S’il est vif.”
“Le coucou
S’en va en Août
La barbe d’orge
Li pique la gorge.”
“Coucou-Varou
Bave[246] partout.”
(See Notes and Queries, 4th Series, Vol. III., 1869.)
It is thought lucky to shake one’s pockets and run a few steps, the first time one hears the cuckoo sing. The following lines are also repeated by some, and the number of times the cuckoo utters his note is taken as an answer to the question.
“Coucou, cou-cou, dis mé