Imperial Diet VII

[_Tristan_]

A young man wearing the de Cervole livery enters the Diet, appearing unsure of himself. He carries a luth under his arms. Stepping down in the middle of the hall, he begins strumming the cords of his instrument and sings with a melodious and powerful voice.


Arise you children of our Vaterland !
Oh now is here our glorious day !
Over us the bloodstained banner,
Of tyranny holds sway !
Of tyranny holds sway !
Oh do you hear there in our fields
The roar of those fierce fighting men?
Who came right here into our midst
To slaughter sons, wifes and kin.

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted blood!


What do they want this horde of slaves,
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings ?
For whom these vile chains,
These long-prepared irons?
These long-prepared irons?
Germans, for us, ah! What outrage !
What methods must be taken ;
It is we they dare plan
To return to the old slavery !

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted blood!


What! These foreign cohorts
They would make laws in our courts !
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons !
Would cut down our warrior sons !
Good Lord! By chained hands !
Our brow would yield under the yoke !
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny !

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted blood!


Tremble, tyrants and traitors,
The shame of all good men !
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward.
Will receive their just reward.
Against you we are all soldiers.
If they fall, our young heros,
Germany will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you.

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted blood!


Germans, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your wounds !
Spare these sad victims,
That they regret taking up arms against us !
That they regret taking up arms against us !
But not these bloody despots !
These accomplices of von Kastiliens !
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs !

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted blood!


Supreme devotion to our Vaterland,
Guides and sustains avenging hands.
Liberty, oh dearest Liberty,
Come fight with your shieldings bands.
Come fight with your shieldings bands.
Beneath our banner come, oh Victory,
Run at your soul-stirring cry.
Oh come, come see your foes now die,
Witness your pride and our glory.

To arms, oh citizens!
Form up in serried ranks!
March on, march on!
And drench our fields
With their tainted von Kastilien blood!


With these last words, the Imperial guards until then totally dumb-struck pounce on the young bard, breaking his luth and carry him away to cries of "Liberty" and "Republic", quickly silenced.

OOC : The idea was taken from OK's post in the OOC thread and I thought it too good to pass up...

I made a few changes to the original...with in game references...