Le rat de ville et le rat des champs
This song is based on a Jean de La Fontaine fable.
Le rat de ville et le rat des champs
The City Mouse & The Country Mouse
Chanson enfantine
Children's Song
(French)
(English)
Autrefois le rat de ville,
Invita le rat des champs
D'une façon fort civile
À des reliefs d'ortolans.
Sur un tapis de Turquie,
Le couvert se trouva mis...
Je laisse à penser la vie
Que firent nos deux amis...
Le régal fut honnête,
Rien ne manquait au festin;
Mais quelqu'un troubla la fête
Pendant qu'ils étaient en train.
À la porte de la salle
Ils entendirent du bruit;
Le rat de ville détale,
Son camarade le suit.
Le bruit cesse on se retire,
Rats en campagne aussitôt;
Et le citadin de dire:
Achevons tout notre rôt.
C'est assez, dit le rustique,
Demain vous viendrez chez moi;
Ce n'est pas que je me pique
De tous vos festins de roi...
Mais rien ne vient m'interrompre;
Je mange tout à loisir.
Adieu donc. Fi du plaisir
Que la crainte peut corrompre.
In the olden days, the city mouse
Invited the country mouse
In a very civil way
To the leftovers of a gourmet dish*.
On a Turkish rug,
The place settings were put
I image the life
That our two friends had...
The feast was respectable
Nothing was missing from the banquet
But someone disturbed the party
While they were in the middle of it.
At the door to the room
They heard noises;
The city mouse scurries,
His comrade follows.
The noise stops, they withdraw,
The mice immediately go back;
And the city dweller said:
Let us complete our entire roast.
That's enough, said the country mouse,
Tomorrow you will come home with me;
It's not that I take offence
At your royal feast ...
But nothing can interrupt me;
I eat at leisure.
Farewell then. Ignore the pleasure
That fear can tarnish.
Notes
*The dish is "ortolans" - a type of little bird that it's now illegal to eat (read more about it here).
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translation by Lisa Yannucci.
Lyrics and score can be found in "Chansons de France pour les petits Français", scores by J.B. Weckerlin; illustrations by M. Boutet de Monvel, author - Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin.
Image: The Aesop for Children with pictures by Milo Winter.
