Remember, My Child

When I was rocking Emmeline to sleep the other night and thinking about Ella (see previous post). I did something I never do. I started to sing. (Well, it was more like humming for a few lines here and there. I have a horrible memory, and can never remember words to songs unless I sing them constantly--just ask Eric about my singing to the car radio--this is one of the reasons why I don't sing to Emmeline).

And the song that came to mind is Souviens-toi.

It's an LDS French hymn, and unfortunately, it is only in the French hymnal. Which is unfortunate, because it's message is unlike any other hymn.

Every missionary falls in love with Souviens-toi, and it is easy to see why. Here is how the hymn came to be:

A French LDS woman and her husband tried for many years to have children, but unfortunately it never happened. Eventually they began the process to adopt a child from Tahiti. One sleepless night she wrote a song to the tune of Dvorak's New World Symphony.

Sometime later (unclear on how much later) they were offered a baby. But because of the adoption process it took some time before they received the baby. After they accepted the baby into their home they discovered that the baby was born the same night that the woman wrote the hymn. (Coincidence? I think not.)

The French hymnal committee then adjusted the lyrics and added it to the hymnal.

(Not sure if all of this is accurate--but that is how the story was told to me).

Souviens-toi, mon enfant
Souviens-toi, mon enfant: Tes parents divins
te serraient dans leurs bras, ce temps ne’st pas loin.
Aujourd’hui, tu es là, présent merveilleux,
ton regard brille encore du reflet des cieux.
Parle-moi, mon enfant, de ces lieux bénis
car pour toi est léger le voile d’oubli.

Souviens-toi, mon enfant des bois, des cités.
Pouvons-nous ici-bas les imaginer?
Et le ciel jusqu’au soir, est-il rose ou gris ?
Le soleil attend-il la neige ou la pluie?
Conte-moi, mon enfant, la couleur des prés
et le chant des oiseaux d’un monde oublié.

Souviens-toi, mon enfant : A l’aube des temps,
nous étions des amis jouant dans le vent.
Puis un jour, dans la joie nous avons choisi
d’accepter du Seigneur le grand plan de vie.
Ce soir-là, mon enfant, nous avons promis
par l’amour, par la foi, d’être réunis.

English Translation

Remember, My Child (This translation is the most accurate, but doesn't fit the music)
Remember, my child : not long ago,
your divine parents held you in their arms.
Today you are here, marvelously present.
Your gaze still shines with the reflection of heaven.
Talk to me, my child, about that blessed place,
because for you the veil is still thin.

Remember, my child, the forests, the cities.
Can we down here imagine them?
And the night sky, is it rosy or gray?
Is the sun waiting for snow or rain?
Describe to me, my child, the color of the meadows
and the birdsongs of a forgotten world.

Remember, my child: at the dawn of time,
we were friends playing in the wind.
Then one day in joy we chose to accept
the Lord’s grand plan of life.
That night, my child, we promised through love,
and through faith, to be reunited.

Here is the piano music and another English translation. http://www.nyx.net/~cgibbons/do-you-know/dyk3.pdf

This song has always brought me such peace, and I feel it adds a missing piece to the hymnal. No other hymn talks so openly about the pre-existence. It so clearly expresses the thoughts and feelings that come when holding your newborn baby. I so wish it were in the English hymnal! We're missing out on a real beauty.

I don't know why MOTAB hasn't snatched this up, when it's available to them. Are they not aware? I've often thought about contacting them about it---maybe I will.

So, my friends with spectacular voices--I challenge, no plead, with you to make a recording of this song. I can only find a fuzzy one on YouTube. I'm talking like a recording studio. Someone who has the connections and the vocal chords must love this song also!?!

I'm talking to you-Felicia Bennett, Matt Clegg, Missy Spencer, Rebecca Daun...