by
Robert Desnos (1900 - 1945)
La sauterelle
Language: French (Français)
Saute, saute, sauterelle,
Car c’est aujourd’hui jeudi.
Je sauterai, nous dit-elle,
Du lundi au samedi.
Saute, saute, sauterelle,
À travers tout le quartier.
Sautez donc, Mademoiselle,
Puisque c’est votre métier.
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 Roger Albin (1920 - 2001), "La sauterelle", 1969?, published 1969 [ soprano and piano or small orchestra ], from Chantefables pour les enfants sages, no. 5, Éd. du Rideau Rouge (R 497 RC) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Barraud (1900 - 1997), "La sauterelle ", op. 36 no. 9 (1945) [ medium voice and piano ], from Huit chantefables pour les enfants sages, no. 9, Éd. Françaises de Musique-Sofirad [sung text not yet checked]
- by Witold Lutoslawski (1913 - 1994), "La sauterelle", 1990, published 1992, first performed 1991 [ high voice and orchestra or piano ], from Chantefleurs et chantefables, no. 2, Universal Editions [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-05-23
Line count: 8
Word count: 30
The Grasshopper
Language: English after the French (Français)
Hop, hop, grasshopper,
Because today is Thursday.
"I'll hop," she says to us,
"From Monday till Saturday."
Hop, hop, grasshopper,
Throughout the neighborhood.
So hop then, little lady,
Since that's your occupation.
Note for stanza 2, line 3: the French word for "grasshopper,"
sauterelle, is feminine, so the insect is referred to in this line as
Mademoiselle.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2026-06-27
Line count: 8
Word count: 32
