The second half of that video is the chant "Loin de Chez Nous" (Away from home). A very appropriate choice and beautifully rendered. A poor (direct) translation here (I could not find a good poetic translation).One of the most stirring of French military marches -- the Soldiers of Robert the Bruce -- has Scottish roots. Here it is played at the burial of two French commandos who died in Burkina Faso.https://t.co/TsoDqFBHkH— wretchardthecat(@wretchardthecat) May 31, 2019
The thread that tweet is in also has a nice mention of Piper Bill Millin.
5 comments:
Fine song. Good men.
Wow, that really is a terrible translation.
Far from home in Africa
Fought the battalion
To redo the homeland (bis)
Its splendor, its glory and its fame. bis
The battle was raging
When one of us fell
And my best comrade (bis)
Lay there wounded with me. bis
And his lips whispered
If you go back to the country
At my mother's House (bis)
Talk to her with very gentle words. bis
Tell him one night in Africa
I left forever
Tell her that she forgives me (bis)
Because we'll find one day.
How about this:
Far from home in Africa
The battalion fought
To restore to our homeland
Its splendor, its glory and its fame.
The battle was raging
When one of us fell
And my best friend
Lay wounded next to me.
And his lips whispered,
"If you make it back home
To my mother's house,
Deliver this sweet message:
"Tell her one night in Africa
I departed, never to return.
Tell her to forgive me,
For we'll meet again one day."
Looking at the French, I would give it thus:
Far from our house, in Africa,
The battalion knew combat
to remake the Fatherland:
His splendor, his glory, and his reknown.
The battle worked its rage
When one of us was killed,
And my best friend
Lay wounded with me.
And his lips murmured,
"If you return to our country,
And the house of my mother,
Say to her the sweetest words:
Tell her one evening in Africa
I have gone away forever.
Tell her to pardon me,
Because we will all meet again one day.
Thanks to you both. I think having both of those to compare gives one a richer sense of it.
I used to make fun of the French, as part of the AMerican patriotic fervor or nationalism, or just group ism. Now I just make fun of everyone and every nation and religion.
It's more equal that way.
Two things brought it into Divine perspective. One, a Japanese visual novel about some guy in an alien invasion, on the last mission to destroy the enemy landing base, some French aero plane gets in front of him and soaks up the damage so that the landing forces can land with their firepower intact.
The other thing was Jean De Arc.
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