Partant pour la Syrie

"Partant pour la Syrie" (French pronunciation: ​[paʁtɑ̃ puʁ la siʁi]; English: Departing for Syria) is a French song, the music of which was written by Hortense de Beauharnais and the text by Alexandre de Laborde in or about 1807.

The song was inspired by Napoleon's Egypt campaign. It represents a chivalric composition of the aspirations of a crusader knight in a style typical for the First French Empire. Hortense indicated in her Memoires that she wrote the music when she lived at Malmaison. During its popularity in the nineteenth century the song was arranged for numerous instruments by various composers.

The poem by Laborde was originally titled Le beau Dunois telling the story of the handsome crusader Dunois. Prior to his departure to Syria he prays to the Virgin Mary that he will love the most beautiful woman and that he himself may be the bravest. His prayers are answered. On his return the brave warrior wins the hand of Isabelle. Love and honor prevail.

The song was popular during the remainder of the First Empire, popular with Hortense in her exile, and with the Bonapartists during the Bourbon Restoration. During the Second Empire Partant pour la Syrie was the unofficial national anthem, while La Marseillaise was forbidden but for the very end. With the collapse of Napoleon III’s rule, the popularity of the song waned. The song was played to the Emperor Napoleon III as he departed from Schloss Wilhelmshöhe to his exile in England in 1871. It remains part of the repertoire of French military music.

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