by
Robert Desnos (1900 - 1945)
Le Pélican
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG ENG
Le Capitaine Jonathan,
Étant âgé de dix-huit ans,
Capture un jour un pélican
Dans une île d’Extrême-orient.
Le pélican de Jonathan,
Au matin, pond un œuf tout blanc
Et il en sort un pélican
Lui ressemblant étonnamment.
Et ce deuxième pélican
Pond à son tour, un œuf tout blanc
D’où sort, inévitablement
Un autre qui en fait autant.
Cela peut durer pendant très longtemps
Si l’on ne fait pas d’omelette avant.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Roger Albin (1920 - 2001), "Le Pélican", 1969?, published 1969 [ soprano and piano or orchestra ], from Chantefables pour les enfants sages, no. 1, Éd. du Rideau Rouge (R 497 RC) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Barraud (1900 - 1997), "Le Pélican", op. 36 no. 3 (1945) [ medium voice and piano ], from Huit chantefables pour les enfants sages, no. 3, Éd. Françaises de Musique-Sofirad [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alphonse Stallaert (1920 - 1995), "Le Pélican", 1977, published c1980 [ soprano and piano ], from Internationale dierentuin, no. 3, Amsterdam: Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Wiéner (1896 - 1982), "Le Pélican", 1955 [ voice and piano ], from Trente Chantefables pour les Enfants Sages, no. 22, confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The Pelican", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Pelican", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-05-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 71
The Pelican
Language: English after the French (Français)
Captain Jonathan,
Eighteen years old,
Catches a pelican one day
On an island in the Far East.
Jonathan's pelican
Lays a pure white egg the next morning
And from it comes a pelican
That bears it a striking resemblance.
And this second pelican
In her turn lays a pure white egg
From which there inevitably comes
Another who then does the same.
This can go on for quite a while
If someone doesn't first make an omelet.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 77
