L'ISOLEMENT

This méditation, one of the best, was written in 1818, at sunset, upon an eminence that overlooked his father's house at Milly. The young lady Julie, who had so deeply touched the young man's life, had been dead several months, but still the wound did not heal. AU this beautiful scenery that he had formerly so much loved seemed without attraction. This mood is admirably expressed in one verse of this poem: un seul être vous manque et tout est dépeuplé. This méditation is perfect in poetical form and natural expression.

Page 1. — 1. Le fleuve aux vagues écumantes = The river with its foamy waves : descriptive use of à. 2. Au sommet, etc. The student should become familiar with the order in poetry, which déviâtes from the usual French and English prose order. See p. 144, vi. This change of order so common throughout thèse poems can be seen in several stanzas of this poem alone. Here the prose order would be : Le crépuscule jette encore un dernier rayon au sommet, etc. The form in the text, encor, found only in poetry, is here used instead of encore, to suit the measure, as encore would make one syllable too many. 3. le char . . . ombres, the half-veiled (i.e. by the clouds) chariot of the queen of night : poetical paraphrase for la lune. See p. 145, vii. .

150 MÉDITATIONS POÉTIQUES

Page 2. — 1. la cloche . . . concerts: see p. i, n. 2; prose order: la cloche rustique mêle de saints concerts aux derniers, etc. 2. l'aquilon, here poetically for the north. The ordinary meaning of the word is north wind, or any violent wind, as can be seen in the last word of this poem. In both thèse meanings the word is purely poetical. See list, p. 145, vii. 3. Que me font, what matter to me? etc. 4. Que le tour, etc. Que is the conjunction that is connected vvith the concessive subjunctives commence and s'achève. Translate : let the course of the sun either commence or end, etc. 5. D'un œil . . . cours: see p. 145, vi. 4 (2). 6. qu'il, etc.: see n. 4. Translate: let it set or rise in a clotidy or clear sky, etc. 7. Quand: translate even if : quand, when expressing a concession, is construed with the conditional.

Page 3. — 1. au delà des bornes de sa sphère limits paraîtrait : see p. 1, n. 3. 2. Sa refers to univers. 3. Lieux explains parenthetically au delà des bornes, etc. 4. terrestre séjour, poetic order, see p. 145 (4). 5. Que ne, why not? In rhetorical questions introduced by que ne (pas is omitted) the question is impatient, and expresses a regret. 6. Aurore. Aurora at the close of every night arose from the océan, and on a chariot drawn by swift horses ascended up to heaven to announce the coming light of the sun to the gods. The poet here would like to ascend upon this chariot to the vague objet de ses vœux, the departed Julie, now in heaven.

LE LAC

By common consent this poem ranks as the masterpiece of the Premières Méditations. The lake here referred to is the lake Bourget, which flows into the Rhône. Lamartine and Julie had very often strolled together on its shore. The poet now stood alone where Julie had so often accompanied him. For some reason she is not here, where she so much wished (voulait instead of devait in the first sketch of the poem) to be. They met each other for the first time here in the preceding year, in 1816, and probably arranged to meet again at this time, a year later, but for some reason she is not présent.

NOTES

He may never see her again. He knows the malady with which she is afflicted is fatal. Plere upon the shore of this beautiful lake, where so much happiness had entered into their lives, the now thoughtful lover sees how little power he has to hold on to the great blessing of his life. In thought he goes on farther, and becomes aware of the fleeting nature of ail earthly blessings. This poem is an appréhension with ail its unseen terrors, but no genuine grief that cornes from the actual death of a dear friend. We can easily see that the poem belongs to a date preceding that of L'Isolement, and is the resuit of a différent mood. In Le Lac we can almost see the poet's great fortune slip from his grasp. In L? Isolement we see the poet actually smitten with actual grief on account of the loss. Each poem is perfect in its way. This poem in a slightly différent form was found among the poet's papers after his death, bearing the date September, 1817. The death of Julie occurred in 181 8. The poem itself, thèse figures, and the gênerai ténor of the story of their love as found in Raphaël (which for very obvious reasons is not at ail reliable in détail) seem to me to warrant the interprétation as given above.

Page 4. — 1. Que, only. 2. Du rivage, etc., awoke the echoes oj the shore, charjned [by such sounds]. The shore is here personified.

Page 5. — 1. leur jours, their lives. Freelv : remove them from life zvith its consuming car es. 2. de l'heure fugitive, genitive, depending upon jouissons in next verse; jouir (de), to enjoy. 3. à long flots, in long waves. 4. de la même vitesse, with the sa me rapidity.

Page 6. — 1. que . . . jours, etc., what do you do with the days? etc. 2. Il refers to souvenir. 3. Soit, optative subjunctive used to express a wish. Translate: may it 6e, etc. 4. au front: see p. 1, n. 1. 5. l'on = on. 6. dise, to be connected with the preceding que's, is the optative subjunctive. Translate : may the wind which moans . . . may everylhing say, etc.

LE DÉSESPOIR

This powerful poem was composed in 181 8, the same year as Z' Isolevient. In his letters to his intimate friend, Aymon de Virieu, that

were written about the time he was occupied with this poem, there ig a gênerai tone of dépression. The future that is such a great question to a young man of ability seemed closed to him. Indeed, he had no prospect for any activity that suited his nature. His play Sâul, so often mentioned in his letters of this date, although it had reaped kind words from Talma, the great tragedian, was nevertheless refused, and the opening that he evidently hoped for in literature seemed shut. Here, too, we see the strained state of his feelings caused by a séparation from Julie just before her death. In his temporary despair he returned to his Méditations, and worked on this poem among others. It was thèse Méditations which grew up so naturally that soon brought him renown. There is no need of an apology for the tone of this poem. The human heart often cries out in pain and despair, and this is a masterful expression of such a state of feeling. It is none the less true because it is a passing feeling.

Page 7. — 1. eut enfanté : The preterite anterior appears in subordinate sentences, especially when thèse are introduced by quand, lorsque, après que, aussitôt que, si tôt que, and d'abord que.

2. Que with the subjunctive in imperative sensé, let destiny be, etc.

3. le Malheur : this poem was originally entitled Ode au Malheur.

4. de sa rage éternelle limits aliment: for order, see p. 145 (2).