France

One of the things I love about playwriting is the way it suddenly tips you into a completely unexpected areas of thinking and imagining and research. For the last thing I did, I read a huge book on the early Christian martyrs and found out more then I ever thought I'd need to know about ecclesiastical embroidery.

For the first episode of our Zola adaptation, I had to translate 'The Marseilleise'. The French national anthem, as I'm sure you know, was composed by a French army officer in 1792 under the name 'Battle Hymn of the Rhine Army' but it was seized upon with glee by army volunteers from Marseille who sung it as they marched towards Paris: hence 'Marseilleise'. France was under attack from Prussia and Austria and the song is a rallying cry that upholds the spirit of the revolution and swears death to its enemies.

This is why it is extremely bloodthirsty. In my translation, I made it slightly more bloodthirsty, because it is being sung by Antoine, a rather petulant Republican sympathiser, to wind up his conservative brother Pierre. So, in the first verse, the 'flag red as blood' in the original is actually that of the tyrants. But I've made him sing a version that is more of a threat.

Here's my version of the first two verses.*

Rise up you children of our country
The day of glory has arrived
We will fight and destroy all the tyrants
And we’ll raise up our flag, red as blood
Yes we’ll raise up our flag, red as blood

Do you hear in the lanes and the forests
The song of our soldiers so brave
They will come to save us all
And cut the throats of all their enemies

To arms, citizens!
Form battalions!
March on! March on!
Let traitors’ blood
Water all our fields!

We see the armies of our enemy
Holding out their iron chains
We will not let those shackles bind us
We will not submit to slavery
We will never submit to slavery
Do they think that France bows before them?
Do they hope we ever will be slaves?
Let fury fill your hearts
Let anger break their chains of iron

To arms, citizens!
Form battalions!
March on! March on!
Let traitors’ blood
Flow throughout the land!**

I thought of this on Friday night as the terrible news came from Paris of the series of coordinated terrorist attacks. I'm not of course suggesting that bloodthirsty reprisals should be the French response, but I love the song's spirit of unbending defiance, defiant in never bending to a would-be master, be it ISIS or fear itself.

England is playing France in a friendly match on Tuesday. I would love to hear the whole stadium singing the Marseilleise.

Notes

* Of course there is dispute about what order the verses go in. My version will not be agreed by everyone.

** Allons enfants de la patrie, / Le jour de gloire est arrivé! / Contre nous de la tyrannie / L'etendard sanglant est levé! / L'etendard sanglant est levé! // Entendez-vous dans les campagnes, / Mugir ces féroces soldats? / Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras / Égorger nos fils, nos 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? / 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! // Aux armes, citoyens etc.