by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

La coccinelle
 (Sung text for setting by G. Bizet)
 See base text
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  CHI ENG GER
Elle me dit: "Quelque chose
"Me tourmente." Et j'aperçus
Son cou de neige, et, dessus,
Un petit insecte rose.

J'aurais dû, - mais, sage ou fou,
A seize ans, on est farouche, -
Voir le baiser sur sa bouche
Plus que l'insecte à son cou.

On eût dit un coquillage;
Dos rose et taché de noir.
Les fauvettes pour nous voir
Se penchaient dans le feuillage.

Sa bouche fraîche était là;
Hélas! Je me penchai sur la belle,
Et je pris la coccinelle;
Mais le baiser s'envola.

"Fils, apprends comme on me nomme,"
Dit l'insecte du ciel bleu,
"Les bêtes sont au bon Dieu;
"Mais la bêtise est à l'homme."

Composition:

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yan-Jiang Che) , "小瓢蟲", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The ladybug", copyright © 2016
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Der Marienkäfer", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 108

Language: English  after the French (Français) 
She told me: "Something
Is bothering me." And I noticed
Her snow-white neck, and, upon it,
A small reddish insect.

I should have - but wise or mad,
At sixteen, one is timid --
I should have noticed the kiss on her mouth
More than the insect on her neck.

It looked like a shell,
Its back red and spattered with black.
To see us better, warblers
Stretched out their necks in the branches.

Her sweet mouth was there;
Alas! I leaned over the beautiful girl,
And I removed the ladybug,
But the kiss flew away!

"Son, learn what they call me,"
The insect said from the blue sky,
"Animals belong to the Good Lord,
But Idiocy belongs to Man."

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2016-09-29
Line count: 20
Word count: 118