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Malbrouk
or Marlbrough (Marlbro'), does not date from the
battle of Malplaquet (1709), but from the time of the Crusades, 600
years before. According to a tradition discovered by M. de
Châteaubriand, the air came from the Arabs, and the tale is a legend of
Mambron, a crusader. It was brought into fashion during the Revolution
by Mme. Poitrine, who used to sing it to her royal foster-child, the
son of Louis XVI. M. Arago tells us that when M. Monge, at Cairo, sang
this air to an Egyptian audience, they all knew it, and joined in it.
Certainly the song has nothing to do with the Duke of Marlborough, as
it is all about feudal castles and Eastern wars. We are told also that
the band of Captain Cook, in 1770, was playing the air one day on the
east coast of Australia, when the natives evidently recognised it, and
seemed enchanted. (Moniteur de l'Armée.)
Malbrouk s'en va-t-en guerre,
Mironton, mironton, mirontaine;
Malbrouk s'en va-t-en guerre.
Nul sait quand reviendra.
Il reviendra z'a pâques-
Mironton, mironton, mirontaine ...
Ou à la Trinité.
The name Malbrouk occurs in the Chansons de Gestes, and also
in the Basque Pastorales.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Malbrouk from Infoplease:
- Malbrouk - Malbrouk or Marlbrough (Marlbro'), does not date from the battle of Malplaquet (1709), but from ...
- Malbrouk - Malbrouk or Marlbrough (Marlbro'), does not date from the battle of Malplaquet (1709), but from ...
- Marlborough - Marlborough Statutes of Marlborough. Certain laws passed in the reign of Henry III., by a ...
- Marlborough - Marlborough Statutes of Marlborough. Certain laws passed in the reign of Henry III., by a ...
- Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: M - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "M"
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