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Une [méchante]1 abeille piqua une fois Eros qui volait le rayon de miel d'une ruche; et elle le piqua au bout des doigts. Eros souffrit, et il souffla sur ses doigts, frappa du pied, sauta, et montrant à Aphrodita sa blessure, se plaignit que l'abeille, une si petite bête, fit de telles blessures. Et la mère rit: "N'est-tu pas semblable aux abeilles? Tu es petit, mais quelles profondes blessures ne fais-tu pas?"
1 Roussel: "cruelle"
Text Authorship:
- by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Le kérioklépte", appears in Idylles de Théocrite et Odes anacréontiques, first published 1861 [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Theocritus (c310 BCE - c250 BCE), "Κηριολεπτησ"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Albert Roussel (1869 - 1937), "Le kérioklépte", op. 44 no. 1 (1931), first performed 1932 [ soprano and piano ], from Deux idylles, no. 1, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Henry Purcell.
- Also set in English, a translation by Andrew Lang (1844 - 1912) , "Idyl XIX", appears in Theocritus, Bion and Moschus ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585) , "L'Amour piqué par une abeille", appears in Odes de 1550, no. 16, Livre IV, first published 1550 [an adaptation] ; composed by Fabrice-Marin Caietain, Jean Chardavoine, Julien Tiersot.
- Also set in French (Français), [adaptation] ; composed by Gérard Condé, Charles Camille Saint-Saëns.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "The wax thief (?)", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-09
Line count: 9
Word count: 73
A nasty bee once stung Eros who was stealing [a] honeycomb from a beehive; and it stung him on the tip of his fingers. Eros was in pain, and he blew on his fingers, stamped [his] feet, jumped up, and, showing Aphrodite his wound, complained that the bee, such a small creature, [had] caused such injuries. And the mother laughed: “Are you not akin to the bees? You are small, but can you not cause [such] deep wounds?”
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2020 by Garrett Medlock, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894), "Le kérioklépte", appears in Idylles de Théocrite et Odes anacréontiques, first published 1861 [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Theocritus (c310 BCE - c250 BCE), "Κηριολεπτησ"
This text was added to the website: 2020-04-04
Line count: 9
Word count: 78