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Man is for the woman made, And the woman made for man; As the spur is for the jade, As the scabbard for the blade, As for digging is the spade, As for liquor is the can, So man is for the woman made, And the woman made for man. As the scepter to be sway'd, As for night's the serenade, As for pudding is the pan, And to cool us is the fan, So man is for the woman made, And the woman made for man. Be she widow, wife or maid, Be she wanton, be she stayed, Be she well or ill array'd, Whore, bawd or harridan, Yet man is for the woman made, And the woman made for man.
Text Authorship:
- possibly by Peter Anthony Motteux (1663 - 1718) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Thomas Scott (flourished 1696-1697) [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 (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Man is for the woman made", 1948 [ voice and piano ], a realization of the Purcell song. Confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "Man is for the woman made", Z. 605 no. 3, published 1696, in Deliciae Musicae, Vol. III [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "L’home ha estat fet per a la dona", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "L'homme est fait pour la femme", copyright © 2014, (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: 20
Word count: 122
L'homme est fait pour la femme, Et la femme est faite pour l'homme ; Comme l'éperon pour l'haridelle, Comme le fourreau pour la lame, Comme pour creuser est la bêche, Comme pour la liquide est le bidon, Ainsi l'homme est fait pour la femme, Et la femme est faite pour l'homme. Comme le sceptre pour être agité, Comme pour les nuits la sérénade, Comme pour le boudin est la casserole, Et pour nous rafraîchir est l'éventail, Ainsi l'homme est fait pour la femme, Et la femme est faite pour l'homme. Qu'elle soit veuve, mariée ou fille, Qu'elle soit légère ou réservée, Qu'elle soit bien ou mal habillée, Putain, catin ou harpie, Pourtant l'homme est fait pour la femme, Et la femme est faite pour l'homme.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Guy Laffaille, (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 English possibly by Peter Anthony Motteux (1663 - 1718) and by Thomas Scott (flourished 1696-1697)
This text was added to the website: 2014-06-29
Line count: 20
Word count: 124