Text
Un jour un coq détourna
Une perle, qu'il donna
Au beau premier lapidaire.
“Je la crois fine, dit-il ;
Mais le moindre grain de mil
Serait bien mieux mon affaire.”
Vocabulary
un (m) : one, a
(before a noun : un chat : a cat)
jour (m) :
day
coq (m) : cock
(the animal… DUH), rooster
détourner (obsolete for
this meaning) : to obtain (1st group)
une (f) : same as
un, but for female nouns
perle (f) : pearl
qu’ : refers to
“une perle”, pronoun
il : refers to “un coq”
donner : to give (1st
group)
au : to the (m)
beau (m):
handsome, beautiful
premier (m): first
lapidaire (m) :
lapidary
la (f) : in this
case, “it” (refers to the pearl), can also mean “the” (before a (f) noun)
croire
:
to believe (3rd group)
fine (f) : delicate,
precious, but also slender
dire : to say, to tell (3rd
group)
mais
:
but (not the same as maïs (m) which is corn)
le (m) : same as “la”
in this case : “the”
moindre (adj) : least, any
grain (m) : grain
mil (m) : millet
(cereal)
être
:
to be (here : serait : would be)
bien
:
good, here “by far”
mieux
:
better
mon (m): my
affaire (f) : matter,
business, affair, bargain
Comments
“Au beau premier”: (obsolete)
to the first to cross his way
“bien mieux mon affaire”: by far a better bargain for me