Our first French poem!
It’s a fable in verse (you may know the story) by the 17th century poet, Jean de la Fontaine, chosen and introduced by Ms. Johnston:
Jean de La Fontaine (8 July 1621 – 13 April 1695) is one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He predominantly wrote fables (at least 240 of them) and he inspired fabulists across Europe. His skill was recognized in his own lifetime and his reputation in France has never faded. His prominent nose and characteristic mop of black hair can be found in the many portraits of him throughout France as well as on medals, coins and postage stamps. Although his poems were originally aimed at adults, many generations of French schoolchildren have learned his most famous fables off by heart.
This poem, ‘The Raven and the Fox’, is one of La Fontaine’s most famous and it first appeared in 1668. Its structure is very controlled and the rhyme scheme is strict. Like several of his poems, it is an adaptation of one of Aesop’s fables. Most of La Fontaine’s fables are about animals which are personified (eg. the crow is described as ‘ashamed’ and ‘sick’) and the author gives voices to these animals predominantly in order to criticize characteristics of French society under Louis XIV. It is particularly interesting to look at the words that Jean de la Fontaine chooses to rhyme in this poem: the ‘cheese’ at the beginning of this poem will, in a sense, be exchanged for the ‘langage’ with which it is paired and, in the context of flattery, the rhyme between ‘listening’ and ‘doubt’ is surely not accidental. This fable may appear simple at first, but there is more to unravel than meets the eye. It seems to suggest that flattery pays off – is this the case? Moreover, at the end of the poem there is an explicit moral, yes, but it is in the mouth of a fox who has already proven himself to be a liar – what do you make of that? Here is a video of it that you can watch – this version is aimed at French schoolchildren.
Master Crow, perched on a tree,
It held a cheese in its beak.
Master Fox, enticed by the smell,
He spoke to him in roughly these words:
Hey! Hello, Mr. Raven.
How pretty you are! How handsome you seem to me!
Honestly, if your singing
Relates to your plumage,
You are the Phoenix of the inhabitants of these woods.
At these words the Raven was beside himself with joy;
And to showcase her beautiful voice,
It opens its beak wide and drops its prey.
The Fox seized it and said: My good sir,
Learn that every flatterer
Lives at the expense of the one who listens to him.
This lesson is surely worth a cheese.
The Raven, ashamed and confused,
Jura, but a little too late, that we wouldn’t catch him there again.
English Translation:
At the top of a tree perched Master Crow;
In his beak he was holding a cheese.
Drawn by the smell, Master Fox spoke, below.
The words, more or less, were these:
“Hey, now, Sir Crow! Good day, good day!
How very handsome you do look, how grandly distinguished!
No lie, if those songs you sing Match the plumage of your wing,
You’re the phoenix of these woods, our choice.
“Hearing this, the Crow was all rapture and wonder.
To show off his handsome voice,
He opened beak wide and let go of his plunder.
The Fox snapped it up and then said, “My Good Sir,
Learn that each flatterer Lives at the cost of those who heed.
This lesson is well worth the cheese, indeed.”
The Crow, ashamed and sick,
Swore, a bit late, not to fall again for that trick.
Trans. Norman Spector
