It's Bastille Day.

[Julien Sorel]

Bastille, former French prison fortress in Paris that became a symbol of royal tyranny. It was built about 1370 as part of the fortifications on the east wall of the city. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bastille was used primarily for housing political prisoners. Citizens of every class and profession, if for any reason deemed obnoxious to the royal court, were arrested by secret warrants called lettres-de-cachet and imprisoned indefinitely in the Bastille without accusation or trial.

At the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the Bastille was attacked and captured by a mob assisted by royal troops. Two days later the destruction of the stronghold was begun amid great public rejoicings. The site is now an open square, called the Place de la Bastille. Bastille Day is the national holiday in France, celebrated annually on July 14.

Link

Does the relevance of this need to be pointed out?

[trof]

1. vive la France!

Listen To The National Anthem Here:
http://www.copcity.com/anthems/french.mid
La Marseillaise
(The Song of Marseilles)

Original French Words

Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Contre nous, de la tyrannie
L'étendard sanglant est levé
(repeat)

Entendez vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats?
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes.


CHORUS

Aux armes, citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons!
Marchons! Marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons!



Amour sacré de la patrie,
Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs!
Liberté, Liberté chérie,
Combats avec les défenseurs!
(repeat)

Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire
Accoure à tes mâles accents!
Que tes ennemis expirants
Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire!

CHORUS

English Translation

Ye sons of France, awake to glory!
Hark! Hark! the people bid you rise!
Your children, wives, and grandsires hoary
Behold their tears and hear their cries!
(repeat)

Shall hateful tyrants, mischief breeding,
With hireling hosts a ruffian band
Affright and desolate the land
While peace and liberty lie bleeding?


CHORUS

To arms, to arms, ye brave!
Th'avenging sword unsheathe!
March on, march on, all hearts resolved
On liberty or death.



Oh liberty can man resign thee,
Once having felt thy gen'rous flame?
Can dungeons, bolts, and bar confine thee?
Or whips thy noble spirit tame?
(repeat)

Too long the world has wept bewailing
That falsehood's dagger tyrants wield;
But freedom is our sword and shield
And all their arts are unavailing.

CHORUS

Lyrics and Music: Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, 1792
Adopted: 1795

[Jacobin]

2. A toast to Bastille Day

:toast:

The French were RIGHT again, and had the conviction and character to stand up to the charlatan in the White House.

[Atlant]

3. What Trof said... (NT)

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[DemoTex]

4. Vive la Françe! Toujours!

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite. L'esprit de 1789 en vie. Maintenant, plus que jamais!

[trof]

5. This line seems particularly appropriate today:

"Behold their tears and hear their cries!"
Just read the story in LBN about the Maine army reservist who died.
It's a tear jerker.

[JohnKleeb]

6. A toast to the french

for their gratefulness to our help in WWI and WWII and their help in the revolution and so much more.
Thank you France
and also for trying to help Irish patriots reclaim their country against British tyranny and providers some of the best artists writers or visual ones ever.