The Martyr of the Solway, c.1871 (detail)
John Everett Millais
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpoo
The Partisan by Leonard Cohen
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender,
This i could not do;
I took my gun and vanished.
I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
But i have many friends,
And some of them are with me.
An old woman gave us shelter,
Kept us hidden in the garret,
Then the soldiers came;
She died without a whisper.
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But i must go on;
The frontiers are my prison.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.
Les allemands étaient chez moi,
Ils me disent, résigne-toi,
Mais je n'ai pas peur;
J'ai repris mon arme.
[the germans were at my home
They said, resign you
But i am not afraid
I picked up my weapon again.]
J'ai changé cent fois de nom,
J'ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j'ai tant d'amis;
J'ai la France entière.
[i've changed names a hundred times
I have lost wife and children
But i have so many friends
I have all of france]
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché,
Les allemands l'ont pris;
Il est mort sans surprise.
[an old man, in an attic
Hid us for the night
The germans captured him
He died without surprise.]
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows
