I went down | I went down to my garden

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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by Laura Claycomb

J'ai descendu dans mon jardin (bis)

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

J'ai descendu dans mon jardin (bis)
Pour y cueillir du romarin
Gentil coquelicot, Mesdames
Gentil coquelicot nouveau

J'n'en avais pas cueilli trois brins (bis)
Qu'un rossignol vint sur ma main
Gentil coquelicot, Mesdames
Gentil coquelicot nouveau

Il me dit trois mots en latin (bis)
Que les hommes ne valent rien
Gentil coquelicot Mesdames
Gentil coquelicot nouveau

Que les hommes ne valent rien (bis)
Et les garçons encore moins bien
Gentil coquelicot Mesdames
Gentil coquelicot nouveau

Des dames, il ne me dit rien (bis)
Mais des d'moiselles beaucoup de bien
Gentil coquelicot Mesdames
Gentil coquelicot nouveau

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) [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 Robert Juan René Gerhard Ottenwaelder (1896 - 1970), as Roberto Gerhard, "Un rossignol vint sur ma main", 1944?, published 2002, first performed 1957 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six chansons populaires françaises, no. 3, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text not yet checked]
by Mátyás György Seiber (1905 - 1960), "J'ai descendu", 1944, published 1959 [ soprano and guitar ], from Four French Folksongs , no. 2, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Claycomb) , "I went down", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Laura Claycomb

This text was added to the website: 2011-11-24
Line count: 20
Word count: 95

I went down

Language: English after the French (Français)

I went down to my garden
to pick rosemary
Sweet poppy, my ladies, 
Sweet new poppy

I hadn't even picked three sprigs
when a nightingale alighted onto my hand
Sweet poppy, my ladies, 
Sweet new poppy

He said three words in Latin: 
That men aren't worth anything
Sweet poppy, my ladies, 
Sweet new poppy

That men aren't worth anything,
and young men are worth even less
Sweet poppy, my ladies, 
Sweet new poppy

Of the ladies he didn't tell me anything,
but of damsels he spoke very highly,
Sweet poppy, my ladies, 
Sweet new poppy

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2011 by Laura Claycomb, (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) from Volkslieder (Folksongs)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-11-24
Line count: 20
Word count: 95