The French National Anthem is known as La Marseillaise and was composed during the events of the French Revolution in the town of Strasbourg.
La Marseillaise: about the song
The anthem was composed in one night (24th April 1792) by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760-1836), then an officer in the French army based in Strasbourg.
On the 20th April 1792, France declared war on Austria. Baron Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich, the mayor of Strasbourg expressed the need for a marching song that served as an anthem to freedom and a patriotic call to exhort all citizens against the tyranny and the foreign invasion. In response to that wish, Rouget de Lisle, who was an amateur musician, composed a rather brutal song originally entitled ‘Chant de guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin’ (‘War Song for the Army of the Rhine’).
The song became rapidly popular and reached Marseille three months later. It became known as ‘La Marseillaise’ when a battalion from Marseille sung the anthem in Paris in July 1792.
The Convention passed a decree on the 14th July 1795 to recognise La Marseillaise as France’s National Anthem. Banned under Napoleon I and under the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, it was definitely re-instated in 1879 as the French National Anthem and has remained since.
The French lyrics
Couplet 1
Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L’étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes !
[divider style=”default”][/divider]
Refrain :
Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu’un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !
Couplet 2
Que veut cette horde d’esclaves,
De traîtres, de rois conjurés ?
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves,
Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ? (bis)
Français, pour nous, ah ! quel outrage !
Quels transports il doit exciter !
C’est nous qu’on ose méditer
De rendre à l’antique esclavage !
Couplet 3
Quoi ! des cohortes étrangères
Feraient la loi dans nos foyers !
Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires
Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ! (bis)
Grand Dieu ! par des mains enchaînées
Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient
De vils despotes deviendraient
Les maîtres de nos destinées !
Couplet 4
Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides
L’opprobre de tous les partis,
Tremblez ! vos projets parricides
Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix ! (bis)
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre,
S’ils tombent, nos jeunes héros,
La terre en produit de nouveaux,
Contre vous tout prêts à se battre !
Couplet 5
Français, en guerriers magnanimes,
Portez ou retenez vos coups !
Épargnez ces tristes victimes,
À regret s’armant contre nous. (bis)
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires,
Mais ces complices de Bouillé,
Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié,
Déchirent le sein de leur mère !
Couplet 6
Amour sacré de la Patrie,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs
Liberté, Liberté chérie,
Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis)
Sous nos drapeaux que la victoire
Accoure à tes mâles accents,
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire !
Couplet 7 (dit « couplet des enfants »)
Nous entrerons dans la carrière
Quand nos aînés n’y seront plus,
Nous y trouverons leur poussière
Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis)
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre
Que de partager leur cercueil,
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil
De les venger ou de les suivre
English translation
(Verse 1)
Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny’s
Bloody standard is raised (repeat)
Do you hear, in the countryside
The roar of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
(Chorus)
To arms citizens
Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows
Verse 2
What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!
Verse 3
What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons (repeat)
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny
Verse 4
Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward (repeat)
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heroes
The earth will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you
Verse 5
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sorry victims
That they regret taking up arms against us (repeat)
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers’ breast
Verse 6
Sacred love of the Fatherland,
Lead, support our avenging arms!
Liberty, beloved Liberty,
Fight with your defenders! (repeat)
Under our flags, shall victory
Hasten to your manly tones!
May your dying enemies
See your triumph and our glory!
(Children’s Verse)
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 coffins,
We will have the sublime pride
Of avenging or following them!
