Cat song
Arthur Justin Léon Leclère
Cat, cat, chat,
black cat, white cat, gray cat,
charming, reclining cat -
cat, cat, cat,
do you not hear the mice
dancing and weaving in threes
on the floor?
The burgher is snoring in his bed
beneath a cap of cotton,
and the moon is gazing through the window:
dance, my mice - dance, my pretty mice,
dance quickly,
flicking your fine, magical tails.
Dance without music, completely at ease,
to the sound of your light steps;
in the light of the moon that has just risen,
run! the soldiers of the village in the street
are marching about the town;
and all the cats of old Paris
are asleep in their chairs:
white cats, black cats, or gray cats.