by
Max Jacob (1876 - 1944)
Souric et Mouric
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG GER
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:
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):
- 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 and Mouric
Language: English after the French (Français)
Souric and Mouric,
white rat and black mouse,
came to the cupboard
to teach the spider
how to weave a beautiful sheet
of web on the loom.
Send it to Paris, Quimper, Nantes -
it will sell well!
Save your pennies
and buy a field,
with apple trees for the season
and three fine cows,
and a bull for stud.
Sing, frogs,
for night is coming.
We hear them clearly at night,
toads and frogs.
Listen, my merle
and my talking magpie.
Listen all the day long,
and you will learn to sing.
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:
This text was added to the website: 2004-12-09
Line count: 21
Word count: 92
