The Carmagnole of the Robespierrists (Jean Baillio)
This “Thermidorian” song was published in Baillio’s Le vieux Cordelier, ou l'Homme du commun in 1794, after the fall of Robespierre. What is interesting is that while Robespierre himself is alluded to several times, he is never evoked directly (neither are Couthon or Saint-Just, for that matter) ; on the other hand, many Thermidorians (Billaud-Varenne, Collot d’Herbois, Vadier, Amar etc), who were opponents of Robespierre and brought about his fall, are here indiscriminately presented as “Robespierrists” (along with David, who was a genuine supporter of Robespierre). The author seems to stand in the “neo-Dantonist” tradition, offering a rather curious account of the events of Thermidor, as the footnotes reveal: according to this, the “tyrant” Robespierre, the “king Bertrand” (i.e. Barère), the “sleeping lion” Billaud, the “mitrailleur” Collot etc were all political allies (belonging to the same faction, or “caste”) and only came into conflict in Thermidor (which is depicted as an intra-factional struggle, rather than a struggle between different “factions”). While clearly being anti-Jacobin, anti-Robespierrist and, in some sense, “anti-Thermidorian”, the author glorifies Danton and his “superb physiognomy”.
Fouquier-Tainville [sic] had promised (repeat)
To guillotine all of Paris. (repeat)
But his game became blurred ;
Faugh! how sullied he is by this!
Let us dance the Carmagnole,
Long live the sound, long live the sound,
Let us dance the Carmagnole,
Long live the sound of the cannons!
Sire Vieux-sac [i.e. Barère] made a strong case (repeat)
About fucking our heads down. (repeat)
But his part is over.
He will be punished for it.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Master Collot, the mitrailleur (repeat)
Was a very humane slaughterer. (repeat)
He tore, in piles,
The men into shreds.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
This ugly tyrant seems to have drunk too much, (repeat)
Billaud, he is the lion that sleeps. (repeat)
Let us not wake him up,
Because he will eat us.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Bouchotte and all of his crooks (repeat)
Will also climb the steps [of the scaffold]. (repeat)
Pache, soon after,
Will pay for all of his crimes.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Goulin, this honest planter, (repeat)
Did honour to us whites. (repeat)
Because his blacks sold them
To the bandits who wanted.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
The slaughterers of the committee (repeat)
Of Nantes, have deserved nothing. (repeat)
They wanted, with their hands,
To drown humankind.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Master Réal, their defender, (repeat)
Was an impudent criminal, (repeat)
Extolling, in a divine tone,
The virtues of Goulin.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Rats of the Jacobite sabbath, (repeat)
Topinot, Lecourt and Sambat, (repeat)
In spite of all your friends,
You will soon be taken.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
The old beanpole Vadier (repeat)
Landed himself in the tribunal ; (repeat)
Fell on his chin,
Being afraid of Danton. [1]
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Monsieur Carnot, the organiser, (repeat)
Is the only victor of Europe. (repeat)
In spite of his haughty look,
He should be able to [bleed] human blood!
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
The great inquisitor Amar (repeat)
Has never committed any midemeanour (repeat)
Against Liberty,
Because all of it is decreed.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Vouland, the familier of Amar [2], (repeat)
Has never imprisoned anyone [original: fait embastiller]. (repeat)
This is clear as daylight:
But, he will have his turn.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
David, this good [and] very Christian king, (repeat)
Was not able to follow Maximilien. (repeat)
You will drink [3], my child,
From the cup to Bertrand.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
King David, your good enemies [4] (repeat)
Deserve your bad friends well. (repeat)
In order to not pass there,
They want to save you.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
Duhem, this valiant spadassin, (repeat)
Was formerly a physician. (repeat)
Back then, he killed us ;
Yesterday, he murdered.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
The universal donkey [5] Audonin (repeat)
Wants to live and die a Jacobin. (repeat)
He will take us there
When one will reopen them.
Let us dance the Carmagnole, etc.
notes
The old, nasty valet-inquisiteur Vadier, having rushed to the tribunal to, in his capacity as a fly of Robespierre, sting the carnivorous animals of the jury and hasten the ordeal of Danton, returned to the tribune with a frightened look to scream that the colossal eloquence of this famous man and his hideous look terrified the liberty of the Robespierrists. Well, it is good to know that Vadier is really the bearer of the most hideous, the most disgusting, the ugliest and the most revolting face of the entire Convention ; I rely on his colleagues, who have only seen him too much. One only speaks of Vadier’s face here: one day, one will be able to tell the amateurs of the science of physiognomies about the superb physiognomy of Danton.
One pronounces familler, which rhymes perfectly with embastiller. Familier de l’inquisition is the proper word in Spain. Vouland was the familier de l’inquisition under the tyrants Robespierre and Barrère [sic], that is the inquisitor, member of the committee of inquisition and embastillement.
David wanted, he said, drink the hemlock with his master Robespierre, that is to say, pass immediately after him through the window. The Thermidorian astrologists, whom the tactic of the topinotins hardly bothered, envisaged that he will drink this bitter chalice in the cup of king Bertrand [Barère].
The barrèrins or friends of Billaud or Collot, who were worth [as much as] the topinotins or friends of Robespierre and David. These two branches of the same caste were at daggers drawn with each other in the evening of 8 Thermidor ; they get along a bit better today. Both have essential reasons for seeking to save king David.
Everybody knows the spiky allegory of the âne gris and the âne rouge.
NOTA. This patriotic and Thermidorian song is extracted from issue 2 of Le Vieux Cordelier, which strongly encourages the beautiful citoyennes to sing it and to bring it into fashion. It is easy to see that his Carmagnole is not the one which monsieur Carnot brought to the tribune the other day. One sells it at Lefevre’s, Rue Percée, Section des viex cordeliers, known as [Section] de Marat.
