by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972)
La Poule aux oeufs d'or
Language: French (Français)
L'avarice perd tout en voulant tout gagner. Je ne veux, pour le témoigner, Que celui dont la Poule, à ce que dit la Fable, Pondait tous les jours un oeuf d'or. Il crut que dans son corps elle avait un trésor. Il la tua, l'ouvrit, et la trouva semblable A celles dont les oeufs ne lui rapportaient rien, S'étant lui-même ôté le plus beau de son bien. Belle leçon pour les gens chiches : Pendant ces derniers temps, combien en a-t-on vus Qui du soir au matin sont pauvres devenus Pour vouloir trop tôt être riches ?
Text Authorship:
- by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "La Poule aux oeufs d'or"
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-05-31
Line count: 12
Word count: 95
The hen that laid the golden eggs Matches original text
Language: English  after the French (Français)
Take all that is there and forfeit increment [ ... ]
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Composition:
- Set to music by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "The hen that laid the golden eggs", 1990, first performed 1991 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and piano ], from Fables for a Prince -- 6 songs for Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone and Piano, no. 3
Text Authorship:
- by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972), "The hen that laid the golden eggs", appears in The Fables of La Fontaine: A Complete New Translation, first published 1954, copyright ©
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "La Poule aux oeufs d'or"
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This text was added to the website: 2014-08-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 103