Fête Nationale - Quatorze Juillet: Bastille Day

La Marseillaise sung by Placido Domingo

It's July 14 and it's Bastille Day!

Our French friends, folks of French descent (my mother was a Ducharme) and Francophiles everywhere won't need the translation of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, but here is the first verse in the original and English. (Full text and translation here.)

(I had the good fortune to be invited to a friend's 65th birthday party this past Saturday evening. Since the guest of honor hails from France, the dinner began with a great trumpet-accompanied singing of La Marseillaise. Having sung it Saturday night makes hearing it again on Bastille Day even sweeter. Bon Anniversaire, Patrick!)

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 nos bras
Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes !

Refrain
Aux armes, citoyens !
Formez vos bataillons !
(Formons nos bataillons!)
Marchez! Marchez!
(Marchons! Marchons!)
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !

Let's rise, 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's form our batallions!)
March! March!
(Let us march! Let us march!)
May impure blood
Water our fields!

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

-CuréConcord
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