# Provençal: A jamai durmit, mai una bona parte Dei belei fremas daqui e daila



## PerSong

Hi guys,

New member. A friend took a picture of this sign in Antibes. Google Translate seems to think it's Catalan...



(I'm sorry, I can't figure out how to embed it)

Being a bit of a student of Napoleon, it's really annoying me not knowing what it says! I've found plenty of pictures of it on Tumblr ect, but no translation...

Any thoughts?

Any help much appreciated.


----------



## PerSong

Picture isn't coming up very large and I'm not allowed to post links. Transcribed;

Dins aquest ostau,
Napoleon
A jamai durmit, mai una
Bona  Parte
Dei belei fremas daqui e daila


----------



## ACQM

I don't think it is Catalan, not even ancient Catalan, not in Antibes. It is probably Occitane (Langue d'Oc). 

But for what I get it is a joke wiht Napoleon last name "bona parte" may mean "main part": In this hostel Napolean had never slept but a main part ...." and I don't get the last part.


----------



## merquiades

PerSong said:


> Dins aquest ostau,
> Napoleon
> A jamai durmit, mai una
> Bona  Parte
> Dei belei fremas daqui e daila


Hi. This is Provençal, not Catalan.   Sounds beautiful and there is a play on words,  "Bonaparte" as in Napoleon, and "Bona Parte" meaning "a good/great deal of", "a large number of".  So here goes

In this hotel
Napoleon 
Never slept, but a
Great deal
Of beautiful ladies from here and from there.


----------



## PerSong

Very beautiful, even in English. And quite a good marketing ploy - it would certainly have got me through the door.

I can sleep now.

Thank you very much.


----------



## Nanon

O(u)stau / ostal (various spellings are possible) basically means _house _(as the picture seems to show), although _hotel _is another possible meaning.


----------

