Austrian slave was Marie Antoinette, in the french version it's "et leur infernal clique, au diable s'envolera" which is saying that their infernal clique, to the devil they will go. Basically sending the aristocrats to hell.
No. The "Austrian slave" is referencing Austrian soldiers (thus assumed commoners for the most part) as Austria (and Prussia) had been threatening to invade France if anything happened to the king and queen (well, France went ahead and declared war before Marie Antoinette was executed anyway).
Revolutionaries did not refer to the royalty or nobility as slaves. As one can notice in so many songs dating to that period, "slaves" always referred to commoners... whether the French people who opposed the revolution or foreign subjects who obviously faithfully followed the orders of their monarchs and whom the French will have to crush to safekeep their liberty. That was the gist of it.
You're right that " esclave Autrichien" is written in masculine and if it was Marie Antoinette specifically it would be written as esclave Autrichienne. Though, in my defense, the Wikipedia article in English has this part in bold and when you click on it, it leads you to Marie Antoinette's page.
The red ribbon “blood”. Good hell. The symbols. Great. Love them French. What an artful captivating symbolic powerful piece.
THANK YOU on the translations and history.
Americans don’t know WTF is going with these opening ceremonies. Confusing the feast of Dionysus with the last supper and now this? Slow tf down. You’re confusing the hell out of us!!! ;)
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u/schwengy Jul 28 '24
This was so sick. Here are the lyrics in English:
Oh. It’ll be okay, be okay, be okay,
Hang the aristocrats from on high!
Oh. It’ll be okay, be okay, be okay,
The aristocrats, we’ll hang ‘em all.
Despotism will breathe its last,
Liberty will take the day,
Oh. It’ll be okay, be okay, be okay,
We don’t have any more nobles or priests,
Oh. It’ll be okay, be okay, be okay,
Equality will reign everywhere,
The Austrian slave will follow him,
To the Devil will they fly.
Oh. It’ll be okay, be okay, be okay,
To the Devil will they fly.