Conducted by Leslie Uyeda - ET AMOR: songs celebrating queer love Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, July 22 2017 "À la claire fontaine" is a traditional Canadian folk song from Quebec, with roots dating back to the rst French settlement in 1604 or earlier. While nightingales are not native to North America, they are common images associated with love and poetry in French folklore and appear as symbols in European and Middle Eastern literature, from Oscar Wilde’s children’s stories to Persian fables. À la claire fontaine, M’en allant promener J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle Que je m’y suis baigné Lui ya longtemps que je t’aime Jamais je ne t’oublierai Sous les feuilles d’un chêne, Je me suis fait sécher Sur la plus haute branche, Un rossignol chantait Chante rossignol, chante, Toi qui as le cœur gai Tu as le cœur à rire, Moi je l’ai t’à pleurer At the clear spring, As I was strolling by, I found the water so nice That I went in to bathe. It’s so long I’ve been loving you, That I’ll never forget you. Under an oak tree, I dried myself. On the highest branch A nightingale was singing. Sing, nightingale, sing, Your heart is so happy. Your heart feels like laughing, Mine feels like weeping.