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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"
Text 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]
- by Yolande Uyttenhove (1925 - 2000), "Le roi a fait battre tambour", 1988 [ medium voice and piano ] [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: 255
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"
Text 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: 256