell.
tell sweet: the spider
is combing sun's hair
over the bridge of dawn.
tell hard: the mountain
is a bitter fruit
that annoys springs.
tell huge: the sea
raised her two hands
On the spine of the world.
tell friendly: wicker.

The language is naked in front of me like a maiden.

II

There're words that open
hollow rag of larks
dawn
There're shameful words
dondey's cock swollen with bloody nights
the gardens,

There're unsightly words
keep your snot  John of the Moon.
There're too much old words
Anxious days of wounded dawn.
There're forgotten words
 blue country like a bee.
And then there's the love of this language.

night my old enclosure, deadlocks, stars
there are paths crossing crossing
over the map of Stars
And the key turns in the alders
the  key of the lands of Saint James.

My language rises to the sky like an August tree

III

The year is in my hand
Handful of fig flowers.
I've bitten the shoulder of the vine
I've bitten love like many fruits.
The Rose of Sunset
breaks up the Cévennes.
My life here like a spring
Where my old people drinks.
Poor hardworking people
I've my hands in your hands
And I give you what you give
Since I know better than you
That the language is ours.

Poor people king people 
We shall save your crown
Of verbena of green joy
We'll take you with our language
On the way of youth.

Since I know better than you
that the morning is ours

IV

TO MY FRIENDS "OCCITANISTES"

Here is shadow here is light
I know the truth looking like trees
with our hands we knead the wind
and we throw it over the closed time.
I tell you, you tell me
And every bush is a bird
dreaming of dawn at sunset
and every bird is a feather
which is writing on the clouds.
Here is today, here tomorrow
We're tasting tomorrow in our hunger

And we're alone like shepherds.

There is no copyright. Our aim is to disseminate our culture among all  interested people and not to earn money with it.