Primary Source

Hymn of 21 January

Annotation

With lyrics drawn from a Republican Ode composed by the revolutionary poet Lebrun in 1793, this hymn commemorates the execution of France's Louis XVI.

Transcription

Hymne du 21 janvier.

Les flammes d'Etna sur ses laves antiques
Ne cessent de verser des flots plus dévorants.
Des monstres couronnés, les fureurs despotiques.
Ne cessent d'ajouter aux forfaits des tyrans.
S'il en est qui veulent un maître,
De rois en rois dans l'univers
Qu'ils aillent mendier des fers,
Ces français indignes de l'être,
Ces français indignes de l'étre!

Translation

Hymn of 21 January

Etna's flames of ancient lava
Ceaselessly flow, ever more devouring.
Crowned monsters, despotic furies.
Ceaselessly add to tyrants' hideous crimes.
If some want a master,
In a world from King to king
Let them beg for shackles
Unworthy to be called Frenchmen,
Unworthy to be called Frenchmen!

Credits

Included as part of the LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION project
https://revolution.chnm.org/d/616

How to Cite This Source

"Hymn of 21 January," in World History Commons, https://worldhistorycommons.org/hymn-21-january [accessed December 22, 2024]