{"id":18222,"date":"2013-02-09T13:24:09","date_gmt":"2013-02-09T12:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=18222"},"modified":"2014-06-17T16:59:06","modified_gmt":"2014-06-17T14:59:06","slug":"happy-french-accordion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/happy-french-accordion\/","title":{"rendered":"A Very Happy French Accordion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Louis-Robert<\/a><\/p>\n

Out of the\u00a0C\u00f4tes-d’Armor\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>in the\u00a0Brittany Peninsula<\/strong>,\u00a0bordering the shores of\u00a0Saint-Malo<\/em><\/strong>, from whence hailed and sailed the seafaring ancestors of the legendary\u00a0Surcouf<\/strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0“le roi des corsaires<\/strong><\/em><\/a>“<\/a>\u00a0(“the King of Corsairs”)<\/strong>, came up\u00a0a cheerful tune.<\/p>\n

A highly melodic theme, it revolved around a local <\/span>demoiselle<\/strong><\/em> whom everybody called “<\/span>Marie\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span>la dondaine<\/span>.<\/em>”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So far, so good.<\/p>\n

But what’s a “dondaine<\/strong><\/em>“, anyway?<\/p>\n

Is it the name of a\u00a0navire \u00e0 voile<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(sailing ship), perhaps?<\/p>\n

\"photo\"<\/p>\n

Also known as a “carreau<\/em>“, a\u00a0dondaine\u00a0<\/em>is a sort of a\u00a0bolt that was used in medieval times as ammunition for\u00a0une\u00a0arbal\u00e8te\u00a0<\/em>(a crossbow.)
\nAs in many other old French songs, the word “dondaine”\u00a0<\/em>is most likely used here as mere\u00a0onomatop\u00e9e\u00a0<\/em>(onomatopoeia)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture credit: Shared by kickmaleerie<\/a> via Flickr<\/strong><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n