Midi of Une poule blanche

A White Hen

A white hen
Is in the barn.
She made a small egg
For the child who sleeps.
Sleepy time, sleepy time, pussy-cat,
Sleepy time, sleepy time, kitty-cat.

A black hen
Is in the cupboard.
She made a small egg
For the child who sleeps.
Sleepy time, sleepy time, pussy-cat,
Sleepy time, sleepy time, kitty-cat.

Here’s the original lullaby in French from Belgium.

Une Poule Blanche

Une poule blanche
Qui est dans la grange,
Elle a fait un petit coco
Pour l’enfant qui fait dodo,
Dodo, dodo, minette,
Dodo, dodo, Mino.

Une poule noire
Qui est dans l’armoire,
Elle a fait un petit coco
Pour l’enfant qui fait dodo,
Dodo, dodo, minette,
Dodo, dodo, Mino.

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Belgium Page for more Belgian Children’s Songs and the France Page for French Children’s Songs with their English translations.

You can also visit Mama Lisa’s World en français for children’s songs from around the world with their French translations.

Many thanks to Monique Palomares for creating the midi!

Stay tuned because more lullabies are coming soon!

-Lisa

My maman used to sing a lullaby to me, and then to my children when they were born, that I want to remember all the words to, and sing now to my grandchildren. I wonder if you would know the lyrics? I know the first was Do Do L’enfant Do. If you know this lullaby can you email me the lyrics – it has great sentimental meaning to me – and my mère has passed and will never be able to sing to my grandbabies as she did my children. Thank you so much for any help. – Marie-Thérèse

I wrote to Monique, my partner at Mama Lisa’s World en français, asking if she was familiar with the song. Monique wrote back…

I am – my mother used to sing that to me too a loooooooooooooooong time ago (only the first four lines).

The lyrics are:

Dodo, l’enfant do

Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.

Une poule blanche
Est là dans la grange.
Qui va faire un petit coco*
Pour l’enfant qui va fair’ dodo.

Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.

Tout le monde est sage
Dans le voisinage
Il est l’heure d’aller dormir
Le sommeil va bientôt venir.

*Monique said, “…young children call an egg an ‘egg’ and not a ‘coco’ any more.”

Monique also sent me the Midi Music for Dodo l’enfant do.

I translated the lullaby into English.

Sleepy Time, The Young One Sleeps

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

A white hen
Is in the barn.
It’ll make a small egg
For the child who goes to sleep.

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

Everyone is calm
All around
It’s the time for all to sleep
Sleep will come soon.

Many thanks to Monique for the lyrics, the midi and help with the translation and to my husband Jason, for help with the English version. – Lisa

Please visit The Lullaby Page in French for French Lullabies and other Lullabies from Around the World with their French translations. The English version is coming soon.

and

The Mama Lisa’s World France page for more French children’s songs with their English translations

and

Mama Lisa’s World en français for Children’s Songs from Around the World with their French translations.