第9章

Ah！wretchedme！whathaveIbuttodie?

SinceIhavelostmyloveforevermore！”

ThewholeofthepoemwasafterwardstranslatedintomodemFrench，and，thoughsomewhatartificial，itbecameaspopularinthenorthasinthesouth。

Jasmin’ssuccessinhisnativetown，andhisgrowingpopularity，encouragedhimtoproceedwiththemakingofverses。Hispoemswereoccasionallyinsertedinthelocaljournals；buttheeditorsdidnotapproveofhisuseoftheexpiringGascondialect。TheywereofopinionthathisworksmightbebetterappreciatediftheyappearedinmodernFrench。Gasconwastoalargeextentaforeignlanguage，andgreatlyinterferedwithJasmin’snationalreputationasapoet。

Neverthelessheheldonhisway，andcontinuedtowritehisversesinGascon。Theycontainedmanypersonallyrics，tributes，dedications，hymnsforfestivals，andimpromptus，scarcelyworthyofbeingcollectedandprinted。Jasminsaidofthelastdescriptionofverse：”Onecanonlypayapoeticaldebtbymeansofimpromptus，andthoughtheymaybegoodmoneyoftheheart，theyarealmostalwaysbadmoneyofthehead。”

Jasmin’snextpoemwasTheCharivari(LouCharibari)，alsowritteninGascon。Itwascomposedin1825，whenhewastwenty-sevenyearsold；anddedicatedtoM。Duprount，theAdvocate，whowashimselfapoetaster。Thededicationcontainedsomefinepassagesofgenuinebeautyandgracefulversification。

ItwasinsomerespectsanimitationoftheLutrinofBoileau。

Itwasverydifferentfromthedoggerelinwhichhehadtakenpartwithhishumpbackedfathersolongago。Thenhehadblownthecow-horn，nowhespokewiththetongueofatrumpet。

TheheroofJasmin’sCharivariwasoneAduber，anoldwidower，whodreamtofremarrying。ItremindedoneofthestrainsofBeranger；inotherpassagesofthemock-heroicpoemofBoileau。

Thoughthepoemwhenpublishedwasreadwithmuchinterest，itwasnotnearlysopopularasMecalMouri。Thislast-mentionedpoem，hisfirstpublishedwork，touchedtheharpofsadness；whilehisCharivaridisplayedtheplayfulnessofjoy。

Thus，atthebeginningofhiscareer，Jasminrevealedhimselfasapoetintwoverydifferentstyles；inone，touchingthespringsofgrief，andintheotherexhibitingbrightnessandhappiness。

AttheendofthesameyearhesoundedhisthirdanddeepestnoteinhispoemOntheDeathofGeneralFoy——oneofFrance’struestpatriots。Nowhislyrewascomplete；ithaditsthreestrings——ofsadness，joy，andsorrow。

Thesethreepoems——MecalMouri，theCharivari，andtheodeOntheDeathofGeneralFoy，withsomeotherverses——werepublishedin1825。Whatwastobethetitleofthevolume?

AsAdam，thecarpenter-poetofNevers，hadentitledhisvolumeofpoetry’Shavings，’soJasmindecidedtonamehiscollection’TheCurl-papersofJasmin，CoiffeurofAgen。’Thetitlewasagoodone，andthesubsequentvolumesofhisworkswereknownasLaPapillotos(theCurl-papers)ofJasmin。ThepublicationofthisfirstvolumeservedtomakeJasmin’snamepopularbeyondthetowninwhichtheyhadbeencomposedandpublished。HisfriendM。Gazesaidofhim，thatduringtheyear1825hehadbeenmarryinghisrazorwiththeswan’squill；andthathishandofvelvetinshavingwasevensurpassedbyhisskillinverse-making。

CharlesNodier，hisoldfriend，whohadenteredthebarber’sshopsomeyearsbeforetointercedebetweenthepoetandhiswife，soundedJasmin’spraisesintheParisjournals。

HeconfessedthathehadbeengreatlystruckwiththeCharivari，andboldlydeclaredthatthelanguageoftheTroubadours，whicheveryonesupposedtobedead，wasstillinfulllifeinFrance；

thatitnotonlylived，butthatatthatverymomentapoorbarberatAgen，withoutanyinstructionbeyondthatgivenbythefields，thewoods，andtheheavens，hadwrittenaserio-comicpoemwhich，attheriskofbeingthoughtcrazybyhiscolleaguesoftheAcademy，heconsideredtobebettercomposedthantheLutrinofBoileau，andevenbetterthanoneofPope’smasterpieces，theRapeoftheLock。

ThefirstvolumeofthePapillotessoldverywell；andthereceiptsfromitssalenotonlyincreasedJasmin’sincome，butalsoincreasedhisnationalreputation。Jasminwasnot，however，elatedbysuccess。Heremainedsimple，frugal，honest，andhard-working。Hewasnotcarriedoffhisfeetbyeclat。

Thoughmanyillustriousstrangers，whenpassingthroughAgen，calleduponandinterviewedthepoeticalcoiffeur，hequietlywentbacktohisrazors，hiscombs，andhisperiwigs，andcheerfullypursuedthebusinessthathecouldalwaysdependuponinhistimeofneed。

FootnotestoChapterV。

[1]Hallam’s’MiddleAges，’iii。434。12thedit。(Murray。)

[2]Hiswordsarethese：”Laconceptionm’enfutsuggereeparmesetudessurlavieillelanguefrancaiseoulangued’oil。

Jefussifrappedesliensquiunissentlefrancaismoderneaufrancaisancien，j’apercustantdecasoulessensetdeslocutionsdujournes’expliquentqueparlessensetleslocutionsd’autrefois，tantd’exemplesoulaformedesmotsn’estpasintelligiblesanslesformesquiontprecede，qu’ilmesemblaqueladoctrineetmemel’usagedelalanguerestentmalassiss’ilsnereposentsurleurbaseantique。”(Preface，ii。)

[3]’BearnandthePyrenees，’i。348。

[4]THIERRY——’HistoricalEssays，’No。XXIV。

[5]LesPoetesduPeupleanxix。Siecle。ParAlphonseViollet。

Paris，1846。

[6]Portraitscontemporains，ii。61(ed。1847)。

[7]’PilgrimagetoAuvergne，’ii。210。

CHAPTERVI。

MISCELLANEOUSVERSES——BERANGER——’MESSOUVENIRS’——PAULDEMUSSET。

DuringthenextfouryearsJasmincomposednoworkofspecialimportance。Heoccasionallywrotepoetry，butchieflyonlocalsubjects。In1828hewroteanimpromptutoM。Pradel，whohadimprovisedaGasconsonginhonourofthepoet。TheGasconpainter，Champmas，hadcomparedJasmintoarayofsunshine，andin1829thepoetsenthimacharmingpieceofverseinreturnforhiscompliment。

In1830JasmincomposedTheThirdofMay，whichwastranslatedintoFrenchbyM。Duvigneau。ItappearsthattheCountofDijonhadpresentedtothetownofNerac，nearAgen，abronzestatueofHenryIV。，executedbythesculptorRaggi——ofthesamecharacterasthestatueerectedtothesamemonarchatPau。

ButthoughHenryIV。wasbornatPau，Neracwasperhapsmoreidentifiedwithhim，fortherehehadhisstrongcastle，thoughonlyitsruinsnowremain。

NeracwasatonetimealmostthecentreoftheReformationinFrance。ClementMarot，thepoetoftheReformedfaith，livedthere；andthehouseofTheodoredeBeze，whoemigratedtoGeneva，stillexists。TheProtestantfaithextendedtoAgenandtheneighbouringtowns。WhentheRomanCatholicsobtainedtheupperhand，persecutionsbegan。Vindocin，thepastor，wasburnedaliveatAgen。J。J。Scaligerwasaneye-witnessoftheburning，andherecordsthefactthatnotlessthan300victimsperishedfortheirfaith。

AtalatertimeNerac，whichhadbeenaprosperoustown，wasruinedbytheRevocationoftheEdictofNantes；fortheProtestantpopulation，whohadbeenthemostdiligentandindustriousinthetownandneighbourhood，werealleither”converted，”hanged，senttothegalleys，orforcedtoemigratetoEngland，Holland，orPrussia。Nevertheless，thepeopleofNeraccontinuedtobeproudoftheiroldmonarch。

ThebronzestatueofHenryIV。wasunveiledin1829。Ononesideofthemarblepedestalsupportingthestatuewerethewords”Alumno，moxpatrinostro，Henricoquarto，”andonthereversesidewasaverseintheGascondialect：”BrabesGascons！

Amounamouperbousaoudibescreyre；

Benes！Benes！eyplazedebousbeyre！

Approucha-bous！”

Thewordswereassumedtobethoseof；HenryIV。，andmaybethustranslatedintoEnglish：”BraveGascons！

Youmaywelltrustmyloveforyou；

Come！come！Ileavetoyoumyglory！

Comenear！Approach！”[1]

ItisnecessarytoexplainhowtheverseinGasconcametobeengravedonthepedestalofthestatue。TheSocietyofAgriculture，Sciences，andArts，ofAgen，offeredaprizeof300

francsforthebestOdetothememoryofHenrytheGreat。ManypoemswereaccordinglysentintotheSociety；and，aftersomeconsideration，itwasthoughtthattheprizeshouldbeawardedtoM。JudePatissie。Butamongstthethirty-ninepoemswhichhadbeenpresentedforexamination，itwasfoundthattwohadbeenwrittenintheGascondialect。Thecommitteewereatfirstofopinionthattheycouldnotawardtheprizetotheauthorofanypoemwritteninthevulgartongue。AtthesametimetheyreportedthatoneofthepoemswritteninGasconpossessedsuchrealmerit，thatthecommitteedecidedbyaunanimousvotethataprizeshouldbeawardedtotheauthorofthebestpoemwrittenintheGascondialect。Manypoemswereaccordinglysentinandexamined。LouTresdeMaywasselectedasthebest；andontheletterattachedtothepoembeingopened，thepresidentproclaimedtheauthortobe”Jasmin，Coiffeur。”AfterthedecisionoftheSocietyatAgen，thepeopleofNeracdesiredtosettheirsealupontheirjudgment，andtheyaccordinglycausedtheabovewordstobeengravedonthereversesideofthepedestalsupportingthestatueofHenryIV。Jasmin’spoemwascrownedbytheAcademyofAgen；andthoughitcontainedmanyfineverses，ithadthesamemeritsandthesamedefectsastheCharivari，publishedafewyearsbefore。

M。Rodiere，ProfessorofLawatToulouse，wasofopinionthatduringthefouryearsduringwhichJasminproducednoworkofanyspecialimportance，hewascarefullystudyingGascon；foritoughttobeknownthatthelanguageinwhichGodolinwrotehisfinepoemsisnotwithoutitsliterature。”Thefact，”saysRodiere，”thatJasminusedsomeofhistimeinstudyingtheworksofGodolinis，thatwhileinLouCharibaritherearesomeFrenchwordsill-disguisedinaGascondress，ontheotherhand，fromtheyear1830，therearenone；andthelanguageofJasministhesameasthelanguageofGodolin，exceptforafewtriflingdifferences，duetothedifferentdialectsofAgenandToulouse。”

BesidesstudyingGascon，Jasminhadsomemilitarydutiestoperform。HewascorporalofthethirdcompanyoftheNationalGuardofAgen；andin1830headdressedhiscomradesinaseriesofverses。Oneofthesewasasongentitled’TheFlagofLiberty’(LouDrapeoudelaLibertat)；another，’TheGoodAll-mercifulGod！’(LouBounDiouliberal)；andthethirdwasLouSeromen。

Twoyearslater，in1832，JasmincomposedTheGascons，whichheimprovisedatabanquetgiventothenon-commissionedofficersofthe14thChasseurs。Ofcourse，theimprovisationwascarefullyprepared；anditwascomposedinFrench，asthenon-commissionedofficersdidnotunderstandtheGascondialect。

JasminextolledthevalouroftheFrench，andespeciallyoftheGascons。Thelastlinesofhiseulogyranasfollows：——”OLiberty！motherofvictory，Thyflagalwaysbringsussuccess！

ThoughasGasconswesingofthyglory，WechastiseourfoeswiththeFrench！”

InthesameyearJasminaddressedthepoetBerangerinapleasantpoeticalletterwritteninclassicalFrench。Berangerrepliedinprose；hisanswerwasdatedthe12thofJuly，1832。