Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Le roi a fait battre tambour, Le roi a fait battre tambour, Pour voir toutes ses dames, Et la première qu'il a vue Lui a ravi son âme ! « Marquis, dis-moi, la connais-tu ? Marquis, dis-moi, la connais-tu ? Qui est [cette jolie]1 dame ? » [Et le]2 marquis lui a répondu : « Sire roi, c'est ma femme ! » « Marquis, tu es plus heureux [que moi]3, Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi D'avoir femme si belle ; Si tu voulais me l'accorder, [Je coucherais avec elle]4 ! » « [Sire]5, si vous n'étiez pas le roi, [Sire]5, si vous n'étiez pas le roi, J'en tirerais vengeance ! Mais puisque vous êtes le roi, A votre obéissance ! » « Marquis, ne te fâche donc pas, Marquis, ne te fâche donc pas, [Tu auras]6 ta récompense ; Je te ferai dans mes armées Beau maréchal de France ! » -- « Habille-toi bien proprement, » Habille-toi bien proprement, Coiffure à la dentelle ; Habille-toi bien proprement, Comme une demoiselle ! « Adieu, ma mie, adieu, mon cœur, Adieu, ma mie, adieu, mon cœur, Adieu, mon espérance ; Puisqu'il te faut servir le roi, Séparons-nous d'ensemble ! » La reine a fait faire un bouquet, La reine a fait faire un bouquet, De belles fleurs de lys... Et la senteur de ce bouquet A fait mourir marquise ! « Moi, dont le cœur est en lambeaux, Moi, dont le cœur est en lambeaux, J'irai sous la pelouse Te joindre au fond de ton tombeau, Ma perle et mon épouse ! »
M. Déodat de Séverac sets stanzas 1-5, 7
G. Ferrari sets stanzas 1-8
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with La Tradition. Revue Générale des Contes, Légendes, Chants, Usages, Traditions et Arts populaires, directeurs: Mm. Émile Blémont et Henry Carnoy, Tome V -- Année 1891, Paris, Aux Bureaux de La Tradition, page 62, listed as no. 2 of Chansons populaires du Quercy, and attributed to "Froment de Beaurepaire".
Note: Déodat de Séverac and Ferrari add a refrain consisting of variations on and segments of the word "Rataplan"
1 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "cett' joli"2 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "Et le"
3 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "qu'moi"
4 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "Je me chargerais d'elle"
5 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "Sir' "
6 Déodat de Séverac, Ferrari: "T'auras"
Authorship:
- possibly from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- possibly by Paul de Froment de Beaurepaire (1872 - 1914), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Marie-Joseph-Alexandre Déodat de Séverac (1872 - 1921), "Le roi a fait battre tambour", 1905, published 1907, stanzas 1-5,7 [ medium voice and piano ], from Les vieilles chansons de France, no. 8, Éd. E. Meuriot, A. Rouart successeur [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gustave Ferrari (1872 - 1948), "Le Roy a fait battre tambour", published 1911, stanzas 1-8 [ voice and piano ], B. Schott's Söhne, Mainz [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Armand Gouzien (1839 - 1892), "Le Roi a fait battre tambour", subtitle: "Chanson saintongeoise", 1888, published 1888 [ voice and piano ], from Les plus jolis Chansons du Pays de France, no. 14, Paris, Éd. Plon, Nourrit & Cie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willem Pijper (1894 - 1947), "Le roi a fait battre tambour", 1918, published 1946 [ voice and piano ], from Vieilles chansons de France, no. 4, Ed. J.A.H Wagenaar [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ted Perry , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 45
Word count: 263
The king had the drum beaten, The king had the drum beaten To see all of his [kingdom’s] ladies And the first that he saw [Stole away]1 his soul. Marquis, tell me, do you know her? Marquis, tell me, do you know her? Who is this pretty lady? The Marquis answered him: Sire, that is my wife. Marquis, you are luckier than me, Marquis, you are luckier than me To have such [a] beautiful wife. If you wanted to give her to me [I would sleep with her]2. Sire, if you were not the king, Sire, if you were not the king I would get [my] revenge, But since you are the king, [I am] at your [command]. Marquis do not be angry then, Marquis do not be angry then, You will have your reward; I will make you in my armies [The] fine marshall of France. Dress yourself up properly, Dress yourself up properly, [Your] hairstyle [done up with] lace. Dress yourself up properly Like a [young] maiden. Goodbye my soul, goodbye my heart, Goodbye my soul, goodbye my heart, Goodbye my hope! Since you must serve the king, We separate from each other. The queen had a bouquet made, The queen had a bouquet made Of beautiful lily flowers; And the scent of this bouquet Made [the] marquise die. "Me, whose heart is in tatters, Me, whose heart is in tatters, I will go under the grass To join you at the bottom of your tomb, My pearl and my wife!"
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Translations of title(s):
"Le roi a fait battre tambour" = "The king had the drum beaten"
"Le Roy a fait battre tambour" = "The king had the drum beaten"
2 Deodat de Severac, Ferrari: "I would take care of her"
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) and possibly by Paul de Froment de Beaurepaire (1872 - 1914)
This text was added to the website: 2019-01-07
Line count: 45
Word count: 253