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by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695)
Translation © by David Jonathan Justman
Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché, Tenait en son bec un fromage. Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché, Lui tint à peu près ce langage: Hé! Bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau. Que vous êtes joli! Que vous me semblez beau! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte à votre plumage, Vous êtes le phénix des hôtes de ces bois. A ces mots le corbeau ne se sent pas de joie; Et, pour montrer sa belle voix, Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tombe sa proie. Le renard s'en saisit, et dit: Mon bon monsieur, Apprenez que tout flatteur Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute: Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute. Le corbeau, honteux et confus, Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.
About the headline (FAQ)
See also Le renard et le corbeau.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), "Le corbeau et le renard", 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 Corbeau et le renard", 2002?, published 2018 [ medium voice and piano ], from Mélodies pour voix et piano, no. 19, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jules Boissier-Duran , "Le corbeau et le renard", published [1875] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. “Au Ménestrel” Heugel & Cie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "Le corbeau et le renard", published 1952 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine I, no. 2, Éd. Lido Mélodies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Melchior Alexandre Bruneau (1823 - 1898), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 377 no. 13 (1879) [ medium voice and piano or harmonium ], from 25 fables de La Fontaine, no. 13 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Régis Campo (b. 1968), "Le corbeau et le renard", 2005, published 2005 [ soprano and piano ], from Cinq fables de La Fontaine pour soprano et piano, no. 1, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by André Caplet (1879 - 1925), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1919, published 1920 [ high voice and piano ], from Trois Fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 1, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jacqueline Chautemps (b. 1946), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1999 [ low voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maurice Delage (1879 - 1961), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 20 no. 1 (1931), published 1948 [ medium voice and piano or instrumental ensemble ], from Deux fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 1, Éd. Durand & Cie [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier (1921 - 1999), "Le Corbeau et le renard", published 1962 [ women's chorus ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine pour chœur à deux ou trois voix de femmes sans accompagnement, no. 6, Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849 - 1895), "Le renard et le corbeau", op. 17 no. 3 (1872-1879) [ low voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "Le Corbeau et le renard", CG 210 (1857), first performed 1858 [ TTBB chorus a cappella ], Éd. Lebeau, Bibliothèque Chorale de la musique populaire [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf (Ruud) Leopold Koumans (b. 1929), "Le corbeau et le renard", op. 25 no. 2 (1964) [ chorus and orchestra ], from Vijf fabels van La Fontaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Alexandre) Charles Lecocq (1832 - 1918), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1891 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Fables de Jean de la Fontaine, no. 3, Éd. Librairie Musicale R. Legouix [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wulfran Moreau (1827 - 1905), "Le Corbeau et le renard", published 1860? [ soprano, chorus, piano or harmonium ], from Collection des chœurs amusants, no. 6, Paris, Éd. Haton [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Moret (b. 1949), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 1999 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1842, published 1843 [ voice and piano ], from Six Fables de La Fontaine, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Tiarko Richepin (1884 - 1973), "Le Corbeau et le renard", 1939, published 1939 [ baritone and piano ], from Fables de La Fontaine, no. 3, Éd. Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Van Parys (1902 - 1971), "Le corbeau et le renard", 1965?, published 1965 [ medium voice and piano ], in Livre d'or de la chanson française, Tome 3, Éd. Ouvrières, Paris, 1975, first published by Éd. Métropolitaines, 1965 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Marianne Moore (1887 - 1972) , "The fox and the crow", appears in The Fables of La Fontaine: A Complete New Translation, first published 1954, copyright © ; composed by Juliana Hall.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "The Raven and the Fox", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Geoffrey Wieting
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 126
The Raven and the Fox
Language: English after the French (Français)
Mister Raven, perched on a tree, Held a cheese in his beak. Mister Fox, enticed by the smell, Addressed him in language like this: Oh! Good morning, Mr. Raven. How pretty you are! How beautiful you seem to me! In truth, if your song is like your plumage, You are the phoenix of the hosts of this wood. At these words the raven becomes overjoyed; And, to show off his beautiful voice, He opens his beak wide and lets his prey fall. The fox grabs it and says: My dear man, Learn that every flatterer Lives at the expense of the one who listens to him. No doubt, that lesson is easily worth a cheese. The raven, ashamed and confused, Swore, though somewhat belatedly, that he would never be taken again.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David Jonathan Justman, (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 corbeau et le renard", written 1668, appears in Fables
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 131