Lyrics of the French Renaissance: Marot, Du Bellay and Ronsard

In this collection of rhymed, metrical translations of selected poems by three of France's and Western literature's most gifted poets, Norman R. Shapiro presents English versions of works by Clement Marot (1496-1544), considered by some to be the last of the mediaeval poets; Joachim Du Bellay (1525-1560); and Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585). The original French poems - more than 150 in all - and their English translations appear on facing pages. Some of the poems are very well known, while others are not so. In these translations of the poetry of the three French Renaissance poets, Shapiro seeks to maintain the rhyme and metre of the original works. He aims to adhere to the message of each poem yet avoid a slavishly literal translation. Hope Glidden's introduction, along with notes that she and Shapiro provide on the specific poems, should enhance the reader's appreciation and illuminate historical and linguistic issues relating to these lyric poems.