From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: An historic song put into French verse by Alexandre Dumas. It bears this epigraph : "À moi, Auvergne, voilà les ennemis!—Le Chevalier d'Assas." ("Help, Auvergne, the foe is here!")
Thirteen regular six-line stanzas, rhyming a, a, b, c, c, b.
This song (of 1420) forms part of the work entitled, "Old Poland : an Historical and Poetical Album composed of Polish Legends," by M. Niemcewicz, and put into French verse by the most distinguished poets, etc., ornamented with 36 engravings, and containing the history of Poland from the year 800 to 1796, by M. Charles Forester (of Warsaw) ; 12 parts, large 4to. Paris, 1834.
The last edition of this "La Vieille Pologne" appeared from the firm of Treuttel and Wurtz, Bossange, Didot, etc., Paris, 1836, 1 vol., large 4to., with 36 designs. The plate for "Zawiska-le-Noir" was by Sarrien, lithographed by Villain.
The third edition, revised and augmented, contained a preface by Saint-Marc Girardin; 4to.; Paris and Leipsic, Brockhaus and Avenarius. It is there stated: "These songs, taken from. the Polish work of M. Nieincewicz' ' Spieny Historyczne' (" Historical Songs "), have been literally translated into prose by M. Forester, and reproduced or imitated in French verse by poets who were willing to offer him collaboration therein." The table (p. 460) states : " 'Zawiska-le-Noir,' an historical song, put into French verse by M. Alexandre Dumas."
