Fragment from l'Enfer, in which Marot describes
his roots... Entends apres (quant au point de mon être)
Rondeau LIV
Rondeau LXIV Brief, si ton cueur plus à ce chemin tire,
Rondeau LXI Dames de cueur icy estudiez:
Rondeau XXVII
Rondeau XXXIX
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original spelling (1538) Dedans Paris, ville jolie,
Un jour passant mélancolie,
Je pris alliance nouvelle
A la plus gaie demoiselle
Qui soit d'ici en Italie.
D'honnêteté elle fut saisie,
Et crois - selon ma fantaisie -
Qu'il n'en est guère de plus belle
Dedans Paris.
Je ne vous la nommerai mie,
Sinon que c'est ma grande amie,
Car l'alliance se fit telle,
Par un doux baiser que j'eus d'elle
Sans penser aucune infamie
Dedans Paris.Dedans Paris Ville jolye
Ung jour passant melancolie
Je prins alliance nouvelle
A la plus gaye Damoyselle,
Qui soit d'icy en Italie
D'honnesteté elle est saisie,
Et croy (selon ma fantaisie)
Qu'il n'en est gueres de plus belle
Dedans Paris.Je ne la vous nommeray mye,
Si non que c'est ma grand Amye;
Car l'alliance se feit telle,
Par ung doulx baiser, que j'eus d'elle
Sans penser aulcune infamie,
Dedans Paris.
In Paris, that nice city / on a melancholic day / I got a new alliance / with the most joyful girl, / between here and Italy.
She was affected by honorability/ and I believe - at least in my phantasy - /that there is hardly anything more beautiful / in Paris.
I would not label her mine to you, / if she were not my great love / because our alliance became such / through a sweet kiss, that I received from her / without ever thinking anything infamous / in Paris.
Rondeau XLI
Aux Damoyselles paresseuses d'escrire à leurs Amys
Bon jour: et puis, quelles nouvelles?
N'en sçauroit on de vous avoir?
S'en brief ne m'en faictes sçavoir,
J'en feray de toute nouvelles.
Puis que vous este si rebelles,
Bon Vespre, bonne Nuict, bon Soir,
Bon jour.
Mais si vous cueillez des Groiselles,
Envoyez m'en: car pour tout voir,
Je suis gros, mais c'est de vous veoir
Quelcque matin mes Damoyselles:
Bon jour.
Rondeau LVI
A la fille d'ung
Painctre d'Orleans, belle entre les autres
Au temps passé Apelles Painctre sage
Feit seullement de Venus le visage
Par fiction: mais (pour plus hault attaindre)
Ton Pere a faict de Venus (sans rien faindre)
Entierement la face, et le corsage.
Car il et Painctre, et tu es son ouvrage
Mieulx ressemblant Venus de forme, et d'aage,
Que le Tableau, qu'Apelle voulut paindre
Au temps passé.
Vray est qu'il feit si belle son ymage,
Qu'elle eschauffoit en Amour maint courage;
Mais celle là que ton Pere a sceu taindre,
Y mect le feu, et a dequoy l'estaindre:
L'aultre n'eut pas ung si gros advantage
Au temps passé.
English Translation: In times past, Apelles, clever painter / represented only Venus's face / through his art, but (to achieve higher things) / your father made Venus (without feigning anything) / face and bust alike. // For he is a painter and you are his work / better resembling Venus in shape and age / than the painting Apelles wanted to paint / in times past. // True it is that he made his image so beautiful / that it enflamed with love many a heart; / this one which your Father knew how to brush, / lights up the fire here and has something to quench it. / The former had no such advantage / in times past.
Latin Translation: Ad puellam, ex vulgari carmine Maroti, Borbonius scripsit (by Marot's friend and colleague, the Neo-Latin poet Nicolas Bourbon):
Olim qui Veneris vultum depinxit Apelles,
Maximus, & primus fertur in arte sua.
Ecce tamen genitor tuus est praestantior illo,
Cuius peniculo facta puella Dea es.
Illa quidem multos urebat Apellis imago,
Atque aliquot iuuenes cepit amore sui.
Non habuit tamen unde suos restingueret ignes:
Tu simul inflammas, & medicamen habes.translation
Bourbon wrote to the maiden - from the vernacular by Marot - "Until now, Apelles, who painted the face of Venus, was forever held to be the greatest and foremost in his art. Yet, behold, your father is more outstanding than him, through whose brush you, a girl, have been made a Goddess. Indeed that image of Apelles set many aflame, and seized some young men with desire of itself. Yet it held not the wherewithal to quench their fires: but you both kindle and hold the cure."
[for more info, see Andrew W. Taylor, "Between Surrey and Marot: Nicolas Bourbon and the Artful Translation of the Epigram", in Translation and Literature 15.1 (2006) 1-20]The key to understand this Rondeau is the story that in ancient times the legendary painter Apelles painted Venus so real that suspicion arose that he must have really seen her. Marot nicely turns this legend in a compliment to a real woman, daugther of a painter, in which all the beauty of Venus is expressed, no fiction, really. A Latin epigram by Théodore de Bèze takes up this legend to compliment Marot. De Bèze (Beza) wrote this epigram when he was still an adolescent (published in his Iuvenilia, 1548); Note the innuendo in the end.
Tam doctè Venerem divinus pinxit Apelles
Illi ut credatur visa fuisse Venus.
At tantam sapiunt Venerem tua scripta, Marote,
Ut tibi credatur cognita tota Venus.translation by John Weever, also 16th Century:
Apelles did so paint faire Venus Queene,
That most suppos'de he had faire Venus seene,
But thy bald rimes of Venus savour so,
That I dare sweare thou dost all Venus know
Rondeau XXX
Du Vendredy sainct
Dueil, ou plaisir me fault avoir sans cesse:
Dueil, quand je voy (ce jour plein de rudesse)
Mon Redempteur pour moy en la croix pendre:
Ou tout plaisir, quand pour son sang espendre
Je me voy hors de l'infernale presse.
Je riray donc: non, je prendray tristesse.
Tristesse? ouy, dis je toute lyesse.
Brief, je ne sçay bonnement lequel prendre
Dueil ou plaisir.
Tous deux sont bons, selon que Dieu nous dresse:
Ainsi la Mort, qui le Saulveur oppresse,
Faict sur nos cueurs Dueil, et Plaisir descendre:
Mais nostre mort, qui en fin nous faict cendre,
Tant seulement l'ung, ou l'autre nous laisse,
Dueil ou Plaisir.
Marot as a religious poet, expressing the double feeling of christians around the vicissitutes of Jesus on the 'Good' Friday:
Should I mourn or be merry incessantly / Mourn, when I see - o cruel day - / My saviour hanging on the cross for me: / Or great joy, when - because of his bloodshed -I find myself free from the pressure of hell // So I will laugh: no, I will be sad. / Sad? Yes, I mean: complete joy. / In short, I don't know which one to take: / to mourn or be merry. // Both are well, depending how God will lay it out for us: / So the death, that oppresses our saviour, / will sink into our hearts mourning, and delight: / Bur our own death, that will consume us in the end / will only leave us one option, either-or, / to mourn or be merry.
Ballade XIII
De la passion nostre Seigneur Jesuchrist
Instead of a translation an elucidation of the imagery which is the backbone of this poem and a summary of how the idea is elaborated in the stanzas. The imagery is an allegory, very familiar to the then readers, but strange for many of us: the Pelican as an image of Christ. This bird is supposed to wound himself by picking his own heart to feed his offspring with drops of his own blood. This is the message of the Refrain: "Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue" (The pelican who for the sake of his own young kills himself). For this see e.g. Honorius van Autun, Speculum Ecclesiae and the source of all allegorical interpreations of animals etc...: the Physiologus (or a bestiary), that extremely influential book (2nd C -4th C) full of descriptions of animals, birds, and phantastic creatures, even stones and plants, always with a moral or allegorical meaning. (a small excursus - examples - on the Pelican symbolism)
In the first stanza the people are depicted as "petis Oyselletz"
(little birds, the young of the Pelican, who is located in the heavenly Woods:
"forest Celique"). They live in paradise, sing like nightingales, but - second
stanza - a cunning "Oyselleur cauteleux" (bird-catcher, fowler) lures
them. They now have to live "east of eden", outside Paradise, waiting
desperately for the "Pellican, qui ...". This motherbird (stanza 3) leaves from
his heavenly garden, beause of a pure Love "Charité pudique", but is tormented
and killed by the evil and ugly crows ("Corbeaux tresordz, et laidz"). In the Envoy all
actors are neatly identified and the message is repeated for the last time.
Le Pellican de la forest Celique
Entre ses faictz tant beaulx, et nouvelletz
Apres les Cieulx, et l'Ordre Archangelique,
Voulut créer ses petis Oyselletz.
Puis s'en volla, les laissa tous seuletz,
Et leur donna, pour mieulx sur la Terre estre,
La grand forest de Paradis Terrestre,
D'arbres de vie amplement revestue
Plantez par luy, qu'on peult dire en tout estre
Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue.
Mais ce pendant qu'en ramage musique
Chantent au boys comme Rossignoletz,
Ung Oyselleur cauteleux, et inique
Les a deceuz à Glus, Rhetz, et Filletz:
Dont sont bannis des Jardins verdeletz,
Car des haultz fruictz trop voulurent repaistre.
Parquoy en lieu sentant pouldre, et Salpestre
Par plusieurs ans mainte souffrance ont eue,
En attendant hors du beau lieu Champestre
Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue.
Pour eulx mourut cest Oysel deificque,
Car du hault boys plein de sainctz Angeletz
Volla çà bas par Charité pudique,
Où il trouva Corbeaux tresordz, et laidz:
Qui de son sang ont faictz maintz ruisseletz,
Le tourmentant à dextre, et à senestre,
Si que la Mort, comme l'on peult congnoistre,
A ses Petis a la vie rendue.
Ainsi leur feit sa bonté apparoistre
Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue.
Envoy
Les Corbeaulx sont des Juifs exilez,
Qui ont a tort les membres mutillez
Du Pellican: c'est du seul Dieu et maistre.
Les Oyseletz, sont humains, qu'il feit naistre.
Et L'oyseleur, la Serpente tortue,
Qui les deceut, leur faisant mescongnoistre
Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue.
Chant Royal de la Conception nostre Dame
In this poem Marot cleverly combines two heterogeneous elements. First he evokes the mythological theme of the ‘Judgment of Paris’. Paris had to give the 'Golden Apple' to the fairest female: Aphrodite (Venus), Hera (Juno) or Athena (MInerva). His judgment (Apple of Discord) became the incentive of the Trojan war. Marot introduces a similar contest, but now in Judea. In every round Mary "seule merite entre toutes le Pris" (Mary alone deserves to win the prize). In the first stanza Marot plays with the double meaning of 'Grace': Mary easily wins the beauty contest, for she is the most graceful (full of grace) of all ladies; in the second and third stanza Marot plays on the double reference of 'Sereine' (serene and Sirene): Mary wins the song contest, because se sings more serene than the Sirene (stanza 2) but above all (stanza 3) she does not sing about herself (she is not beautiful: "brunette suis", a reference to Cant. Solomon: nigra sum sed formosa) but she sings about the Word of God which she brings forth. The salutary effects of her song, the Word, on earth, heaven and hell are described in stanza 4: death is silenced, human nature awakes. In stanza 5 she of course gets the prize. In the envoy this is neatly summarised, Mary is 'the container of all the good'; that's why she alone deserves the prize. In this nice mixture (transpostion) of antique mythology and christian theology Maryology is implicitly christianized, since the only merit of Mary is Christ.
Dedans Syon au Pays du Judée
Fut un debat honneste suscité
Sur la beaulté des Dames collaudée
Diversement par ceulx de la Cité:
Et sans faveur de Maison, ne de Race
Fut dit, que celle ayant le plus de grâce,
Seroit plus belle. Or sommes hors de peine
(Dit lors quelc’un) car Marie en est pleine,
Pleine en sa Forme, & pleine en ses Espritz.
Que ce Proces doncques plus on ne meine:
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
Ceste Sentence à son honneur vuydée
Maintes en mist en grand perplexité,
Qui pour envie, & gloire oultrecuydée
Nouveau debat contre elle ont excité
A leurs honneurs veullent qu’on satisface:
Si ont requis, que chanter on la fasse,
Disant qu’elle a l’Organe mal sereine,
Parquoy n’estoit en vertus souveraine.
Brief, de la voix toutes ont entrepris
La surpasser d’aultant, que la Sereine
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
Lors chascune a sa Chanson recordée
D’ung Estomac par froit debilité,
Mais ceste Vierge en voix mieulx accordée
Que Orgues, ne luz, chanta ce beau Dicté:
Brunette suis, mais belle en Cueur, & Face,
Et si en tout toutes aultres j’efface.
Ce bien m’a faict la puissance haultaine
Du Dieu d’aymer, qui de sa Court loingtaine
M’est venu veoir, d’ardante Amour espris.
Doncques (non moy) mais sa bonté certaine
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
La voix, qui est de ce corps procedée,
Perça d’Enfer l’orde concavité:
Des neuf Cieulx a la haulteur excedée
Par son Hault ton, plein de suavité:
Qui fut ouy au Monde en toute place:
Mort endormit; Dormantz plus froitz que glace
A resveillez: pauvre Nature humaine
Gisant au Lict se lieve, & se pourmaine
Du grand soulas qu’en ceste voix a pris:
Certainement qui tel bien luy ameine,
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
Lors l’Assistance en raison bien fondée
Sur champ conclud (et conclud verité)
Qu’impossible est telle voix redondée
Estre Organe ayant impurité:
Mesmes Envie à la fin s’accorde à ce,
Et refraignit à ce Chant son audace
Mieulx que Pluton sa fureur inhumaine
Au chant d’Orphée en l’infernal Dommaine
Donc Estomachz de froidure surpris,
Quand chanterez, chantez Marie saine
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
Envoy
Le divin Verbe est la voix, & alaine,
Qui proceda d’organe non vilaine,
C’est de Marie, où tous biens sont compris
Dont de rechef ce Reffrain je rameine,
Seule merite entre toutes le Pris.
The PELICAN symbolism. A few
occasions [back to poem]
The
imagery is an allegory, very familiar to the then readers, but strange for many
of us: the Pelican as an image of Christ. This bird is supposed to wound himself
by picking his own heart to feed his offspring with drops of his own blood. This
is the message of the Refrain: "Le Pellican, qui pour les siens se tue" (The
pelican who for the sake of his own young kills himself). For this see e.g.
Honorius van Autun, Speculum Ecclesiae and the
source of all allegorical interpreations of animals etc...: the Physiologus
(or a bestiary), that extremely
influential book (2nd C -4th C) full of descriptions of animals, birds, and
phantastic creatures, even stones and plants, always with a moral or allegorical
meaning. Some examples:
-
Dante (1321) in the "Paridiso" of his Divine Comedy refers to Christ as "our Pelican."
"Questi è colui che giacque sopra 'l petto 25.112 “This soul is he who lay upon the breast del nostro pellicano, e questi fue of Christ our Pelican, and he was asked di su la croce al grande officio eletto." from on the Cross to serve in the great task.” -
John Skelton (1529) in his Armorie of Birds, wrote, "Then sayd the Pellycan: When my Byrdts be slayne / With my bloude I them revyve. Scripture doth record / The same dyd our Lord / And rose from deth to lyve."
-
John Lyly in his Euphues (1606) wrote, "Pelicane who striketh blood out of its owne bodye to do others good."
-
Shakespeare (1616) in Hamlet wrote, "To his good friend thus wide, I'll open my arms / And, like the kind, life-rendering pelican / Repast them with my blood."
-
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): eucharistic hymn Adoro te devote, stanza 6:
Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine:
Cujus una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.Pelican of Mercy, Lord Jesus,
Cleanse me, unclean, with your blood,
One drop of which can set free
the entire world of all its sins.
Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B 25, Folio 32r (=
Bestiarium from Western France, ca. 1450) > http://www.meermanno.nl/