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Souric et Mouric, Rat blanc, souris noire, Venus dans l'armoire Pour apprendre à l'araignée À tisser sur le métier Un beau drap de toile. Expédiez-le à Paris, à Quimper, à Nantes, C'est de bonne vente! Mettez les sous de côté, Vous achèterez un pré, Des pommiers pour la saison Et trois belles vaches, Un boeuf pour faire étalon. Chantez, les rainettes, Car voici la nuit qui vient, La nuit on les entend bien, Crapauds et grenouilles, Écoutez, mon merle Et ma pie qui parle, Écoutez, toute la journée, Vous apprendrez à chanter.
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), "Souric et Mouric", subtitle: "Chanson", 1963 [ soli, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola and piano ], from Morven le Gaëlique, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963), "Souric et Mouric", FP 59 no. 5 (1931), published 1932 [ soprano and piano ], from Cinq Poèmes de Max Jacob, no. 5, Éd. Rouart, Lerolle [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Souric and Mouric", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Souric und Mouric", 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: 21
Word count: 92
Souric und Mouric, weiße Ratte, schwarze Maus sind in den Schrank gekommen, der Spinne beizubringen, auf dem Webstuhl ein schönes Leintuch zu weben. Verschickt es nach Paris, Quimper, und Nantes; es wird ein gutes Geschäft! Legt das Kleingeld beiseite und kauft dann eine Wiese, Apfelbäume für die Jahreszeit und drei schöne Kühe, einen Ochsen, der den Hengst zu macht. Singt, ihr Laubfrösche, denn die Nacht rückt heran, die Nacht, in der man sie gut hört, die Kröten und Grasfrösche; hört meine Amsel, meine Elster sprechen, hört zu, den ganzen Tag, und ihr werdet singen lernen.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2015 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 Max Jacob (1876 - 1944), "Chanson", written 1926?, appears in Chants Bretons et inédits signés Morven le Gaélique, first published 1929
This text was added to the website: 2015-11-10
Line count: 21
Word count: 95