Seigneurs Sachiez - French Crusader Song

Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji, bagpipe by Antonio Bustabad, lyrics and music by Thibault de Champagne (also called Theobald of Navarre in English). Thibault de Champagne was a 13th century count, later king, and also trouvère. He initiated the Baron’s crusade of 1239-1241, for which this was composed. The arrangement is in accordance with historical principles of Medieval European music. The arrangement is heterophonic, where all the musical lines play the same melody with various degrees of individual ornamentation, all of them improvised spontaneously as per medieval practice. The vocals are highly melismatic and ornamented, as per medieval vocal practice, a subject I analyse more deeply in this video: The instruments used are the bagpipe, played by Spanish musician Antonio Bustabad, the hurdy-gurdy, gittern, lute and a bowed lyra. The pronunciation I used mimicks that of other versions, but I cannot vouch for theirs or mine’s absolute accuracy, as resources on Old French pronunciation in its different stages are extremely hard to find, so take the pronunciation with a grain of salt. Lyrics in Old French: Seignor, sachiés : qui or ne s’en ira, En cele terre ou Dex fu mors et vis, Et qui la crois d’Outremer ne penra, A paines mais ira en Paradis. Qui a en soi pitié ne ramembrance, Au haut Seignor doit querre sa venjance, Et delivrer sa terre et son païs. Tuit li mauvés demorront par deça, Qui n’aiment Dieu, bien, ne honor, ne pris. Et chascuns dit ” Ma feme, que fera ? Je ne lairoie a nul fuer mes amis”. Cil sont cheoit en trop fole atendance, Qu’il n’est amis fors de cil, sans doutance, Qui por nos fu en la vraie crois mis. Or s’en iront cil vaillant bacheler, Qui aiment Dieu et l’ennor de cest mont, Qui sagement vuelent a Dieu aler, Et li morveux, li cendreux, demorront; Avugle sont, de ce ne dout je mie, Qui j secors ne fait Dieu en sa vie, Et por si pou pert la gloire dou mont. Diex se lessa en crois por nos pener, Et nos dira au jor que tuit vendront : “Vos qui ma crois m’aidastes a porter, Vos en irez la ou mi angles sont; La me verrez et ma mere Marie. Et vos, par cui je n’oi onques aie, Descendrés tuit en Enfer le parfont.” Chacuns cuide demorer toz haitiez, Et que ja mes ne doie mal avoir; Ainsi les tient anemis et pechiez Que il n’ont sen, hardement ne pooir. Biax sire Diex, ostés leur tel pensee, Et nos metez en la vostre contree, Si saintement que vos puissons veoir. Douce dame, roïne coronee, Proiez por nos, Virge bien aüree, Et puis aprés ne nos puet meschoir. English translation: Lords, be aware that those who will not travel, To the land where God died and lived, And will not take the Holy Cross abroad, Will not likely get to Heaven. He who pities himself and forgets That the Lord on High must seek His vengeance, To free His land and country. All the shameless will remain behind, They do not love God, good, honor or have pride. Each one says: “What will happen to my wife? I can’t leave her with any of my friends“, For they joined [the Crusade] in hasty folly. So that there is no friend, without a doubt, For us, except for those who crusaded themselves. Instead, the courageous bachelors will go, They who love God are proud of His Mount, And wisely want to go to God. But the coward and lazy will remain behind; They are blind, of this I have no doubt, Those who refuse to assist God during their life, And, for so little, lose the glory of the Mount, God let himself be crucified for us, And will tell us on Judgement day, we all will see: “You who helped Me to carry My Cross, You will go there where my Angels are; There you will see Me and My Mother Mary. But you, to whom I owe nothing, You will go down to the depths of Hell.” So, each one must take care to be vigilant, To not fail to accomplish his mission, Even if he is tempted to by enemies and sins. This should not happen, absolutely not. Good Lord God, prevent us from having this thought, But bring us into Your Land, Make us saints so that we can see You. Sweet Lady, crowned Queen, Pray for us, Majestic Virgin, So that nothing can stop us.