C?ur vain, leger croira temerite:
Pain, sel, ne vin, eau, venin ne ceruoise,
Plus grand captif, faim, froid, necessite.
The French nation will be in great grief,
vain and lighthearted, they will believe rash things.
No bread, salt, wine nor water, venom nor ale,
the greater one captured, hunger, cold and want.
“The greater one captured” – the capture of Napoleon III in 1870. The king provoked the war with Prussia by his defiant behavior and lost. The war did not stop after his captivity. The Paris Commune rose and proclaimed the republic. The last two lines tell about the hardships of the people in the period of revolution, war and interregnum.
Linkage with other quatrains: 6.22, 4.22, 3.14.
Quatrain 3.14 From unhappy father
Quatrain 3.14 From unhappy fatherPar le rameau du vaillant personnage,
De France infime par le pere infelice:
Honneurs, richesses, trauail en son vieil aage,
Pour auoir creu le conseil d'homme nice.
The branch of the valiant personage,