A story by Robert Sylvain from 1998
Portrait of Robert Sylvain
My paternal grandmother, Elisa Thibodeau—known to all as Mémère (pronounced meh-MAYh in French)—grew up on the St. John River in Maine’s Acadian heartland. When she passed away in 1998, I inherited her cherished notebook of old Acadian folksongs, making me the keeper of songs for my generation.
Representing a mélange of poignant laments and serenades along with uproarious broadsides and epics, Mémère’s Notebook includes ballads from the expansive Acadian repertoire, drawing from old-world medieval troubadours as well as new-world stories born from 400 years of hard winters on the North Atlantic coast. All are written in the French patois (dialect) of my ancestors; each song holding a key to our cultural heritage.
Over the following two decades, I toured internationally with renowned Acadian fiddler Steve Muise, presenting Mémère’s songs to French-speaking audiences in the context of entertainment and academia. Meanwhile back home I was facing audiences full of Mainers with French heritage like myself unable to comprehend the meaning of these songs—stories essentially meant for them. Because of the language barrier, many descendants lost their connection to Acadian identity over generations of assimilation.
That’s when I decided to translate the songs for new audiences of traditional music lovers, Francophiles, and English-speaking Acadians all over the globe, as proof that Acadian culture still lives in Maine.
Roberts Sylvain CD
Elisa Thibodeau holding her grandson, Roberts Sylvain as a baby on the cover of Sylvain's CD
Mémère’s Notebook
A page from Mémère’s Notebook and Robert Sylvain's translation (right).
Friendly URL: https://www.mainememory.net/mymainestory/sylvain
