Mes grands bordeaux (Le dandy moderne) (French Edition)

Political failure, in other words, derived from a moral failure at the heart of the social hierarchy. Nobles suffered for the unwillingness of the great to honor their obligations to their dependents. Comparable criticisms were directed at the king himself: Henri IV's reign displayed the problem with special clarity, for he subdued his extreme Catholic opponents with bribes and gave them an important role in his reign.

The pamphlet mockingly dismissed those "feeble minds that judge only by appearances and lack sufficient vision to penetrate the secret cabinet of this prince's intentions. But their pamphlet accurately captured elements in the monarchy's own descriptions of its actions. The Crown did in fact claim to stand above legal restrictions, and it stood still more clearly above the expectations of its servants. It offered both rewards and forgiveness as it chose, according to standards of judgment that only the king himself could fully understand.

This is the stance that Corneille defends in concluding both Le Cid and Horace with instances of monarchical grace, moments in which rulers dramatically place other considerations before those of legality. Thus the conclusion of Horace: Against this need, apparently reasonable claims for reward and recognition could have no force. The Crown's secret reasoning did not lead to a larger rationality of political structure; on the contrary, it meant that the Crown would often fail its most loyal servants.

Other criticisms emerged as aristocrats interpreted political failure. That politics depended on language and opinion led to dark thoughts about the political actor's vulnerability. His standing depended on what others said, and so he was constantly vulnerable to slander. Corneille here follows the ideas that the French monarchy actually applied in its pardons: Complaints of malicious talk appear throughout seventeenth-century correspondence.

They suggested both that reputations were fragile and that an array of enemies surrounded the political actor. Virtuous actions risked misrepresentation or concealment, because enemies surrounded the political actor and could turn language against him. Such misrepresentations contributed to a larger problem, the play of irrational or entirely unpredictable forces in frustrating efforts and expectations. Political society, so these discussions of the unexpected suggested, had ultimately no understandable structure.

La Rochefoucauld made the point when he considered the career of the duc de Bouillon: He was valiant and had a perfect knowledge of warfare. He had an easy, natural, ingratiating eloquence. His mind was clear, inventive, and capable of untangling the most difficult matters.

But such great advantages were often of no use to him, because of the stubbornness of his fortune, which almost always opposed his prudence.

Implicit in such comments were doubts about the possibility of political knowledge, a sense of the difficulty of understanding the polity. Fortune seemed to govern political life because real knowledge of the polity was so difficult to attain. There were, first, practical and social obstacles to knowledge, about which Retz expanded complacently: I am amazed in this regard by the insolence of those nobodies who, imagining they have penetrated the hearts of those most involved in these matters, leave no event without claiming to have explicated its origins and consequences.

But the nobles also saw a deeper problem: As most noblemen described it, reality lay in particulars and often could not be captured in more general formulations. A further problem for political knowledge lay in the evolving nature of reality itself. Retz made the uncertainties of political reality the central theme of his memoirs; and though his explanations for uncertainty varied widely, ultimately he emphasized the inadequacy of either the past or common sense as a guide. People's expectations of the possible, Retz argued repeatedly, touched only a small part of what might actually happen: One finds there facts so opposed to one another that they are unbelievable.

But experience teaches us. The seventeenth century's great examples of political success strengthened this conviction that the polity was fundamentally impervious to rational understanding. Richelieu's successes, both within France and within Europe as a whole, seemed as inexplicable to contemporary nobles as their own failures. Richelieu's success, he wrote, came, not from "his wise choices [ sa bonne conduite ], which I have not noticed ,. In fact this genius carries an indefinable impression of such absolute power over those who let themselves be guided by it, that it is only with an effort that one opposes its will.

Such leaders, Campion and his friends concluded, transcended normal analysis. Seventeenth-century nobles employed a variety of metaphors as they sought to convey their vision of political situations as unstable and deceptive. We have seen the readiness of some to turn to the notion of fortune. Others used religious images. Do you believe that all these actions occur by chance?

No, no, avoid such thoughts; it's God who guides it all, and whose plans always command adoration, though to us they be bitter and hidden. And if we lose sight of this divine Providence? Without it, one would have to hang oneself five or six times a day. Political life displayed choices so contrary to the actors' interests and personalities that the "blindness of which Scripture speaks so often is, even in human terms, sensible and palpable in men's actions.

But the most common metaphors for political life derived from the theater. Saint-Evremond managed to combine theatrical and commercial imagery to suggest the inevitability of misperception and failure in court society: Roger Gailly, 3 vols. On the interaction of theater and money in early modern culture, see Jean-Christophe Agnew, Worlds Apart: It offered powerful images for the contrast that he perceived between the knowledgeable few and the deluded many, contrasting the inner workings of the political "machine" an image that he took from the stage with what the spectators in the audience could see and understand.

Even Retz's discussion of political possibility, his belief that reality was more varied than common sense might anticipate, derived from theatrical problems and language. This language echoed contemporary debate surrounding the vraisemblable and its relationship to both the possible and the real.

Corneille arrived at an opposite emphasis from Retz's: Politics was the art of the possible, but the politician's task was to understand what was possible in larger terms than contemporary understanding of vraisemblance permitted. However they were used, theatrical images of political life carried uncomfortable associations. Retz used the theater to stress the dishonesties that constituted political life. Pascal underlined another source of discomfort in metaphors of theater, contrasting the flimsiness of the theater-state with the straightforward realities of violence: That is why our kings have not attempted to.

They have not dressed up in extraordinary clothes to show what they really are, but they have themselves surrounded by guards, scarred veterans. They do not wear the trappings, they simply have the power. Theatrical power of the sort represented by the magistrate might function effectively, persuading some to follow its directions, for illusion and imagination have a grip on nearly everyone. The realities of power, though, lay elsewhere, in the instruments of violence.

Pascal's vision of politics thus differed sharply from Retz's, but shared common emphases and language. Both pointed to the theatrical form of political and social life; both saw much of this life in terms of flux, imagination, deception. Ultimately, then, theatrical imagery suggested a troubling view of the polity's moral stature. Contemporaries continued into the late seventeenth century to link the theater with a variety of vices: There was no assurance that a Christian theater could exist at all.

Even Madame de Maintenon's efforts to create one for her maidens at Saint-Cyr produced anxieties, as courtiers came to ogle the actresses rather than to seek edification; [77] and to the end of the century the pious argued that Christians should avoid the theater altogether. Clearly a state that functioned by means of theatrical trappings and trickery could not easily be understood as a Christian enterprise.

Pierre-Jean Rémy

Even for the secular-minded, to view the state as a form of theater, in which all political actors adopted some form of disguise and a handful of insiders sought systematically to deceive the rest, undercut a moral vision of the community. If political life preserved a moral center, so aristocratic writers were led to suggest, it lay in the individual rather than the political community.

And the individual had a continuity that the political drama lacked. Retz made this contrast between individual reality and shifting political drama one of the main purposes of his memoirs. He sought to show that he had remained constant, despite the political changes taking place around him. The political experiences and expectations that have thus far been considered centered on the royal court, where political ambition was fiercest and failure most painful. Yet provincial politics too had deceptions, disappointments, uncertainties, and calculations. Much of the rhetoric that has been examined thus far, though it applied most readily to the court, could as easily describe provincial relationships.

This rhetoric, in other words, represented more than a response to the specific experiences of the royal court; it represented a deeper pattern in aristocratic culture. To be sure, a lively rhetoric of provincial probity subsisted in the seventeenth century; and the powers that substantial landowners continued to exercise gave real content to their dependents' claims of loyal service. Generations of local notables had offered the family service and had recognized its leadership.

The contrast between solid loyalties of this kind and the instability of the royal court gave rise to consoling reflections during times of political trouble. In the marquise de la Moussaye wrote to her sister after visiting the prince de Tarente, exiled to his estates for his role during the Fronde: He is perfectly honored at Laval and could do there so they tell me anything he wishes, winning hearts as he has and everyone praising his behavior.

At court virtue might suffer slanders and the most capa-. For investigation of these loyalties in another provincial setting, see Jonathan Dewald, Pont-St-Pierre, — Yet the marquise herself could describe provincial politics in quite different terms, as a play of contending interests in which success demanded careful calculation and secrecy, and in which enmity and slander constantly threatened.

Alert to all of these dangers in provincial politics, she sent her sister a coded report in describing the political factions within the Estates of Brittany, using numbers to represent the assembly's leading figures and some of the issues with which it dealt. Had they written you, my dear sister, that he has been deserted by everyone but Monsieur de la Moussaye they would have told you the truth.

He ought to have been believed in his counsels, which would have avoided all these difficulties, but some gens de robe were the instruments used to lead him into the traps that were set for him. There was in fact no more transparency in provincial than in court politics. Calculation, enmity, and disguise provided organizing themes that other nobles employed in thinking about provincial politics. He was eager, he explained in a letter to his son, "to know whether will attend the Estates, since from this we can infer whether 24 supports the interests of 59, for we haven't been able to learn it otherwise than by rumor, which goes against us.

In , after an unfavorable ruling from the Parlement of Rennes concerning one of his properties, the duc wrote of his opponent: From now on, he wrote, he planned to have his cases moved to another court, "since I am so badly treated by the one from which I anticipated the most protection, and whose interests I can claim to have best served and most suffered for. He asked that the cleric be treated "as the enemy of my person and my maison , who employs the property he has received from us to injure me. As a result, local politics demanded the same continuous assessment of interests and intentions as the royal court.

Such assumptions extended to the lower levels of the seigneurial structure, affecting relations even within the apparently stable world of local loyalties: Either the enemies who surround us strangle us or we advance at their expense; they are strong only because of our weakness and cowardice.

To lack resentment is to be thought either cowardly or stupid, as lacking the wit to perceive an offense or the heart to avenge it; thus one remains exposed to violence as long as one does not oppose it, [inspiring] fear being the most suitable means of protecting oneself against it. French nobles readily viewed their society as a collection of intensely competing individuals rather than an organic whole, organized around a stable hierarchy or effective traditions. Seventeenth-century nobles, this chapter has argued, interpreted their lives in terms of individual ambition.

Ideas about hierarchy and tradition stood in the backgrounds of these lives and might be employed during moments of ideological debate; nobles often professed to believe that both social and natural worlds had orderly structures and that these structures provided the basis for their privileges. In the foreground of their lives, however, was constant emphasis on change, conflict, and personal ambition. With ambition went a sharp sensitivity to time and a belief in the importance of engaging in public life.

Society constantly changed, so that neither traditional attachments nor established practices necessarily retained their validity. Withdrawal to a private role drew almost entirely negative moral judgments, as a sign of impotence and failure. Nobles defined their lives in public terms; at least until age left them unsuited to be political animals, they viewed themselves as participants in a public world.

Yet seventeenth-century aristocratic culture, so I have argued here, also rendered the political world morally problematic. To Christian belief, of course, ambition itself was a vice, but anxiety in this regard rarely surfaced. Of more concern to contemporaries, ambition almost inevitably failed, as the soldier and courtier aged and ceased to be either useful or pleasing, or as superiors merely turned their affections elsewhere. Even those who praised ambition treated it as a passion, which reason could not entirely govern and which might easily attach to illusory objects.

Failures of this kind led French nobles to troubling questions about the political community in which they acted. As stress on ambition contrasted with belief in dynastic continuities, so contemporary visions of politics stood in tension with confidence in the monarchical order. The public world, as the nobles presented it, was dominated by the play of the irrational and the illusory. Theatrical metaphors were a favorite mode of describing these qualities and suggested the moral doubts that accompanied political life; the political actor readily saw himself as manipulated by invisible stage managers.

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Much else in public life suggested its lack of rational order. Civic attachments rested on passionate emotional attractions, analogous to sexual attractions and sometimes deriving immediately from them; participation in public life brought the dangers of enmity and slander.

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Nobles interpreted even the long-standing relations of local politics in terms of repeated betrayals and disguises. Ultimately, so Machiavellian a view of civic life made the individual seem more real than the community. Seventeenth-century nobles continued to write of an organic, unified society of orders, but their most vigorous cultural contribution lay elsewhere, in an autobiographical literature that sought to display the continuity of the self within an often irrational, fluctuating political environment.

In public discussion, their sacrifices in war justified privilege and gave nobles the right to address the king in special terms. More privately, war offered a cultural reference point, a source of stories and a model of behavior. Even the pacific Gilles de Gouberville read chivalric tales in his quiet Norman manor.

The language of the nobles' disputes with other social groups more often centered on the incomprehension of soldier for civilian than on questions of genealogy. Maurice Magendie Paris, ; repr. It is worth noting that although the passage imitates Castiglione, Faret's emphasis is very different; what Castiglione makes a preference between two acceptable courses, Faret makes virtually obligatory. The work's popularity is suggested by its reprintings in , , , , and twice in ibid.

For other discussions of nobles' military involvement and attitudes, see Jonathan Dewald, Pont-St-Pierre, — This chapter attempts to define some of the meanings that war had for sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nobles. Such meanings may seem obvious, in view of the role arms had played in aristocratic self-perceptions through the Middle Ages; and historians of the early modern nobility have not hesitated to contrast the calculating, self-controlled mentality of the educated magistrate with the backward outlook of the warrior.

For seventeenth-century nobles, the experience of war was only partly an inheritance from the Middle Ages. The changing technology, expanding scale, and increasingly bureaucratic organization of seventeenth-century warfare required specific forms of calculation and political reflection. Just as important, military careers unfolded in ways that detached nobles from inherited settings and forced them to confront intellectual and moral novelties.

Warfare, as Nicolas Faret made clear, was a professional choice, a focus for the ambition which the previous chapter argued offered seventeenth-century nobles a guiding theme for understanding their lives. That ambition had an important place in military careers seemed obvious to contemporaries. We have heard the poet Malherbe contrast the moderate ambitions appropriate to a robe career with the lofty but uncertain ambitions appropriate to warfare. Worried that young men might satisfy their ambitions elsewhere, he proposed that government "encourage men of honor and ambition to enroll, both by [giving them] hope of advanc-.

Basic realities of military practice underlay La Rochefoucauld's assumption that bourgeois families would use military service as a means of social mobility. Already by the late sixteenth century, the French army needed a substantial number of commoners as officers. Froissart had described the straightforward economic motives of fourteenth-and early fifteenth-century captains. He had as many pack horses with him as any great baron, and he and his people took their meals off silver plate.

Triumphs and reverses succeeded each other without apparent order, not as part of a coherent strategy of advancement. For most late medieval nobles, actual experience of war was more haphazard still; it involved only very occasional service in the enormous, unruly hosts the French kings led into battle. Jacques Truchet Paris, , 79 no. Geoffrey Brereton London, , , Macfarlane, The Nobility of Later Medieval England Oxford, , for discussions of the economics of medieval warfare.

Although the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought alternative models of what it meant to be noble, they also brought a greater demand for soldiers, as armies grew in size and war became more ferocious. The army also became increasingly professional, providing long-term careers rather than occasional marauding. Experience of battle was probably more common among the seventeenth-century nobility than among their sixteenth-century ancestors, for after the French army began a breathtaking expansion.

The army had numbered 50, in the mid-sixteenth century. By the end of the religious wars it had reached 80,, and it nearly doubled after , when France entered the Thirty Years' War; after a small decline in the later seventeenth century, it swelled to , by For nobles and bourgeois alike, service began very young, at the age of sixteen or seventeen. After a few years in Jesuit colleges, his parents sent Bussy-Rabutin to war at age sixteen, then brought him back to Paris for some training at an academy: Nobles' enthusiasm for military activity suffered only from the relative peace that France enjoyed during the first third of the seventeenth century.

Between the peace with Spain in and the formal French entry into the Thirty Years' War, only a few occasions offered the experiences and profits of warfare. During these years, nobles who. Paris, —66 , 1: War was yet another characteristic seventeenth-century impetus to mobility, reinforcing the effects of duels and political miscalculation in creating exiles. Arnauld went to seek it in Livonia," under Gustavus Adolphus. At that time, having served in a half-dozen armies across Europe, he was twenty-nine years old. At the age of seventeen, wrote Monluc, "desire to go to Italy overtook me, from the rumors circulating about the fine fighting [ beaux faicts d'armes ] there"; he discussed his plans with a neighbor of his father's, "who told me so many things and recounted so many fine exploits, happening there every day," that the young man immediately set out to cross the mountains.

Especially in the uncertain international politics of the early seventeenth century, such careers posed problems of moral choice. The comte de Souvigny recalled his uncle's experience: Paris, —86 , 9: Paris, , 4: Paris, —09 , 2: He was seeking experience and skills, not responding to demands from the state or expectations generated by feudal tradition. Of course military careers might lead to immorality for simpler reasons, because of the brutality that camp life and fighting involved.

This was one reason that notable families sometimes sought to discourage their sons from entering "the profession of arms. On the contrary, they often sought to direct their sons elsewhere. The son had made his choice despite his father's wishes; a military career was here an assertion of individuality.

I have placed ex-. Sutcliffe London, , For Descartes's self-conscious use of the genre of aristocratic autobiography, see Georg Misch, Geschichte der Autobiographie , 4 vols. Frankfurt am Main, , 4: Rather, a military career violated paternal ambitions and expectations. Nicolay's cousin believed that letters offered surer hopes of advancement than arms a point discussed above, Chapter 1.

The squalor and uncertainties of camp life likewise encouraged hesitation. When his father sent money, he immediately spent it all. Such caution makes me think that he is not at all debauched, and that he wants to make something of himself. He commanded him to "continue in the army in that land if he cannot find some merchant with whom to apprentice himself. The exchange illustrates again the complex cultural lines that met in a military career. There was little visible glory here. The young man was on his own, far from home and subject to the "license of war.

The young man was expected to use his time in Holland as an apprenticeship, to acquire the mathematical skills he would need whether merchant or soldier. The young man's social. See also Huppert, Les Bourgeois Gentils-hommes , for stress on the self-confidence of the robe and its dislike of military values; and John Hale, War and Society in Renaissance Europe, — Baltimore, , for the demilitarization of aristocratic values in sixteenth-century Europe. Even without the dangers of battle, military life posed worrisome threats to the young man's well-being: To these doubts about the value of a military career the evolution of tactics during the seventeenth century added further anxieties.

Even without life in the trenches, there were horrors. Henri de Campion described the siege of Saverne, in Alsace, which its defenders had fortified brilliantly. After a disastrous full-scale assault, the army settled down "to attack the besieged foot by foot. Monluc's awareness of captains' fear of poverty in old age, quoted above, Chapter 1. Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, — Cambridge, , 16, for the circulation of this remark in England. The next year, half of Campion's army died of plague "because of the multitude of women and children who were there and the pillage and, I believe, as punishment for all the evils that we did"; he himself contracted dysentery and, after five months of dragging illness, recovered only after leaving the army.

Military life thus embodied a paradox obvious to thoughtful contemporaries. On the one hand, this was the pursuit for which the nobility existed, and which writers commonly presented as society's most glorious activity. On the other hand, warfare involved moral discomfort and physical squalor. War itself became steadily less glorious, as firearms and siege tactics increasingly dominated its practice.

More profoundly, the pursuit of military experience required young men to leave the control of parents and feudal superiors, and it often led them to strange lands and heretical religions. It is not surprising that fathers hesitated to encourage their sons to pursue such a career. Because contemporaries saw so clearly that warfare was a career, they gave considerable thought to the training and behavior that a young man needed to make his way successfully in it.

Warfare did not demand the formal education of the future magistrate, but it did require a broad effort of self-formation. Nicolay recommended a place in the light cavalry, "who are always on duty,. War required both formal training and more delicate choices about surroundings and companions. Some years later, the comte de Souvigny likewise reflected on the kinds of knowledge a military career demanded. Having overcome his father's opposition, Souvigny spent nine months serving in the army with his uncle; then, during the winter, the uncle "boarded me at Lyon to learn mathematics and fortifications, from M.

Le Beau, and dancing and marksmanship. Near the end of his life, he urged a more formal version of the same program on his sons: I have some knowledge of these things from practice more than from theory. Thus I have not built on a good foundation and have only a confused knowledge [ science ]. Long before Vauban, thus, war was a science, requiring special forms of knowledge and a high degree of precision.

Knowledge of ancient authorities counted as well. That is to say that there has been no great siege or battle whose smallest details he does not know. The wars of Alexander and the Commentaries of Caesar move him enormously. But this humanist belief in the value of literary study coexisted with an empiricist strain in the rhetoric surrounding military life. For war demanded sensitivity to particular circumstances and historical change, and an appreciation of progress. As much as in any area of seventeenth-century life, its practitioners used the rhetoric of Baconian science to describe the changes around them.

Thus Rohan urged the aspiring captain to read the numerous treatises that had appeared on the science of fortification, but, "even better, [to learn] from the exercise of war, where every day experience adds something. Arnauld, attracted from all sides. Everyone of course knew that firearms had changed military life, and in the s Monluc offered conventional complaints about the harquebus's effects on the sociology of war: The Social History of Family Life , trans. This sense of historical particularity reinforced a larger empiricism that military experience seemed to encourage.

War, so the military nobles argued, created forms of knowledge inaccessible to others. Like Villars, other seventeenth-century military men stressed rejection of abstract and theoretical knowledge and suggested that real knowledge lay in particulars. This was a form of knowledge to which numerous noble memorialists laid claim, whether or not they spoke to the specific intellectual problems that fighting posed. La Rochefoucauld viewed the military successes of the comte d'Harcourt as an instance of "the care that fortune has taken to elevate and cast down men's merits.

This Machiavellian vision of human affairs came naturally to seventeenth-century military men, and so also did Machiavellian forms of political reflection. War required that the captain view himself as a political leader, mobilizing his followers and carefully analyzing his opponents; and like so much else in seventeenth-century culture, it encouraged close study of individual personalities.

The comte de Laval's library in the early seventeenth century included most of the available literature on military practice and its political dimensions: Machiavelli's Art of War , "le livre sur le maniement des armes," works on Caesar and Maurice of Nassau, and a striking number of histories and memoirs, including Pasquier, Froissart, and Commynes. Seventeenth-century warfare, in short, encouraged noblemen to adopt important values of Renaissance humanism. This was a realm in which Roman and Greek knowledge was thought to have direct contemporary pertinence: He was to have read history; he needed rhetorical skills to mobilize his own troops and political insight in dealing with others.

At the same time, he needed sensitivity to the role of progress in human affairs. Whatever reservations nobles may have had about the role of gunpowder in early modern warfare, new military technology required that they recognize the particularity of historical circumstances, the degree to. Warfare led nobles to a powerful engagement with contemporary intellectual life. In the course of the seventeenth century, a further change strengthened these educative effects of warfare: Writing in about , the comte de Souvigny, it has been seen, assumed that his son might learn not only marksmanship but also dancing in his military camps.

In this and other ways, seventeenth-century nobles increasingly sought to assimilate military life to models of courtly behavior. Up till then no one had taken his silver dishes to the army, or had thought to serve entremets or fruit. Lodged at Lautrec, remembered Campion, "I spent a very agreeable three months.

I struck up a friendship with a well-born and clever young woman,. Despite the squalor of the trenches, war could be a school of elegant behavior. Like the court, war also had elements of theatrical performance, in which actions were carefully observed and evaluated. Paris, , 1: Monluc made the point in the later sixteenth century: For everyone will be watching, to see what they've got inside.

Photo by John Newton. You will likely see Bronzino's famous portrait of Eleonora or Eleanor de Toledo, in the Uffizi, during your visit to Florence. The Spanish noblewoman who became the duchess of Florence in when she married Cosimo I de' Medici was unusual for Nothing more romantic than sailing along the Tiber river while exploring some of Rome beautiful highlights and neighborhoods. In recent years, Rome invested money to clean the Tiber river and make it available for safe and clean sailing.

Alle Fratte di Trastevere. Trastevere is one of the most romantic neighborhoods in Rome , located on the west bank of the Tiber river. There are so many picture-like and hidden alleys in this neighborhood, leading to beautiful piazzas. This is one of the oldest areas of Rome In Gaziantep, the undisputed Turkish capital of pistachios, you won't walk a block without seeing a baklava shop. Just as I was about to dig into my Der Dom Cologne Cathedral. Plan to take the tour and learn about its history.

There is a sense of awe and peace when inside. It is truly a beautiful cathedral. Goreme Open Air Museum.

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In the heart of Cappadocia, where history goes back 5, years, and people periodically took to the soft cliff face to live and worship, the churches at the Goreme Open Air Museum offer a unique glimpse into 10 - 12th century Christianity in One of the best views of Florence can be savored from the Piazzale Michelangelo, a short walk across the Arno River from downtown Florence. For a fun afternoon head to the square and enjoy an enchanting panorama of the city, followed by a relaxing Seeing as she was in one of the main tourist areas in Athens, I The Imperial Palace of Vienna is frankly overwhelming, whether you are a traveller on a hour schedule or a lifetime local.

As a year local, I have had the luxury to slice The Grand Canal is the no-brainer must-do Venice experience, and the best way to explore the city's main thoroughfare is on a vaporetto, or water bus. For a great introduction to the area, ride the vaporetto from the railway station, at the edge Wonderfully preserved castle, check. On a hilltop overlooking a lovely Sicilian town, check!

Originally built on the Temple of Venus and dedicated to the arts of love If you checked all three, you would most likely be in Erice, at the The Greek theater at Segesta may not be as large as the theater in Taormina, but it certainly doesn't disappoint in terms of wow factor. It also doesn't have the ridiculously crowded and touristy atmosphere of Taormina, with busloads of Even with Segway tours rolling through and street performers loudly competing for audiences, the 15th-century Piazza Navona somehow retains a shred of grace and elegance in modern Rome.

It is a commune on the western edge of Sicily that overlooks the Mediterranean and is far removed from most American tourist's ideas of Italy. For us, it is synonymous with family, After a dizzying van ride through streets as narrow as U. The weather was cold, the Photo by Paul Osterlund.

When the crush of 14 million people and what seems like an infinite number of rude taxi drivers gets to you, Istanbul has a cure for what ails you: This region of Germany is near the Austrian border and offers the type of scenery you would imagine for this part of the world: Beautiful, kooky old houses like this dotted throughout the city centre really helped Prague live up to my expectations of a fairytale city. Prague was a fascinating contrast of old and new, so it both lived up to my expectations and surprised me. In Dubrovnik, you have to walk the walls. Not only for stellar views over one of what is arguably one of the most beautiful old cities in the world, but also for the friendly faces you might find.

I have never seen anything in my life like the cotton castles in Turkey. It all has to do with the way the minerals interact with hot spring water coming out of the mountain. From a distance, these look to be snowcapped, but when you get closer When you combine the great scenery and history of Northern Alentejo with the hospitality of its people Contrasting with the Gothic churches like Notre-Dame, the Romano-Byzantine architecture is both beautiful inside and out. Skip fish and chips pub fare. Instead sample re-imagined traditional Irish dishes crafted from original recipes using seasonal ingredients in a cozy and elegant setting at the Pig's Ear.

Services is attentive and respectful, and there's a wine and Albergo Due Mori S. When you stay in smaller towns the cost of traveling within Italy isn't such a shock compared to cities like Rome, Venice or Florence. Some of the smaller towns were my absolute favourites and provided a multitude of quality experiences.

Located in the Alentejo coast, surrounded by a beautiful scenery, Herdade da Matinha captivates through its cozy and intimate atmosphere. Its mixture of styles gives you a touch of lightness, life and timelessness. Very close to nature, the It is, at first, a startling sight to walk into the Lateran Palace in Rome and see a staircase crammed with people on their knees. It all began with Saint Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, who went on a sanctified shopping spree in the Barbary macaque in Gibraltarare are the only wild apes in Europe.

To reach the monkeys, you have to ascend the rock, either by foot, cable car or taxi. The largest group of monkeys lives around the Great Siege Tunnels. Our apartment host suggested Cucuron as a nearby place with more dining options and we were blown away by its beauty. In late September there were few tourists, Royal architect Victor Lewis conceived the theatre as a temple of arts and light and succeeded in making While photographers focus on the reflections of the Place de la Bourse in the mirror of While visiting Istanbul in the summer, it's essential to take a trip to Prince's Islands for a sunny, sea breezy escape.

Buyuk Ada can be incredibly crowded, so take the time to go to Heybeli Ada, a seagull flap away. Rent a bike or for the less This pink-marble waterfront edifice in Piazza San Marco dates back to the 14th century, when it was the residence and seat of government for the doges rulers of Venice. Izmir what's a real find. On a group tour of Western Turkey, the city was an overnight stopover between Troy and Ephesus. We wish we would've had more time there. This picture is of a quiet dock at dawn near our hotel in the center of the city Old Port of Marseille.

Sitting at the bench by the river and watching the sunset, then having a romantic walk That's how people enjoy Marseille: Lagoa das Sete Cidades. Gorreana Tea is the only tea plantation in Europe and is exported worldwide, famous for its distinctive flavour. You can walk through the plantations and take a wander though the factory, they have several of the old machines on display and you This was possibly our best-ever apartment find.

Situated in a high floor, with an elevator, it's on Rue Paul Bert, a small street with big dining creds. Cozy and with some quirks, it was comfortable and very affordable, with all the features a One of the best tastes of a trip to Lucca is Buccellato, a sweet bread flavored with anise and raisins.

I discovered the best version of it here, a bakery that's been run by the same family since It was delicious with an espresso to fortify Jardin du Palais Royal. This beautiful courtyard, modern art installations, hundreds of Corinthian columned walkways and perfectly placed fountains and gardens, make the Palais Royal a photographer's playground. Personally, I can never get enough of the reflection I kept hearing about some kind of cool "fountain" in Bordeaux - but didn't really get what was supposed to be so special about it.

And the first day I was there it was turned-off due to a special event taking place. So when I first saw it, it An easy train ride brings you through pastureland and forests, and deposits you in the center of this town that has existed since neolithic Early summer in Provence--cicadas in the trees and lines of lavender stretching to the horizon under a Van Gogh sky While on a trip to the wonderful Provence region of France, one of the best days was the day we visited Saint-Remy.

It is beautiful in itself, but one of the true gems of the area is Joel Durand's chocolate shop. We had the honor of a private Photo by Marisa Allegra Williams. The Calanques de Cassis are also of Marseille, and stretch the swath of scenic coastline between the two cities. You can hike around and enjoy the French national park on foot, or tour by sea. This photo was taken on a 3-hour boat tour that Summer, mid-afternoon in the South of France--there's no better place to be than in the shade, cicadas singing overhead, taking a nap in a hammock hung from a medieval village-wall by a lazy, quiet river My wife and I were visiting friends in Miramas le Vieux, Miramas.

My first day in the South of France, I spent the June afternoon on a borrowed bike, coursing through olive trees around hilltop villages Although Provence is just a few hours' train-ride south of Paris , when you step off the TGV, you encounter Sunday Market in the City Center. A short train ride from Avignon to L'Isle-sur-la Sorgue and an even shorter walk from the train station to the market, you'll find the linens, lavender and soaps of Provence, some good brocante treasures, local art and plenty of good food.

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Notre-Dame de la Garde. Situated at the highest point in the city of Marseille lies the Notre-Dame de la Garde. From this view you can see the sun setting along the Mediterranean sea and small islands made famous from the novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo. A sundial in the medieval center of St. Its inscription distills the allure of the South of France: Find a hammock, sip a pastis, inhale the lavender-scented air While living in Paris as an undergrad, I bought a train ticket to Marseille on a whim.

The countryside passed in sweet silence on the 3-hour TGV Looking down the rooftops of Arles from the Arles Amphitheatre. Wandering through the narrow streets of Arles, France, was like stepping back in time. Everything felt so magical and surreal. During much of his time there he was confined to the grounds of the asylum, and his works are great studies of the landscape and Ahh, to lie in a hammock on a summer afternoon in the South of France My wife and I had gone to visit friends who lived in LeThor, a town of a few thousand on the banks of the Sorgue River in Provence.

Between the very visited cities of Still in operation today and now named Cafe Van Gogh, it's a lovely little spot to have your espresso Europe is a mecca for unlikely art In Marseille, I found this compilation of photos that produced a sort of art There is a small, rural village in Provence called Roussillon known for its large ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village. You can even visit the ochre quarry nearby, now unused. The village itself is situated on an ochre ridge Hotel Benvendgudo is a small, casual, boutique hotel just a few kilometers below the fortified town of Les Baux, in the Alpilles It would be hard to do better in Provence than in a city that is named after the region, right?

Aix-en-Provence is the region's most delightful, easily accessible and interesting mid-sized city, and its markets are not to be missed Noves is a small commune just south of Avignon. It resides in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of France and, as we found out, provides very easy access to the entire region of Provence. Being first-timers to Provence we did not know what to expect Beyond the French Riviera are small towns and villages that you can easily explore if you have access to a car. One May, seven of us rented a car yes we were cramped in a tiny French model and we left our hostel in Avignon for a day trip around Though my favorite Provencal hotel is now gone from Saignon, it is still the quintessential, hilltop town worth visiting when you're biking, hiking or driving through this area of France.

The dreamy town center all of three streets will provide Eygalieres is an endlessly charming, Provencal town, tucked just outside of the Les Alpilles range. In all of those years living, working and biking through Provence, I found no more perfect place for an espresso stop en route to and from some of Oppede-le-Vieux is a hidden treasure in Provence that so many visitors miss and I'd encourage you to put it and a stop at this enchanting little cafe on your must-see list.

Due to the design of this hilltop town, you'll have to park in a Pastis, an aniseed-flavored aperitif, is a bit of an acquired taste. Either you like it or you don't, but if you're a French man of, say, 60 years it's almost required that you brood over a cool glass on a regular basis. After spending a bunch of The little stalls are set up along the Cours Le Bistrot du Paradou.

In a quiet little village south of St Remy de Provence you will find this gem of a bistrot. It's a fixed price menu with just a few options but all oh so delicious. A red wine bottle is open and waiting for you at the table as you sit down. My friends and I stumbled into Le Splendid to grab some lunch and escape the rain. The menus were hand written on large chalkboards that they carried over to the table for you to look at. I decided on the tarte du jour which had smoked salmon, Our visit to Gordes was unplanned and unbelievable. When previous travel plans fell through at the last minute, we found our way here.

Looking down on this scene with the town in the forefront and the moutains in the background ranks as one of my Originally, plans had us hopping a train from Barcelona to Geneva for a few days in Switzerland before Italy. Giant images of beautiful art projected on every vertical surface of this interior space carved out of the mountain. It's like nothing you have experienced before. An amazing 30 mins show with a great soundtrack is featuring works by Monet, The early morning suns pours down the Rue Espariat. I've got a million photos from my trip to the South of France but this ranks as one of my favorites!

The building is the shade of ochre Roussillon is known for but there is nothing about this photo that screams time or place. Rather I just think I chose to spend days in Provence I regret to admit I was underprepared for my cycling tour through Provence. Taking a spin class once every few weeks well, maybe once every few months did not ready me for the climbs, the mistral - the dry cold winds that clean out one season This was a strong visual image for me illustrating the decline of church attendance in France.

I remember thinking that someone could at least clean the cobwebs off the crucifix. The church seemed more a cold museum than a place of worship. The small town of Aix en Provence is underrated. A great spot to hide away for the weekend and close enough to the French Riviera especially with a French mad man driving you there , it is a real pleasure to walk its streets, admire its The ancient village of Les Baux sits atop a rocky plateau overlooking the Alpilles in Provence, France.

The village is no longer active, but an attraction for tourists who want to see the ruins of the castle and the beautiful vistas. Mont Blanc and the Surrounding Alps. The idyllic town of Chamonix will demand your time and attention with its enticing cafes, bars, shops, and other distractions. But don't succumb to the enticement at the expense of nature. The fact is that the true beauty of Chamonix has been Four years ago after my son, then 15, met me in Geneva, we promptly headed for one of the most beautifully located towns in Europe, Chamonix, France, a mere 45 minutes away.

In Chamonix you are constantly looking up, because mountains tower over France's Chamonix Valley is one of the most scenic places on the European continent. It's a narrow river valley which houses everything from rock-climbing centers to pulsing bars and pubs, and on both sides of the river the peaks of the French Last August I joined Matt Hunter and a group of other riders for an incredible mountain bike ride around Mt. Snaking, cracking, shimmering a brilliant blue in places and covered by mystical frost in others, the Mer de Glace displays nature in all its powerful glory.

While it would probably take well over a lifetime to visit all of France's picturesque and welcoming villages, there is, in my opinion, a simple solution to this "problem", if there ever was one. Lac Leman has the most spectacular view of the French Alps as a backdrop, and you could bike around it for days and even weeks visiting and staying at charming little villages and towns along the way If you ever have a chance to visit the sleepy town of St. Pierre d'Albigny, do it. This is the quintessential French town. Stay at Chateau des Allues. Think about it for a minute. The irresistible texture of fresh bread croutons.

And there you have it, the perfect ingredients for a successful This small Alpine French town really reminds you of Venice. Could there be a more glorious setting for a cheese's origin? In , Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate here in this tiny Lake Geneva hamlet. Today, there's a museum dedicated to the history of food—the Alimentarium, and a giant fork sticking conspicuously out of the lake commemorating its presence. And what is French gastronomy without a healthy dose of cheese, right?

We spent two weeks in Provence this July with our kids and grand kids. It was great family time — visiting little villages, lounging around a pool, visiting the Festival in Avignon. But as a grandparent, the highlight of almost every day and the That was our first day at the valley,and,t looks better from all the books we read or saw. We spent a whole week there abd trust me ts not enough. This place is really a piece of heaven. Located right in the heart of the chateaux area, easy access from Paris by train or car. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Le Moulin de Monts. Our only regret was that we were only there for 3 nights - we Besides the chateau which often houses an art exhibit on its top floor, there are multiple gardens on the grounds that are gorgeous.

There is a garden festival Along a most beautiful path way you first come across an emerald laden canopied moat, where you can imagine the gallantry of renaissance horse riding. To your left, as you draw nearer to the chateau, you pass the Italian maze created by Catherine You can spend hours and hours walking through and photographing the phenomenal gardens in the Chateau de Villandry without even thinking about going inside the chateau itself. Changed four times a year to match the seasons the intricate designs on We were in the Loire Valley for the wedding of friends, and the one day when there were no real festivities, we planned to bike from Blois where we were staying to Chateau de Cheverny.

It had been some time since I'd biked a long distance, let This chateau built in the 15th and 16th centuries was said to have inspired Charles Perrault to write his fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It has beautiful gardens with views of the Indre river and it beautifully decorated - including a room with a Forteresse Royale de Chinon. The medieval fortress and royal castle are big draws in this quaint town along the Vienne river but the real charm comes from being perched above and taking in the sweeping views of medieval Chinon.

This shot was taken over Easter weekend - a time Leonardo da Vinci may have played a role in designing part of it. Today, it's the largest The chateau is in its own park, and even has a pool and is an excellent spot Located in the Loire Valley, Rochemenier is a village with a lot of caves. Nothing unique about that except that there are a lot of people still living in them! There are restaurants and shops, a great museum, many homes and at least one church No trip to France's Normandy coast is complete without a visit to the charming port of Honfleur.

Here you will find Impressionist art, tasty cuisine, and warm hospitality. A stay at the Hotel Royal Barriere is a treat in itself. Staying there during racing season is a real highlight! Early each morning, horses are brought to the beach for workouts in the surf of the English Channel. The beautiful Gaulish town: Visit the famous Bayeux Tapestry, displayed in the first town in France, liberated by the Allies on June 7, Paroisse Notre-Dame du Bessin.

The Norman town of Bayeux has their own famed basilica and cathedral the second largest of its kind in France, behind the one on the Paris and it's well worth the trip while you're in town seeing the Bayeux Tapestry or waiting for your pick-up I attended a photography workshop in Normandy, France, May Needless to say, we all came home with great photos of this In reality, there aren't a ton of fine dining restaurants in this part of France, so it is a nice change if you are visiting for a week Normandy is an extremely picturesque area of France with its lush fields, gardens, and pretty little towns and villages.

And then there are the half-timbered houses of northern France. The old wooden and stucco houses in Normandy are an example of And its beaches, whose beauty has been immortilized by so many painters, is the embodiment of magic, with its two formidable tears in the cliff face known as the doors. In Normandy, driving back to Paris from a day at the coast, we passed through St. This village of about inhabitants has the distinction of having the smallest 'mairie' town hall in France--definitely 'petite,' at only In , the cellars were built stretching across a single level and An incredible French restaurant called Les Bateliers lies over the water just near the Rue Turenne Bridge in Colmar, France, providing a one of a kind view of the colorful historical architecture.

If you had to choose one place to eat in Colmar, Photo by Philippe de Rexel. Peaceful atmosphere, quaint colourful houses, beautiful lanes Not as touristy as La Petite France in Strasbourg, it gives you a chance to enjoy the tranquility and romance. And don't miss the photo I am a die-hard cheese fanatic, so when I heard Strasbourg, France had an entire restaurant dedicated to my favourite dairy product, I had to visit. La Cloche a Fromage, refers to the glass dome the French place over their cheese boards, and this Is Strasbourg really in France?

A decade ago I lived here for a semester abroad, and although it's only 2 hours east of Paris , Strasbourg seems so different, so special. It must be the proximity of Germany that separates, or rather mixes with the Stopped in the Excelsior after trekking around nancy because we needed a coffee. The place was getting crowded with people coming in for their lunch but the manager was happy to put a little round table next to the bar for us to enjoy a hot java Mulhouse is located in the Alsace region of France, which means that the place looks somewhat German and there is very good win from the area.

In the limestone gorge country of SW France, this bridge is a medieval monument to a legendary pact: While living in Paris, a friend of mine asked if I would like to visit his childhood home I drove from my home in Brussels and when I got off the highway in the Dordogne, I had to stop every few All the guide books may rave about le Mont Saint Michel, but Rocamadour is truly a spectacular pilgrimage site worth visiting.

I may be from San Francisco but my heart was left in the Dordogne long ago, back when I started writing my book about one of my favorite regions of France. And there is one church, where my friend Roland was married. One reads about meals fit for kings, but during a stay at Kitchen-at-Camont I had a hand in preparing one.

We shared the results of our labor among students, teacher, visitor and friend. We got out the good silver and set the table in the glow of If the ironwork throughout the Les Halles covered market in Dijon, France, reminds you of the Eiffel Tower in Paris , there is good reason. Gustave Eiffel, a native son of Dijon, designed the market in the 19th century. On the last leg of a trip in May , we took the TGV from Dijon to Paris , on the way passing beautiful fields of mustard in bloom. We'd seen fields like this from the air on the way to Prague, in Poland and into Lyon, but didn't know what they A beautiful medieval Chateau with a moat, restored in the 16th century.

Near to the famous canal. They had me at "there's a moat! Tucked away on a side street in Beaune, you will find the enchanting Caves Madeleine. It is a wonderful little gem that locals frequent because of its incredible food and wine selection. Seating is communal, which instantly gives an air of My gluten free eating experience in and around the Vougeot area was filled with gorgeous plates of naturally gluten free food.

Want to feel like a local? Go to the the Saturday Market in Beaune. This is THE social event of the week, and literally the entire town is in attendance. Farmers, vendors, artisans and the like all congregate in the city center, culminating in Saturday market in France. While his girlfriend seems uncertain about her tasting, the young gentleman is ready to give it a try. We've stayed three times at a charming chambre d'hote in Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, a few kilometers from Beaune.

Luckily, each visit has In three previous trips to Burgundy we had not taken the time to visit the Hospices de Beaune, despite being in town each time. In May we corrected the error and were very pleased to learn the history and take in the beauty of this unique hospital One peaceful morning strolling down the deserted streets of Beaune. Whether one is Catholic or not, or even religious or not, it's easy to appreciate the commitment and faith of the people who built the ancient churches found throughout Europe. This one, in the little village of Pernand-Vergelesses in Burgundy, Our May trip brought us back to the charming wine village of Puligny-Montrachet in the Cote d'Or as the wisteria were in full bloom.

There was a lot of rain this spring, and perhaps that made a difference, as I don't recall this beautiful LOVE this shop in Lucca's Piazza Anfiteatro, created and run by four sisters who handcraft vibrant tableware, beauty products, a line of charming hand-printed cloth bags, and colorful paper products. The friendly staff and pretty displays make it I was captivated by the contrast of the ancient 14th century Carrera marble church with the castle tower behind it along with the colorful yellow and orange building in front of it.

Bob the Postman Date: Rugby Song is actually a request for words to a naughty French song. Que maudit soit la guerre ou le roi m'a mande je veux aller en france, ou le roi m'a mande mis la main sur la bride, le pied dans l'etrier je partis sain et sauf et j'en revins blesse de trois grands coups de lance qu'un Anglais m'a donne la premiere a mon epaule et l'autre a mon cote La troisieme a la mamelle, l'on dit que j'en mourrais le beau prince d'Orange est mort et entere l'ai vu porte en terre par quatre cordelliers Malicorne did a great version of this one.

Also really good was the 'tristes noces, but it's as long as a very long child ballad, so I thought I'd leave that one out.

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The melody is mournful, longing but beautiful. Should you wish a translation, please let me know. Perrine Etait Servante Perrine etait servante Perrine etait servante Chez monsieur notr' cure Diga-doma-dohn-daine Chez monsieur notr' cure Diga-doma-dohn dai! Son amant vent la voire, Un soir apres souper PErrine, ma Perrine, Je voudrais bien te biser Oh, grand nigaud, qu't'es bete Ca se fait sans se demander!

Ou je vais t'y bien me cacher? Cache-toi dedans la huche! Il ne saurait point t'y trouver! Il y restait six semaines On l'avait oublie! Au bot des six semaines Les rats l'avaient bouffe On fit creuser son crane Pour faire un benitie On fit monter ses jambes Pour faire un chandelier!

A very sad tale of an amorous young man who was interrupted in courting the Cure's servant girl by the return of the Cure, and was hidden in the bread-cupboard where he was forgotten for six weeks, by which time the rats had eaten him up. They made a holy water bowl from his skull and a chandelier from his leg bones. A Click to play. Anyway, here's a naughty chanson a repondre which might be the one requested in another thread. I'll post it here where it belongs and link to it from the other place. I'm not sure about the word "pignouf".

It's the only one I can find in the dictionary which seems to fit the context. It's usually translated by "peasant" If you want traditional French songs, you'll want to google "thierry klein" lyrics, midis, sheet music , "rassat" lyrics, midis, sheet music , "medietrad" only lyrics , Mama Lisa's World France page -kids songs- lyrics, midis, mp3, sheet music and English translations. It's one of those playful love songs where the singer says, "If you did X, then I'd do Y" e.

I have the lyrics in a trad. French songbook, but I don't know where it is. I did find many references to it on line but no lyrics. But I found this site, with lyrics and MP3s of many trad French folk songs, including: Si mon moine Aimons le vin… Amis, buvons Compagnons qui roulez en provence Comprenez-vous? Dessous le rosier blanc J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette J'entends le moulin Je m'suis fais faire, un ptit moulin Je ne veux pas Je veux veux un boulanger, maman Ma dong dong diguedong Ma jument Hypoline Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre, Malheureuse vient Mariez vous la belle!

Marions les roses mes souliers sont rouges Papillon volage Pas moyen! Quand je suis parti d'La Rochelle Que la barbe m'en fume! Que venez vous chercher Sur la montagne du loup Sur le bout du banc Sur le pont de Nante Sur les quais du Havre Tenez la belle voila la rose Tout en montant la place d'arme Y'a pas d'amour sans peine Zimbalazim boum boum. Si tu te mets anguille, If you became an eel Anguille dans l'etang, An eel in a pond Je me mettrai pecheur, I'd become a fisherman And I'd catch you And other lyrics similar to these: Je me mettrai pecheure pour te pcher.

Je pecherai le cceure d'ma bien-aime'. Duo homme et femme, alternant chacun un couplet. Si tu te mets alouette, alouette dans les champs bis Je me mettrai chasseur chassant dans les champs Je t'aurai en chassant Si tu te mets chasseur pour m'avoir en chassant bis Je me mettrai nonette Nonette dans un couvent. Si tu te mets anguille 3. Mariez-moi ma petite maman 7. J'ai une brune 8. J't'aimerais mieux mon mari 9. La plume qui s'envole La laine de nos moutons Chanson de foulon I Went To The Market Vive la canadienne Goodbye fare thee well, goodbye fare thee well.

As tu connu le Pere Lancelot? Goodbye, fare thee well, we're homeward bound. Il boit mange la viande, a toi les os. Il boit du vin, a toi de l'eau. Et si tu grumes, il te jette a l'eau Il a trois filles qui font la peau. Sorry, can't do the accents on this machine - and my French is none too good anyway!

I guess it's analogous to the way we turn one syllable into two or more syllables when singing in English. I have seen French people do it at karaoke, but then plenty of them also regard Sardou as a folk singer. Very anti-England and one or two of the lines would sound fairly grim if sung in English but I'd argue that Song for Ireland, widely considered a good song, has a couple of low moments.

Au printemps suivant, Le ciel irlandais Etait en paix. Sean Kelly s'est dit: Click to play Also: Monique Click to play AH! Here is the version I have on different books and the way I learned it with accents and all. It has two more verses than Amos' version at the end. So it's no real clue to trace it back but it's said to be from the 19th century. The "ti" 2nd, 5th verse is a popular particle added after the verb in questions J'y vas-ti, j'y vas-ti pas? The conjugation "je vas" 5th verse is also popular standard "je vais" , so is saying "i" instead of "il" before consonant i' saura pas t' trouver , 9th verse: The song as we know it now has been popularized by Les Compagnons de la Chanson is quite recent.

On fit monter ses jambes Pour faire un chandelier The tune is a popular one. The French translation you'll find on this site is Mistral's own literal translation. The spelling is what we call "Mistral or Roumanille spelling" spelling based on the French spelling , only used by some authors from Provence nowadays. All the other Occitan authors now use the "classic or Alibert's spelling" based on the troubadours' one. A short singable version can be found there as well as other French traditional popular songs. As you will easily guess, my English translation is quite literal!

L'auro es toumbado, Mai lis estello paliran, Quand te veiran! Mai, tre te veire, Ve lis estello, o Magali, Coume an pali! Listen to this dawn serenade Of tambourines and violins! It's full of stars up there The wind has fallen But the stars will turn pale When they see you! No more than of the whisper of the foliage I won't care of your dawn serenade! But I'm going in the fair sea To become an eel in the rocks. Oh, but if you become a fisher When you throw your creel I'll become a flying bird I will fly in the fields! O Magali, if you become A bird in the air I will become a hunter I will hunt you!

To the partridges, to the warblers, If you come to set your traps I will become the blooming grass And I will hide in the wide meadows! O Magali, if you become A daisy I will become nice water I will water you! If you become the sea wind I'll run away to another side I will become the radiance Of the big sun that melts the ice! If you become a lizard That hides in the bush I will become the full moon That, in the night, brings light to the witches!

O Magali, if you become The quiet moon I will become a nice mist I will hide you! Even if the mist wraps me up You won't hold me thus As a virgin beautiful rose I will blossom in the thorn bush! O Magali if you become A beautiful rose I will become a butterfly I will kiss you! Go, lover, run, run You will never, never catch me I will, with the bark of a big oak tree, Dress myself in the wood! O Magali, if you become A tree on the hills I will become an ivy plant I'll embrace you!

If you take me in your arms You'll only hold an old oak tree I will be come a white nun Of the great St Belasius monastery! O Magali, if you become A white nun I, as a priest, will confess you I will hear you! If you go through the convent doors You'll find all the nuns Who will be around me in the garden For you'll see me in my shroud! Now I begin to believe That you speak seriously Here's my glass ring As a souvenir, o nice young man! O Magali, you do me good But, as soon as they saw you Look at the stars, o Magali, How they turned pale!

At least we'd do because lizards stay in the sun for long and there are quite a lot in Summer though they are the small grey ones called "Good God's keys" in some areas, don't ask me why. These last decades we seldom see the big green ones he's talking about pollution. So lizards might not be associated with love but they are to Provence and Summer. Bob the Postman 's post from 20 Oct 07 - I'm afraid I hadn't read the post with much attention. Ferdinand Pinot cu- etc. There are some spicier verses to this song At Fylde, Strawhead sang "Admiral Benbow" well, try stopping them! Greg said that there were two songs about the admiral in English, but there might be rather more, with more bouncy tunes, in French.

Joke, OK, but are there any French sea songs commemorating this battle? I am not sure if the following two, which I don't think have been noted yet, are folksongs or not, but they are fun to sing anyway. Non, Gaston, tu n'auras pas. Dave the Gnome Date: Un, deux, trois, cats sank Boire un petit coup From: The words are by Valbonne and the music by F. Boyer; probably a cabaret song. It has a refrain beginning "Un petit coup", and at least two other verses in my cursory surfing, I found five. For copyright reasons, I won't post additional lyrics, but they're easily found on the net, and YouTube has quite a few clips.

That year he wrote a song "La Ballade du Chat Noir" which became a theme song of sorts for the cabaret. They published it in their weekly paper on 2 August Over time, the song picked up numerous verses and evolved into its rather baudier modern form, mostly known as "Je cherche fortune". This is the beginning of the original song: C'est aujourd'hui dimanche, Et c'est demain lundi The song goes on to describe a scrape with the police, after which the narrator spends a night in jail.

The cabaret was quite famous. Verlaine and Baudelaire were not only regular patrons, but wrote verse for the weekly. Some additional verses to "Je cherche fortune", there are many versions that can be found online. The word is always in plural and used in literature, you seldom hear it in real life unless you'd want to tease someone "Oh, tu as mis tous tes atours aujourd'hui! Tu as rendez-vous avec quelqu'un?

Do you have a date? It reminds me of our Occitan most famous bawdy song "Riu chiu chiu" not to be confused with "Riu riu chiu" that tells the story of a guy Riu chiu chiu going to harvest his wheat. Her wife's supposed to bring him his lunch but she doesn't so he goes back home and he finds her with the priest "on top of her" sic who tells him that he's confessing her, that she sinned and will pay for it. After 36 weeks the baby was born and on Sunday at mass he cried out "Daddy!

Ice-cream makes sense - except that I don't think it existed in Aesop's day. Could the reference be to a dessert like a frozen cheesecake? It's the 18th century "fun" version you sing, so ice-cream makes sense. I meant to post Monique's comments temporarily while I typed my reply, but I forgot to delete them. The part up to the "Merci, Monique" is from an earlier post by Monique.

The part that follows is my reply. This song was an add-on song, and each verse described a different feature of Marie Madeleine's rather unattractive appearance. Example "Marie Madeleine a une dent cement" or "Marie Madeleine a une oreille en bois". I think the verses goes sort of like this: The leader sings the first line "Marie Madeleine a une dent cement. When you start a new verse, I think you add on all the other descriptions. So the song gets longer and longer as you add more verses.

I remember the tune and the rhythm for those of you who know solfege. The first 8th note is a pick-up to the next bar. I remember learning it either on a French exchange trip to Trois-Riviere in the 's , or else when I worked in Ottawa playing in the Band of the Ceremonial Guard in the 's.

Both things were a LONG time ago, so the words may be way off, but I'm quite sure of the tune and rhythm. Un Pied Mariton From: Un pied mariton Madelaine Un pied mariton Madelon Marie-Madelaine a une cuisse de v'lours Une cuisse de v'lours Une jambe de bois Un pied mariton Refrain Marie-Madelaine a un ventre d'acier Un ventre d'acier Un cou en tuyau Une gueule de bois Une dent d'ciment Un nez d'plastic Un oeil de vitre Des oreilles en rubber Des ch'veux d'papier Une cuisse de v'lours Une jambe de bois Un pied mariton Refrain.

Marie-Madelaine a l'age de 15 ans On n'a jamais vu une si belle enfant Son pere et sa mere lui on demande Marie-Madelaine, veux-tu te marier Non, non, non, je n'me marie pas Ni avec un prince ni avec un roi repeat her answer. Full version with copyright. It's a long song.

It's based on a poem. Depuis ce jour, l'effroi m'agite. J'ai dit, joignant son sort au mien: Ce sont les tambours que j'entends. Le duc n'est pas loin: They are the barons whose weapons Adorn forts girded by a moat; The gallant old in alarms, Squires, men of arms; One of them is my fiance. He went to Aquitaine As a drummer, and yet You take it to a captain Just seeing his haughty mien, And his doublet, bright gold! Since then, the terror agitated. I said, clasping her fate with mine: He did not by love of wages, Absent, console my home; To bear the tender messages The vassal has no pages The vassal had no squires.

It should now of war Back with my Lord; It is not a vulgar lover; I raise a brow fell once, And my pride is the happiness! The Duke triumphantly recounts His flag crumpled in the camps; Come all under the old door See the brilliant pass escort And the prince, and my boyfriend! Come see for this holiday His horse caparisoned Who under his weight neighing, stops, And walking, shaking his head, Red feathers crowned! My sisters, you deal so slow, Come see by my winnings These cymbals sparkling Who in his hand still trembling Sound, and make the heart leap!

Come see above himself Under the cloak that I embroidered. That will be beautiful! He wears a tiara His helmet-hair flooded! The Egyptian sacrilege Drawing me behind a pillar, Told me yesterday God forbid! That the fanfare of the parade It lacks a timpanist. But I prayed, I hope! While showing me the hand A grave, his dark lair The old look of the viper Told me: These are the drums that I hear. Here are the ladies huddled Purple tents erected, Flowers, flags and floats.

On the train sways two rows: First, the pikemen not heavy; Then, under the banner that displays, The barons, in a silk dress, With their velvet caps. Here are the jumpers of priests; The heralds on a white steed. All in memory of ancestors, Wear the badge of their masters, Painted on their thorax steel. Admire the Persian weave Templars, feared of hell And, in the long partisan, Archers from Lausanne Dressed in Buffalo, armed with iron.

The Duke is not far: My sisters drummers here! The drummers were gone. It summarizes the turning point of the Hundred Years War in France.