LAFAYETTE
Romantique avant les Romantiques
Romantic before the Romantics
Aventurier avant d’être Révolutionnaire
Adventurer before Revolutionary
Démocrate et Royaliste
Democrat and Royalist
Célébré et Méconnu
Celebrated yet Unknown
LAFAYETTE
Méconnu en France, trop aristrocrate
Unknown in France, too aristocratic
Célébré aux Etats Unis, comme un héros
Celebrated in the United States, as a hero
Aventurier fortuné poussant les frontières,
Wealthy adventure seeker pushing frontiers
Il risqua sa vie pour une Terre inconnue.
He risked his life for an unknown land.
De son ami Washington,
Of his friend Washington
Il devint Général,
He became General
De son ami Washington,
Of his friend Washington
Il fut le fils
He was Son
LAFAYETTE
frenchrootsinamerica 
Reblogged this on Unleashed and commented:
This in an interesting bilingual piece about an important man in American history who was virtually unknown in his native France.
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Interesting piece about Lafayette, frenchrootsinamerica. I like the way you point out his contradictions. The this, but that format makes it interesting and comfortable.
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Thank you for reading this post maribethbatcho. Lives are made of contradictions. People trying to make a meaningful synthesis. At least, Lafayette tried. Next time let’s go to Picpus to honor him.
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I didn’t remember much about Lafayette from my school years, but then I read this picture book, Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
by Selene Castrovilla. Interesting that he was unknown in France.
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Thank you for reading this post Elsie. Lafayette is known in France but has not been considered as Hero. He doesn’t have a sumptuous sarcophagus at the Invalides but a modest place at the cemetery of Picpus in Paris.
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Frank, I learned some things from your poem. Loved the format, the powerful ending. Your keen interest in history is serving you well! I am enjoying your writing, and I am grateful for tour comments on my blog, too.
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Lynne, thank you for sharing your feedback and encouragement on my Lafayette post. From you it means a lot because your level of expectations is always high. By the way I loved your use of metaphors in your last post.
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Thank you for this wonderful post. I was in Boston seven years ago on my first journey to the States and heard about him and other important people from the start of the U.S. history
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Maria – Thank you for your nice encouragement to continue and share my thoughts, stories through different styles and formats. Stay tuned!
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When we hear about great people from the past we can still believe that sometimes great people again will enter the scene at the right time and we we ourselves can raise up in character and be and example
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