The Denver Jewish news., 1922-12-27

4 .|44- t-4 NJ II r
the disastrous battle : French soldier.
who was minus his shirt by this time
and had mot eaten in three days, dis
titled for himself nisweet consolation
by inditing this funeral dirge for an
enemy then only too painfully alive.
Tho song spread along the line from
tent to tent and became one Of the
homely and cheerful possessions of the
people. Years latef-later by thfee
score years and tent was taken, to
court A son had been born to the
allen Queen. and to Versailles was
Summoned 4 ruddy. buxom peasant
woman to be his nurse. With her from
the country she brought the old tune
which, as like as not, her grandfather
had heard sung a1ong the road in the
confusion after Malplaquet.. SO the
cradle of the littla chap. who was to
vanish into history as the Lost Dsh-
phin. was rocked to the incongruous
melody Of "Malbrough sen va-t-eh
gtierre."
1t caught the ear and jingleti in the
memory OF the Austrian. to whom It
was new thing in d land whsrs, 20
rnuch was still new. She made It the
fad Of Versailles. It was played BY
the fiddlers of the court. 1t was hum
med and roared in the stables II
spread 10 Paris and became the rage.
1t lugubrious tale was wrought In
tapestries and embroidefieS. II WAS
painted on fans and carved on snuff
soxes The "MirontoA. rnironton..l MIR
ontaine" dogged the strangers steps
along the Seine much - the what.
ncyer3 Well. hardly ever" refrain be-
came epidemic in this country when
"pinafere" was new. The song mad
dened the young Gothic, asape In the
Paris Of Louis XVI. It was favofite
with Napoleon. who, though no great
shakes as a barytone made point
of singing its catch llnes ns he put
foot to stirrup for any entry into bat.
tle f1tt ..fi III q
Up on the Century Roof now Its ele-
giac quatrains are acted out with
mock solemnity by very troupe Of
puppets escaped from sonse lunatic
Guginol. The sound of the accoupauy-
ing verses stirred many a memory in
this listening chonicler. A memory Of
IN old woman In smoky yfestooned kitch-
cn Of Norman estaninet bendins over
the fire and beating an omeiette to the
rythm of "Miroaton. mironton, miron-
thine" A memory of three little poilus
in weather-stainetf iiorison bleu. jeg-
Cling under a wintry moon along the
white. frosted road that led to Nancy
and singing as they went "Maribrough
sven va-t-en guerre." A memory Of
dirt floor farmhouse on the BritAnny
coast-a lonely farmhouse built when
the great Louis was king Of France.
And there one night last summer. while
the crowd sat around the wall to listen
md someone. with guitar strummed
a lazy accompanim our 'oYp Ketb-
leen Howard stood and sang this
ancient song.
Above all, memory Of '-rriiby." Oc.
casional references to that book of
books will Keep creeping into this COL
umn as King Charles head into Mr..
Dicks memorial. Every reasonable ef.
fort viii! be made to avoid them, but
surely this time 1t Is necessary. For
that night when TnfYy and the Laird
and Little Birlee went to the Clique des
Bashibazoucks to hear In Svengali |
sing-the night they learned that II
was Trilby-the greatest voices Of ali |
time impaired Its immeasurable heart |
ache to this foolish old ballad. It ~
mtchiess description. that passage
wherein Du Maurier follows verse hy
verse the mounting anxiety, the deep
ching Of an irrevocable calamity with
which she could invest the cominN q
the messenger. Hear him:
"All this time the accompaniment
had been quite simple-just a few OBJ
vious, ordinary chords. \
But now. quite SUDDENLY, without u !
single modulation or note OF warning,
down goes the tune full major third, |
from r to- C-iato the gravcf depths
Of Trilby's great contralto-so solemn
aind omihous that there is no more
weeping, but the flesh creeps; the ac.
compartment slows and elaborates 1t
self; the march becomes a funeral |
march. with muted strings and quite
slowly:
Aux nouvelIes que j'apporte-
Mlronton. rnironton. mirontnine!