La Venoge (poem)
Encyclopedia
"La Venoge" is a poem written by Jean Villard Gilles
who also wrote the popular song Les trois cloches
. It refers to the River Venoge that flows in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
to Lake Léman. The poem, which is a vibrant and humorous homage
to the author's canton
, inspired Jacques Brel
for his famous song Le Plat Pays
(see http://www.lavenoge.net/poeme_1.htm underneath Quote).
Many French Swiss, jokingly consider it as a kind of national anthem
representing best their "minority entity"
feelings towards the German Swiss
vast majority
, (see http://www.usefoundation.org/view/606 and Röstigraben
): "La Venoge" being the only significant river in canton of Vaud contributing the "French
" Rhône
basin
, all others flowing through the German Swiss Area
into the Rhine River.
avait entendu notre homme dire ce poème. Il avoua à Gilles – qu’il considérait comme son maître – avoir osé écrire «Le Plat Pays» au vu de l’étonnant succès que rencontrait – auprès des Parisiens – cet hymne à une rivière suisse inconnue!"
Translation: That's where (Gilles' Cabaret) Jacques Brel had heard our man recite his poem. He confided to Gilles - whom he considered as being his Master - to have had the courage to write «Le Plat Pays», considering the astonishingly great success this hymn
to an unknown Swiss river encountered by the Parisian audience!
Jean Villard Gilles
Jean Villard a.k.a. Gilles, was born on June 2, 1895 in Montreux , and died on March 26, 1982 in Vevey, next to his vineyard village of residence Saint-Saphorin that is reputed for its quality Swiss white wine.- Biography :...
who also wrote the popular song Les trois cloches
Les trois cloches
"Les trois cloches" was a Swiss song written by Jean Villard Gilles written in French. Edith Piaf and Les Compagnons de la chanson started their US-Tour in 1945/46 with this song, which was one of Ms. Piaf's greatest hits...
. It refers to the River Venoge that flows in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to Lake Léman. The poem, which is a vibrant and humorous homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the author's canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
, inspired Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
for his famous song Le Plat Pays
Le Plat Pays
Le plat pays or in Dutch Mijn vlakke land is a song by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, who performed the song in both languages....
(see http://www.lavenoge.net/poeme_1.htm underneath Quote).
Many French Swiss, jokingly consider it as a kind of national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
representing best their "minority entity"
Minority (philosophy)
Minority, and the related concept of "becoming-minor," is a philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in their books Kafka: Towards a Minor Literature , A Thousand Plateaus , and elsewhere. In these texts, they criticize the concept of "majority"...
feelings towards the German Swiss
German Swiss
German Swiss may refer to:*German Swiss International School*Swiss Germans...
vast majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
, (see http://www.usefoundation.org/view/606 and Röstigraben
Röstigraben
The Röstigraben, , literally ‘Rösti ditch’, also transcribed Röschtigraben in order to reflect the Swiss German pronunciation , is a humorous term describing the dividing line between the German-speaking and the French-speaking Romands parts of Switzerland with their respecitve cultural differences...
): "La Venoge" being the only significant river in canton of Vaud contributing the "French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
" Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, all others flowing through the German Swiss Area
Linguistic geography of Switzerland
The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Only three of these languages, however, maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation: German, French, and Italian.Native speakers...
into the Rhine River.
Quote
"C'est là que Jacques BrelJacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
avait entendu notre homme dire ce poème. Il avoua à Gilles – qu’il considérait comme son maître – avoir osé écrire «Le Plat Pays» au vu de l’étonnant succès que rencontrait – auprès des Parisiens – cet hymne à une rivière suisse inconnue!"
Translation: That's where (Gilles' Cabaret) Jacques Brel had heard our man recite his poem. He confided to Gilles - whom he considered as being his Master - to have had the courage to write «Le Plat Pays», considering the astonishingly great success this hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
to an unknown Swiss river encountered by the Parisian audience!