Translation:French Nursery Rhymes/Quibus, Quabus

by C. B.

QUIBUS, QUABUS.

Quibus, quabus!
Who is that chuckling?^[1]
It's the hen and her chicks,
Who have neither socks nor shoes;
Mr Duck and Mrs Goose,
Who never want to walk straight.
They come from far away, come on!
From by the sea of beetles,^[2]
Where they found nothing to devour^[3]
Except for crumbly cheese.
Ah! Give them quickly, for they are hungry,
Give them quickly a crust of bread.
Mr Rooster, in a brave tone,
Already cries out: Cock-a-doodle-doo!

1. Glousser (v.a.), to chuckle.
2. Scarabées (s.f.pl.), beetles.
3. Gruger (v.a.), (fig.) to devour.