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La Marseillaise
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For other uses, see La Marseillaise (disambiguation).

"La Marseillaise"[a] is the national anthem of

France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude
Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the
declaration of war by France against Austria, and
was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée
du Rhin" ("War Song for the Army of the Rhine").

La Marseillaise

English: The Marseillaise

The Marseillais volunteers departing, sculpted on the

Arc de Triomphe

National anthem of France

Also known as Chant de Guerre pour

l'Armée du Rhin
(English: War song for
the Army of the Rhine)

Lyrics Claude Joseph Rouget

de Lisle, 1792

Music Claude Joseph Rouget

de Lisle

Adopted July 14, 1795

1870

Relinquished 1799 (readopted in 1870)

Audio sample

-00:00

"La Marseillaise" (instrumental)

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The French National Convention adopted it as the

Republic's anthem in 1795. The song acquired its
nickname after being sung in Paris by volunteers
from Marseille marching to the capital. The song is
the first example of the "European march" anthemic
style. The anthem's evocative melody and lyrics
have led to its widespread use as a song of
revolution and its incorporation into many pieces of
classical and popular music.

History

Lyrics …

French English translation

Allons enfants de la
Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est
arrivé!
Contre nous de la
tyrannie
Arise, children of the
L'étendard sanglant
Fatherland,
est levé, (bis)
The day of glory has
Entendez-vous dans
arrived!
les campagnes
Against us, tyranny's
Mugir ces féroces
Bloody standard is raised,
soldats?
(repeat)
Ils viennent jusque
Do you hear, in the
dans vos bras
countryside,
Égorger vos fils, vos
The roar of those ferocious
compagnes!
soldiers?
They're coming right into
Aux armes, citoyens,
your arms
Formez vos bataillons,
To cut the throats of your
Marchons, marchons!
sons, your women!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons!
To arms, citizens,
Form your battalions,
Que veut cette horde
March, march!
d'esclaves,
Let an impure blood
De traîtres, de rois
Water our furrows!
conjurés?
Pour qui ces ignobles
What does this horde of
entraves,
slaves,
Ces fers dès
Of traitors and conspiring
longtemps préparés?
kings want?
(bis)
For whom have these vile
Français, pour nous,
chains,
ah! quel outrage
These irons, been long
Quels transports il doit
prepared? (repeat)
exciter!
Frenchmen, for us, ah!
C'est nous qu'on ose
What outrage
méditer
What furious action it must
De rendre à l'antique
arouse!
esclavage!
It is to us they dare plan
A return to the old slavery!
Aux armes, citoyens...

To arms, citizens...
Quoi ! des cohortes
étrangères
What! Foreign cohorts
Feraient la loi dans nos
Would make the law in our
foyers!
homes!
Quoi ! Ces phalanges
What! These mercenary
mercenaires
phalanxes
Terrasseraient nos
Would strike down our
fiers guerriers! (bis)
proud warriors! (repeat)
Grand Dieu! Par des
Great God! By chained
mains enchaînées
hands
Nos fronts sous le joug
Our brows would yield
se ploieraient
under the yoke!
De vils despotes
Vile despots would
deviendraient
themselves become
Les maîtres de nos
The masters of our
destinées!
destinies!

Aux armes, citoyens...

To arms, citizens...

Tremblez, tyrans et
Tremble, tyrants and you
vous perfides
traitors
L'opprobre de tous les
The shame of all parties,
partis,
Tremble! Your parricidal
Tremblez ! vos projets
schemes
parricides
Will finally receive their
Vont enfin recevoir
prize! (repeat)
leurs prix! (bis)
Everyone is a soldier to
Tout est soldat pour
combat you,
vous combattre,
If they fall, our young
S'ils tombent, nos
heroes,
jeunes héros,
Will be produced anew
La terre en produit de
from the ground,
nouveaux,
Ready to fight against you!
Contre vous tout prêts
à se battre!
To arms, citizens...

Aux armes, citoyens...

Frenchmen, as
magnanimous warriors,
Français, en guerriers
Bear or hold back your
magnanimes,
blows!
Portez ou retenez vos
Spare those sorry victims,
coups!
For regretfully arming
Épargnez ces tristes
against us. (repeat)
victimes,
But these bloodthirsty
À regret s'armant
despots,
contre nous. (bis)
These accomplices of
Mais ces despotes
Bouillé,
sanguinaires,
All these tigers who
Mais ces complices de
mercilessly
Bouillé,
Tear apart their mother's
Tous ces tigres qui,
breast!
sans pitié,
Déchirent le sein de
To arms, citizens...
leur mère!

Sacred love of the

Aux armes, citoyens...
Fatherland,
Lead, support our avenging
Amour sacré de la
arms
Patrie,
Liberty, cherished Liberty,
Conduis, soutiens nos
Fight with thy defenders!
bras vengeurs
(repeat)
Liberté, Liberté chérie,
Under our flags may
Combats avec tes
victory
défenseurs! (bis)
Hurry to thy manly
Sous nos drapeaux
accents,
que la victoire
So that thy expiring
Accoure à tes mâles
enemies
accents,
See thy triumph and our
Que tes ennemis
glory!
expirants
Voient ton triomphe et
To arms, citizens...
notre gloire!

(Children's Verse)
Aux armes, citoyens...
We shall enter the (military)
career
(Couplet des
When our elders are no
enfants)[20]
longer there,
Nous entrerons dans
There we shall find their
la carrière
dust
Quand nos aînés n'y
And the trace of their
seront plus,
virtues (repeat)
Nous y trouverons leur
Much less keen to survive
poussière
them
Et la trace de leurs
Than to share their coffins,
vertus (bis)
We shall have the sublime
Bien moins jaloux de
pride
leur survivre
To avenge or follow them.
Que de partager leur
cercueil,
To arms, citizens...
Nous aurons le
sublime orgueil
De les venger ou de
les suivre.

Aux armes, citoyens...

Additional verses
…
These verses have been omitted from the national
anthem.

Dieu de clémence et God of mercy and justice

de justice See our tyrants, judge our
Vois nos tyrans, juge hearts
nos coeurs Your goodness be with us
Que ta bonté nous Defend us from these
soit propice oppressors (repeat)
Défends-nous de ces You reign in heaven and
oppresseurs (bis) on earth
Tu règnes au ciel et And before you all must
sur terre bend
Et devant Toi, tout In your arms, come
doit fléchir support us
De ton bras, viens You, great God, lord of
nous soutenir thunder.
Toi, grand Dieu,
maître du tonnerre. To arms, citizens...

Aux armes, French people know thy

citoyens... glory
Crowned by equality,
Peuple français, What a triumph, what a
connais ta gloire; victory,
Couronné par To have won Liberty!
l'Égalité, (repeat)
Quel triomphe, quelle The God who throws
victoire, thunder
D'avoir conquis la And who commands the
Liberté! (bis) elements,
Le Dieu qui lance le To exterminate the tyrants
tonnerre Uses your arm on Earth.
Et qui commande aux
éléments, To arms, citizens...
Pour exterminer les
tyrans, Of tyranny, we have
Se sert de ton bras Rebuffed its last efforts;
sur la terre. It is banished from our
climes;
Aux armes, Among the French the
citoyens... kings are dead. (repeat)
The Republic may live
Nous avons de la forever!
tyrannie Anathema to royalty!
Repoussé les May this refrain, sung
derniers efforts; everywhere,
De nos climats, elle Protect politics from
est bannie; kings.
Chez les Français les
rois sont morts. (bis) To arms, citizens...
Vive à jamais la
République! France that Europe
Anathème à la admires
royauté! Has regained liberty
Que ce refrain, And every citizen
partout porté, breathes
Brave des rois la Under the laws of
politique. equality, (repeat)
One day its beloved
Aux armes, image
citoyens... Will extend throughout
the universe.
La France que Peoples, you will break
l'Europe admire your chains
A reconquis la And you will have a
Liberté fatherland!
Et chaque citoyen
respire To arms, citizens...
Sous les lois de
l'Égalité; (bis) Trampling on the rights of
Un jour son image man,
chérie the soldierly legions
S'étendra sur tout of Rome's first inhabitants
l'univers. enslaved nations. (repeat)
Peuples, vous A larger project, and
briserez vos fers wiser,
Et vous aurez une Engages us in battle
Patrie! And the Frenchman only
arms himself
Aux armes, In order to destroy
citoyens... slavery.

Foulant aux pieds les To arms, citizens...

droits de l'Homme,
Les soldatesques Yes! Already insolent
légions despots
Des premiers And the band of
habitants de Rome emigrants
Asservirent les Waging war on the sans-
nations. (bis) culottes [lit. without-
Un projet plus grand breeches]
et plus sage By our weapons are
Nous engage dans withered; (repeat)
les combats Vainly their hope is based
Et le Français n'arme On piqued fanaticism
son bras The sign of liberty
Que pour détruire Will soon spread around
l'esclavage. the world.

Aux armes, To arms, citizens...

citoyens...
To you! Let glory surround
Oui! Déjà d'insolents Citizens, illustrious
despotes warriors,
Et la bande des Fear in the fields of
émigrés Bellona,
Faisant la guerre aux Fear the sullying of your
Sans-culottes laurels! (repeat)
Par nos armes sont To dark unfounded
altérés; (bis) suspicions
Vainement leur Towards your leaders,
espoir se fonde your generals,
Sur le fanatisme Never leave your flags,
irrité, And you will remain
Le signe de la Liberté invincible.
Fera bientôt le tour
du monde. To arms, citizens...

Aux armes, (Children's Verse)

citoyens...
À vous! Que la gloire
environne,
Citoyens, illustres
guerriers,
Craignez, dans les
champs de Bellone,
Craignez de flétrir
vos lauriers! (bis)
Aux noirs soupçons
inaccessibles
Envers vos chefs, vos
généraux,
Ne quittez jamais vos
drapeaux,
Et vous resterez
invincibles.
Children, let honour and
fatherland
be the object of all our
wishes!
Let us always have souls
nourished
With fires that might
inspire both. (repeat)
Let us be united! Anything
is possible;
Our vile enemies will fall,
Then the French will
cease
To sing this fierce refrain:
To arms, citizens...

Aux armes,
citoyens...

(Couplet des
enfants)
Enfants, que
l'Honneur, la Patrie
Fassent l'objet de
tous nos vœux!
Ayons toujours l'âme
nourrie
Des feux qu'ils
inspirent tous deux.
(bis)
Soyons unis! Tout est
possible;
Nos vils ennemis
tomberont,
Alors les Français
cesseront
De chanter ce refrain
terrible:

Aux armes,
citoyens...

Notable arrangements

Adaptations in other musical

works

Notable use in other media

Historical Russian use

Criticism

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Last edited 20 hours ago by RandomCa…

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