La Marseillaise

La Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle on April 24, 1792. Its original name is Chant de marche de l'Armée du Rhin (Marching song of the Rhine Army). It became the rallying call of the French Revolution and was so-called because it was first sung on the streets by troops from Marseille upon their arrival in Paris. The song was banned in Vichy France and German occupied areas during World War II.

La Marseillaise was rearranged by Hector Berlioz around 1830.

In France itself, the anthem (and particularly the lyrics) has become a controversial issue since the 1970s. Some consider it militaristic and racist, and many propositions have been made to change the anthem or the lyrics. However, La Marseillaise has been associated throughout its history with republican sympathies, and singing it was an act of resistance during World War II. Thus, no change is likely to occur.

Recently, and despite the lyrics, it was largely sung by anti-racist protesters after the accession of Jean-Marie Le Pen to the second turn of presidential élection in 2002.

In fiction, the song was part of a famous scene in Casablanca in which French resistance sympathizers tried to sing the song louder than the Nazi soldiers who were singing "Die Wacht am Rhein[?]".

MIDI File

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 nos campagnes

Mugir ces féroces soldats ?

Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras,

Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes.

Refrain:

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 ? (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 !

Refrain

Quoi ces cohortes étrangères !

Feraient la loi dans nos foyers !

Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires

Terrasseraient nos fils guerriers ! (bis)

Grand Dieu! par des mains enchaînées

Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient

De vils despotes deviendraient

Les maîtres des destinées.

Refrain

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 France en produit de nouveaux,

Contre vous tout prêts à se battre

Refrain

Français, en guerriers magnanimes

Portez ou retenez vos coups !

Épargnez ces tristes victimes

A 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 !

Refrain

("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 !

Refrain

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 !

Refrain

English Translation

Arise children of the fatherland

The day of glory has arrived

Against us tyranny's

Bloody standard is raised

Listen to the sound in the fields

The howling of these fearsome soldiers

They are coming into our midst

To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

To arms, citizens!

Form your battalions!

March, 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 heroes

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 career

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

Drive on sacred patriotism

Support our avenging arms

Liberty, cherished liberty

Join the struggle with your defenders

Under our flags, let victory

Hurry to your manly tone

So that in death your enemies

See your triumph and our glory!

External link

• Sheet music and history (http://marseillaise.org/english/)

La Marseillaise is also the name of a relief sculpture group on the Arc de Triomphe, also known as The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, by Francois Rude.