France and its Poets Middle Ages
to the 19th Century

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      Christiane Guise

France and its Poets

     Come and discover the Greatest Poets of France
and their magnificent works in English.
Travel through the Centuries with Ronsard, Victor Hugo, Baudelaire, and many more.

     Poetry is the language of the soul and the beauty of language itself. As Dante once says, French seems to have been created for poetry and it is probably why so many people love the sound of it. Being a lover of poetry, to them and to those who have no or very rudimentary knowledge of French, I wrote this anthology on France’s most prestigious poets. I did it with no pretension and enjoyed every minute of this very demanding but fascinating task.
     French poetry is built on rhymes, number of syllables, caesura, enjambments and rejects. Furthermore, the rhyme scheme is incorporated to the poem’s meaning; for instance, the successive rhymes aabb generally present two thoughts while the embrasure abbaindicates that the first idea encompasses the next. In the 19th Century, versification changes drastically. The caesura moves as the poets want, and free verses of various lengths are introduced; furthermore, the first poems in prose mark the coming of modern poetry.
     Of course, I would have been delighted to keep the poems’ structure but my first priority was to convey the poets’ feelings and the music of their magnificent works; this was at the expense of meters and rhymes. 
     The art of translating French poetry is very complex. According to my research, translations from French to English are generally ‘versions’ which means that a document in foreign language is translated in one’s native language. The present work is not a version but a ‘theme’ and if deep inside you, waves of emotions flow into your heart when you read or listen to the most beautiful poems of France whether in French or in English language, this will be my ultimate reward.   
       A brief word now about the selection of poets and poems. Though the beauty of French poetry is in the music of its language, it is not only the sound of words precisely chosen and arranged that convey delightful emotions but their meaning. French poetry evolved as the French language evolved and it really began when the French were able to communicate their feelings. Tristan et Iseult, the Arthurian legends and the Roman de la Rose are marvellous works of art praised all over Europe simply because Middle Ages people finally realised that Love was one of their raisons d’être (reasons of being). This anthology therefore starts with them and even if they sometimes hurt our modern ear, they nevertheless mark the beginning of French poetry.
     For the next centuries, I must concede that my choice was arbitrary; I simply selected those I love the most. At first, my aim was to present one poet and his best works per century. For the 19th, this was impossible; I could not even choose all the poets and poems I love, as this would have required many volumes. Consequently, I chose only the greatest and sincerely apologise if you do not find those you expected.
      Finally, I must say that this book is the result of meticulous research in numerous libraries. I cannot however assert that every document refers with certitude to the original.  Furthermore, this is not a philological work and my dear readers will most certainly find many signs of ignorance and regrettable distractions. I sincerely hope that these blunders will not spoil their pleasure.
     In texts, all French words or phrases are in italic; and to help readers who do not really master French but want to feel the music of the poem in French, letters that must be stressed are written in bold and mute vowels in italic. Liaisons are underlined. An audio CD of all the poems in French and English will be released soon but poetry lovers can already listen to them online www.bellepage.
     So stay with me for few hours of history and beautiful poetry. Light the fire, prepare your favourite drink, sit on your best armchair, and listen to the music of the words.