Draft:Sleep and Cry No More

"Sleep and Cry No More" (Maltese: Ninni la tibkix iżjed) is a Maltese Christmas carol in the style of a lullaby; it is probably the best-known traditional carol in the Maltese language. It was written and published in 1864 (in Algiers) for Maltese settlers in Algeria and Tunisia by Fr Indrì (Andrew) Schembri, SJ, though the original tune may be older. Fr. Schembri (1805-1875) was a Jesuit sent as a missionary to French Algeria in 1849, where he lived in camps (douars) among the natives. As the Maltese emigrant community in North Africa grew, he started to minister to his fellow Maltese, spending the last twenty-five years of his life in this ministry. At the time, Maltese diasporas in the Mediterranean were poor and faced many difficulties.

The first Maltese emigrants were often single men, who opened seedy or shady bars and started unionizing the local porters and port workers, and were stigmatized as "potential troublemakers". Given their south-European origins, the Maltese were not given a free plot of land by the French administration, as were the Swiss and German migrants; they had to work for the north-European colonists and save money to purchase their own land. However, as women arrived and the diasporas grew stronger, the Maltese eventually became important intermediaries between the French/North-European colonists and the local Berber and Jewish communities, given their semitic language and customs, and their ability to grow crops in arid climes, and gradually became richer. However, their liminality became a problem as some sought to climb the social ladder, and many second-generation migrants decided to shed their Maltese identity completely to become "more French than the French" in North Africa, and hence "completely white", "completely western", "completely European" besides being "Latin Catholics", though maybe not so pious as in Malta; some aligned themselves with the anticlerical liberals of the day. Visits to the communities by Maltese priests and religious were important in this complex identity struggle, as were songs like Ninni la tibkix iżjed. Another famous Maltese Jesuit who occasionally ministered to these communities a generation after Schembri's time was Malta's pioneer archeologist, Emmanuel Magri SJ (who died unexpectedly in Sfax, Tunisia, in 1907).

Maltese Text and English Translations

	Maltese (original)	English (literal: R.M. Micallef)	English (singable: R.M. Micallef)
R	Ninni, la tibkix iżjed,   ninni, Ġesù bambin. Ħallih għalina l-biki,   għax aħna midinbin.	Sleep, and cry no more.   Hush, Baby Jesus, Hush. Leave the crying to us:   for the sinners are we.	Sleep well, oh Jesus, cry no more,   sleep well, ye babe divine, 'Tis we, who sinned: let us instead,   seek mercy, weep and pine
1	Ejjew ejjew ja anġli   mis-sema mija mija, [T]Araw lil min ħalaqkom   Bambin ġewwa l-fisqija.	Come, come, you heavenly host,   in hundred-strong companies, Behold him who created you,   a baby in swaddling clothes, in a cradle.	In companies of hundreds,   come forth, ye heavenly angels, Behold, behold your maker,   in swaddling clothes in a cradle.
2	Ejjew taraw b’għajnejkom   dan Alla kbir tal-ħniena, Bambin sabiħ u ħelu   ininni ġol-benniena.	Come and see for yourselves   this God of mercy, so great, A handsome, sweet babe,   asleep in the crib.	Come set your eyes upon him,   the God of mercy, so splendid, A sweet and handsome baby,   asleep, while his cot is tended.
3	Ħallu ja rgħajja, ħallu   il-merħla tan-nagħġiet, Tibżgħux min jindukrahom,   hemm l-anġli tas-smewwiet!	Leave your flocks, you shepherds,   leave your sheep, Worry not as to who shall tend them:   the angels of heaven are there!	Fear not to leave, ye shepherds,   your flock where it is gathered, The angel host is watching,   your sheep will not be scattered.
4	Ejjew araw o rgħajja,   f’kemm faqar, f’kemm tbatija Is-Sid ta’ kollox twieled,   Bin Alla, il-Messija.	Come and see, you shepherds,   in what poverty and hardship, The Lord of all is born,   the Son of God, the Messiah.	Come, herdsmen, and behold him,   here born in want and hardship, God's Son and God's Anointed,   the Lord of all, come worship.
5	Ejjew kbarat tad-dinja!   Ejjew mingħajr kburija!  Araw kif Alla Sidna   iċċekken, sar tarbija.	Come, you dignitaries of the world!   Come without pomp! See how God, our Lord,   has made himself small, a baby!	Come all ye great and mighty,   bereft of your pretension, Our God, grown small, behold him,   a baby with no mention.
6	Sar bniedem, sar tarbija,   biex jiġbed il-qlub tagħna, Biex bl-aqwa ġid tas-sema   henjin bla qies jarana.	He became human, he became an infant,   that our hearts may be drawn to him, And that--bearing the greatest heavenly treasure--.   he may see us brimming with joy	So he became a human   -- 'tis love beyond all measure -- To touch our hearts and fill them,   with joy, with heaven's treasure.
7	Marija lil dan ibnek,   o kemm inħobbu jiena, Ħallini ħelu, ħelu,   inxejru ġol-benniena.	This child of yours, oh Mary,   how fond am I of him! Allow me, gently, gently   to sway him in the cradle.	Oh, how I Iove the Christ-child!   Dear Mary, this time natal, Allow me gently, gently,   to sway him in the cradle.

Some Other Translations

	Italian (R.M Micallef)	French (R.M. Micallef)	Spanish (R.M. Micallef)
R	Dormi, non piangere più,   dormi, bambin Gesù, Lascia a noi il pianto:   siamo noi i peccatori.	Dors, et ne pleure plus   calme-toi, bébé Jésus. Laisse-nous pleurer :   sommes nous les pécheurs.	Duerme, no llores más,   cálmate, niño Jesús, Déjanos el llanto:   somos nosotros los pecadores.
1	Venite, venite, schiere celesti,   in compagnie da cento, Ecco colui che vi ha create,   un bambino in fasce, in una culla.	Viens, viens, ô hôte céleste,   en compagnies de cent, Voici celui qui vous a créé,   un bébé en lange, dans un berceau.	Venid, venid, huestes celestiales,   en compañías de cien angeles, He aquí al que os creó,   un bebé en pañales, en una cuna.
2	Venite a vedere voi stessi   questo Dio di misericordia, così grande, Un bambino bello e dolce   che dorme nella culla.	Venez voir par vous-mêmes   ce Dieu de miséricorde, si grand, Un beau, doux bébé,   endormi dans le berceau.	Venid a ver por vosotros mismos   a este Dios de misericordia, tan grande, Un hermoso, dulce bebé,   dormido en la cuna.
3	Lasciate i vostri greggi, pastori,   lasciate le vostre pecore, Non vi mettete in ansia riguardo alla loro cura:   ecco gli angeli del cielo!	Quittez vos troupeaux, vous bergers,   laissez vos brebis, Ne faites pas de soucis - on s’occupera d’eux :   les anges du ciel sont là !	Dejad vuestros rebaños, pastores,   dejad vuestras ovejas, No os preocupéis por quién los atenderá:   ¡los ángeles del cielo están allí!
4	Venite a vedere, pastori,   in quanta povertà e sofferenza, È nato il Signore dell'universo,   il Figlio di Dio, il Messia.	Venez, les bergers, venez voir   dans quelle pauvreté et misère Le Seigneur de l'univers est né,   le Fils de Dieu, le Messie	Venid a ver, pastores,   en qué pobreza y penurias El Señor del universo nació,   el Hijo de Dios, el Mesías.
5	Venite, dignitari del mondo!   Venite senza pompa! Guardate come Dio, nostro Signore,   si è fatto piccolo, un bambino!	Venez, vous dignitaires du monde!   Venez sans pompe! Voyez comment Dieu, notre Seigneur,   s’est fait petit, un bébé !	¡Venid, dignatarios del mundo!   ¡Venid sin pompa! ¡Mirad cómo Dios, nuestro Señor,   se ha hecho pequeño, un bebé!!
6	Si fece umano, divenne un bimbo,   affinché i nostri cuori siano attratti da lui, Affinché--ricevuto il più grande tesoro celeste--   ci veda traboccanti di gioia	Il se fit humain, il devint un enfant,   afin que nos cœurs soient attirés vers lui, Et que--ayant reçu le plus grand trésor céleste--   il puisse nous voir débordant de joie,	Se hizo humano, se convirtió en un niño,   para que nuestros corazones puedan ser atraídos a él, Y que--al recibir el mayor tesoro celestial--   nos vea rebosantes de alegría.
7	Questo tuo bambino, o Maria,   ma quanto gli voglio bene! Permettimi, dolcemente,   di farlo barcollare nella culla.	Votre enfant, ô Marie,   combien je l’aime ! Permettez-moi, doucement,   doucement de le balancer dans le berceau.	Este hijo tuyo, oh María,   ¡cuánto le tengo! Permíteme, suavemente,   balancearlo en la cuna..