Courrier, Courrier, Qu'y a-t-il de Nouveau? (Courier, Courier, Say What News Hast There?)

DESCRIPTION: French. King of England asks courier why he is troubled. The courier tells of General Braddock's defeat. The king asks if he has lost his best men, and if the bombs and grenades were no help. All the mortars and cannon helped not a whit. The king laments.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1865 (published by Hubert Larue in "Le Foyer canadien")
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage grief questions army battle war soldier
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1754-1763 - French and Indian War ("Great War for Empire"; fought in Europe 1756-1763 as the Seven Years' War)
July 9, 1755 - Defeat and Death of Edward Braddock in the Battle of the Wilderness
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Berry-FolkSongsOfOldVincennes, p. 82, "Courrier, Courrier, qu'y a-t-il de nouveau? (Courier, Courier, say what news hast there?)" (1 text + translation, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Braddock's Defeat" (subject)
NOTES [54 words]: The notes in Berry-FolkSongsOfOldVincennes say that the ballad, written shortly after the battle, was buried in the Hotel-Dieu in Quebec until it was published in 1865 by Hubert Larue. They note that the Vincennes version shares with the 1865 publication a shortened sixth verse.
See also Notes under "Braddock's Defeat". - PJS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: BerV082

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