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Le Poème harmonique, Le Roi a fait battre tambour

Le Roi a fait battre Tambour (1750 c.)

Claire Lefilliâtre
Serge Goubiod
Marco Horvat Sylvie Moquet (viola)

Françoise Enock,
Friederike Heumann (viola da gamba)
Vincent Dumestre (cittern, baroque guitar, theorbo)

—ooo—

Quand le Roi a fait battre tambour (bis) When the King had the drums beat,
Pour saluer ses dames, To greet his ladies,
La première qu’arriva The first to arrive
Lui a ravi son âme. Took his soul away.

– Marquis, dis-moi, la connais-tu ? – Marquis, tell me, do you know her?
À qui est cette dame ? Whose lady is she?
Le marquis lui a répondu : (bis) The marquis answered
– Sire roi, c’est ma femme. – Sir King, she’s my wife.

– Marquis, t’es plus heureux qu’un roi (bis) – M., you are happier than a king
D’avoir femme si belle. To have so lovely a wife.
Si tu voulais l’honneur donner, If you gave me the honour,
De coucher avec elle. Of sleeping with her.

– Sir’, vous avez tout le pouvoir – Sir, you have all the power
Tout pouvoir et puissance. All power and might.
Mais si vous n’étiez pas le roi, (bis) But if you were not the king,
J’en aurais ma vengeance. I would avenge myself.

– Marquis, ne te fâche donc pas, (bis) – M., don’t get angry,
T’auras ta récompense : You’ll have your reward:
Je te ferai dans mes armées I will make you, in my armies,
Beau maréchal de France. A fine marshall of France.

– Adieu, ma mie, adieu, mon cœur, (bis) – Farewell my love, farewell my heart,
Adieu mon espérance ! Farewell my hope!
Puisqu’il faut servir le roi, Since one must the king serve,
Séparons-nous d’ensemble. Let us part.

– Le roi l’a prise par la main, (bis) – The king took her by the hand,
L’a menée dans sa chambre ; And led her to his room;
La belle en montant les degrés While climbing the steps, the lady
A voulu se défendre. Tried to defend herself.

– Marquise, ne pleurez pas tant ! (bis) – Marquise, do not cry so much!
Je vous ferai Princesse ; I’ll make you a Princess;
De tout mon or et mon argent, Of all my gold and my silver.
Vous serez la maîtresse. You will be the mistress.

– Gardez votre or ! Et votre argent ! (bis) – Keep your gold and keep your silver!
N’appartient qu’à la Reine ; To the Queen alone it belongs;
J’aimerais mieux mon doux Marquis I’d rather have my gentle Marquis
Que toutes vos richesses ! Than all of your riches!

– La reine a fait faire un bouquet (bis) – The Queen had a bouquet
De belles fleurs de lyse Of pretty lilies made
Et la senteur de ce bouquet, And the scent of this bouquet,
Fit mourir marquise. The Marquise, it killed.

Le roi lui fit faire un tombeau The King had a coffin made
Tout en fer[1] de Venise Of iron from Venice
A fait marquer tout à l’entour And had it engraved all around
« Adieu belle marquise » “Farewell beautiful marquise”[2]

[1] “fer” (iron) could be “verre” (glass). One can barely tell the difference.
[2] This song may be otherwise told and translated (see YouTube). I used and translated the Poème Harmonique‘s lyrics. In the 18th century, le roi was le roé, moi and toi were moé and toé, and avoir and pouvoir were avoér and pouvoér.

—ooo—

A kind reader recommended Émile Gaboriau‘s “Les Cotillons célèbres” (1861). He wrote that Gaboriau “describes in a humorous style the mistresses of Louis XIV, the Regent and Louis XV, including the Marquise de Pompadour.” It’s a lovely book and Gaboriau was very prolific.

The book is also available in English.

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/les-cotillons-celebres/9780559351242

Love to everyone 💕