Bergere Fait du Fromage (The Shepherdess Makes Cheese)

DESCRIPTION: French. The shepherdess makes cheese from the milk of her white sheep. In anger she kills her kitten. She confesses to her father and, for penance she will embrace men: not priests, but especially men of war with beards.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1944 (Creighton collection)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage sex nonsense animal shepherd
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar,Newf) US(MW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Peacock, pp. 241-242, "Bergere Fait du Fromage" (1 text, 1 tune)
Berry-FolkSongsOfOldVincennes, p. 46, "Il etait une bergere (The Shepherdess)" (1 text + translation, 1 tune)
Pottie/Ellis-FolksongsOfTheMaritimes, pp. 162-163, "C'etait une bergere" (1 French text+English translation, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Mme Josephine Costard, "Bergere Fait du Fromage" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
NOTES [114 words]: In Peacock's version, there is no explanation for why the girl killed the kitten; perhaps it ate the cheese? - (BS, RBW)
In Berry-FolkSongsOfOldVincennes, the shepherdess tells the kitten to dip its paw (English) or leg (French) into the milk, to sample it. Instead, it dips its chin. Why this should so enrage the shepherdess isn't clear, particularly since it's the paw that walks in the litter-box. - PJS
Creighton's version has the shepherdess tell the kitten not to use its paw, and it obeys the literal order by using its chin instead -- and perhaps offers a motivation; it lets the girl go to the priest for penance, and the penance is to kiss him, which they then repeat. -- RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: Pea241

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