El piojo y la pulga
El piojo y la pulga
The Louse and The Flea
Canción infantil
Children's Song
(Spanish)
(English)
El piojo y la pulga se quieren casar
y no se han casado por falta de pan.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de harina, ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó el borrego desde su corral:
-Háganse las bodas, yo doy un costal.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de manteca ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó el cochino desde su corral:
-Hágase la boda que manteca aquí hay.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de quién guise ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Dijo la gallina desde su corral:
-Háganse las bodas que yo iré a guisar.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de quién sople ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó el jicote desde su panal:
-Háganse las bodas que yo iré a soplar.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de quién cante ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó el mosquito desde el mosquital:
-Háganse las bodas que yo iré a cantar.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de quién hile ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó la araña desde su telar:
-Háganse las bodas que yo voy a hilar.
¡Bendito sea Dios que todo tenemos!
Pero de padrino ¿ahora sí, qué haremos?
Contestó el ratón en tono ladino:
-Háganse las bodas, yo seré el padrino.
Se hicieron las bodas y hubo mucho vino,
Soltaron al gato se comió al padrino...
¡ Ah qué tarugada lo que sucedió!
Se desató el gato, todo se acabó.
The louse and the flea want to get married
And they have not married because they lack bread.
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the flour?
The sheep answered from his pen,
"Let the wedding be, I'll give a sack."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the lard?
The pig answered from his pen,
"Let the wedding be, I have lard here."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the one who'll cook?
The hen answered from her pen,
"Let the wedding be, I will go and cook."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the one who'll blow the horn?
The wasp answered from her honeycomb,
"Let the wedding be, I will go and blow the horn."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the one who'll sing?
The mosquito answered from his mosquito-place*,
"Let the wedding be, I will go and sing."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the one who'll spin?
The spider answered from her loom,
"Let the wedding be, I will go and spin."
Blessed be the Lord as we have everything!
But what'll we do, yes indeed, about the best man?
The mouse answered with a cunning tone,
"Let the wedding be, I'll be the best man."
The wedding took place and there was much wine,
They let the cat loose and he ate the best man…
Ah! How stupid it was, what happened!
They untied the cat and that was the end of it all.
Notes
The gender of the animals are left in their original form in the translation.
* "mosquital" isn't an actual Spanish word; it's built on the same pattern as the words for "a place full of…" usually fruit trees.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This song was collected by Vicente T. Mendoza and published in 1951 in his "Lírica infantil de México". The song originated in Spain. A different version was collected by Francisco Rodríguez Martín in 1882. In his book, he mentions that it was previously published by his friend Antonio Machado y Alvárez under his alias "Demófilo" in the Sevillan magazine "La Enciclopedia" –año IV, n° 12, 1880.
Translated by Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci. Illustration by Monique.
¡Muchas gracias!
