She, fairest of the fair.”
And then they bound the holy knot,
Before St. Mary’s shrine,
That makes a Paradise on earth,
If hearts and hands combine.
And every lord and lady bright,
That were in chapel there,
Cried, “Honoured be the bravest knight,
Beloved the fairest fair.”
This is a translation by Sir Walter Scott, of the French song Partant pour la Syrie, written by De Laborde, to music said to have been composed by Queen Hortense, mother of Napoleon III. Under the Empire Partant pour la Syrie was the officially recognised French national song, but it never became so popular as La Marseillaise.