Reveillez-vous, Picards! |
vers 1480
Réveillez-vous, Picards, Picards et Bourguignons! Et trouvez la manière d'avoir de bons bâtons, Car voici le printemps et aussi la saison Pour aller à la guerre donner des horions.
2. Tel parle de la guerre qui ne sait ce qu'elle est;
3. Où est ce duc d'Autriche? Il est en Pays-Bas,
4. Quand serons en Bourgogne et en Franche-Comté,
5. Adieu, adieu Salins, Salins et Besançon!
6. Nous, lansquenets et reîtres et soudards, si marchons
7. Quand mourrons de malheur, notre hacquebutte au poing,
8. Et quand viendra le temps où trompes sonneront | Wake, ye men from Picardy and men from Burgundy! And find yourselves some good clubs, For here comes the spring and the season, too, When we'll go to war, some good blows for to give.
2. Some talk about war, not knowing what it is;
3. Where's this duke of Austria? He's in the Netherlands
4. When in Burgundy we are, and in the Free County,
5. Farewell, Salins, Salins and Besançon
6. We « landsknechts » and « reiters » and soldiers if we walk
7. When unluckily we die, with our hand-gun in our fist,
8. And when the time has come where the trumpets will blow |
King Louis XI's main enemy, Charles « the bold » - duke of Burgundy - owned Picardy, Artois, Franche-Comté and Burgundy. After he died in 1477, his lands went under control of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria who had married Charles' daughter. According to this magnificent war song , the Burgundian soldiers were enthusiastic to serve such a great military chief as Maximilian, not forgetting, their loyalty to the late duke. - With thanks to Phi lippe Pierson for the English and French commentary, as well as the translation of the song.