Janus-faced poems, or: Marot's double speech
Because of the religious troubles of
the times, Marot himself got into trouble several times (see the
short biography). During his exile he was well
looked after by two Grand Ladies of the French nobility: first he found shelter
with Marguerite of Navarra, and from Spring 1534 to Summer 1536 he moved to
another member of the Royal family: Renée de France, married to the Duke of
Ferrara. Both Courts were famous/notorious for the Evangelical or Reformed
atmosphere. This had nothing to do with John Calvin yet, since he was only a
young unknown scholar then. Among friends Marot openly aired his feelings about
the Church and Religion. Certainly in Ferrara the French Courtiers formed a kind
of Evangelical community and Renée celebrated Mass with a personal adapted
(reformed) liturgy.
Two poems by Marot, both dating from
the time of his exile and both addressed to the protectrice of so many refugees,
Renée de France exist in two versions: one overtly Evangelical, the other
politically and religiously correct: the Avant–naissance (a solemn chant
celebrating the imminent birth of Renée’s third child) and an Epistle to
Renée, send from Venice to Ferrara, which at first sight reports the
beauties and vices of Venice.The original versions are overtly Evangelical and
both include sharp anti–papal passages and vehement attacks on the existing
Church as such. These passages are absent in the second versionn we know of, and
this is not much of a surprise, since these edulcorated versions are known from
an anthology offered to the
Constable of France, Anne de
Montmorency in 1538. And this very powerful man was combative and intransigent
in matters of religion. Whether either version was known in Marot’s days cannot
be said, except that the official (i.e., expurgated) version of the
Avant–naissance
appeared in print posthumously in 1547.[1]
In the Avant–naissance the
imminent birth of Renée’s child heralds a new era (a typical topos embroidering
on and referring to Virgil’s aurea aetas, the golden age from the past of
which the return is imminent...). This new era will be an age of enlightenment
(‘la grand lumière,’ vv. 4–5, returning in the final line: v. 74). In the
original version the new light is coming from two sources: the Renaissance of
the Arts (vv. 19–28) and the Reformation of the Church (vv. 51–60).
The last is characterised by the unveiling of the Truth (‘verité revellée’ v.
51) and the concordant destruction of the papal tyranny (phrases like ‘beste
sans raison’; ‘grand enemy de ta noble maison’; ‘triple creste’ vv. 55–58 are
passed in review).[2]
This passage is not present in the version offered to Montmorency, who was not a
fan of the Pope either, but would never have accepted an equation of the Pope
with the Antichrist as presented in this passage. It is replaced by a more
general description of nature.
Marot’s Epistle to Renée 'envoyée de Venize' has a
similar twofold redaction, with a more elaborate and detailed attack on the
corruption in/of the Church, a corruption originating once more in Rome. In this
epistle the splendours of Venice are evoked, but this literary exercise seems to
serve as a pretext to embark on a critique of the materialism, lack of love for
the neighbour (charity) and the general low moral standards (acceptance of
fornication) of the Venetians, a lifestyle labeled 'Epicurism'.
The two versions of the texts speak for themselves if
juxtaposed; One only has to read them, compare them, and let the differences
sink in. Since in critical editions this generally is not possible (one has
to construct the alternative text based on footnotes or endnotes, or - in
the best case: in an appendix), I decided to publish them on the internet,
where in matters of layout much more is possible than in paperprint.
Update 2022:
Guillaume Berthon did it properly, based on the manuscripts. Published as a
Chapter « The
Duchess and the Poet: Re-Reading Variants of Two Poems Written in Exile by Clément Marot to Renée de France in Relation to Ongoing Diplomatic Negotiations (1535-1538) »,
Representing the Life and Legacy of Renée de France: from Fille de France to
Dowager Duchess,
Kelly Digby Peebles et Gabriella Scarlatta (éd.), New York, Palgrave
Macmillan, 2021, p. 127-165.
- Avant naissance du troiziesme enfant de Madame la
Duchesse de Ferrare
- Epistre envoyée de Venize à Madame la Duchesse de
Ferrare
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