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by Clément Marot (1496 - 1544)
Translation © by Grant Hicks

Petit enfant, quel que soit, fille ou...
Language: Middle French 
Our translations:  ENG ENG
Petit enfant, quel que soit, fille ou fils, 
Parfais le temps de tes neufs mois préfix. 
Puis en ce monde en grande lumière, 
Viens sans donner détresse coutumière 
A la mère humble en qui Dieu t'a fait naitre, 
Puis d'un doux ris commence à la connaître. 

Après que fait lui auras connaissance, 
Prends peu à peu nourriture et croissance, 
Tant qu'à demi commences à parler 
Et tout seulet en trépignant aller 
Sur les carreaux de ta maison prospère, 
Au passe temps de ta mère et ton père.

Qui de t'y voir un de ces jours prétendent 
Avec ton frère et ta sœur qui t’attendent 
Viens voir de terre et de mer le grand tour 
Avec le ciel qui se courbe à l'entour, 
Viens voir, viens voir mainte belle ornature 
Que chacun d'eux a reçu de nature; 

Je te dirais encor cent mille choses 
Qui sont en terre autour du ciel encloses, 
Belles à l'œil et douce à penser, 
Mais j'aurais peur de ta mère offenser 
Et que d'y voir et d'y penser tu prinses
Si grand désir qu'avant le terme vinses! 

Par quoi (enfant) quel que soit fille ou fils, 
Parfais le temps de tes neuf mois préfix!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   J. Françaix 

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: the spelling of this text has been modernized.

Text Authorship:

  • by Clément Marot (1496 - 1544), "Avant naissance du troiziesme enfant de Madame, Madame la Duchesse de Ferrare", written 1535, appears in Chants divers, no. 1 [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 Jean Françaix (1912 - 1997), "Avant naissance", 1942, published 1948 [ medium voice and piano ], from L'adolescence Clémentine, no. 5, Éd. Max Eschig [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor] , Laura Stanfield Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2016-04-15
Line count: 26
Word count: 198

Little child, whether you be daughter or...
Language: English  after the Middle French 
Little child, whether you be daughter or son,
Complete your appointed nine months' term,
Then into this world, into the light of day
Come without giving the customary distress
To your humble mother in whom God caused you to be born,
Then with a sweet smile start to get to know her.

After you have made her acquaintance,
Take nourishment and grow little by little,
So that you begin to speak a bit
And to go toddling about all by yourself 
On the flagstones of your fortunate house,
Entertaining your mother and your father.

Who intend to see you there one of these days
With your brother and your sister who await you.
Come see the great circle of the earth and sea
With the sky that curves all around,
Come see, come see the many beautiful adornments 
That each of them has received from nature;

I would tell you about a hundred thousand other things
That are all around on earth, encompassed by the sky,
Beautiful to see and sweet to contemplate,
But I'd be afraid of offending your mother 
And that to see and contemplate them you'd feel 
Such a strong desire that you'd come before term!

Therefore (child) whether you be daughter or son, 
Complete your appointed nine months' term!

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Avant naissance" = "Before Birth"
"Avant naissance du troiziesme enfant de Madame, Madame la Duchesse de Ferrare" = "Before the Birth of the Third Child of My Lady the Duchess of Ferrara"


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Middle French 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:

  • a text in Middle French by Clément Marot (1496 - 1544), "Avant naissance du troiziesme enfant de Madame, Madame la Duchesse de Ferrare", written 1535, appears in Chants divers, no. 1
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-17
Line count: 26
Word count: 213

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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