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Le jour s'annonce à l'Orient, De pourpre se coloriant, Le doigt du matin souriant Ouvre les roses ! Et sous la garde d'un gamin Qui tient une gaule à la main, On voit passer sur le chemin Les cochons roses. Le rose rare au ton charmant Qu'à l'horizon, en ce moment, Là-bas, au bord du firmament On voit s'étendre, Ne réjouit pas tant les yeux, N'est pas si frais et si joyeux Que celui des cochons soyeux D'un rose tendre ! Le zéphir, ce doux maraudeur, Porte plus d'un parfum rôdeur Et dans la matinale odeur Des églantines, Les petits cochons transportés Ont d'exquises vivacités Et d'insouciantes gaietés Presqu'enfantines ; Heureux, poussant de petits cris, Ils vont par les sentiers fleuris Et ce sont des jeux et des ris Remplis de grâces ; Ils vont, et tous ces corps charnus Sont si roses qu'ils semblent nus Comme ceux d'amours ingénus Aux formes grasses. Des points oirs dans ce rose clair Semblant des truffes dans leur chair, Leur donnent vaguement un air De galantine; Et leur petit trottinement, A cette graisse, incessamment, Communique un tremblotement De gélatine. Le long du ruisseau floflottant, Ils suivent tout en ronflotant La blouse au large dos flottant De toile bleue, ils trottent Les petits cochons, Les gorets gras et folichons, Remuant les tire-bouchons Que fait leur queue ! Puis, quand les champs sans papillons Exhaleront de leurs sillons Les plaintes douces des grillons Toujours pareilles, Les cochons rentrant au bercail Défileront sous le portail Agitant le double éventail De leurs oreilles ; Et quand là-bas, à l'Occident, Croulera le soleil ardent, A l'heure où le soir descendant Ferme les roses, Paisiblement couchés en rond, Près de l'auge couleur marron, Bien repus ils s'endormiront, Les cochons roses !
Authorship:
- by Edmond Rostand (1868 - 1918), written 1889, appears in Les Musardises, in 1. La chambre d'étudian, in 13. Souvenirs de vacances, no. 5, Paris, Éd. nouvelle Pierre Lafitte, first published 1910 [author's text not yet checked 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), "Pastorale des cochons roses", published 1889 [ medium voice and piano or orchestra ], Éd. Enoch & Costallat [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (Peter Low) , "Pastorale of little pink pigs", copyright © 2001, (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: 64
Word count: 292
Dawn is approaching in the east. Her touch awakens man and beast, the smallest rose and the least bud of mimosa. Along the path a peasant lad with a long stick in his hand, leads out a ragged band: les cochons roses. The charming pink, that special hue which in the east comes into view and drapes the clouds anew with subtle splendour is not so sweet a sight, I think, for my delighted eyes to drink as the swine in their silky pink so soft and tender. As the breeze which gently blows carries to every nose the scent of wild berry and rose wafting and straying, the piglets frolic free with the cheeky vivacity and the charming temerity of toddlers playing. They play like chubby happy babes. They fill the green and flowery glades with squeals and the pastel shade of rosy prawn. Each body full of health and food is so rosy it appears nude like a Cupid baring a cute and rounded belly. Freckles of black upon the pink provide a subtle visual link with truffles, and make one think: pâté or brawn. Each piglet's rapid trotting gait creates a wave at such a rate as to cause its flab to vibrate just like a jelly. The boy in the loose blue smock leads along the gurgling brook. They follow in a noisy flock. all snorting gaily. And as it trots, each little pork takes its hindquarters for a walk and twirls a curly stalk: one corkscrew taily. Then when the crickets' gentle whine and the church's melancholy chime announce that now the cooler time of sunset nears, they return along the lane back to the sty in which their day began, each waving still the double fan of two pink ears. And when the light has left the west, eyes close of man and beast, the finest rose and the least bloom of mimosa. Peacefully round their wooden trough, having roamed and frisked enough, bellies full, they all doze off, les cochons roses.
Authorship:
- Singable translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2001 by Peter Low, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Edmond Rostand (1868 - 1918), written 1889, appears in Les Musardises, in 1. La chambre d'étudian, in 13. Souvenirs de vacances, no. 5, Paris, Éd. nouvelle Pierre Lafitte, first published 1910
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 64
Word count: 339