244 Me Zo Ganet E Kreiz Ar Mor

A well-known Breton song, written by Yann-Ber Calloc’h, and set to music by Jef Le Penven. It has been recorded by many people, but we learned it from the 2009 recording by Yann-Fanch Kemener, and Didier Squiban. It recounts the hard life of working people on the l’île de Groix off the western tip of Brittany. (rough translation into English below)

Me zo ganet e kreiz ar mor
Ter lev er maez;
Un tiig gwenn du-hont am-eus,
Ar banal a gresk e-tal d’an nor
Hag al lann a c’hol an anvez.
Me zo ganet e kreiz ar mor,
E bro Arvor

Ma zad a oa, evel e dadoù,
Ur martolod;
Bevet en-deus kuzh ha diglod -
Ar paour ne gan den e glodoù -
Bemdez-bemnoz war ar mor blod.
Ma zad a oa, evel e dadoù,
Stleijour-rouedoù

Ma mamm ivez a laboure
Ha gwenn he blev -
Geti, en c’hwez war on taloù,
Desket am-eus bihannig tra,
Medeiñ ha tennañ avaloù.
Ma mamm ivez a laboure
C’hounit bara…

I was born in the middle of the ocean
three leagues offshore
Over there, I have a little white house
The broom grows in front of the door
And the gorse spreads around.
I was born in the middle of the ocean
In the land of Arvor

My father was like his ancestors,
A lone seaman;
He lived hidden and without glory -
no one sings the praises of the poor,
Every day, every night, on the moving ocean
My father was like his ancestors,
Dragging nets

My mother also worked
wasn’t her hair white
With her, with the sweat on our brows,
I learned very little things
To harvest and dig up the potatoes.
My mother also worked
To earn her bread...