L'oiseau bleu
Language: French (Français)
II est un tout petit oiseau
qui toujour vole.
II est un tout petit oiseau.
Plus [léger]1 que le passereau
Plus léger que la brise folle,
Veut-on le saisir, il s'envole,
Le petit, tout petit oiseau.
II est un tout petit oiseau
qui toujours chante.
II est un tout petit oiseau
Frère cadet de l'étourneau
De sa chanson insouciante,
II nous ravit tout et nous hante,
Le petit, tout petit oiseau.
II est un tout petit oiseau:
Oiseau bleu chéri du poète,
II est un tout petit oiseau.
Sa cage est une exquise tête,
Son perchoir un gentil cerveau;
[Et tous les jours]2, il fait la fête,
Le petit, tout petit oiseau.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• M. Bonis View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bonis: "mutin"
2 Bonis: "Et sans répit"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Mel Bonis (1858 - 1937), "L'oiseau bleu", op. 74, published 1907 [ duet for 2 female voices with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Camille Decreus (1876 - 1939), "L'oiseau bleu " [ high voice and piano ], Éd. E. Demets [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865 - 1950), "L'oiseau bleu", op. 74g, published c1905 [ voice and piano ], Paris : Sandoz, Jobin [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "The blue bird", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-02-06
Line count: 21
Word count: 115
The blue bird
Language: English after the French (Français)
He is a tiny bird
Who is always flying.
He is a tiny bird,
Lighter than the passerine,
Lighter than the wild breeze,
One wants to grasp him, he flies away
The little, tiny, tiny bird.
He is a tiny bird
Who is always singing.
He is a tiny bird,
Younger brother of the starling,
With his carefree song
He delights us all and haunts us,
The little, tiny, tiny bird.
He is a tiny bird,
Blue bird beloved of the poet,
He is a tiny bird,
His cage is an exquisite head,
His perch a gentle mind
And every day he [makes merry].
The little, tiny, tiny bird.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2019-04-07
Line count: 21
Word count: 109