Classic Poem

Les vendanges

Up, up, take heart; haste, haste to work!
Serenely breaks the day:
Girls, flutes, and tambourines, lead off;
Come, vintagers, away!
The new-made wine shall make amends,
For what the storm hath soured, good friends
Friends, friends, with us is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!

Our Mayor's a weather-cock; his scarf,
And liquor too, he changes:
But since in colors, jolly soul,
From this to that he ranges,
He'll find with us his scarf of use —
We'll daub it well with good grape juice.
Friends, friends, with us is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!

The Judge, black-robed, who twists his lore
In twenty different ways,
Even for our songs may cast us — still
He'll quaff the wine we raise,
And sing, himself, primed with the best of it,
Of freedom, fame, and all the rest of it
Friends, friends, with us is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!

The priest austere for aye may scold,
And urge us to confess —
His big red nose all plainly shows
He likes our wine no less
If more than mass affords he crave,
Let him chant Libera o'er each grave!
Friends, friends, with us is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!

Let haughty lord oppressed with care
To comfort feel resigned;
Titles, by Noah handed down
To us, he here shall find:
On vine-leaves are they traced; and he
That these beat parchments shall agree.
Friends, friends, with us, is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!

O fair, abounding, warlike land,
To suffering, Hope oppose!
Thou with the vine canst intertwine
Corn, olive, laurel, rose
Harvest our grapes! with Time's advance,
Earth shall toast with us " Long live France! "
Friends, friends, with us is mirth in train;
Ha! ha! yes, mirth shall come again!