EARLY POETRY IBD

Sinopse

Early Poetry by Auguste de Villiers de l?Isle-Adam (AD 1838-1889) was first published in 1859 (as Premières poésies in French). It contains, as explained in the preface, Villiers? poetry written before his twentieth year: 'The author of this volume is nineteen years old. - It is... with a certain modesty that he releases these first pages.' He need not have been so modest. The poetry is mature in execution and thought, rich in feeling and imagery, Romantic by and large, it anticipates the Decadents, it is something that a more seasoned poet would have been proud of, with the sometimes added benefit of the enthusiasm of youth.The poetry speaks for itself:Muse, what an admirable and rare privilege!By instinct, she shrugged her shoulders white as snowBefore all that life offers with its impure ennuis,Like a statue of sovereign forms, she accepted, With a withering smile the human miseriesAnd sorrows of obscure days.Anguish and terrors had rocked her before:As for solitude, she was weary of it,Our vain words, sorrows, sufferings, regrets,Brushed her without leaving any more of a traceThan a flight of vultures leaves on the surfaceOf the Ocean with its dark secrets.- From 'Song the Third: Compassion,' Hermosa