by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972)

Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché
Language: French (Français) 
Available translation(s): ENG
Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché, 
Tenait en son bec un fromage.
Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché, 
Lui tint à peu près ce langage:
Hé!  Bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.
Que vous êtes joli! Que vous me semblez beau!
Sans mentir, si votre ramage
Se rapporte à votre plumage,
Vous êtes le phénix des hôtes de ces bois.
A ces mots le corbeau ne se sent pas de joie;
Et, pour montrer sa belle voix, 
Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tombe sa proie.
Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: Mon bon monsieur,
Apprenez que tout flatteur
Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute:
Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute.
Le corbeau, honteux et confus,
Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.

About the headline (FAQ)

See also Le renard et le corbeau.


Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

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

  • ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "The Raven and the Fox", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Geoffrey Wieting

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 126

The fox and the crow
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
On his airy perch among the branches
 [ ... ]

This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.

Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), adapted by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau.

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-22
Line count: 18
Word count: 133