French lyrics
English translation
Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Arise, children of the Fatherland,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
The day of glory has arrived!
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
Against us tyranny
L'étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Raises its bloody banner (repeat)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Do you hear, in the countryside,
Mugir ces féroces soldats?
The roar of those ferocious soldiers?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
They're coming right into your arms
Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes!
To cut the throats of your sons and women!
Aux armes, citoyens,
To arms, citizens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Form your battalions,
Marchons, marchons!
Let's march, let's march!
Qu'un sang impur
Let an impure blood
Abreuve nos sillons! (bis)
Water our furrows! (Repeat)
Que veut cette horde d'esclaves,
What does this horde of slaves,
De traîtres, de rois conjurés?
Of traitors and conjured kings want?
Pour qui ces ignobles entraves,
For whom are these vile chains,
Ces fers dès longtemps préparés? (bis)
These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Français, pour nous, ah! quel outrage
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
Quels transports il doit exciter!
What fury it must arouse!
C'est nous qu'on ose méditer
It is us they dare plan
De rendre à l'antique esclavage!
To return to the old slavery!
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
Quoi! des cohortes étrangères
What! Foreign cohorts
Feraient la loi dans nos foyers!
Would make the law in our homes!
Quoi! Ces phalanges mercenaires
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers! (bis)
Would strike down our proud warriors! (repeat)
Grand Dieu! Par des mains enchaînées
Great God! By chained hands
Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient
Our brows would yield under the yoke
De vils despotes deviendraient
Vile despots would have themselves
Les maîtres de nos destinées!
The masters of our destinies!
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides
Tremble, tyrants and you traitors
L'opprobre de tous les partis,
The shame of all parties,
Tremblez! vos projets parricides
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix! (bis)
Will finally receive their reward! (repeat)
Tout est soldat pour vous combattre,
Everyone is a soldier to combat you
S'ils tombent, nos jeunes héros,
If they fall, our young heroes,
La terre en produit de nouveaux,
The earth will produce new ones,
Contre vous tout prêts à se battre!
Ready to fight against you!
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
Français, en guerriers magnanimes,
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors,
Portez ou retenez vos coups!
You bear or hold back your blows!
Épargnez ces tristes victimes,
You spare those sorry victims,
À regret s'armant contre nous. (bis)
Who arm against us with regret. (repeat)
Mais ces despotes sanguinaires,
But not these bloodthirsty despots,
Mais ces complices de Bouillé,
These accomplices of Bouillé,
Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié,
All these tigers who, mercilessly,
Déchirent le sein de leur mère!
Rip their mother's breast!
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
Amour sacré de la Patrie,
Sacred love of the Fatherland,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs
Lead, support our avenging arms
Liberté, Liberté chérie,
Liberty, cherished Liberty,
Combats avec tes défenseurs! (bis)
Fight with thy defenders! (repeat)
Sous nos drapeaux que la victoire
Under our flags, shall victory
Accoure à tes mâles accents,
Hurry to thy manly accents,
Que tes ennemis expirants
That thy expiring enemies,
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire!
See thy triumph and our glory!
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
(Couplet des enfants)
(Children's Verse)
Nous entrerons dans la carrière
We shall enter the (military) career
Quand nos aînés n'y seront plus,
When our elders are no longer there,
Nous y trouverons leur poussière
There we shall find their dust
Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis)
And the trace of their virtues (repeat)
Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre
Much less keen to survive them
Que de partager leur cercueil,
Than to share their coffins,
Nous aurons le sublime orgueil
We shall have the sublime pride
De les venger ou de les suivre
Of avenging or following them
Aux armes, citoyens...
To arms, citizens...
English versification, public domain
Ye sons of France, awake to glory,
Hark, hark! what myriads bid you rise!
Your children, wives and white-haired grandsires.
Behold their tears and hear their cries! (repeat)
Shall hateful tyrants, mischiefs breeding,
With hireling hosts, a ruffian band,
Affright and desolate the land,
While peace and liberty lie bleeding?
To arms, to arms, ye brave!
The avenging sword unsheath,
March on, march on!
All hearts resolv'd
On victory or death!
Now, now, the dangerous storm is rolling
Which treacherous kings confederate raise!
The dogs of war, let loose, are howling,
And lo! our fields and cities blaze! (repeat)
alt: And lo! our homes will soon invade!
And shall we basely view the ruin
While lawless force with guilty stride
Spreads desolation far and wide
With crimes and blood his hands embruing?
To arms, to arms, ye brave!...
With luxury and pride surrounded
The vile insatiate despots dare,
Their thirst of power and gold unbounded,
To mete and vend the light and air! (repeat)
Like beasts of burden would they load us,
Like gods would bid their slaves adore,
But man is man, and who is more?
Then shall they longer lash and goad us?
To arms, to arms, ye brave!...
O Liberty, can man resign thee
Once having felt thy generous flame?
Can dungeons, bolts or bars confine thee
Or whips thy noble spirit tame? (repeat)
Too long the world has wept, bewailing
That falsehood's dagger tyrants wield,
But freedom is our sword and shield,
And all their arts are unavailing.
To arms, to arms, ye brave!...
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