Paroles et traduction Grégoire - Le corbeau et le renard

Le corbeau et le renard

Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché,
Tenait en son bec un fromage.
Maître Renard, par l′odeur alléché,
Lui tint à peu près ce langage:
Hé! bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.
Que vous êtes joli! que vous me semblez beau!
Sans mentir, si votre ramage
Se rapporte à votre plumage,
Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois.
A ces mots le Corbeau ne se sent pas de joie;
Et pour montrer sa belle voix,
Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie.
Le Renard s'en saisit, et dit: Mon bon Monsieur,
Apprenez que tout flatteur
Vit aux dépens de celui qui l′écoute:
Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute.
Le Corbeau, honteux et confus,
Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.

The Crow and the Fox

Master Raven, perched upon a tree,
Held a morsel of sweet cheese in his beak.
Master Fox, piqued by the enticing scent,
Spoke to him thusly, with beguiling intent:
Oh, greetings, my feathered friend,
So comely and fair, a sight that does transcend
All others in this realm of sylvan bliss.
Your plumage, a symphony of hues, I must confess,
Is matched only by the sweetness of your song.
These words filled the Raven's heart with a thrill of glee,
And eager to showcase his dulcet melody,
He opened wide his beak, and down dropped his treat.
The cunning Fox seized it, with swift cunning and deceit,
And uttered these words, a lesson he shared:
My dear Raven, you are wise to be wary
Of those who flatter, their words oft carried
To separate you from what you hold most dear.
This lesson, alas, came at a cost so clear.