J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre
Some sources believe the wolf, the fox and the hare in this song represented the King, the Lord and the Church. In the old days, these were all authorities who collected taxes, leaving nothing for the peasants.
J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre
I Saw the Wolf, The Fox, The Hare
Chanson enfantine
Children's Song
(French)
(English)
J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
J'ai vu le loup, le renard cheuler*.
C'est moi-même qui les ai rebeuillés*.
J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
C'est moi-même qui les ai rebeuillés.
J'ai vu le loup, le renard cheuler.
J'ai ouï* le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
J'ai ouï le loup, le renard chanter.
C'est moi-même qui les ai rechignés,*
J'ai ouï le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
C'est moi-même qui les ai rechignés,
J'ai ouï le loup, le renard chanter.
J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
J'ai vu le loup, le renard danser,
C'est moi-même qui les ai revirés,*
J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre,
C'est moi-même qui les ai revirés,
J'ai vu le loup, le renard danser.
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare
I saw the wolf, the fox drinking
I spied on them myself.
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I spied on them myself,
I saw the wolf, the fox drinking.
I heard the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I heard the wolf, the fox singing
I imitated them myself.
I heard the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I imitated them myself,
I heard the wolf, the fox singing.
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I saw the wolf, the fox dancing
I made them dance myself.
I saw the wolf, the fox, the hare,
I made them dance myself,
I saw the wolf, the fox dancing.
Notes
*The words marked with asterisks are old verbs no longer in use.
Sometimes the hare is a weasel in this song, as in the version below...
J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette,
J'ai vu le loup et le renard danser.
J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette,
J'ai vu le loup et le renard danser.
J' les ai vus taper du pied,
J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette,
J'ai vu le loup et le renard danser.
Singable translation
I saw the wolf, and the fox and the weasel,
I saw the wolf and the fox dancing.
I saw the wolf, and the fox and the weasel,
I saw the wolf and the fox dancing.
I saw them stamping their feet,
I saw the wolf, and the fox and the weasel,
I saw the wolf and the fox dancing.
******
There's an Occitan version of J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lièvre here.
Comments
There are even more versions of this song!
Below you can hear Monique singing two versions of this song. There's a slight pause in between each version. The first tune is a dancing tune from the 14th century Gregorian chant Dies Irae, the second is a traditional tune from the Berry province.
Many thanks to Monique for singing this song for us!
Thanks to Melisa Roche for the drawing!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Monique Palomares for contributing and translating this song and for creating the midi and the sheet music.
Merci beaucoup!
