With Christmas right around the corner, visions of sugar plums have started to dance in my head. The holiday spirit has my remembering all the childhood nursery rhymes I used to hear ever year and wondering if they exist en version française (in French).

The holidays are a happy time of les marchés de Noël, les chants de Noël et les cadeaux de Noël (Christmas markets, Christmas carols, and Christmas presents). From December 1st to December 25th the month is filled with the unique sights, smells, and sounds of Christmas with decorations, mulled wine, stories, and music all creating the warm and often nostalgic feel that defines the season.

Speaking of la musique et les histoires (music and stories), sometimes the difference between modern holiday music and traditional carols is as dramatic as a rock anthem and une berceuse (a lullaby), and sometimes the line between un chant de Noël et un compte de Noël (a Christmas carol and a Christmas tale) can be just as blurry.

Whatever it may be, one of my favorite Christmas stories is the one I grew up calling, Thas the Night Before Christmas. Cependant (however), in doing research for this post, I found out that it’s original name was actually A Visit from St. Nicholas. I also discovered it’s slightly unclear who originally wrote it, with both Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston Junior having claims to le poème (the poem).

What’s more certain is the reputation of l’histoire (the story). It is considered the most well known quatrain to have come from les États-Unis (the United States) and is attributed with establishing many of the modern ideas behind le père Noël (Santa Claus) and his jolly gift giving. It’s also an easy to follow story that brings up memories of waiting for the best day of the year for me and many other children who grew up hearing it year after year.

In fact, without ever seeing une version française (a French version), the first few lines are easy to recognize:

C’était la nuit de Noël, un peu avant minuit,
A l’heure où tout est calme, même les souris.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

Malheuresement (unfortunately), while looking up the story, I was sad to find it’s not really as common in la francophonie (the French speaking world) as it is for les anglophones (English speakers). I did find a decent translation however and I think it makes for a fun way to add some French to the holiday season. It is slightly different from la version anglaise (the English version), but all the changes make it sound more natural in French and help it fit the language’s rhythm and cadence more.

Take a moment and listen to l’histoire (the story) in French and get ready to shout out from votre traineau (your sleigh):

Joyeux Noël à tous, et à tous, une bonne nuit !

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good nigh!

Voici l’histoire en version française et en version originale (here’s the French version and the original version of the story):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKphtnG8-KQ

Twas the Night Before Christmas
C’était la nuit de Noël

C’était la nuit de Noël, un peu avant minuit,
A l’heure où tout est calme, même les souris.
On avait pendu nos bas devant la cheminée,
Pour que le Père Noël les trouve dès son arrivée.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

Blottis bien au chaud dans leurs petits lits,
Les enfants sages s’étaient déjà endormis.
Maman et moi, dans nos chemises de nuit,
Venions à peine de souffler la bougie,

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads,
And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap

Quand au dehors, un bruit de clochettes,
Me fit sortir d’un coup de sous ma couette.
Filant comme une flèche vers la fenêtre,
Je scrutais tout là haut le ciel étoilé.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

Au dessus de la neige, la lune étincelante,
Illuminait la nuit comme si c’était le jour.
Je n’en crus pas mes yeux quand apparut au loin,
Un traîneau et huit rennes pas plus gros que le poing,

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a minature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,

Dirigés par un petit personnage enjoué :
C’était le Père Noël je le savais.
Ses coursiers volaient comme s’ils avaient des ailes.
Et lui chantait, afin de les encourager :

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:

« Allez Tornade ! Allez Danseur ! Allez, Furie et Fringuant !
En avant Comète et Cupidon ! Allez Éclair et Tonnerre !
Tout droit vers ce porche, tout droit vers ce mur !
Au galop au galop mes amis ! au triple galop ! »

« Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all! »

Pareils aux feuilles mortes, emportées par le vent,
Qui montent vers le ciel pour franchir les obstacles,
Les coursiers s’envolèrent, jusqu’au dessus de ma tête,
Avec le traîneau, les jouets et même le Père Noël.

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:

Peu après j’entendis résonner sur le toit
Le piétinement fougueux de leurs petits sabots.
Une fois la fenêtre refermée, je me retournais,
Juste quand le Père Noël sortait de la cheminée.

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:

Son habit de fourrure, ses bottes et son bonnet,
Étaient un peu salis par la cendre et la suie.
Jeté sur son épaule, un sac plein de jouets,
Lui donnait l’air d’un bien curieux marchand.

He was dress’d all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnish’d with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look’d like a peddler just opening his pack:

Il avait des joues roses, des fossettes charmantes,
Un nez comme une cerise et des yeux pétillants,
Une petite bouche qui souriait tout le temps,
Et une très grande barbe d’un blanc vraiment immaculé.

His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

De sa pipe allumée coincée entre ses dents,
Montaient en tourbillons des volutes de fumée.
Il avait le visage épanoui, et son ventre tout rond
Sautait quand il riait, comme un petit ballon.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh’d, like a bowl full of jelly:

Il était si dodu, si joufflu, cet espiègle lutin,
Que je me mis malgré moi à rire derrière ma main.
Mais d’un clin d’oeil et d’un signe de la tête,
Il me fit comprendre que je ne risquais rien.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh’d when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Puis sans dire un mot, car il était pressé,
Se hâta de remplir les bas, jusqu’au dernier,
Et me salua d’un doigt posé sur l’aile du nez,
Avant de disparaître dans la cheminée.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill’d all the stockings; then turn’d with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

Je l’entendis ensuite siffler son bel équipage.
Ensemble ils s’envolèrent comme une plume au vent.
Avant de disparaître le Père Noël cria :
« Joyeux Noël à tous et à tous une bonne nuit »

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight —
« Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night ».