Aux Petits Enfants

Alphonse Daudet 1840 (Nîmes) – 1897 (Paris)



Enfants d’un jour, ô nouveau-nés,
Petites bouches, petits nez,
Petites lèvres demi-closes,
Membres tremblants,
Si frais, si blancs,
Si roses !

Enfants d’un jour, ô nouveaux-nés,
Pour le bonheur que vous donnez,
À vous voir dormir dans vos langes,
Espoir des nids
Soyez bénis,
Chers anges !

Pour vos grands yeux effarouchés
Que sous vos draps blancs vous cachez.
Pour vos sourires, vos pleurs même,
Tout ce qu’en vous,
Êtres si doux,
On aime ;

Pour tout ce que vous gazouillez,
Soyez bénis, baisés, choyés,
Gais rossignols, blanches fauvettes ;
Que d’amoureux
Et que d’heureux
Vous faites !

Lorsque sur vos chauds oreillers,
En souriant vous sommeillez,
Près de vous, tout bas, ô merveille !
Une voix dit :
« Dors, beau petit ;
Je veille. »

C’est la voix de l’ange gardien ;
Dormez, dormez, ne craignez rien,
Rêvez, sous ses ailes de neige :
Le beau jaloux
Vous berce et vous
Protège.

Enfants d’un jour, ô nouveau-nés,
Au paradis, d’où vous venez,
Un léger fil d’or vous rattache.
À ce fil d’or
Tient l’âme encor
Sans tache.

Vous êtes à toute maison
Ce que la fleur est au gazon,
Ce qu’au ciel est l’étoile blanche,
Ce qu’un peu d’eau
Est au roseau
Qui penche.

Mais vous avez de plus encor
Ce que n’a pas l’étoile d’or,
Ce qui manque aux fleurs les plus belles :
Malheur à nous !
Vous avez tous
Des ailes.
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Submitted by davidb on February 15, 2022

Modified on March 30, 2023

1:21 min read
104

Quick analysis:

Scheme Axbaab aaaaaa aacdax aaaaaa aaefce gghadh Aaijji ggifai jjxxax
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,380
Words 271
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. His family, on both sides, belonged to the bourgeoisie. His father, Vincent Daudet, was a silk manufacturer — a man dogged through life by misfortune and failure. Alphonse, amid much truancy, had a depressing boyhood. In 1856 he left Lyon, where his schooldays had been mainly spent, and began his career as a schoolteacher at Alès, Gard, in the south of France. The position proved to be intolerable and Daudet said later that for months after leaving Alès he would wake with horror, thinking he was still among his unruly pupils. These experiences and others were reflected in his novel "Le Petit Chose". On 1 November 1857, he abandoned teaching and took refuge with his brother Ernest Daudet, only some three years his senior, who was trying, "and thereto soberly," to make a living as a journalist in Paris. Alphonse took to writing, and his poems were collected into a small volume, Les Amoureuses (1858), which met with a fair reception. He obtained employment on Le Figaro, then under Cartier de Villemessant's energetic editorship, wrote two or three plays, and began to be recognized in literary communities as possessing distinction and promise. Morny, Napoleon III's all-powerful minister, appointed him to be one of his secretaries — a post which he held till Morny's death in 1865. more…

All Alphonse Daudet poems | Alphonse Daudet Books

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Discuss the poem Aux Petits Enfants with the community...

2 Comments
  • acronimous
    Wish I'd could read french... :-)
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • AIDA
    This is a beautiful poem that captures the pure innocence and beauty of newborns. The gentle and rhythmic flow of the words perfectly reflects the tender love that we feel for these little angels. The imagery of pink cheeks, tiny limbs and soft lips creates a vivid image of newborns that anyone can relate to. The author's use of religious language and references to guardian angels adds a sense of comforting safety and joy. This poem is truly heartwarming and reminds us of the miracle of life and the beauty of human connection. A wonderful read that deserves all the recognition it can get. 
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Aux Petits Enfants" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/120384/aux-petits-enfants>.

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