Cocorico can literally be translated as “cock-a-doodle-doo” as it is meant to emulate the sound a rooster makes. Rage in his heart, powerless in his crime, Raised themselves up and soon the black eagle, Though dying, cries out: grab your bayonetsīut our children, in a noble fighting spirit The sun shines, everywhere the cannon thunder,Īn officer, raising his head in a final attempt, Translated by Jordan Cloud (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Verdun! You Shall Not Pass by Eugène Jollot and Jack Cazol Pendant que nous chantons la Marseillaise, Tombent sanglants, c’est le dernier combat Hardi les gars, debout, debout les morts ! Mais tout à coup, le coq gaulois claironne : « Verdun! On ne passe pas » de Eugène Joullot et Jack Cazolĭans les sillons et dans les chemins creux. Here is a link to a choral version of the song on youtube so that you can hear how it might have sounded on a calm day in the trenches: Jordan has included some notes on the translation as well. Here it is, first in the original French, followed by his translation. Jordan Cloud has a special interest in European history and I appreciate that he took the time to translate this important song. Song, too, was no doubt, on occasion, another way for them to maintain some sense of courage and sanity in the face of daily hardships, with no end in sight. Some lucky soldiers received replies and would read and re-read those letters many times over, holding onto any and every memory of pre-war days. They no doubt passed that time writing letters to loved ones back home. Much of their time was no doubt spent waiting for the next battle. One can only imagine the monstrous conditions that the French “poilus” and soldiers of other nations endured in the trenches. One of the bloodiest battles of all time, the French succeeded in pushing back German forces, but at the cost of more than 150,000 lives and countless wounded on all sides. It is a song that speaks of the Battle of Verdun, fought in northern France (the Meuse) from February 21 to December 18, 1916. I am teaching a French-English translations class this semester at Grand Valley State University, and, as a class project, one of my students chose to translate a song from this period. It was the “war to end all wars”, but peace would be short-lived: only a generation later, soldiers would be back on the front lines. Jmarked the centenary of the start of the war, and Novemwill mark its end.
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