Cott, cott, cott -- qu'y a-t-il de neuf ? La poule fait l'œuf. Cott, cott, cott -- tant qu'il le faudra, La poule pondra. Cott, cott, cott -- qu'est-il arrivé? La poule a couvé. Toc, toc, toc, -- qu'y a-t-il de neuf ? La poule dans l'œuf. Toc, toc, toc, -- un petit coup sec, Il frappe du bec. Toc, toc, toc -- un œuf s'ouvre au choc... Bonjour, petit coq!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Semaine Scolaire. Directions et Exercices d'apres les programmes officiels du 18 Janvier 1887, Année scolaire 1901-1902, 30 Novembre 1901, page 723.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean-François-Victor Aicard (1848 - 1921), "Le petit poulet", appears in Le Livre des petits [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 Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959), "La Poule a couvé", 1929, published 1977 [ medium voice and piano ], from Dětské písně = Trois Chants de Noël = Three Christmas Songs, no. 1, Praha (Prague), Éd. Schott Panton; title in Czech is 'Kvočna' [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marie Athanase Truillet-Soyer (d. 1931), "Le petit poulet", published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from Pour les petits et les grands, no. 2, Paris : Durand & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Bohuslav Martinů.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 63
Ko, ko, ko, černá slepička,snáší vajíčka. Ko, ko, ko, dej nám, slepičko, bílé vajíčko. Ko, ko, ko, dát jej nemohu, chci mít zakrátko, Ko, ko, ko, z vejce bílého, žluté kuřátko. Pí, pí, pí, žlutý zobáček, už se klube ven, Pí, pí, pí, z peří chomáček, přeje dobrý den.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean-François-Victor Aicard (1848 - 1921), "Le petit poulet", appears in Le Livre des petits
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Bohuslav Martinů (1890 - 1959), "Kvočna", H 184bis no. 1 (1929) [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-17
Line count: 6
Word count: 49