Ma petite vache
Ma petite vache
My Little Cow
Comptine
Nursery Rhyme
(French)
(English)
Un, deux, trois, quatre,
Ma petite vache a mal aux pattes,
Tirons-la par la queue,
Elle ira bien mieux,
Dans un jour ou deux.
One, two, three, four,
My small cow's legs are feeling poor,
Let's pull her by the tail,
That'll cure what ails.
In a day or two.
Notes
Ronald Labelle and Claudine Richard both sent me this song. Ronald's version didn't have the last line, "Dans un jour ou deux.".
Comments
Translated by Mama Lisa
Some of these rhymes were contributed by Ronald Labelle. Here is what he has to say about them… "There are many children's rhymes in our archives, but it would be difficult to find one that is authentically Acadian. Most have circulated among various French-speaking peoples, and may be originally from France. Here (above) are a couple of examples of well-known rhymes among Acadian children in the Maritime provinces of Canada…
If you want to publish one Acadian rhyme, "Ma petite vache" is a good choice, because it is very well known. I looked it up in a book on children's rhymes in French speaking countries, and it is mentioned only in collections from French Canada. Therefore, it seems to be of Canadian origin."
Ronald Labelle
Centre d'études acadiennes
Université de Moncton
Moncton, N.B., CANADA
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Ronald Labelle for contributing this rhyme. Many thanks also to Claudine Richard.
Merci beaucoup !
