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Le troupeau verni des moutons Roule en tumulte vers la crêche Les lapins tambours, brefs et rêches, Couvrent leurs aigres mirlitons. Vierge Marie, en crinoline. Ses yeux d'émail sans cesse ouverts, En attendant Bonhomme hiver Veille Jésus qui se dodine Car, près de là, sous un sapin, Furtif, emmitoufflé dans l'ombre Du bois, Belzébuth, le chien sombre, Guette l'Enfant de sucre peint. Mais les beaux anges incassables Suspendus par des fils d'archal Du haut de l'arbuste hiémal Assurent la paix des étables. Et leur vol de clinquant vermeil Qui cliquette en bruits symétriques S'accorde au bétail mécanique Dont la voix grêle bêle: "Noêl! Noêl! Noêl!"
Text Authorship:
- by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937) [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 Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Noël des jouets", M. 47 (1905), published 1914 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Noël of the toys", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Christmas of the Toys", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Victor Torres) , "Navidad de los juguetes", copyright © 2010, (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: 21
Word count: 105
The hand-varnished flock of sheep Rolls in a sudden burst of noise toward the crêche. The rabbit drummers, staccato and uneven, Cover up their [the sheep's] shrill mirlitons. The Virgin Mary, in crinoline, Her enamel eyes unceasingly open, Waiting for Old Man Winter, Keeping watch over Jesus in the rocker. Because nearby, below a fir tree, Furtive, swaddled in the shadow Of the wood, Belzébuth, the dark-colored dog, Is on the lookout for the Child made of hand-painted fondant. But the beautiful, shatterproof angels Suspended by brass wires From the top of the winter garlands Ensure the peace of the stable. And their wings of glittery bronze Jingle in symmetrical noises, In time with the mechanical cattle Whose voices bleat like little hailstones: "Noêl! Noêl! Noêl!"
Translator's notes
Line 4 ("mirlitons") : also called flûte à l'oignon. A noisy
children's musical toy of the Baroque period, simlar to a kazoo. It
was usually made of a wooden tune flaring at the end and closed by
means of a fine membrane, similar to onion skin.
Line 5 ("crinoline"): A structured formal dress, usually supposed by hoops,
that developed from the stiff petticoats worn by 19th-century
ladies. In Ravel's time, the crinoline was the subject of much
ridicule and satire in Punch magazine.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2013 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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 Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
This text was added to the website: 2013-06-09
Line count: 21
Word count: 126