I present, for your moral edification, and to contribute to the breadth of your learning, the words to the French national anthem.Make of them what you will.
La Marseillaise
Let’s go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny’s
Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)
In the countryside, do you hear
The roaring of these fierce soldiers?
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our fields!
- - - - - - - - - -
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This horde of slaves, traitors, plotting kings,
What do they want?
For whom these vile shackles,
These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Frenchmen, for us, oh! what an insult!
What emotions that must excite!
It is us that they dare to consider
Returning to ancient slavery!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
What! These foreign troops
Would make laws in our home!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would bring down our proud warriors! (repeat)
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brows would bend beneath the yoke!
Vile despots would become
The masters of our fate!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tremble, tyrants! and you, traitors,
The disgrace of all groups,
Tremble! Your parricidal plans
Will finally pay the price! (repeat)
Everyone is a soldier to fight you,
If they fall, our young heros,
France will make more,
Ready to battle you!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors,
Bear or hold back your blows!
Spare these sad victims,
Regretfully arming against us. (repeat)
But not these bloodthirsty despots,
But not these accomplices of Bouillé,
All of these animals who, without pity,
Tear their mother’s breast to pieces!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sacred love of France,
Lead, support our avenging arms!
Liberty, beloved Liberty,
Fight with your defenders! (repeat)
Under our flags, let victory
Hasten to your manly tones!
May your dying enemies
See your triumph and our glory!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We will enter the pit
When our elders are no longer there;
There, we will find their dust
And the traces of their virtues. (repeat)
Much less eager to outlive them
Than to share their casket,
We will have the sublime pride
Of avenging them or following them!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Refrain
Hat tip: Commenter eatyourbeans.
4 comments:
Sure explains a lot . Has an deja vu feel to it - anticipating surrender as patriotic.
I actually went searching the lyrics to confirm that this wasn't a parody or some dark humor.
French patriotism . . .oxymoron. Sigh.
I'll take dear old Canada's any day. One of my high school students from the Great White North did a pretty good rendition last year.
"O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
"With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
"From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
"God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
"O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!"
I've always prefered this version
A Frenchman went to the lavat'ry,
To have him a jolly good s#!t, s#!t, s#!t
He took his coat and his trousers off,
So that he could revel in it, it it.
But when he reached for the paper,
He found that someone had been there before,
"Ou est le papier?
Ou est le papier?
Monsieur, monsieur, je fait manure.
Ou est le papier?"
I'm with Melissa in Texas. But the song doesn't end here:
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!
Let it end here:
Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our BANLIEUS!
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