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by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by Grant Hicks
La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf
Language: French (Français)
Une Grenouille vit un Bœuf Qui lui sembla de belle taille. Elle, qui n'était pas grosse en tout comme un œuf, Envieuse, s'étend, et s'enfle, et se travaille, Pour égaler l'animal en grosseur, Disant: "Regardez bien, ma sœur ; Est-ce assez? dites-moi ; n'y suis-je point encore ? - Nenni. - M'y voici donc? - Point du tout. - M'y voilà ? - Vous n'en approchez point." La chétive pécore S'enfla si bien qu'elle creva. Le monde est plein de gens qui ne sont pas plus sages : Tout bourgeois veut bâtir comme les grands seigneurs, Tout petit prince a des ambassadeurs, Tout marquis veut avoir des pages.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", written 1668, appears in Fables [author's text checked 1 time 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 Isabelle Aboulker (b. 1938), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", 2002?, published 2002 [ medium voice and piano ], from La Cigale et le Pot au Lait, 16 mélodies pour voix moyennes d'après les Fables de Jean de La Fontaine, no. 5, Éditions Notissimo [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", published 1952 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine I, no. 4, Éd. Lido Mélodies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau (1823 - 1898), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", op. 377 no. 1 (1879) [ medium voice and piano or organ ], from 25 fables de La Fontaine, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Régis Campo (b. 1968), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", 2005, published 2005 [ soprano and piano ], from Cinq fables de La Fontaine pour soprano et piano, no. 3, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier (1921 - 1999), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le bœuf", published 1962 [ women's chorus ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine pour chœur à deux ou trois voix de femmes sans accompagnement, no. 1, Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Françaix (1912 - 1997), "La grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le bœuf", 1963, published 1965 [ soprano or tenor or vocal quartet of male voices or men's chorus with piano ], Éd. Musicales Transatlantiques [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rachel Laurin (b. 1961), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", op. 9 no. 2 (1987), copyright © 1987 [ medium voice and piano ], from 3 Fables, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Alexandre) Charles Lecocq (1832 - 1918), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le bœuf", 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Six Fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 1, Éd. Librairie Musicale R. Legouix [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marcelle de Manziarly (1899 - 1989), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", 1935, from Trois Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philippe Mazé (b. 1954), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", 2009, published 2016 [ medium voice and piano ], from 9 Fables de Jean de La Fontaine pour une voix et piano, no. 9, Clichy, Éd. Musicales Artchipel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Guy Miaille (b. 1930), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf" [ medium voice and piano ], from 8 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Édition Les Escholiers [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "The frog who wanted to be as big as an ox", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Frog Who Wants to Make Herself As Big As an Ox", copyright © 2025, (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: 14
Word count: 98
The Frog Who Wants to Make Herself As Big As an Ox
Language: English after the French (Français)
A frog once saw an ox Who seemed to her of a fine size. She, who was in all not as big as an egg, Envious, stretched, and puffed up, and exerted herself, So as to equal the animal in size, Saying, "Look closely, my sister; Is it enough? Tell me, am I not there yet?" "No " — "Now, then? — "Not at all." — "And now?" "You're not even close." The little ninny Became so puffed up that she burst. The world is full of folk who are no wiser: Every burgher wants to build like a great lord, Every princeling has ambassadors, Every marquis wants to have pages.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 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:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Bœuf", written 1668, appears in Fables
This text was added to the website: 2025-09-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 111