第3章

Whateverothermeritsthesongsofminorsmaypossess，theyhaveseldomthatofpermittingthemselvestoberead."LesCariatides"

areexceptionalhere.Theyare，aboveallthings，readable."Onpeutleslireepeudefrais，"M.DeBanvillesayshimself.Headmitsthathislighterworks，thepoemscalled（inEngland）versdesociete，areasortofintellectualcigarette.M.EmiledeGirardinsaid，inthelaterdaysoftheEmpire，thatthereweretoomanycigarettesintheair.Theirstaleperfumeclingstotheliteratureofthattime，astheodourofpastillesyethangsabouttheverseofDorat，thedesignsofEisen，theworkofthePompadourperiod.

ThereismorethansmokeinM.DeBanville’srulinginspiration，hislifelongdevotiontolettersandtogreatmenofletters——

Shakespeare，Moliere，Homer，VictorHugo.Thesearehisgods;thememoryofthemishismuse.Hisenthusiasmisworthyofonewho，thoughborntoolatetoseeandknowthenoblewildnessof1830，yetlivesontherecollections，andisstrengthenedbytheexample，ofthatrevivalofletters.Whateveronemaysayoftherenouveau，ofromanticism，withitsaffectations，theyoungmenof1830weresincereintheirdevotiontoliberty，topoetry，toknowledge.OnecanhardlyfindamorebrilliantandtouchingbeliefinthesegreatcausesthanthatofEdgarQuinet，asdisplayedinthelettersofhisyouth.DeBanvillefellonmoreeviltimes.

When"LesCariatides"waspublishedpoetshadbeguntokeepaneyeontheBourse，andartistsdabbledinfinance.ThenewvolumeofsonginthesordidagewasaNovemberprimrose，andnotunliketheflowerofSpring.Therewasasingularfreshnessandhopefulnessintheverse，awonderful"certitudedansl’expressionlyrique，"asSainte—Beuvesaid.ThemasteryofmusicalspeechandofvariousformsofsongwasalreadytoberecognisedasthebasisandthenoteofthetalentofDeBanville.Hehadstyle，withoutwhichamanmaywriteveryniceversesaboutheavenandhellandothermatters，andmaypleasethousandsofexcellentpeople，butwillwritepoetry——

never.ComparingDeBanville’sboy’sworkwiththeboy’sworkofMr.Tennyson，oneobservesineach——"LesCariatides"asin"TheHesperides"——thetimbreofanewvoice.Poetrysofreshseemstomakeusawareofsomewantwhichwehadhardlyrecognised，butnowaresensibleof，atthemomentwefinditsatisfied.

Itishardlynecessarytosaythatthisgratifyingandwelcomestrangeness，thislyricoriginality，isnearlyallthatM.DeBanvillehasincommonwiththeEnglishpoetwhosetwopricelessvolumeswerepublishedinthesameyearas"LesCariatides？"ThemelodyofMr.Tennyson’slines，thecloudypalacesofhisimagination，rose"AsIlion，likeamistroseintotowers，"

whenApollosang.Thearchitecturewasfloatingatfirst，andconfused;whilethelittletheatreofM.DeBanville’spoetry，wherehesatpipingtoadanceofnixies，wasbrilliantlylitandelegantwithfreshpaintandgilding."TheCariatides"supportthepedimentandroofofatheatreortempleintheGraeco—Frenchstyle.Thepoetproposedtohimself"AcotedeVenusetdufilsdeLatonePeindrelafeeetlaperi."

Thelongestpoeminthebook，andthemostserious，"LaVoieLactee，"remindsoneofthe"PalaceofArt，"writtenbeforetheafter—thought，beforethe"white—eyedcorpses"werefoundlurkingincorners.BeginningwithHomer，"theIonianfatheroftherest，"—

"Cedieu，peredesdieuxqu’adoreIonie，"—

thepoetglorifiesallthechiefnamesofsong.ThereisalongprocessionofillustriousshadowsbeforeShakespearecomes——

Shakespeare，whosegeniusincludesthemall.

"Toutecreationelaquelleonaspire，Toutreve，toutechose，emanentdeShakespeare."

Hismindhaslentcolourtotheflowersandthesky，to"Lafleurquibrodeunpointsurlesmanteaudesplaines，Lesnenupharspenches，etlespalesroseauxQuidisentleurchantsombreaumurmuredeseaux."

Onerecognisesmoresincerityinthishymntoallpoets，fromOrpheustoHeine，thanin"LesBaisersdePierre"——acleverimitationofDeMusset’sstoriesinverse.Loveofartandofthemastersofart，apassionforthefiguresofoldmythology，whichhadreturnedagainaftertheirexilein1830，gaiety，andarevivalofthedexterityofVillonandMarot，——thesethingsarethecharacteristicsofM.DeBanville’sgenius，andalltheseweredisplayedin"LesCariatides."Already，too，hispreoccupationwiththelighterandmorefantasticsortoftheatricalamusementsshowsitselfinlineslikethese：

"DesonlitebaldaquinLesoleildesonbeauglobeAvaitl’aird’unarlequinEtalantsagarde—robe;

"EtsasoeuraufrontchangeantMademoisellelaLuneAvecsesgrandsyeuxd’argentRegardaitlaterrebrune."

Theverseabout"thesuninbed，"unconsciouslyMiltonic，isinaveinofbadtastewhichhasalwayshadseductionsforM.DeBanville.HemarsafinelaterpoemonRoncevauxandRolandbyasimilarabsurdity.TheangelMichaelismadetostridedownthestepsofheavenfouratatime，andM.DeBanvillefanciesthatthissortofthingislikethesimplicityoftheagesoffaith.

In"LesCariatides，"especiallyinthepoemsstyled"EnHabitZinzolin，"M.DeBanvillerevivedoldmeasures——therondeauandthe"poorlittletriolet."Theseareformsofversewhichitiseasytowritebadly，andhardindeedtowritewell.TheyhaveknockedatthedooroftheEnglishmuse’sgarden——arunawayknock.In"LesCariatides"theytookasubordinateplace，andplayedtheirpranksintheshadowofthegravefiguresofmythology，oratthecloseoftheprocessionofDionysusandhisMaenads.DeBanvilleoftenrecallsKeatsinhischoiceofclassicalthemes."LesExiles，"apoemofhismaturity，isaFrench"Hyperion.""LeTriomphedeBacchus"remindsoneofthesongoftheBassaridsin"Endymion"—

"Somany，andsomany，andsogay."

Thereisaprettytouchofthepedant（whoexists，saysM.DeBanville，intheheartofthepoet）inthisverse：

"IlreveeCama，l’amourauxcinqflechesfleuries，Qui，lorsquesoupireaumilieudesrosesprairiesLadouceVasanta，parmilesbosquetsdesantal，Envoieauxcinqsenslesflechesducarquoisfatal."

TheBacchusofTitianhasnoneofthisOrientallanguor，nomemoriesofperfumedplaceswhere"thethroneofIndianCamaslowlysails."

OnecannothelpadmiringthefancywhichsawtheconqueringgodstillsteepedinAsiaticease，stillunawakenedtomorevigorouspassionbythefreshwindblowingfromThrace.OfalltheOlympians，DianahasbeenmostoftenhymnedbyM.DeBanville：hisimaginationishauntedbythefigureofthegoddess.NowsheismanifestinherHellenicaspect，asHomerbeheldher，"takingherpastimeinthechaseofboarsandswiftdeer;andwithherthewildwood—nymphsaresportingthedaughtersofZeus;andLetoisgladatheart，forherchildtowersoverthemall，andiseasytobeknownwhereallarefair"（Odyssey，vi.）.Again，Artemisappearsmorethoughtful，asinthesculptureofJeanGoujon，touchedwiththesadnessofmoonlight.Yetagain，sheisthewearyandexiledspiritthathauntstheforestofFontainebleau，andisastrangeramongthewoodlandfolk，thefadesandnixies.Tothisgoddess，"beingtripleinherdivideddeity，"M.DeBanvillehaswrittenhishymninthecharacteristicformoftheoldFrenchballade.ThetranslatormayborrowChaucer’sapology—

"Andeketomeitisagretepenaunce，SythrhymeinEnglishhathsuchscarseteTofolowe，wordbyword，thecuriositeOfBanville，flowerofthemthatmakeinFrance."

"BALLADESURLESHOTESMYSTERIEUXDELAFORET

"Stillsingthemockingfairies，asofold，Beneaththeshadeofthornandhollytree;

Thewestwindbreathesuponthempureandcold，AndstillwolvesdreadDianarovingfree，Insecretwoodlandwithhercompany.

Tisthoughtthepeasants’hovelsknowherriteWhennowthewoldsarebathedinsilverlight，Andfirstthemoonrisebreakstheduskygrey，Thendownthedells，withblownsofthairandbright，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway.

"Withwater—weedstwinedintheirlocksofgoldThestrangecoldforest—fairiesdanceinglee;

Sylphsover—timorousandover—boldHauntthedarkhollowswherethedwarfmaybe，Thewildreddwarf，thenixies’enemy;

Then，’midtheirmirth，andlaughter，andaffright，Thesuddengoddessenters，tallandwhite，Withonelongsighforsummerspassedaway;

Theswiftfeetteartheivynetsoutright，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway.

"Shegleanshersylvantrophies;downthewoldShehearsthesobbingofthestagsthatflee，Mixedwiththemusicofthehuntingrolled，Butherdelightisallinarchery，AndnoughtofruthandpitywottethsheMorethanthehoundsthatfollowontheflight;

Thetallnymphdrawsagoldenbowofmight，Andthicksherainsthegentleshaftsthatslay，Shetosseslooseherlocksuponthenight，AndDianthroughthedimwoodthridsherway.

ENVOI.

"Prince，letusleavethedin，thedust，thespite，Thegloomandglareoftowns，theplague，theblight;

AmidtheforestleavesandfountainsprayThereisthemystichomeofourdelight，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway."

ThepieceischaracteristicofM.DeBanville’sgenius.ThroughhisthrongofoperaticnixiesandsylphsoftheballetthecoldMusesometimespasses，strange，butnotunfriendly.He，forhispart，hasneverdegradedthebeautifulformsofoldreligiontomakethelaughing—stockoffools.Hislittleplay，DianeauBois，hasgrace，andgravity，andtendernesslikethetendernessofKeats，forthefailingsofimmortals."Thegodsarejealousexceedinglyifanygoddesstakesamortalmantoherparamour，asDemeterchoseIasion."TheleastthatmortalpoetscandoistoshowtheOlympiansanexampleoftoleration.

"LesCariatides"havedelayedustoolong.Theyarewonderfullyvaried，vigorous，andrich，andfullofpromiseinmanyways.Thepromisehashardlybeenkept.Thereismoreseriousnessin"LesStalactites"（1846），itistrue，butthenthereislessdaring.

Thereisonemorselthatmustbequoted，——afragmentfashionedontheairandthesimplewordsthatusedtowakenthemusingsofGeorgeSandwhenshewasachild，dancingwiththepeasantchildren：

"Nousn’ironsplusanbois：leslauriessontcoupes，Lesamoursdesbassins，lesnaiadesengroupeVoientreluireausoleil，encristauxdecoupesLesflotssilencieuxquicoulaientdeleurcoupe，LeslaurierssontcoupesetlecerfauxaboisTressailleausonducor：nousn’ironsplusaubois！

OudesenfantsjoueursriaitlafolletroupeParmileslysd’argentauxpleursducieltrempes，Voicil’herbequ’onfaucheetleslauriersqu’oncoupe;

Nousn’ironsplusaubois;leslaurierssontcoupes."

InthesedaysBanville，likeGerarddeNervalinearliertimes，RONSARDISED.Thepoem’AlaFontGeorges，’fullofthememoriesofchildhood，sweetandrichwiththeairandthehourofsunset，iswritteninafavouritemetreofRonsard’s.ThusRonsardsaysinhislyricalversionoffivefamouslinesofHomer—

"LagreslenilaneigeN’onttelslieuxpourleursiegeNelafoudreoncquesleNedevala."

（Thesnow，andwind，andhailMayneverthereprevail，Northunderboltdothfall，Norrainatall.）

DeBanvillechosethismetre，rapidyetmelancholy，withitssademphaticcadenceinthefourthline，asthevehicleofhischildishmemories：

"Ochampspleinsdesilence，OumonheureuseenfanceAvaitdesjoursencorToutfilesd’or！"

OmavieilleFontGeorges，Versquilesrouges—gorgesEtledouxrossignolPrenaientleurvol！

Sothispoemofthefountainofyouthbegins，"toutfiled’or，"andcloseswhentheduskiswashedwithsilver—

"Al’heureousousleursvoilesLestremblantesetoilesBrodentlecielchangeantDefleursd’argent."

The"Stalactites"mightdetainonelong，butwemustpassonafternoticinganunnamedpoemwhichistheFrenchcounterpartofKeats’

"OdetoaGreekUrn"：

"Qu’autourduvasepur，tropbeaupourlaBacchante，Laverveine，meleeedesfeuillesd’acanthe，Fleurisse，etqueplusbasdesviergeslentementS’avancentdeuxedeux，d’unpassuretcharmant，LesbraspendantslelongdeleurstuniquesdroitesEtlescheyeuxtressessurleurstetesetroites."

Inthesamevolumeofthedefiniteseriesofpoemscome"LesOdelettes，"charminglyrics，oneofwhich，addressedtoTheophileGautier，wasansweredinthewell—knownversescalled"L’Art."Iftherehadbeenanyrivalrybetweenthewriters，M.DeBanvillewouldhardlyhavecaredtoprintGautier’s"Odelette"besidehisown.Thetoneofitisinfinitelymoremanly：oneseemstohearadeep，decisivevoicereplyingtotonesfarlesssweetandserious.M.DeBanvillerevengedhimselfnoblyinlaterversesaddressedtoGautier，verseswhichcriticisethegeniusofthatworkmanbetter，wethink，thananythingelsethathasbeenwrittenofhiminproseorrhyme.

ThelessseriouspoemsofDeBanvilleare，perhaps，thebetterknowninthiscountry.Hisfeatsofgracefulmetricalgymnasticshavebeenadmiredbyeveryonewhocaresforskillpureandsimple."LesOdesFunambulesques"and"LesOccidentales"arelikeornamentalskating.Theauthormovesinmanycirclesandcutsahundredfantasticfigureswithaperfecteaseandsmoothness.Atthesametime，naturally，hedoesnotadvancenorcarryhisreaderswithhiminanydirection."LesOdesFunambulesques"wereatfirstunsigned.

Theyappearedinjournalsandmagazines，and，asM.deBanvilleappliedtheutmostlyricalskilltolighttopicsofthemoment，theywerethemostpopularof"ArticlesdeParis."OnemustadmitthattheyboretheEnglishreader，andbythistimelongscholiaarenecessaryfortheenlightenmentevenoftheParisianstudent.Theversesare，perhaps，the"bird—chorus"ofFrenchlife，buttheyhavenotthepermanenttruthanddelightfulnessofthe"bird—chorus"inAristophanes.OnehaseasilytoomuchoftheCarnival，themaskedball，thedebardeurs，andthepierrots.ThepeopleatwhomM.DeBanvillelaughedaredeadandforgotten.TherewasacertainM.

PaulLimayracofthosedays，whobarkedattheheelsofBalzac，andothergreatmen，intheRevuedesDeuxMondes.InhishonourDeBanvillewroteasongwhichparodiedallpopularaspirationstobeaflower.M.Limayracwassupposedtohavebecomeablossom：

"SurlescoteauxetdansleslandesVoltigeantcommeunoiseleurBulozenferaitdesguirlandesSiLimayracdevenaitfleur！"

Thereismoreofhighspiritsthanofwitinthelyric，whichbecameaspopularasourmoderninvocationofJingo，thegodofbattles.

ItchancedonenightthatM.Limayracappearedatamaskedballintheopera—house.Hewasrecognisedbysomeoneinthecrowd.Theturbulentwaltzstoodstill，themusicwassilent，andthedancersofeveryhuehowledatthecritic"SiPaulLimayracdevenaitfleur！"

FancyaBritishreviewer，knownassuchtotheBritishpublic，andimaginethatpublictakingalivelyinterestinthefeudsofmenofletters！Paris，tobesure，wasmoreorlessofauniversitytownthirtyyearsago，andthestudentswerecertaintobelargelyrepresentedattheball.

The"OdesFunambulesques"containmanyexamplesofM.DeBanville’sskillinrevivingoldformsofverse——triolets，rondeaux，chantsroyaux，andballades.MostofthesewerecomposedforthespecialannoyanceofM.Buloz，M.Limayrac，andaM.JacquotwhocalledhimselfDeMirecourt.Therondeauxarefullofpunsintherefrain：

"Houssayeouc’est;lyre，l’ire，lire，"andsoon，notveryexhilarating.Thepantoum，wherelinesrecuralternately，wasborrowedfromthedistantMalay;butprimitivepantoum，inwhichthelasttwolinesofeachstanzaarethefirsttwoofthenext，occurinoldFrenchfolk—song.Thepopulartrickofrepetition，affordingaresttothememoryofthesinger，isperhapstheoriginofallrefrains.DeBanville’slatersatiresaredirectedagainstpermanentobjectsofhumanindignation——thelittleFrenchdebauchee，thehypocriticalfriendofreaction，thebloodthirstychauviniste.

TiredoftheflashyluxuryoftheEmpire，hismemorygoesbacktohisyouth—

"Lorsquelalevredel’auroreBaisaitnosyeuxsouleves，Etquenousn’etionspasencoreLaFrancedespetitscreves."

Thepoem"EtTartufe"prolongsthenoteofasatirealwayspopularinFrance——thesatireofScarron，Moliere，LaBruyere，againsttheclericalcurseofthenation.TheRomanQuestionwasTartufe’sstrongholdatthemoment."Frenchinterests"demandedthatItalyshouldbeheadless.

"EtTartufe？IlnousditentredeuxcremusQuepourtoutbonFrancaisl’empireesteRome，Etqu’ayantpouraieuxRomulusetRemusNoustetteronslalouveejamais——lepauvrehomme."

ThenewTartufeworshipsSt.Chassepot，whoonce，itwillnotbeforgotten，"wroughtmiracles";buthehashisdoubtsastothemoralityofexplosivebullets.ThenymphofmodernwarfareisaddressedasshehoversabovetheGenevaConvention，—

"Quoi，nympheducanonraye，TumontrescespudeursrisiblesEtcepetitaireffrayeDevantlesballesexploisibles？"

DeBanvillewasforlongalmostaloneamongpoetsinhisfreedomfromWeltschmerz，fromregretanddesireforworldslostorimpossible.InthelaterandstupidercorruptionoftheEmpire，sadnessandangerbegantovexevenhiscarelessmuse.Shehadpipedinhertimetomuchwilddancing，butcouldnotsingtoawaltzofmushroomspeculatorsanddecoratedcapitalists."LeSangdelaCoupe"containsaverypowerfulpoem，"TheCurseofVenus，"

pronouncedonParis，thecityofpleasure，whichhasbecomethecityofgreed.Thisverseisappropriatetoourowncommercialenterprise：

"VendslesboisoudormaientVivianeetMerlin！

L’Aigledemontn’estfaitquepourtagibeciere;

Laneigeviergeestlepourfournirtaglaciere;

Letorrentquibonditsurlerocsybillin，Etvole，diamant，neige，ecumeetpoussiere，N’estplusbonqu’etournertesmeulesdemoulin！"

Intheburningindignationofthispoem，M.DeBanvillereacheshishighestmarkofattainment."LesExiles"isscarcelylessimpressive.TheoutcastgodsofHellas，wanderinginaforestofancientGaul，remindoneatonceofthefallendeitiesofHeine，thedecrepitOlympiansofBruno，andthelargeutteranceofKeats’s"Hyperion."Amonggreatexiles，VictorHugo，"leperele—basdansl’ile，"isnotforgotten：

"Ettoiquil’accueillis，sollibreetverdoyant，Quiprodigueslesfleurssurtescoteauxfertiles，Etquisemblessourireel’oceanbruyant，Soisbenie，ileverte，entretouteslesiles."

ThehoarsestnoteofM.DeBanville’slyreisthatdiscordantonestruckinthe"IdyllesPrussiennes."Onewouldnotlingeroverpoetryorprosecomposedduringthesiege，inhoursofshameandimpotentscorn.Thepoetsingshowthesword，theflashingDurendal，isrustedandbroken，howvictoryistohim—

"quisecelaDansuntrou，souslaterrenoire."

HecanspareatenderlyrictothememoryofaPrussianofficer，aladofeighteen，shotdeadthroughavolumeofPindarwhichhecarriedinhistunic.

Itisimpossibletoleavethepoetofgaietyandgood—humourinthemoodoftheprisonerinbesiegedParis.His"TrenteSixBalladesJoyeuses"makeafarmorepleasantsubjectforalastword.ThereisscarcelyamoredelightfullittlevolumeintheFrenchlanguagethanthiscollectionofversesinthemostdifficultofforms，whichpourforth，withabsoluteeaseandfluency，notesofmirth，banter，joyinthespring，inletters，art，andgood—fellowship.

"L’oiseletretourneauxforets;

Jesuisunpoetelyrique，"—

hecries，withanotelikeabird’ssong.Amongthethirty—sixeveryonewillhavehisfavourites.Weventuretotranslatethe"BalladdeBanville"：

"AUXENFANTSPERDUS

"IknowCytheralongisdesolate;

Iknowthewindshavestrippedthegardengreen.

Alas，myfriends！beneaththefiercesun’sweightAbarrenreeflieswhereLove’sflowershavebeen，Noreverloveronthatcoastisseen！

Sobeit，forweseekafabledshore，Tolullourvaguedesireswithmysticlore，TowanderwhereLove’slabyrinths，beguile;

Thereletusland，theredreamforevermore：

’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’

"Theseamaybeoursepulchre.IfFate，Iftempestswreaktheirwrathonus，sereneWewatchtheboltofHeaven，andscornthehateOfangrygodsthatsmiteusintheirspleen.

PerchancethejealousmistsarebutthescreenThatveilsthefairycoastwewouldexplore.

Come，thoughtheseabevexed，andbreakersroar，Come，forthebreathofthisoldworldisvile，Hastewe，andtoil，andfaintnotattheoar;

’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’

"GreyserpentstrailintemplesdesecrateWhereCyprissmiled，thegoldenmaid，thequeen，Andruinedisthepalaceofourstate;

Buthappylovesflitroundthemast，andkeenTheshrillwindsingsthesilkencordsbetween.

Heroesarewe，withweariedheartsandsore，Whoseflowerisfadedandwhoselocksarehoar.

Haste，yelightskiffs，wheremyrtlethicketssmile;

Love’spantherssleep’midroses，asofyore：

’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’

ENVOI.

"Sadeyes！thebluesealaughs，asheretofore.

All，singingbirds，yourhappymusicpour;

Ah，poets，leavethesordidearthawhile;

Flittotheseancientgodswestilladore：

’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’"

Alas！themiststhatveiltheshoreofourCytheraarenotthesummerhazeofWatteau，butthesmokeandsteamofacommercialtime.

ItisasalyricpoetthatwehavestudiedM.DeBanville."Jenem’entendsqu’elameurique，"hesaysinhisballadonhimself;buthecanwriteprosewhenhepleases.

ItisinhisdramaofGringoireactedattheTheatreFrancais，andfamiliarintheversionofMessrs.PollockandBesant，thatM.DeBanville’sproseshowstothebestadvantage.LouisXI.issuppingwithhisbourgeoisfriendsandwiththeterribleOlivierleDaim.

Twobeautifulgirlsareofthecompany，friendsofPierreGringoire，thestrollingpoet.PresentlyGringoirehimselfappears.Heisdyingofhunger;hedoesnotrecognisetheking，andheispromisedagoodsupperifhewillrecitethenewsatirical"BalladedesPendus，"whichhehasmadeatthemonarch’sexpense.Hungerovercomeshistimidity，and，addressinghimselfespeciallytotheking，heentersonthisgoodlymatter：

"Wherewidetheforestboughsarespread，WhereFlorawakeswithsylphandfay，Arecrownsandgarlandsofmendead，Allgoldeninthemorninggay;

WithinthisancientgardengreyAreclusterssuchasnomailknows，WhereMoorandSoldanbearthesway：

ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！

"Thesewretchedfolkwaveoverhead，Withsuchstrangethoughtsasnonemaysay;

Amomentstill，thensuddensped，Theyswinginaringandwasteaway.

Themorningsmitesthemwithherray;

Theytosswitheverybreezethatblows，Theydancewherefiresofdawningplay：

ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！

"Allhangedanddead，they’vesummoned（WithHelltoaid，thathearsthempray）

Newlegionsofanarmydread，Nowdowntheblueskyflamestheday;

Thedewdiesoff;thefoularrayOfobsceneravensgathersandgoes，Withwingsthatflapandbeaksthatflay：

ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！

ENVOI.

"Prince，whereleavesmurmuroftheMay，Atreeofbitterclustersgrows;

Thebodiesofmendeadarethey！

ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！

PoorGringoirehasnosoonercommittedhimself，thanheismadetorecognisetheterribleking.Hepleadsthat，ifhemustjointheghastlyarmyofthedead，heought，atleast，tobeallowedtofinishhissupper.Thisthekinggrants，andintheend，afterGringoirehaswontheheartoftheheroine，hereceiveshislifeandafairbridewithafulldowry.

GringoireisaplayverydifferentfromM.DeBanville’sotherdramas，anditisnotincludedintheprettyvolumeof"Comedies"

whichclosestheLemerreseriesofhispoems.Thepoethasoftendeclared，withaniterationwhichhasbeenparodiedbyM.Richepin，that"comedyisthechildoftheode，"andthatadramawithoutthe"lyric"elementisscarcelyadramaatall.Whilecomedyretainseitherthechoralodeinitsstrictform，oritsrepresentativeintheshapeoflyricenthusiasm（lelyrisme），comedyiscompleteandliving.Gringoire，toourmind，hasplentyoflyricenthusiasm;butM.DeBanvilleseemstobeofadifferentopinion.Hisrepublished"Comedies"aremoreremotefromexperiencethanGringoire，hischaractersareidealcreatures，familiartypesofthestage，likeScapinand"lebeauLeandre，"oretherealpersons，orfiguresofoldmythology，likeDianainDianeauBois，andDeidamiainthepiecewhichshowsAchillesamongwomen.M.DeBanville’sdramashavescarcelyproseenoughinthemtosuitthemoderntaste.Theyaremasquesforthedelicatediversionofanhour，anditisnotinthenatureofthingsthattheyshouldrivalthesuccessofblatantbuffooneries.Hisearliestpieces——LeFeuilletond’Aristophane（actedattheOdeon，Dec.26th，1852），andLeCousinduRoi（Odeon，April4th，1857）——werewrittenincollaborationwithPhiloxeneBoyer，agenerousbutindiscreetpatronofsingers.

"DanslessalonsdePhiloxeneNousetionsquatre—vingtrimeurs，"

M.DeBanvillewrote，parodyingthe"quatre—vingtramuers"ofVictorHugo.ThememoryofM.Boyer’senthusiasmforpoetryandhisamiablehospitalityarenotunlikelytosurvivebothhiscompositionsandthoseinwhichM.DeBanvilleaidedhim.ThelatterpoetbegantowalkaloneasaplaywrightinLeBeauLeandre（Vaudeville，1856）——apiecewithscarcelymoresubstancethantheFrenchscenesintheoldFranco—Italiandramapossess.Wearetakenintoanimpossibleworldofgaynon—morality，whereawickedoldbourgeois，Orgon，hisdaughterColombine，aprettyflirt，andherloverLeandre，alight—heartedscamp，bustlethroughtheirlittlehour.Leandre，whohasnonotionofbeingmarried，says，"Lecieln’estpaspluspurquemesintentions."AndtheartlessColombinereplies，"Alorsmarions—nous！"TomarryColombinewithoutadowryforms，asamodernnovelistsays，"nopartofLeandre’sprofligateschemeofpleasure."Thereisasortoftrebleintrigue.OrgonwantstogiveawayColombinedowerless，Leandretoescapefromthewholetransaction，andColombinetosecureherdotandherhusband.

ThestrengthofthepieceisthebriskactioninthescenewhenLeandreproteststhathecan’trobOrgonofhisonlydaughter，andOrgoninsiststhathecanrefusenothingexcepthisducatstosocharmingason—in—law.Theplayisredeemedfromsordidnessbythecostumes.LeandreisdressedintheattireofWatteau’s"L’Indifferent"intheLouvre，andwearsadiamond—hiltedsword.

TheladywhoplaysthepartofColombinemayselect（delightfulprivilege！）theprettiestdressinWatteau’scollection.

ThisloveoftheglitterofthestageisverycharacteristicofDeBanville.InhisDeidamie（Odeon，Nov.18th，1876）theplayerswhotooktherolesofThetis，Achilles，Odysseus，Deidamia，andtherest，wereaccoutredinsemi—barbaricraimentandarmouroftheperiodimmediatelyprecedingtheGraeco—Phoenician（abouttheeighthcenturyB.C.）.Againwenoticethetouchofpedantryinthepoet.

Asfortheplay，thesombrethreadinitislentbythecertaintyofAchilles’earlydeath，thefatewhichdriveshimfromDeidamie’sarms，andfromtheseaking’sisletotheleaguesunderthefatalwallsofIlion.Ofcomiceffectthereisplenty，forthesistersofDeidamieimitatealltheactsbywhichAchillesislikelytobetrayhimself——grasptheswordamongtheinsidiouspresentsofOdysseus，whenheseizesthespear，anddrinkeachoneofthemahugebeakerofwinetotheconfusionoftheTrojans.{1}OnaParisianaudiencetheimitationsofthetoneoftheOdysseymusthavebeenthrownaway.Forexample，hereisapassagewhichisasnearbeingHomericasFrenchversecanbe.Deidamieisspeakinginamelancholymood：

"Heureuxlesepouxroisassisdansleurmaison，Quivoienttranquillements’enfuirchaquesaison—

L’epouxtenantsonsceptre，environnedegloire，Etl’epousefilantsaquenouilled’ivoire！

Maislejeuneherosque，laglaiveesonfranc！

Courtdanslenoircombat，lesmainsteintesdesang，Laissesafemmeenpleursdanssahautedemeure."

Withtheaccustomedpedantry，M.DeBanville，inthesceneofthebanquet，makesthecup—bearergorounddealingoutalittlewine，withwhichlibationismade，andthenthefeastgoesoninproperHomericfashion.Theseoverwroughtdetailsareforgotteninthepartingscenes，whereDeidamietakeswhatsheknowstobeherlastfarewellofAchilles，andgirdshimwithhissword：

"Lalamedel’epee，ensaformedivineEstpareilleelafeuilleausteredulaurier！"

LetitbenotedthateachofM.DeBanville’smoreseriousplaysendswiththesamescene，withslightdifferences.InFlorise（neverputonthestage）thewanderingactressofHardy’stroupeleavesherlover，theyoungnoble，andtheshelterofhiscastle，tofollowwhereartandhergeniusbeckonher.InDianeauBoisthegoddess"thatleadsthepreciselife"turnsherbackonEros，whohassubduedevenher，andpassesfromthesceneasshewavesherhandinsignofafarewellineffablymournful.NearertragedythanthisM.DeBanvilledoesnotcaretogo;andifthereisanydeepertragedyinscenesofbloodandinstagesstrewnwithcorpses，fromthatheabstains.HisFloriseisperhapstoolong，perhapstoolearned;andcertainlyweareaskedtobelievetoomuchwhenakindofetherealisedConsueloissetbeforeusastheprimadonnaofoldHardy’stroupe：

"MaisFlorisen’estpasunefemme.JesuisL’harmonieusevoixquebercevosennuis;

JesuislalyreauxsonsdiversquelepoeteFaitresonneretquisansluiseraitmuette—

Unecomedienneenfin.JenesuispasUnefemme."

AnactresswhowasnotawomanhadlittletodointhecompanyofScarron’sAngeliqueandMademoiselledel’Estoile.Florise，inshort，issomewhattooallegoricalandhaughtyacreature;whileColombineandNerine（Vaudeville，June1864）arerathertricksyimpsthanwomenoffleshandblood.M.DeBanville’sstage，onthewhole，isoneofglitterandfantasy;yetheistoomuchaGreekfortheagethatappreciates"labelleHelene，"toomuchalyricdramatisttopleasethecontemporariesofSardou;helendstoomuchsentimentanddaintyrefinementtocharactersasflimsyasthoseofOffenbach’sdrama.

LikeotherFrenchpoets，M.DeBanvillehasoccasionallydeignedtowritefeuilletonsandcriticisms.Notmanyofthesescatteredleavesarecollected，butonevolume，"LaMerdeNice"（Poulet—

MalassisetDeBroise，Paris，1861），maybereadwithpleasureevenbyjealousadmirersofGautier’ssuccessasachronicleroftheimpressionsmadebysouthernscenery.

ToDeBanville（hedoesnotconcealit）ajourneytoaplacesofarfromParisastheRivierawasnoslightlabour.Evenfromtheroses，thepalms，thesirensea，thewellsofwaterunderthefrondsofmaiden—hairfern，hismindtravelsbackwistfullytothecityofhislove.

"Iam，Ihavealwaysbeen，oneofthosedevoteesofPariswhovisitGreeceonlywhentheygazeontheface，sofairandsoterrible，ofthetwice—victoriousVenusoftheLouvre.OneofthoseobstinateadorersofmytownamI，whowillneverseeItaly，saveintheglassthatreflectsthetawnyhairofTitian’sViolante，orinthatdreadisleofAlcinouswhereLionardoshowsyouthemountainpeaksthatwaverinthebluebehindthemysteriousMonnaLisa.ButtheFacultyofPhysicians，whichhas，Iown，therighttobesceptical，doesnotbelievethatneuralgiacanbehealedbythehighsunwhichTitianandVeronesehavefixedonthecanvas.TometheFacultyprescribestherealsunofnatureandoflife;andhereamI，condemnedtolearninsufferingallthatpassesinthemindofapoetofParisexiledfromthatblessedplacewherehefindstheCycladesandtheislandsblossoming，thevaleofAvalon，andalltheheavenlyhomesofthefairiesofexperienceanddesire."

NiceisTomitothisOvid，buthemakesthebestofit，andsendstotheeditoroftheMoniteurlettersmuchmoredivertingthanthe"Tristia."Totellthetruth，heneverovercomeshisamazementatbeingoutofParisstreets，andinagladeofthelowerAlpshelovestoberemindedofhisdearcityofpleasure.OnlyundertheolivesofMonaco，thosesolemnandancienttrees，hefeelswhatsurelyallmenfeelwhowalkatsunsetthroughtheirshadow——thememoryofamysterioustwilightofagonyinanolivegarden.

"Etceux—ci，lespalesoliviers，n’est—cepasdecesheuresdesoleesou，commetorturesupreme，leSauveuracceptaitensonamel’irreparablemiseredudoute，n’est—cepasalorsqu’ilontapprisdeluiecourberlefrontsouslepoidsimperieuxdessouvenirs？"

ThepageswhichM.DeBanvilleconsecratestotheVillaSardou，whereRacheldied，maydisenchant，perhaps，somereadersofMr.

MatthewArnold’ssonnet.ThesceneofRachel’sdeathhasbeenspoiledby"improvements"intootheatricaltaste.Allthesenotes，however，weremademanyyearsago;andvisitorsoftheRiviera，thoughtheywillfindthelittlebookcharmingwhereitspeaksofseasandhills，willlearnthatFrancehasgreatlychangedthecitywhichshehasannexed.AsapracticalmanandaParisian，DeBanvillehasprinted（pp.179—81）arecipefortheconcoctionoftheMarseillesdish，bouillabaisse，themessthatThackeray’sballadmadesofamous.Ittakesgenius，however，tocookbouillabaisse;

and，toparodywhatDeBanvillesaysabouthisownrecipeformakingamechanical"ballade，""enemploymentcemoyen，onestsurdefaireunemauvaise，irremediablementmauvaisebouillabaisse."Thepoetaddstheremarkthat"unebouillabaissereussievautunsonnetsansdefaut."

ThereremainsonefieldofM.DeBanville’sactivitytobeshortlydescribed.Ofhis"EmauxParisiens，"shortstudiesofcelebratedwriters，weneedsaynomorethanthattheyarewrittenincarefulprose.M.DeBanvilleisnotonlyapoet，butinhis"PetitTraitedePoesieFrancaise"（Bibliothequedel’EchodelaSorbonne，s.d.）ateacherofthemechanicalpartofpoetry.Hedoesnot，ofcourse，advanceaparadoxlikethatofBaudelaire，"thatpoetrycanbetaughtinthirtylessons."Hemerelyinstructshispupilinthematerialpart——thescansion，metres，andsoon——ofFrenchpoetry.

Inthislittleworkheintroducesthese"traditionalformsofverse，"whichoncecausedsometalkinEngland：therondel，rondeau，ballade，villanelle，andchantroyal.Itmaybeworthwhiletoquotehistestimonyastothemeritofthesemodesofexpression."Thisclusterofformsisoneofourmostprecioustreasures，foreachofthemformsarhythmicwhole，completeandperfect，whileatthesametimetheyallpossessthefreshandunconsciousgracewhichmarkstheproductionsofprimitivetimes."

Now，thereissometruthinthiscriticism;foritisamarkofman’searlyingenuity，inmanyarts，toseekcomplexity（whereyouwouldexpectsimplicity），andyettolendtothatcomplexityaninfantinenaturalness.Onecanseethisphenomenoninearlydecorativeart，andinearlylawandcustom，andeveninthecomplicatedstructureofprimitivelanguages.Now，justasearly，andevensavage，racesareourmastersinthedecorativeuseofcolourandofcarving，sothenamelessmaster—singersofancientFrancemaybeourteachersindecorativepoetry，thepoetrysomecallversdesociete.Whetheritispossibletogobeyondthis，andadapttheoldFrenchformstoseriousmodernpoetry，itisnotforanyonebuttimetodecide.Inthismatter，asingreateraffairs，securusjudicatorbisterrarum.FormyownpartIscarcelybelievethattherevivalwouldservethenoblerendsofEnglishpoetry.NowletuslistenagaintoDeBanville.

"Intherondel，asintherondeauandtheballade，alltheartistobringintherefrainwithouteffort，naturally，gaily，andeachtimewithnoveleffectandwithfreshlightcastonthecentralidea."

Now，youcanTEACHnoonetodothat，andM.DeBanvilleneverpretendstogiveanyrecipesforcookingrondelsorballadesworthreading."WithoutpoeticVISIONallismeremarqueteryandcabinet—

maker’swork：thatis，sofaraspoetryisconcerned——nothing."Itisbecausehewasapoet，notamerecraftsman，thatVillonwasandremainstheking，theabsolutemaster，ofballad—land."Abouttherondeau，M.DeBanvilleaversthatitpossesses"nimblemovement，speed，grace，lightnessoftouch，and，asitwere，anancientfragranceofthesoil，thatmustcharmallwholoveourcountryandourcountry’spoetry，initseveryage."Asforthevillanelle，M.

DeBanvilledeclaresthatitisthefairestjewelinthecasketofthemuseErato;whilethechantroyalisakindoffossilpoem，arelicofanagewhenkingsandallegoriesflourished."Thekingsandthegodsaredead，"likePan;oratleastwenolongerfindthemable，bytouchroyalordivine，toreanimatethemagnificentchantroyal.

ThisisM.DeBanville’sapologyinprolyrasua，thatlightlyreofmanytones，inwhosejingletheeternalnoteofmodernsadnessisheardsorarely.IfhehasalessontoteachEnglishversifiers，surelyitisalessonofgaiety.Theyareonlytoofondofrueandrosemary，andnowandthenpreferthecypresstothebay.M.DeBanville’smuseiscontenttowearrosesinherlocks，andperhapsmayretain，formanyyears，alaurelleaffromtheancientlaureltreewhichonceshelteredthepoetatTurbia.

HOMERANDTHESTUDYOFGREEK

TheGreeklanguageisbeingoustedfromeducation，here，inFrance，andinAmerica.Thespeechoftheearliestdemocraciesisnotdemocraticenoughformodernanarchy.Thereisnothingtobegained，itissaid，byaknowledgeofGreek.WehavenottofightthebattleoflifewithHellenicwaiters;and，evenifwehad，Romaic，ormodernGreek，ismuchmoreeasilylearnedthantheoldclassicaltongue.Thereasonofthiscomparativeeasewillbeplaintoanyonewho，retainingavaguememoryofhisGreekgrammar，takesupamodernGreeknewspaper.Hewillfindthattheidiomsofthemodernnewspaperaretheidiomsofallnewspapers，thatthegrammaristhegrammarofmodernlanguages，thattheopinionsareexpressedinbarbaroustranslationsofbarbarousFrenchandEnglishjournalisticclichesorcommonplaces.ThisuglyandundignifiedmixtureoftheancientGreekcharacters，andofancientGreekwordswithmoderngrammarandidioms，andstereotypedphrases，isextremelydistastefultothescholar.ModernGreek，asitisatpresentprinted，isnotthenaturalspokenlanguageofthepeasants.

YoucanreadaGreekleadingarticle，thoughyoucanhardlymakesenseofaGreekruralballad.Thepeasantspeechisathingofslowdevelopment;thereisabasisofancientGreekinit，withlargeelementsofSlavonic，Turkish，Italian，andotherimposedorimportedlanguages.ModernliteraryGreekisahybridofrevivedclassicalwords，blendedwiththeidiomsofthespeecheswhichhavearisensincethefalloftheRomanEmpire.Thus，thankstothemodernandfamiliarelementinit，modernGreek"assheiswrit"ismuchmoreeasilylearnedthanancientGreek.Consequently，ifanyonehasneedforthespeechinbusinessortravel，hecanacquireasmuchofitasmostofushaveofFrench，withconsiderableease.

PeoplethereforearguethatancientGreekisparticularlysuperfluousinschools.Whywastetimeonit，theyask，whichcouldbeexpendedonscience，onmodernlanguages，oranyotherbranchofeducation？Thereisagreatdealofjusticeinthisposition.Thegenerationofmenwhoarenowmiddle—agedbestowedmuchtimeandlabouronGreek;andinwhat，itmaybeasked，aretheybetterforit？Veryfewofthem"keepuptheirGreek."Say，forexample，thatonewasinaformwithfiftyboyswhobeganthestudy——itisoddsagainstfiveofthesurvivorsstillreadingGreekbooks.Theworldlyadvantagesofthestudyareslight：itmayleadthreeofthefiftytoagooddegree，andonetoafellowship;butgooddegreesmaybetakeninothersubjects，andfellowshipsmaybeabolished，or"nationalised，"withallotherformsofproperty.

Then，whymaintainGreekinschools？Onlyaveryminutepercentageoftheboyswhoaretormentedwithitreallylearnit.Onlyastillsmallerpercentagecanreaditaftertheyarethirty.Onlyoneortwogainanymaterialadvantagebyit.Inverytruth，mostmindsarenotframedbynaturetoexcelandtodelightinliterature，andonlytosuchmindsandtoschoolmastersisGreekvaluable.