Jean Meschinot

Jean Meschinot (1420 - 1491) is a Breton poet of French language at the court of the dukes of Brittany. He was born with the field from the Mortars, in Monnières, close to Clisson, approximately 30 kilometers in the south of Nantes, capital of the duchy, and resulted from the minor nobility.

Rider of the ducal house under Jean V, it will be in great favor under the dukes Pierre II and Arthur III, and composes Rondeau X and Ballade S. About to become " poet officiel" he knows the discredit of the duke François II and in is very affected.

He is the Master of hotel of the young person Anne of Brittany as from 1488. Died into 1491 before the marriage of Anne, he does not know annexed Brittany.

Represented in a manuscript

The poet is represented in a manuscript containing his poetries (manuscript 24314) held by the National library of France. He sat in an armchair of his library.

On its works

He has compound various ballades and rondos. He is more particularly the author of the Lunettes of the Princes (1461-1464), his principal work, a moral didactic poem mixing prose and towards, printed after his death, in 1493. Historically, it is the first printed book with Nantes, where printing works appeared only after the other Breton cities of Tréguier and Rennes (see Jean Brito).

The poet is regarded as one of the “Grands Rhetoriqueurs” of the 15th century, because of his formal audacities.

Its poem Princes who hands hold was put in music by the group Tri Yann.

Poems

Rondo of those which are keep silent

Ceulx which deussent speech are muts
The loyaulx for stupid are held;
I do not see nuls
of it Who of kindness hold more account;
Virtues go juice, pechié high goes up,
This is to you shame,
Lords grans, means and menus.

Flateurs are grans devenus
people And high estats has arrived,
Maintained,
As long as it is nothing which them surmonte.
Those which deussent speech are muts.

Us naquisms povres and nuds.
The goods are to us of God come,
Our cases congnus
Luy are for vray, I tell it to you;
Pope, emperor, roy, duke or count,
All mescompte,
As the goods are not soustenus.
Ceulx which deussent speech are muts.

Rondo in love

Will like me,
Dictate, by vostre heart?
But that I you aime
More than null anything,
Will like me?

God put so many bien
In you that it is basme,
For this I clame
Vostre. But combien
Will like me?

See too

External bonds: poems of the author

Four poems of Jean Meschinot
Other poems

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