Bon voyage, Monsieur Dumollet Lyrics
A farewell song from France, for a traveller named Dumollet: have a good journey, land at Saint-Malo without a shipwreck, and come back if you like the country. The first of the songbook's two verses follows, with an English translation.
Bon voyage, Monsieur Dumollet
Bon voyage, Cher Dumollet,
A Saint Malo débarquez sans naufrage;
Bon voyage, Cher Dumollet,
Et revenez si le pays vous plaît.
In English
Good journey, dear Dumollet,
Land at Saint-Malo without shipwreck;
Good journey, dear Dumollet,
And come back if the country pleases you.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/bon-voyage-monsieur-dumollet/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- A cheerful send-off, the first and third lines sung exactly alike
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Bon voyage, Cher Dumollet | Wave goodbye with one hand held high. |
| Et revenez | Beckon with a hand, as if calling someone back. |
What Does Bon voyage, Monsieur Dumollet Mean?
You may already know the first two words: bon voyage is used in English as well, and means a good journey. It sounds like bohn vwah-yazh. The whole title says "Good journey, Mr Dumollet", and Monsieur is the French word for Mr or sir. Dumollet is the traveller being sent off, and the songbook says nothing more about him.
The singers wish him a safe landing: débarquez means to land or step off a boat, and sans naufrage means without shipwreck. The place is Saint-Malo, a port town on the coast of Brittany in the north-west of France, and here it is only a town name. Then comes the last line, the kindest one: revenez si le pays vous plaît, come back if the country pleases you.
The first and third lines are the same, so the song has a round, waving shape. The songbook has a second verse of warnings for a visit to the capital, and it is left out of this page, which gives only the farewell.
History and Origin
This song is in Weckerlin's songbook of French children's songs, where the list of songs gives it the short title Monsieur Dumollet. Catalogue records of the French national library mention a Plon edition from 1886.
The title here joins the first line to the Monsieur from that list, because those are the words people search for.
Learning Activities
- Wave them off: one child is Dumollet and walks to the door; the group waves and sings the first verse.
- Pack a bag: ask what each child would pack for a trip by boat.
- Find Saint-Malo: find the north-west coast of France on a map and trace a sea route to it.
- Say it in two languages: say 'bon voyage' and 'good journey' together, and ask for other goodbyes the children know.