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by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by Peter Low
Autrefois le Rat de ville
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
Autrefois le Rat de ville Invita le Rat des champs, D'une façon fort civile, A des reliefs d'Ortolans. Sur un Tapis de Turquie Le couvert se trouva mis. Je laisse à penser la vie Que firent ces deux amis. Le régal fut fort honnête, Rien ne manquait au festin ; Mais quelqu'un troubla la fête Pendant qu'ils étaient en train. A la porte de la salle Ils entendirent du bruit : Le Rat de ville détale ; Son camarade le suit. Le bruit cesse, on se retire : Rats en campagne aussitôt ; Et le citadin de dire : Achevons tout notre rôt. - C'est assez, dit le rustique ; Demain vous viendrez chez moi : Ce n'est pas que je me pique De tous vos festins de Roi ; Mais rien ne vient m'interrompre : Je mange tout à loisir. Adieu donc ; fi du plaisir Que la crainte peut corrompre.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", 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 Rat de ville et le Rat des champs", 2002?, published 2002 [ high voice and piano ], from La Cigale et le Pot au Lait, 16 mélodies pour voix moyennes d'après les Fables de Jean de La Fontaine, no. 9, Éditions Notissimo [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "Le rat des villes et le rat des champs", published 1953 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine II, no. 2, Éd. Lido Mélodies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau (1823 - 1898), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", op. 377 no. 7 (1879) [ medium voice and piano or harmonium ], from 25 fables de La Fontaine, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Coquard (1846 - 1910), "Le Rat de ville et le rat des champs", op. 66 no. 5, published [1904] [ vocal duet or chorus and piano ], from Six Chœurs à deux voix pour enfants, no. 5, Paris, Éd. Costallat & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", op. 17 no. 6 (1872-1879) [ medium voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 6, Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann; confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Albert Graud , "Le Rat de ville et le rat des champs", subtitle: "Fable", <<1908 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Métronome' Mme Émile Benoit, Sulzbach, successeur [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philippe Mazé (b. 1954), "Le Rat de ville et le rat des champs", 2009, published 2016 [ medium voice and piano ], from 9 Fables de Jean de La Fontaine pour une voix et piano, no. 2, Clichy, Éd. Musicales Artchipel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", 1842, published 1843 [ voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Tiarko Richepin (1884 - 1973), "Le Rat des villes et le rat des champs", 1939, published 1939 [ baritone and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine, no. 4, Éd. Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Giulio Roberti (1829 - 1891), "Le Rat des villes et le rat des champs" [ high voice and piano ], Éd. Lebeau Aîné [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gaston Selz (1869 - 1953), "Le Rat de ville et le rat des champs", copyright © 1925 [ three-part chorus or vocal trio, unaccompanied ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Guido Spinetti (1850 - 1931), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from 5 Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Paris: A. Quinzard [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 140
Once upon a time the City Rat
Language: English after the French (Français)
Once upon a time the City Rat invited the Country Rat very politely to come and share some tasty bits of small birds. On a Turkish Rug the meal was laid out. I let you imagine the lives those two friends lived. The spread was very respectable, the feast lacked nothing, but someone disturbed the party while they were enjoying it. At the door of the room they heard noises. The City Rat scurried away, his comrade followed. The noise stopped, the somebody withdrew. By then the rats were in the fields, and the city one said: "Let's finish off our roast." "That's enough," said the rustic one, "Tomorrow you'll come to my place. It's not that I claim to match all your kingly feasts. "But I eat wholly at my leisure: nothing comes to interrupt. Farewell then - I spurn any pleasure that fear can corrupt."
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs" = "The City Rat and the Country Rat"Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 by Peter Low, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "Le rat de ville et le rat des champs", written 1668, appears in Fables
This text was added to the website: 2022-07-01
Line count: 28
Word count: 146