Haitian Creole and French – English Poetic Translation
Depi maten m’leve m’ape monte desann, Mwen kouri toupatou tankou yon chyen ki fou.
Mwen pale, mwen chante, mwen dòmi, mwen leve; Mwen priye, mwen rele, se gagòt sou gagòt.
Gagòt isit, gagòt lòtbò. Gagòt anwo, gagòt anba, Gagòt toupatou, se gagòt sou gagòt.
Gagòt nan lide mwen, Gagòt nan zak mwen yo, Gagòt nan paròl mwen, Gagòt nan vizyon mwen.
Tout bagay yo mele: Lapenn ak lajwa, ledout ak lafwa, Degoutans ak lespwa, le byen avèk le mal. Tèt mwen vire, li vire, Tout bagay yo mele. Gad’on gagòt!
Nan mitan gagòt sa mwen deside chèche, Chèche, chèche konnen, konnen sa k’ap pase. Mwen fouye, mwen mande, m wen fini pa trouve Jouk andedan kè mwen Solisyon gagòt sa:
La vie d’ici-bas est un combat de tout instant Que l’on ne peut gagner qu’un moment à la fois.
Apre lannuit se la jounen.
Apre lapli solèy leve
Apre gagòt, apre gagòt… se kè poze. Se jefò nan soufrans ki pote delivrans.
Ah! Ainsi soit-il!
-Gabriel T. Guillaume Oct. 2012
Since I rose this morning I’ve gone through ups and downs, Running around in circles like a crazy mad dog. I speak, I sing, I sleep, I rise; I pray, I scream, it’s mess upon mess
It’s a mess here, it’s a mess there, A mess up, a mess down, Mess everywhere, it’s mess upon mess
Messy are my thoughts, Messy are my actions, Messy are my words, Messy is my vision.
Everything is entangled: Pain and joy, doubt and faith, Disgust and hope, good and evil. My head is spinning and spinning, Everything is entangled. What a mess!
Morning after morning, I fight a battle; The contredanse of life recommences daily. I sing, I dance, I yell: “Life is amazing!” Suddenly and swiftly I am back in a mess.
In the midst of this mess I decide to search, To search for an understanding to what is happening. I dig, I seek, and I finally find In the very depth of my heart The solution to this mess:
Life before death is a battle of every instant That can not be won but one moment at a time.
After the night comes the day. After the rain the sun rises. After messes, after messes… the heart settles. It’s striving in suffering that brings redemption.
Ah! So be it!
Program Notes
En tant qu'être humain, je suis le siège du combat infernal entre le Bien et le Mal. Je lutte sans répit pour trouver une solution définitive à cet imbroglio. La vie m'apprend que ce combat fait partie intégrante de mon aventure existentielle; je ne peux le gagner qu'un moment à la fois. La victoire finale se trouve dans l'effort continu et la persévérance.
-Gabriel T. Guillaume
It’s always fascinating to me how our life struggles can be a catalyst for the creation of new works
While he was suffering from writer’s block, I called my father to ask when he would finally send me a poem for my new piece. His response was: “Mwen nan gagòt!” I’m in a mess! I then said, ‘well, why don’t you write about that!?’ And there it was - the inspiration for “Gagòt”. That same day he emailed me a new text and I began to set it to music. His original text paints a vivid picture of the struggles I often experience in my own life. Writing this piece was quite an awakening journey for me.
As a central theme to his original text my father writes: “As a human being, I am the residence for the infernal battle between Good and Evil. I fight endlessly to find the ultimate solution for this imbroglio. Life teaches me that this battle is an integral part of my existential journey; I can’t win it but one moment at a time. The final victory is found in the continuous effort and in the perseverance.”
-Sydney Guillaume
About the Composer
Sydney Guillaume (b.1982) is an active member of the choral community as a composer, clinician and conductor. In 2017, he was honored by the top music school in Haiti for his “great contribution in the expansion and the promotion of the music and culture of Haiti around the world.”
Praised by the Miami Herald for their “impressive maturity and striking melodic distinction”, Sydney Guillaume’s compositions are known to be intricate, challenging and yet highly spirited. They promote human values and are full of heart and passion. His compositions continually enthrall choirs everywhere and have been performed all around the world. Guillaume als o writes film music – he has written original film and documentary scores for the Los Angeles based company Loyola Productions.
His latest activities as conductor include an all-Guillaume concert at New York City’s Lincoln Center, guest conducting the 2018 Maine All-State High School Mixed Chorus , and a concert with his chamber ensemble Imbroglio Sextet at Carnegie Hall.
Sydney Guillaume graduated from the University of Miami in 2004 where his earlier choral works were performed by the University Miami Chorale conducted by Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe. Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he is currently residing in Portland, Oregon working as a full-time composer, conductor and clinician.
Nan mitan gagòt sa mwen deside chèche, [ nã miˈtã ga ˈgɔt sa mwɛ̃ ˈdeside ˈʃɛʃe ]
Chèche, chèche konnen, konen sa k’ap pase. [ ˈʃɛʃe ˈʃɛʃe ˈkõnɛ̃ ˈkõnɛ̃ sa kap ˈpase ] Mwen fouye, mwen mande, mwen fini pa trouve [ mwɛ̃ fuˈje mwɛ mãˈde mwɛ̃ fiˈni pa truˈve ]
Jouk andedan kè mwen
[ ʒuk ãdeˈdã kɛ mwɛ̃ ]
Solisyon gagòt sa:
[ soliˈsiõ ga ˈgɔt sa ]
La vie d’ici-bas est un combat de tout instant [ la vi dsiˈsiba ɛ tœ ˈkõba dœ tu ‿tɛ̃sˈtã ] Que l’on ne peut gagner qu’un moment à la fois.
[ kœ lõ nœ pœ ga ˈ gne kœ moˈmã a la fua ]
Apre lannuit se la jounen.
[ a ˈ pre lãˈnuit se la ʒu ˈnɛ̃ ]
Apre lapli solèy leve.
[ a ˈ pre laˈpli soˈlɛi leˈve ] Apre gagòt… se kè poze.
