The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-10-13
History of the MarseiIIes Hymn.


The Marseillaise presents notes Of the
song Of glory and the shrek of death; glo.
rious as the one funereal like the other, it
assures the country, while it makes the cit
izens turn pale. This is its history: There
was then, (at the timesof the French Rev
olution, l79O,)a young officer of the artiile-
~, in the garrison Of Strasburg. named
Rouget de Isle. He was born at Louis lie
Sanniers in the Jura, that country Of freyel-'
ry and energy as mountain countries always
are. He charmed with his music and yer.
ses the lslow dull garrison life. Much in re.
quest from bis two-fold talent as musician
and poet, he visited the houses Of Deitrick,
an Alsatian patriot on intimate terms In
the winter of 1899. there was a scarcity in
Strasbnrg. The house ofDietrick was poor
and the table was humble, but there was a
welcome for Rouget de Lislsd; Once when
there was only some coarse bread and slices
of Ham on the table, Bietrick looked with
calm sadness and said to him: i"PleHty is
not seen at our feasts, bat swhat matter II
enthusiasm is not wanting atsour civic fetes,
and courage in our soldiers hearts.l'I have
still bottle of the wine in my cellar
"Bring #, said he to his daughter, s'andewe
will drink to liberty and our counfty."--
Strasburg is soon to haveia patriotic cere-
mony, and De Lisle must be inspired to pro-
duce one of .those hymns which convey to
the souls Of the people the enthusiasm which
suggested it." sase " sise} h 81
They drank-De Lisle was q dreamer
his heart was moved--his head was heated
He wentstaggering to his chamber, endeav-
oring by degrees to find Inspiration in thepal.
pitations of his citizens heart; and on his
small harpslchord, now composing the air be.
fore the word, now composing words before
the air, combining them so ointimately in his
mind that he could never tell which was
first produced, the air or words, SO impossi-
BILE did he findit to separate the music from
the poetry, and the feeling from theimpres-
sion. He sang eyerything--wrote nothing.
Overcome by the divine inspiration, his
head fell sleeping on his instrumentsand he
did not awake till daylight, The song Of
lhs.oyernight retained TO his memory, with
difficulty like the recollection of a dream :
He wrote it down and gave tito Dietrick
who called together some musicians who
were capable of executing De Lisle's COM
position. De Lisle sang. At the first verse
all countenances turned pale--at the sec
.ond tears flowed; at the last, enthusiasm
burst forth. + The hymn of the country wa.
found. Alas! it was destined to be th,
hymn of terror. The unfortunate Dietriel
went a few months afterwards to the scaf
FOLD, to the sounds of the notes first prodpc
ed al his fre-sides and from the heart Of hi
friend. ,.ag s8rr leg e,a5s ,Ist.s,.,5 Il.
The new song, some weeks after wa
sung at Strasburg. It few from city to city
Marseilles adopted it 10 be sung at the o
pening and close Of its clubs. .Marseille
spread it all over France; Hence the-nam
of Marselles.N. 4t,t Fa
f De-, Lisle heard it and ashuddered at il
Sound on his ears, while escaping by th
wild passes Of thesAlps as a prescribed Roy
alsist. "What do they call that hymn'
he inquired sf his guide. .The Marseilles.'
answered the peasant 1t was thus he learr
led the name Of his own work. TheA arl
was turned against the hand that forged j
.[--Lamdrtine. IA .g. B.