by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972)
Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché
Language: French (Français)
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.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "Le corbeau et le renard", written 1668, appears in Fables [author's text checked 1 time 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 Isabelle Aboulker (b. 1938), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 2002?, published 2018 [ medium voice and piano ], from Mélodies pour voix et piano, no. 19, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jules Boissier-Duran , "Le corbeau et le renard", published [1875] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. “Au Ménestrel” Heugel & Cie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "Le corbeau et le renard", published 1952 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine I, no. 2, Éd. Lido Mélodies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau (1823 - 1898), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 377 no. 13 (1879) [ medium voice and piano or harmonium ], from 25 fables de La Fontaine, no. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Régis Campo (b. 1968), "Le corbeau et le renard", 2005, published 2005 [ soprano and piano ], from Cinq fables de La Fontaine pour soprano et piano, no. 1, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by André Caplet (1879 - 1925), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1919, published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois Fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 1, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jacqueline Chautemps (b. 1946), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1999 [ low voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maurice Delage (1879 - 1961), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 20 no. 1 (1931), published 1948 [ medium voice and piano or instrumental ensemble ], from Deux fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 1, Éd. Durand & Cie [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier (1921 - 1999), "Le Corbeau et le renard", published 1962 [ women's chorus ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine pour chœur à deux ou trois voix de femmes sans accompagnement, no. 6, Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "Le renard et le corbeau", op. 17 no. 3 (1872-1879) [ low voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "Le Corbeau et le renard", CG 210 (1857), first performed 1858 [ TTBB chorus a cappella ], Éd. Lebeau, Bibliothèque Chorale de la musique populaire [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf (Ruud) Leopold Koumans (1929 - 2017), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 25 no. 2 (1964) [ chorus and orchestra ], from Vijf fabels van La Fontaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Alexandre) Charles Lecocq (1832 - 1918), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1891 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 3, Éd. Librairie Musicale R. Legouix [sung text not yet checked]
- by Guy Miaille (b. 1930), "Le Corbeau et le Renard" [ medium voice and piano ], from 8 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 2, Édition Les Escholiers [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wulfran Moreau (1827 - 1905), "Le Corbeau et le renard", published 1860? [ soprano, chorus, piano or harmonium ], from Collection des chœurs amusants, no. 6, Paris, Éd. Haton [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Moret (b. 1949), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 1999 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1842, published 1843 [ voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Tiarko Richepin (1884 - 1973), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 1939, published 1939 [ baritone and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Éd. Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Rigaux (b. 1982), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 2020, first performed 2020 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Fables, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Guido Spinetti (1850 - 1931), "Le Corbeau et le renard", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from 5 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 1, Paris: A. Quinzard [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Torrent (b. 1944), "Le corbeau et le renard" [ voice and piano ], from 5 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Van Parys (1902 - 1971), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1965?, published 1965 [ medium voice and piano ], in Livre d'or de la chanson française, Tome 3, Éd. Ouvrières, Paris, 1975, first published by Éd. Métropolitaines, 1965 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Yung (1836 - 1913), "Le Renard et le Corbeau", subtitle: "Fable de La Fontaine à une ou plusieurs voix (avec ou sans accompagnement)", op. 36, published [1862] [ medium voice and optional piano ], Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques-Michel Zoubaloff (1876 - 1941), "Le corbeau et le renard", published 1925 [ voice and piano ], from 2 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 1, Paris: L. Grus & Cie., [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972) , "The fox and the crow", appears in The Fables of La Fontaine: A Complete New Translation, first published 1954, copyright © ; composed by Juliana Hall.
- Also set in French (Français), adapted by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Gustave Delsarte.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: 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.
Text Authorship:
- by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972), "The fox and the crow", appears in The Fables of La Fontaine: A Complete New Translation, first published 1954, copyright © [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "Le corbeau et le renard", written 1668, appears in Fables
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "The fox and the crow", 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. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), adapted by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
This text was added to the website: 2014-08-22
Line count: 18
Word count: 133