Gentil coquelicot

Gentil coquelicot (also known as J'ai descendu dans mon jardin) is a traditional French song that first appeared in the mid-19th century.

The story of the song

The poppy is the star in the chorus of an old song J'ai descendu dans mon jardin which first appeared in Marion Théophile Dumersan's 1846 collection "Chansons et rondes enfantines".

Beware the bad boys!

Under the guise of a naive pastoral song, the nursery rhyme is a moralising fable for young girls. The nightingale (le rossignol), the symbol of love par excellence, warns them against the bad boys who want to take advantage of them.

Is 'J'ai descendu' a mistake?

It is the auxiliary avoir (to have) and not the auxiliary être (to be) that is used in the song, contrary to contemporary usage.

Nowadays, it is correct to say:

• "Je suis descendu dans mon jardin" (I went down to my garden), used without a direct object complement = COD)
• "J'ai descendu les marches" (I went down the steps), used with a COD, here the steps.

One explanation among others is that Old French syntax was less rigorous than modern syntax.

Gentil coquelicot

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The lyrics in French

The original song of Gentil coquelicot has 5 verses and a chorus.

Translation of the lyrics into English

Here is an approximative translation into English:

Verse 1

I went down to my garden
I went down to my garden
To pick rosemary.

Chorus

Sweet poppy, ladies,
Sweet poppy, brand new.

Verse 2

I had not picked three sprigs
I had not picked three sprigs
That a nightingale came on my hand.

Verse 3

He said three words to me in Latin
He told me three words in Latin
That men are worthless.

Verse 4

And boys much less so
And boys much less so
Of ladies he tells me nothing.

Verse 5

Of the ladies, he tells me nothing
Of ladies he tells me nothing
But of the ladies much good.