by
Max Jacob (1876 - 1944)
La petite servante
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG GER
Préservez-nous du feu et du tonnerre,
Le tonnerre court comme un oiseau,
Si c'est le Seigneur qui le conduit
Bénis soient les dégats.
Si c'est le diable qui le conduit
Faites-le partir au trot d'ici.
Préservez-nous des dartres et des boutons,
de la peste et de la lèpre.
Si c'est pour ma pénitence que vous l'envoyez,
Seigneur, laissez-la moi, merci.
Si c'est le diable qui le conduit
Faites-le partir au trot d'ici.
Goître, goître, sors de ton sac,
sors de mon cou et da ma tête!
Feu Saint Elme, danse de Saint Guy,
Si c'est le Diable qui vous conduit
mon Dieu faites le sortir d'ici.
Faites que je grandisse vite
Et donnez-moi un bon mari
qui ne soit pas trop ivrogne
et qui ne me batte pas tous les soirs.
First published in the revue Commerce, no. 22, Winter 1929, as the second of a collection of poems titled "Morven Le Gaëlique- Poèmes", and then later in Chants Bretons et inédits signés Morven le Gaélique, Paris, Éd. NRF Gallimard, 1953.
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):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "The little maidservant", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Die kleine Dienstmagd", copyright © 2015, (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: 21
Word count: 131
The little maidservant
Language: English after the French (Français)
Preserve us from fire and lightning.
Lightning runs like a bird.
If the Lord drives it,
blessed be the damage.
If the Devil drives it,
drive him out of here at a trot.
Preserve us from sores and pimples,
plague and leprosy.
If you have sent them to me for a penance,
Lord, leave them with me, thank you.
If the Devil drives it,
drive him out of here at a trot.
Goiter, goiter, jump out of your bag,
leave my neck and my head!
St. Elmo's fire, St. Vitus' dance,
if it's the Devil who drives you,
God, drive him away from here.
Make me grow up fast
and give me a good husband
who isn't too much of a drunkard
and doesn't beat me every night.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2004 by Faith J. Cormier, (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: 2004-12-09
Line count: 21
Word count: 128
