La Marseillaise

La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, was composed during the night of 24 April 1792 by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a captain of the engineers and amateur musician stationed in Strasbourg. It was played at a patriotic banquet at Marseilles, and the revolutionary forces entered Paris singing this song.

Originally entitled Chant de guerre de l'armeé du Rhin (War Song of the Rhine Army), the song became called La Marseillaise because of its popularity with volunteer army units from Marseilles.

The Convention accepted the Marseillaise as the French national anthem on 14 July 1795. It was banned by Napoleon during the Empire and by Louis XVIII on the Second Restoration (1815) because of its revolutionary associations. Reinstated after the July Revolution of 1830, it was again banned by Napoleon III and did not become the national anthem again until 1879. Only the first and last verse (highlighted by colour) are used as national anthem today.

Rouget de Lisle was a royalist himself and refused to take the oath of allegiance to the new constitution. He was imprisoned and barely escaped the guillotine.

Reference

Halsall, P. (1997) La Marseillaise. Internet Modern History Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/marseill.html (accessed 5 March 2004)


Allons enfants de la Patrie
Le jour de gloire est arrivé.
Contre nous, de la tyrannie,
L'étandard sanglant est levé,
l'étandard sanglant est levé,
Entendez-vous, dans la compagnes.
Mugir ces farouches soldats
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Egorger vos fils,
vos compagnes.

Aux armes citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons.

Que veut cette horde d'esclaves
De traîtres, de rois conjurés?
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves
Ces fers dès longtemps préparés?
Français, pour nous, ah! quel outrage
Quels transports il doit exciter?
C'est nous qu'on ose méditer
De rendre à l'antique esclavage!

Quoi ces cohortes étrangères!
Feraient la loi dans nos foyers!
Quoi! ces phalanges mercenaires
Terrasseraient nos fils guerriers!
Grand Dieu! par des mains enchaînées
Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient
De vils despotes deviendraient
Les maîtres des destinées.

Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides
L'opprobre de tous les partis
Tremblez! vos projets parricides
Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix!
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre
S'ils tombent, nos jeunes héros
La France en produit de nouveaux,
Contre vous tout prêts à se battre.

Français, en guerriers magnanimes
Portez ou retenez vos coups!
Épargnez ces tristes victimes
À regret s'armant contre nous
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires
Mais ces complices de Bouillé
Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié
Déchirent le sein de leur mère!

Nous entrerons dans la carrière
Quand nos aînés n'y seront plus
Nous y trouverons leur poussière
Et la trace de leurs vertus
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre
Que de partager leur cercueil
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil
De les venger ou de les suivre!

Amour sacré de la Patrie,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs,
Liberté, liberté cherie,
Combats avec tes defénseurs;
Combats avec tes défenseurs.
Sous drapeaux, que la victoire
Acoure à tes mâles accents;
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire!

Aux armes citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons.

Let us go, children of the fatherland
Our day of Glory has arrived.
Against us tyranny's
Bloody flag is raised,
Bloody flag is raised.
Do you hear in the countryside
The roar of these savage soldiers
They come right into our arms
To cut the throats of your sons,
your consorts.

To arms, citizens!
Form up your battalions
Let us march, Let us march!
Let impure blood
water our furrows.

What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny.

Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men.
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you.

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us,
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs.

We shall enter into the pit
When our elders will no longer be there
There we shall find their ashes
And the mark of their virtues
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them!

Sacred love of the fatherland
Guide and support our vengeful arms.
Liberty, beloved liberty,
Fight with your defenders;
Fight with your defenders.
Under our flags, so that victory
Will rush to your manly strains;
That your dying enemies
Should see your triumph and glory!

To arms, citizens!
Form up your battalions
Let us march, Let us march!
Let impure blood
water our furrows.


Reference

adapted from http://www.marseillaise.org/english/translation.html (accessed 5 March 2004)

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