'The Regrets', with 'The Antiquities of Rome', Three Latin Elegies, and 'The Defense and the Enrichment of the French Language' (A Bilingual Edition) by Joachim du Bellay, Richard Helgerson

Abstract

MLR, IO 3.1, 2oo8 227 ravaged Poitiers. As 'poetes engagees', theyaddressed royalty in theirpoems. Indeed, Madeleine obtained compensation fromHenri III when Protestants destroyed her property. In terms of the third theme,plume, the intellectualwoman's relationship to her pen dominated theirworks. Not content with theirown accomplishments, they exhorted female readers to follow suit. Larsen's admirable volume makes the des Roches accessible to awider audience, and will prove an indispensable aid toundergraduate teachers. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON KATHERINE MACDONALD 'The Regrets', with 'TheAntiquities ofRome', Three Latin Elegies, and 'The Defense and theEnrichment of theFrench Language' (A Bilingual Edition). By JOACHIM DU BELLAY. Ed. and trans.by RICHARD HELGERSON. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2006. 44I PP. ?49. ISBN 978-O-8122-394I-6. This attractive volume provides a faithful modern prose translation ofmajor works by du Bellay, including threeLatin elegies written during his stay inRome ('Romae descriptio', 'AdP. Ronsardum', 'Patriae desiderium'). Richard Helgerson places the original texton the facing page throughout. The French and Latin texts are closely based on the firstprinted edition of each of theworks and retain their spelling and punctuation, with a few minor changes. The original page layout,which contributes to the sense, isalso followed fortheRegrets andA ntiquitez.The notes are kept light ('Au sonien' might be glossed inRegrets, 77, asAusonia is in 'Romae descriptio' (p. 298)), but instructive (see p. 386). Helgerson names as amodel Robert M. Durling's edition of Petrarch 's Lyric Poems (Harvard: Harvard University Press, I976). Helgerson's sensitive introduction stresses the importance ofmonarchie, du Bel lay's dream of the rebirth of the Roman Empire with France as the new Rome. He emphasizes thatno other sixteenth-century European poet wrote asmuch about Rome. No other wrote asmoving a sonnet sequence as Les Regrets or as passionate amanifesto as theDeffence. Helgerson underlines the importance of the everyday in Les Regrets and focuses on sonnet 3 I. He examines the complex Petrarchan legacy in the visionary Antiquitez. He explains why du Bellay sometimes wrote in Latin and studies the beautiful 'Patriae desiderium'. Debts to Speroni, Horace, and Ci cero in theDeffence are examined alongside du Bellay's wish to promote himself, Ronsard, and their friends.The introduction ends with theEnglish reception of du Bellay. The translation, close enough to enable thosewith basic French to follow the ori ginal, is excellent. One might quibble with 'stopper' for 'la bonde' inRegrets, I09 (p. i6o); and inAntiquitez, i8, 'braves palais' is rendered as 'brave palaces' (p. 264), which isnot as apt as 'gallant names' for 'braves noms' inRegrets, i, or as 'whowould puff themselves up' for 'qui voulussent faire des braves' in theDeffence (p. 354). In Antiquitez, 20, 'couver' is translated as 'cover' (p. 267); yet the rhythmand sense of colour are well conveyed in 30. 'La gueule et les ocieuses plumes' of theDeffence are nicely rendered as 'gluttony,and feather-bedded sloth' (p. 380). The Ciceronian 'hyulque', translated as 'choppy' (p. 396), deserved a note. There is a good annotated and critical bibliography. This is an invaluable book. BIRKBECK,UNIVERSITY OF LONDON JEAN BRAYBROOK ...