Breton song | I've lost my little hen

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by Max Jacob (1876 - 1944)

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

J'ai perdu ma poulette

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG GER

J'ai perdu ma poulette
Et j'ai perdu mon chat.
Je cours à la poudrette
Si Dieu me les rendra.

Je vais chez Jean le Coz
Et chez Marie Maria.
Va-t'en voir chez Hérode
Peut-être il le saura.

Passant devant la salle
Toute la ville était là
À voir danser ma poule
Avec mon petit chat.

Tous les oiseaux champêtres
Sur les murs et sur les toits
Jouaient de la trompette
Pour le banquet du roi.

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in the revue Commerce, no. 22, Winter 1929, as the second of a collection of poems titled "Morven Le Gaëlique- Poèmes", and then later in Chants Bretons et inédits signés Morven le Gaélique, Paris, Éd. NRF Gallimard, 1953.

Text Authorship:

by Max Jacob (1876 - 1944), "Chanson", written 1926?, appears in Chants Bretons et inédits signés Morven le Gaélique, first published 1929 [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 Paul Le Flem (1881 - 1984), "J'ai perdu ma poulette", subtitle: "Chanson", published 1963 [ soli, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola and piano ], from Morven le Gaëlique, no. 6, Editions Billaudot [sung text not yet checked]
by Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963), "Chanson bretonne", FP 59 no. 1 (1931), published 1932 [ soprano and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Max Jacob, no. 1, Éd. Rouart, Lerolle [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Breton song", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Bretonisches Lied", copyright © 2015, (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: 16
Word count: 75

Breton song

Language: English after the French (Français)

I've lost my little hen, 
and I've lost my cat.
I'll run to the trash heap
if God gives them back to me. 

I will go see Jean le Coz 
and Marie Maria.
You go see Herod. 
Maybe he will know. 

When I went by the room, 
the whole town was there 
to see my hen dancing 
with my little cat. 

All the birds of the fields 
were playing the trumpet on the walls
and the rooftops 
for the king's banquet.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2004 by Faith J. Cormier, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Max Jacob (1876 - 1944), "Chanson", written 1926?, appears in Chants Bretons et inédits signés Morven le Gaélique, first published 1929
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2004-12-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 81