Ay, my good neighbors! we at least today<br/>Are Frenchmen still, free citizens and lords<br/>Of the old soil which our forefathers tilled.<br/>Who knows whom we tomorrow must obey?<br/>For England her triumphal banner waves<br/>From every wall: the blooming fields of France<br/>Are trampled down beneath her chargers' hoofs;<br/>Paris hath yielded to her conquering arms,<br/>And with the ancient crown of Dagobert<br/>Adorns the scion of a foreign race.<br/>Our king's descendant, disinherited,<br/>Must steal in secret through his own domain;<br/>While his first peer and nearest relative<br/>Contends against him in the hostile ranks;<br/>Ay, his unnatural mother leads them on.<br/>Around us towns and peaceful hamlets burn.<br/>Near and more near the devastating fire<br/>Rolls toward these vales, which yet repose in peace.<br/>Therefore, good neighbors, I have now resolved,<br/>While God still grants us safety, to provide<br/>For my three daughters; for 'midst war's alarms<br/>Women require protection, and true love<br/>Hath power to render lighter every load.<br/>[To the first Shepherd.<br/>Come, Etienne! You seek my Margot's hand.<br/>Fields lying side by side and loving hearts<br/>Promise a happy union!<br/>[To the second.<br/>Claude! You're silent,<br/>And my Louison looks upon the ground?<br/>How, shall I separate two loving hearts<br/>Because you have no wealth to offer me?<br/>Who now has wealth? Our barns and homes afford<br/>Spoil to the foe, and fuel to the fires.<br/>In times like these a husband's faithful breast<br/>Affords the only shelter from the storm.