The victims have faces
Our local newspaper is the Sud-Ouest, and it is a very fine journal. I get its headlines sent to me by email and I follow it on twitter, too.
One current thread of tweets is very heartrending. With the hashtag "The victims have faces" #lesvictimesontunvisage the newspaper is identifying those killed at the Bataclan. Of course, it was a heavy metal concert, so the dead are young people, and each photo tells of a life cut violently short.
Meanwhile one of the dead was a lecturer in Fine Art at Catrin's university. He taught in the same building where Catrin studies, though on a different floor.
Today is the third of three days of mourning, and yesterday at noon a minute's silence was observed across the Gironde before singing unaccompanied the Marseillaise.
I find it hard to love the Marseillaise as a tune or as a poem, but some of its words seem very apt just now:
One current thread of tweets is very heartrending. With the hashtag "The victims have faces" #lesvictimesontunvisage the newspaper is identifying those killed at the Bataclan. Of course, it was a heavy metal concert, so the dead are young people, and each photo tells of a life cut violently short.
Meanwhile one of the dead was a lecturer in Fine Art at Catrin's university. He taught in the same building where Catrin studies, though on a different floor.
Today is the third of three days of mourning, and yesterday at noon a minute's silence was observed across the Gironde before singing unaccompanied the Marseillaise.
I find it hard to love the Marseillaise as a tune or as a poem, but some of its words seem very apt just now:
| Allons enfants de la Patrie, | Arise, children of the Fatherland, |
| Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! | The day of glory has arrived! |
| Contre nous de la tyrannie, | Against us tyranny's |
| L'étendard sanglant est levé, (bis) | Bloody banner is raised,(repeat) |
| Entendez-vous dans les campagnes | Do you hear, in the countryside, |
| Mugir ces féroces soldats ? | The roar of those ferocious soldiers? |
| Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras | They're coming right into your arms |
| Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes ! | To cut the throats of your sons, your women! |
| Aux armes, citoyens, | To arms, citizens, |
| Formez vos bataillons, | Form your battalions, |
| Marchons, marchons ! | Let's march, let's march! |
| Qu'un sang impur | Let an impure blood |
| Abreuve nos sillons ! (bis) | Water our furrows! (Repeat) |
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