\n
Out of the\u00a0les\u00a0C\u00f4tes-d’Armor <\/strong><\/em>of the Brittany Peninsula<\/strong>,\u00a0bordering the shores of Saint-Malo<\/em><\/strong>, from whence hailed and sailed the seafaring ancestors of the legendary\u00a0Surcouf<\/strong>,<\/strong> “le roi des corsaires<\/strong><\/em><\/a>“<\/a> (“the King of Corsairs”)<\/strong>,\u00a0une voix <\/strong><\/em>(a voice) Bretonne <\/strong><\/em>sings a cheerful tune about a local girl nicknamed “Marie <\/strong><\/em>la dondaine.<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p>\n But what’s a “dondaine<\/strong><\/em>“, you may ask?<\/p>\n Could it be the name of a navire \u00e0 voile<\/strong><\/em> (sailing ship), perhaps?<\/p>\n Also known under the name of a “carreau<\/em>“, a dondaine <\/em>is a sort of a\u00a0bolt that was used in medieval times as ammunition for une\u00a0arbal\u00e8te <\/em>(a crossbow)—As in many other old French songs, the word “dondaine” <\/em>is most likely used here as mere onomatop\u00e9e <\/em>(onomatopoeia).<\/p>\n