Medieval French / 14th Century Italian

This song from Champagne was sung by medieval pilgrims on the journey to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

A listener told us that there is still a church on the pilgrimage route with live chickens inside, said to be descended from the miraculous bird in this story.

Lyrics

Trois pélerins de Dieu
S’en allant à Saint Jacques
Ils ont été logés
Dans une hôtellerie.

La mauvaise servante
Dans la poche de l’enfant
Avait caché la tasse
Le juge du Seigneur.

Envoya l’enfant pendre
Et laissa a servante.
O faux juge, o faux juge
Il te faut le dépendre.

Je ne l’irai dépendre
Que ce coq-là ne chante.
Le coq qu’il rôtissait
Sauta parmi la chambre.

Battit trois fois de l’aile
La quatrième il chante
On dépendit l’enfant
On pendit la servante.

Translation:
Three pilgrims of God set out for St. James’ (Santiago de Compostela). They were lodged at a hostel. The bad servant hid a cup in the child’s pocket. The judge sent the child to be hanged and let the servant go free. "O false judge, o false judge! You must take the child down again." “I will not take him down again until that cock crows.” The cock which he was roasting jumped into the room, and clapped its wings three times. The fourth time it crowed. They took down the child and hanged the servant.