by
Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs
La rivière est presque à sec
Language: French (Français)
La rivière est presque à sec ;
les joncs flétris meurent dans la fange ;
l'air brûle, et loin des berges creuses,
un ruisseau clair coule sur les graviers.
C'est là que du matin au soir
les petits enfants nus viennent jouer.
Ils se baignent, pas plus haut que leurs mollets,
tant la rivière est basse.
Mais ils marchent dans le courant,
et glissent quelquefois sur les roches,
et les petits garçons jettent de l'eau
sur les petites filles qui rient.
Et quand une troupe de marchands qui passe,
mène boire au fleuve les énormes boeufs blancs,
ils croisent leurs mains derrière eux
et regardent les grandes bêtes.
About the headline (FAQ)
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 Jeanne Bernard (1895 - 1965), "Les petites enfants" [ voice and piano ], from Trois chansons de Bilitis, no. 1, Paris, Senart [sung text not yet checked]
- by André-Marie Cuvelier (d. 1947), "Les petits enfants", 1933 [ high voice and piano ], from Chansons de Bilitis, 3ème recueil, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges Dandelot (1895 - 1975), "Les petits enfants", 1924, published 1929, first performed 1929 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Chansons de Bilitis, 1er recueil, no. 6, Paris, Éd. Max Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-06-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 106
The river has nearly dried up
Language: English after the French (Français)
The river has nearly dried up;
the withered reeds are dying in the mud;
it is boiling hot, and far from the hollow banks,
a clear stream is flowing over gravel.
That is where from morning to night
the little naked children come to play.
They bathe, in water that is not knee-deep,
since the river-level is so low.
But they walk in the shallow stream,
and sometimes they slip on the rocks,
and the little boys throw water
at the little girls, who laugh.
And when some passing cattle-dealers
bring their great white oxen to drink,
the children stand with hands behind their backs
and stare at the enormous beasts.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 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:
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 111
