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Ils vont, les petits canards, Tout au bord de la rivière, Comme de bons campagnards. Barboteurs et frétillards, Heureux de troubler l'eau claire, Ils vont, les petits canards. Ils semblent un peu jobards, Mais ils sont à leur affaire, Comme de bons campagnards. Dans l'eau pleine de têtards, Où tremble une herbe légère, Ils vont, les petits canards, Marchant, par groupes épars, D'une allure régulière Comme de bons campagnards.1 Amoureux et nasillards, Chacun avec sa commère, Ils vont, les petits canards, Comme de bons campagnards.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Rosemonde Gérard, Les Pipeaux, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1889, pages 36-37.
1 Chabrier adds:Dans le beau vert d'épignards De l'humide cressonnière Ils vont, les petits canards, Et quoiqu'un peu goguenards, Ils sont d'humeur débonnaire Comme de bons campagnards! Faisant, en cercles bavards, Un vrai bruit de pétaudière, Ils vont, les petits canards, Dodus, lustrés et gaillards, Ils sont gais à leur manière, Comme de bons campagnards!
Authorship:
- by Louise-Rose Gérard (1866 - 1953), as Rosemonde Gérard, "Villanelle des petits canards", appears in Les pipeaux, in 1. Rustica, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1889 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 - 1894), "Villanelle des petits canards", 1889 [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jules Mazellier (1879 - 1959), "Les petits canards" [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ], from Le livre chantant, no. 10, Éd. Max Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Peter Low) , "The little ducks go walking", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Brian Charles Witkowski) , copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 19
Word count: 85
Da watscheln sie, die Entchen, alle am Bach entlang, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land! Da planschen sie und zappeln, froh, das klare Wasser trüb zu machen, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land! Ein wenig dämlich wirken sie, doch sind sie bei der Sache, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land! Im Wasser voller Kaulquappen, wo leichte Gräser schwanken, ziehn sie dahin, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land! Marschiern in Grüppchen hier und dort in gleichem Schritt und Tritt, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land!1 Verliebt und schnatternd watscheln sie, die Klatschbase zur Seit’, die kleinen Enten her und hin, grad wie vom Land die braven Leut!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translation of titles
"Les petits canards" = "Die Entchen"
"Villanelle des petits canards" = "Villanell der kleinen Enten"
Durchs schöne Grün, durch den Spinat, durchs feuchte Kressebeet watscheln die kleinen Enten. Ein wenig spöttisch sind sie wohl, doch gutmütig zugleich, grad wie vom Land die braven Leut! Sie machen in geschwätz’gem Kreis viel Lärm und Durcheinander, die kleinen Enten. Sind munter, glänzend, wohl genährt, fröhlich auf ihre Art, grad wie die braven Leut vom Land!
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2017 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Louise-Rose Gérard (1866 - 1953), as Rosemonde Gérard, "Villanelle des petits canards", appears in Les pipeaux, in 1. Rustica, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1889
This text was added to the website: 2017-06-07
Line count: 19
Word count: 111