Angèle Arsenault wrote this back in 1977, and I haven’t been able to find a translation that I really liked. So I had to do it myself. It’s from her album Libre (SPPS Disques, PS-19903) and was my first introduction to Acadia.
I’m going to talk to you of someone that you know Yes but don’t deceive yourself, she did not come from the States Even if a certain fellow who was called Longfellow Popularized her two hundred years ago She was called Évangéline, she was very very fine She loved Gabriel on earth as if in heaven They lived in Acadia, they were damned rich1 But one day the English were no longer satisfied So they deported them, Gabriel disappeared Discouraged2 Évangéline searched for him as long as she could She searched for him in Acadia in Quebec in Ontario Then in the United States in Florida in Idaho Arriving in Louisiana with her cousin Diane She said I have lost my time3 She was 75 years old4 Working a the hospital, she cared for the sick Then she saw her Gabriel who was leaving for heaven She jumped on his neck And said thank you very much At the hour that you’re interred I will be able to return I’m going to invest in the companies of the future So that the name of Évangéline will be bloody well known5
Évangéline Fried Clams Évangéline Salon Bar Évangéline Sexy Ladies Wear Évangéline Comfortable Running Shoes Évangéline Automobile Springs Évangéline Regional High School Évangéline Savings Mortgage and Loans Évangéline The only French Newspaper in New Brunswick Évangéline Acadian Queen
- This is “riches en maudit” in the original.
- This is “déconfortée”in the original.
- This proves that Angèle didn’t come from Clare, since she wrote “soixante et quinze” instead of “septante-cinq.”
- This is “A dit là j’perdrai pu mon temps.” It seems to indicate both past and future.
- This was the hardest to translate, “soit connu en câline.” Literally, “will be known in cuddly” but câline is a milder form of the sacre (expletive) câlisse or chalice.