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Ay, my good neighbors! we at least todayAre Frenchmen still, free citizens and lordsOf the old soil which our forefathers tilled.Who knows whom we tomorrow must obey?For England her triumphal banner wavesFrom every wall: the blooming fields of FranceAre trampled down beneath her chargers' hoofs;Paris hath yielded to her conquering arms,And with the ancient crown of DagobertAdorns the scion of a foreign race.Our king's descendant, disinherited,Must steal in secret through his own domain;While his first peer and nearest relativeContends against him in the hostile ranks;Ay, his unnatural mother leads them on.Around us towns and peaceful hamlets burn.Near and more near the devastating fireRolls toward these vales, which yet repose in peace.Therefore, good neighbors, I have now resolved,While God still grants us safety, to provideFor my three daughters; for 'midst war's alarmsWomen require protection, and true loveHath power to render lighter every load.[To the first Shepherd.Come, Etienne! You seek my Margot's hand.Fields lying side by side and loving heartsPromise a happy union![To the second.Claude! You're silent,And my Louison looks upon the ground?How, shall I separate two loving heartsBecause you have no wealth to offer me?Who now has wealth? Our barns and homes affordSpoil to the foe, and fuel to the fires.In times like these a husband's faithful breastAffords the only shelter from the storm.