Celebrities of Provence : Saint Bénézet

Celebrities of Provence
Saint Bénézet

Texte provençal

Translation

Anno Domini millesimo centesimo septimo, le Pont comencet sant Benezetz enaisi quant declara dinfra aquest escrich :

In the year of our Lord 1177, Saint Benezet began to build the bridge as it is thus written :

En aquel jorn qu'am lo soleihl fon jorn nueich, uns enfants que avia nom Benezetz, las fedas de sa maire gardava en pasquier
   Cui appartament dis Jhesu Crist tres ves :
   -"Benezetz, fil mieu, aus la vos de Jhesu Crist.
   - Qui yes-tu, senher, que mi parlas ? Ta vos ausi ieù ; mas no ti vei.
   - Ausas doncs, Benezetz, et non aias paor. Leù soi Jhesu Crist qui sol am la paraula ai creat cel et terra et la mar, et totas causas que y son.
   - Senher, que vols que fassa ?
   - Ieù vole que tu laisses las fedas que gardas, quar tu mi faras un pont sus lo flumi de Rose.
   - Non t'ai dich que cresas ? Veni donc ardiment, que ieù te ferai regir las fedas tienas, et darai ti companhon que te condurra a Rose.
   - Senher, ieù non ai mais tres meales et com ferai pont sobre Rose ?
   - Bene, enaisi quant ieù t'ensenharai."

On this day, as the sun was setting, a child named Benezet was watching his mother's sheep in the pasture.
Jesus Christ said to him three times :
"Benezet, my son, listen to the voice of Jesus Christ."
"Who are you, my lord, who speaks to me. I hear you but I do not see you."
"Listen, Benezet, and have no fear. I am Jesus Christ, who with one word created the heavens, the earth and the sea, and everything that lives within."
"My Lord, what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to leave the sheep you are tending, for you shall build a bridge over the Rhone river. Have I not told you to have faith? Come boldly, for your sheep will be tended to and I shall give you a companion to guide you to the Rhone."
"My Lord, I have only three offerings, how can I build a bridge over the Rhone ?"
"Come with me and I shall teach you."

Adonc s'en anet Benezetz et fon obesentz a la vos de Jhesu Crist que ausia, mais non lo vesia. Et puei va encontrar l'Angel, en forma de peregrin portant son baston et s'asporta que li va dire :
   -"Vai apres me segur, et ieu t'enviaray entre al luoc on tu faras lo pont de Jhesu Crist, et monstrarai ti com tu faras."
Aras son a la riva del flum. Vesent Benezetz lo flum grand, de gran paor va si ferir et va dire :
   -"En naguna maniera pueic aisi fai pont"
Et va li dire l'Angel :
   -"Non aias temor, car lo Sant Esprit es en tu, et regarda on debes passar, et vai en la ciutat Avinhon, et monstra ti a l'Evesque et al pobol sieu."
Dis aiso, va avalir l'Angel devant sos ueilhs.

So Benezet parted, obeying the voice of Jesus Christ, whom he heard but did not see. In going he encountered an Angel, in the habits of a pilgrim, carrying a walking stick and sack.
"Follow me without fear and I will lead you to the place where you will build the bridge of Jesus Christ and I will show you how to set about it."
They arrived at the banks of the river. Seeing the wide river, Benezet was overcome with fear and said :
"By no means can one build a bridge here."
And the Angel answered :
"Do not worry for the Holy Spirit is in you, look where you should go, and go to the city of Avignon and present yourself to the Bishop and his followers."
Having said this, the Angel disappeared.

Adonc s'en va Benezetz a la nau et va pregar al nauchier, por amor de Dieù et de nostra dona Santa Maria, que lo passes a la ciutat, quar a far y avia.
Va li respondere lo nauchiers que era juseù :
-"Si vols passsar, tu mi daras tres deniers tant quant fan li autres."
Benezetz va lo pregar autre ves per amor de Dieù et de nostra Donna Santa Maria que lo passes otravesent. Vesent lo juseù dis li :
-"Non ai ren a far de ta Maria, quar ela non a poder ni en cel, ni en terra. Mai vole tres deniers que ta Maria ; quar pron son de Marias."
Ausent aiso, Benezetz va li donar tres meales que avia. Lo juseù vi que plus non podia aver, pres las tres meales et passet lo.

So then Benezet went to the boat waiting and begged the boatman, for the love of God and our Lady Mary, to bring him to the city for he had work to do.
And the boatman who was a Jew answered :
"If you want me to cross over, give me three coins as the others do." Benezet begged him once again, for the love of God and our Lady Mary, to take him across to the other bank. The Jew said to him :
"I have nothing to do with your Mary, for she has no power neither in Heaven nor on Earth. Three coins are worth more than your Mary, for Marys, there are more than enough."
Hearing this, Benezet gave him his three offerings. The Jew saw that he could get no more, took the three offerings and brought him across.

Benezetz intrant en la ciutat Avinhon, va trobar l'Evesque predicant son pobol :
Va li dire en auto vos :
   -"Auses mi et entendes mi, car Jhesu Crist m'a trames a vos per aquesta causa que ieù fassa pont sobre Rose."
L'Evesque ausent sa vos regarda lo pert grant esquern et per grant dereyson, et va transmetre al prebost, viguier de la vila, que vendgues et que l'escortegues et que li volgues los pes et los mans que malvais oms es.
Ausent lo Benezetz, oto plan va dire li :
   -"Mieus senher Jhesu Crist m'a trames en aquesta ciutat que ieù fassa pont sobre Rose."
Et lo viguier li va dire :
   -"Et tu tant vil persona yest, et rem non as ; et tu dises que tu faras pont an Dieus, ni sant Peires ni sant Paulo, ni encaras Carles, ni negun autres non lo posson faire ? Ni non es miravilhos. Espero ; ieù ai que faire conven de peiras et de caus ; darai ti une peira que ieù ai al palais mieù, et si tu podes moure et portat, ieù crese que tu lo pont poiras far."

Benezet, entering the city of Avignon found the Bishop preaching to his people.
He proclaimed to him :
"Listen to me and understand, for Jesus Christ has sent me to you that I may build a bridge over the Rhone."
The Bishop, hearing these words believed him to be possessed, and in the throes of madness, and ordered his magistrate, the Viguier, to skin him and cut off his hands and feet, because he was a bad man.
Hearing this, Benezet said quickly :
"My Lord, Jesus Christ, has sent me to this city to build a bridge over the Rhone."
The Viguier answered :
"You, puny person, who has nothing, you declare that you will build a bridge where neither God, nor Saint Peter nor Paul, nor Charlemagne, nor any other could? That would be marvelous. Wait : I know that a bridge is made of stone and lime. I will give you a stone that I have in my palace and if you can move it and carry it, I will believe that you can build this bridge."

Benezetz confisant se en nostre Senher, retornet a l'Evesque, dis la que aiso faria.
Dich l'Eveque :
-"Anem donc, et vesiam los meravilhos que tu dises."
Va s'en ambe l'Evesque et lo pobol ansems, et Benezetz pres la peira sieun que tranta homes non posson moure de son loc, aitant lougerament queant si fos peira manoals, et mes la al loc en lo pont a son pe.
Los gens vesent aiso agron grant meravilhos et disient que grant et poderos es nostre senher en sos obros.
Et adonos lo viguier va lo premier sonar Sant Benezetz, baisant los mans et los pes, va li offrir tres cen sous, et en aquel loc li furon donnat cinq millias sous.
Aras, aves ausi en qual maniera, fraires, lo pont fon comensat, per que totes vos autres devesser d'aquest gran benefici. Et fesi Dieux molt de miracles en aquest jorn, que per el rendet lo veser, et los sordz fes ausir, et los rancs fer anar, so es a saber XVIII."

Benezet, putting his trust in our Lord, turned to the Bishop and said he wopuld do it easily. The Bishop said :
"Let us go see the marvels you promise."
He left with the Bishop, and the people with them, and Benezet took by himself the stone that thirty men could not carry as lightly as though it were a pebble and placed it where the bridge would take hold.
The people, beholding this, declared it a miracle and said that our Lord is great and powerful in his work.
Then, the Viguier was the first to name him Saint Benezet, kissing his hands and his feet, and offered him three hundred sous .
Now you have heard, Brothers, how the bridge began that you may also benefit from this blessing. And God made many miracles on that day ; he made the blind see, the deaf hear, and the paralyzed walk.

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