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C'est l'heure où, las d'errer, l'insecte nègre revient de promenade et répare avec soin le désordre de son domaine. D'abord il ratisse ses étroites allées de sable. Il fait du bran de scie qu'il écarte au seuil de sa retraite. Il lime la racine de cette grande herbe propre à le harceler. Il se repose. Puis il remonte sa minuscule montre. A-t-il fini ? Est-elle cassée ? Il se repose encore un peu. Il rentre chez lui et ferme sa porte. Longtemps il tourne sa clé dans la serrure délicate. Et il écoute : Point d'alarme dehors. Mais il ne se trouve pas en sûreté. Et comme par une chaînette dont la poulie grince, il descend jusqu'au fond de la terre. On n'entend plus rien. Dans la campagne muette, les peupliers se dressent comme des doigts en l'air et désignent la lune.
Text Authorship:
- by Jules Renard (1864 - 1910), "Le grillon", appears in Histoires naturelles, first published 1894 [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 Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), "Le grillon", M. 50 no. 2 (1906), published 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Histoires naturelles, no. 2, Paris: Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El grill", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Ahmed E. Ismail) , "The cricket", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Sirkka", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Die Grille", copyright © 2017, (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: 25
Word count: 139
És l'hora en què, cansat de vagarejar, l'insecte negre torna de la seva passejada i acuradament endreça el desordre del seu domini. Primer, rascla els seus estrets camins de sorra. Fa serradures, que escombra a un costat a la llinda del seu cau. Esmola l'arrel d'aquella herba alta que sempre l'incomoda. Reposa. Llavors, dona corda al seu petit rellotge. Ha acabat? S'ha espatllat? Reposa una mica més. Entra a casa i tanca la porta. Durant un llarg moment, gira la clau a la delicada serradura. I escolta: Cap alarma a fora. Però no se sent segur. I com si fos per una cadeneta la politja de la qual cruix, baixa fins al fons de la terra. Ja no se sent res més. Al camp silenciós, els pollancres s'alcen com dits en l’aire i assenyalen la lluna.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2026 by Salvador Pila, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Jules Renard (1864 - 1910), "Le grillon", appears in Histoires naturelles, first published 1894
This text was added to the website: 2026-10-10
Line count: 25
Word count: 136