Jean Lemaire of Belgians

Jean Lemaire , (1473 - 1524) is a Poète and a chronicler of French expression, born is with Bavay (where a college bears its name), either with Hargnies, or with Belgians, a hamlet of the Hainaut, according to the sources. It will be made call later Jean Lemaire of Belgians , in reference to the mythical Gallic king Belgius, supposed founder of Bavay.

Its life

This disciple of Cretin and Molinet was the nephew of the chronicler and poet Jean Molinet. Both were taken, well in spite of them, in an argument well forgotten today: the “great quarrel of the Rhetoriqueurs”. Supreme dishonor, they were even treated of “more Grands Rhetoriqueurs” because for some: “their prose exceed theirs towards”.

It makes its Valencian studies with near his uncle Jean Molinet. Jean, after having received a brilliant education (he spoke several languages), entered, in 1498, with the service of the duke Pierre II of Bourbon as a clerk of finances. It is in 1503, at the time of the death of its guard, whom it gave the first of his poems, the Temple of honor and the virtues , Panégyrique of the duke of Bourbon addressed to his widow Anne de Beaujeu. Poignant poem, if it of is, even if much thinks that he exaggerated, for conventional reasons, the pain of the widow. The same year, it composed the complaint of desired the where it deplores the death of Louis of Luxembourg-Ligny. It continues its career of poet at the time of the death of Philibert II of Savoy, in 1504.

This same year, it is attached to the house of Marguerite of Austria, controlling of the Netherlands, whose his/her uncle was librarian. He wrote in his honor his books of the regrets on the death of king d' Espagne, Philippe 1 {{er}}, brother of Marguerite, and his two epistles of the green lover (makes the favorite parrot of Marguerite of it). It is the first writer to define in a rich and developed way one of the directions of the word Wallons.

With died his uncle Molinet, he inherited his load of librarian and became, in 1508, indicial of the House of Burgundy and historiographer of Marguerite. At this point in time it began its work entitled the illustration of Gaules of which the first part appeared in 1509 and the second 3 years afterwards. When Jean had been established in France, the king Louis XII (1462 - 1515) offered to him, in 1513, the place of historiographer of the King. This king charged it with several missions in Italy and it took the feather for the king of France against the pope. With died of Louis XII, it lost his place of historiographer and, rejected by the Church, it was quickly tiny room to a life of misery.

Works

the Temple of Honor and Virtue , written in 1503 at the time of the death of the duke of Bourbon in October 1503.
the Complaint of Desired the , two months later for the count de Ligny (1504).
the Crown Margaritique (1504, but published about 1549, in Lyon, following the redécouverte of the manuscript close to Mâcon), devoted to Philibert II of Savoy (death in 1504) and to its widow, Marguerite of Austria.
First Epistle of the green Lover (1505).
Regrets of the unfortunate lady on the demise of sound very dear brother (1506), devoted to Marguerite of Austria.
the Songs of Namur (1507), celebrates a victory of Burgundian peasants over French knights.
the Harmony of mankind , composed to celebrate the treaties of Cambric (December 1508) signed during the wars of Italy by a coalition including/understanding the pope Jules II, Ier of the Saint Worsens|[Maximilien Ier] and Ferdinand II the Catholic, leagued against Venice.
the Legend of Venetian the (1510), lampoon against the Republic of Venice to the profit of Louis XII.
the Epistles of the green Lover (1510), the epistles in love inherited Ovide (Héroïdes) are with the mode at the beginning of XVIe century. Jean Lemaire supposes that the parrot of Marguerite de Navarre, devoured by a dog, is in fact committed suicide because of the desperate love which it dedicates to his mistress.
the Treated difference of the schisms and councils (1511) is a violent one plea gallican after the reversal of the pope against France.
Its de Gaulle Illustration and Singularité of Troy appears in 1511 (first book) and 1512 (second and third books). It is about a mythical fresco in prose which being based on various legends claims to make the account of the Gallic nation then French and to show the Trojan ascent of the Francs, theory sails very about it at the time. Going back to the Flood, he seeks to show that the Gaulois are the direct descent of Noah and that they are at the origin of the foundation of Troy. In addition, the Francs result according to him, from Francus, wire of Hector, saved death by Jupiter. Francus sailed of Troy until in Gaulle to found a named city Paris, in memory of his/her uncle, the kidnapper of Helene. This legend told in the Chronicle of the pseudo-Frédégaire dating from the 7th century will be taken again later by Ronsard in Franciade in 1572. Illustrations of Gaules and singularitez of Troye (1512) is its most important work. Pasquier will say some: “I rent it to have enriched the French language by an infinity of beautiful features as well in prose as in worms”. It is in this work which it gives the first precise definition that one gave of the term Wallons, gentilé of Wallonia
the Promptuaire of the councils of the Catholic church (1512).
Conte of Cupido and Atropos (1512), tale moralizer in worms on the evil of Naples, the Syphilis, that the French claimed to have brought back wars of Italy.
Treated Harmony of the two languages . This test of philology in worms and prose announces work of humanistic 16th century. It treats competition of the languages French and Italian, in a text made up for a share of Italian tercets and other of French alexandrines which intends to contribute to the good agreement of the two languages.

& was written for purposes of glorifier Marguerite of Austria.
& was written, certainly on order, against the Papauté.

Text

Song of Galathée, shepherdess

leafy Trees, covered greenery,

When the winter lasts one sees you sorry,

But maintaining any you does not endure

Nulle laidure, ains gives you natural

Riche painting and florets with all,

you lez do not shake, do not tremble, do not collapse,

be interfered joy and flourissance:

Zéphire is known giving to the flowers issance.

Gentes bergerettes,

Speaking about Young passing fancies

Below the coudrettes

and tendrettes,

Gathers pretty flowers:

Raspberries, dry stone walls,

Round Apples and poirettes

and durettes,

Florets and flowerets

Without melancholy.

On the gold foil And sinople courtyards vêtus

around the entellettes

Of seven colors according to the seven virtues

Will be vêtus. And of not twisted snap rings,

Right and pointed, will make seven corbeillettes;

Violets, at the number of honest planets,

Fort will put in rondelet,

to make in Pan a pretty chain.

Là will come dryades

And hamadryades,

Making under feuillades

Ris and réveillades

With other fairies.

Là will make naïades

And Oréades,

Dessus the herbades,

Aubades, gambades,

Of joy overheated.

When Aurora, the princess of the flowers,

Makes the color to boutonceaux bearded,

the night flees avecques its pains;

Ainsi makes tears, sadnesses and misfortunes,

And is values in force without abuse,

meadows herbus and noble vergiers

Who are in Pan and his bergiers.

Chouettes flees,

Couleuvres are étuient,

Cruels wolves flee,

Pastoureaux huient them

And Pan continues them.

the oiselets bruyent,

the stags with wood ruyent

the fields are enjolient,

All elements laugh

When shone Aurora.

Recognition

Clément Marot will imitate his Temple of Venus in the Harmony of the two languages
Joachim of Bellay will pay to him the homage of the Pléiade, Guillaume Crétin described it as “monarch of French rhetoric”.

He can be attached to the Grands Rhetoriqueurs, but also announces to a certain extent the humanism of the Pléiade from his taste for the Antiquité, his concern of the rate/rhythm and the choice of the vocabulary and his poetic art which militates for the French language.

Its contribution

“For”

For Pasquier as for Joachim of Bellay, it enriched the French language by an infinity of beautiful features as well in prose as in worms.
For Pierre Larousse: “The worms of the Mayor are of a good invoice and contain clever allegories. He had, moreover the merit to announce the falling bad impression of the caesuras on dumb syllables, and Marot, struck this observation, made of it a law which the use has consacrée."

The “quarrel of the Rhetoriqueurs”

This name comes from the “second rhetoric”, which codifies poetry then. One initially reproaches them for being too close (and thus too obliging) with the powerful ones of the time: the Prince S. Certes, the Mayor, Marot, Molinet, etc are not Villon or Abélard… Poètes from court, they do not form really a literary school, but, close to the capacity, as diplomats, indicial (historiographers) or secretaries, they communicate between them and adopt principles of comparable writing.

Innovators, they affirm their technical virtuosity in poems full and overloaded, being played of the words (and the evils) in force Métaphore S and plays poetic (Acrostiche S, Palindrome S, équivoquées rhymes, will fatras, abrupt change of subject…).

For some, this virtuosity is antonym of the poetry which requires first of all, " sincerity and spontaneité". But isn't this precisely this same virtuosity which - by exploring the potentialities of the French language to a period-key, where this one is right in court to be stabilized - makes it possible these poets to illustrate this language in the most beautiful way and simultaneously to collect some to hoir it medieval come from the Chartier, of Meung, Villon,…? Heritage, that Clement Marot and its disciples will perpetuate and vivify with the following generation?

Sent to the “oubliettes of the literary history”, according to the word of Holy-Beuve, the Rhétoriqueurs are currently redécouverts by the researchers after being scorned a long time by the critic.

Sources

Marcel Francon, “harmony of the two languages per Jean Lemaire of Belgians”, in Modern Language Notes , vol. 64, n° April 4th, th and th 1949, pp. 280-282
Jean Frappier. epistles of the green lover by Jean Lemaire of Belgians , Paris, Droz Editions, 1947

External bonds

Numeric library Gallica
Living room of the book of Ain
a poem

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