Whateverothermeritsthesongsofminorsmaypossess，theyhaveseldomthatofpermittingthemselvestoberead.\"LesCariatides\"
areexceptionalhere.Theyare，aboveallthings，readable.\"Onpeutleslireepeudefrais，\"M.DeBanvillesayshimself.Headmitsthathislighterworks，thepoemscalled（inEngland）versdesociete，areasortofintellectualcigarette.M.EmiledeGirardinsaid，inthelaterdaysoftheEmpire，thatthereweretoomanycigarettesintheair.Theirstaleperfumeclingstotheliteratureofthattime，astheodourofpastillesyethangsabouttheverseofDorat，thedesignsofEisen，theworkofthePompadourperiod.
ThereismorethansmokeinM.DeBanville’srulinginspiration，hislifelongdevotiontolettersandtogreatmenofletters——
Shakespeare，Moliere，Homer，VictorHugo.Thesearehisgods;thememoryofthemishismuse.Hisenthusiasmisworthyofonewho，thoughborntoolatetoseeandknowthenoblewildnessof1830，yetlivesontherecollections，andisstrengthenedbytheexample，ofthatrevivalofletters.Whateveronemaysayoftherenouveau，ofromanticism，withitsaffectations，theyoungmenof1830weresincereintheirdevotiontoliberty，topoetry，toknowledge.OnecanhardlyfindamorebrilliantandtouchingbeliefinthesegreatcausesthanthatofEdgarQuinet，asdisplayedinthelettersofhisyouth.DeBanvillefellonmoreeviltimes.
When\"LesCariatides\"waspublishedpoetshadbeguntokeepaneyeontheBourse，andartistsdabbledinfinance.ThenewvolumeofsonginthesordidagewasaNovemberprimrose，andnotunliketheflowerofSpring.Therewasasingularfreshnessandhopefulnessintheverse，awonderful\"certitudedansl’expressionlyrique，\"asSainte—Beuvesaid.ThemasteryofmusicalspeechandofvariousformsofsongwasalreadytoberecognisedasthebasisandthenoteofthetalentofDeBanville.Hehadstyle，withoutwhichamanmaywriteveryniceversesaboutheavenandhellandothermatters，andmaypleasethousandsofexcellentpeople，butwillwritepoetry——
never.ComparingDeBanville’sboy’sworkwiththeboy’sworkofMr.Tennyson，oneobservesineach——\"LesCariatides\"asin\"TheHesperides\"——thetimbreofanewvoice.Poetrysofreshseemstomakeusawareofsomewantwhichwehadhardlyrecognised，butnowaresensibleof，atthemomentwefinditsatisfied.
Itishardlynecessarytosaythatthisgratifyingandwelcomestrangeness，thislyricoriginality，isnearlyallthatM.DeBanvillehasincommonwiththeEnglishpoetwhosetwopricelessvolumeswerepublishedinthesameyearas\"LesCariatides？\"ThemelodyofMr.Tennyson’slines，thecloudypalacesofhisimagination，rose\"AsIlion，likeamistroseintotowers，\"
whenApollosang.Thearchitecturewasfloatingatfirst，andconfused;whilethelittletheatreofM.DeBanville’spoetry，wherehesatpipingtoadanceofnixies，wasbrilliantlylitandelegantwithfreshpaintandgilding.\"TheCariatides\"supportthepedimentandroofofatheatreortempleintheGraeco—Frenchstyle.Thepoetproposedtohimself\"AcotedeVenusetdufilsdeLatonePeindrelafeeetlaperi.\"
Thelongestpoeminthebook，andthemostserious，\"LaVoieLactee，\"remindsoneofthe\"PalaceofArt，\"writtenbeforetheafter—thought，beforethe\"white—eyedcorpses\"werefoundlurkingincorners.BeginningwithHomer，\"theIonianfatheroftherest，\"—
\"Cedieu，peredesdieuxqu’adoreIonie，\"—
thepoetglorifiesallthechiefnamesofsong.ThereisalongprocessionofillustriousshadowsbeforeShakespearecomes——
Shakespeare，whosegeniusincludesthemall.
\"Toutecreationelaquelleonaspire，Toutreve，toutechose，emanentdeShakespeare.\"
Hismindhaslentcolourtotheflowersandthesky，to\"Lafleurquibrodeunpointsurlesmanteaudesplaines，Lesnenupharspenches，etlespalesroseauxQuidisentleurchantsombreaumurmuredeseaux.\"
Onerecognisesmoresincerityinthishymntoallpoets，fromOrpheustoHeine，thanin\"LesBaisersdePierre\"——acleverimitationofDeMusset’sstoriesinverse.Loveofartandofthemastersofart，apassionforthefiguresofoldmythology，whichhadreturnedagainaftertheirexilein1830，gaiety，andarevivalofthedexterityofVillonandMarot，——thesethingsarethecharacteristicsofM.DeBanville’sgenius，andalltheseweredisplayedin\"LesCariatides.\"Already，too，hispreoccupationwiththelighterandmorefantasticsortoftheatricalamusementsshowsitselfinlineslikethese：
\"DesonlitebaldaquinLesoleildesonbeauglobeAvaitl’aird’unarlequinEtalantsagarde—robe;
\"EtsasoeuraufrontchangeantMademoisellelaLuneAvecsesgrandsyeuxd’argentRegardaitlaterrebrune.\"
Theverseabout\"thesuninbed，\"unconsciouslyMiltonic，isinaveinofbadtastewhichhasalwayshadseductionsforM.DeBanville.HemarsafinelaterpoemonRoncevauxandRolandbyasimilarabsurdity.TheangelMichaelismadetostridedownthestepsofheavenfouratatime，andM.DeBanvillefanciesthatthissortofthingislikethesimplicityoftheagesoffaith.
In\"LesCariatides，\"especiallyinthepoemsstyled\"EnHabitZinzolin，\"M.DeBanvillerevivedoldmeasures——therondeauandthe\"poorlittletriolet.\"Theseareformsofversewhichitiseasytowritebadly，andhardindeedtowritewell.TheyhaveknockedatthedooroftheEnglishmuse’sgarden——arunawayknock.In\"LesCariatides\"theytookasubordinateplace，andplayedtheirpranksintheshadowofthegravefiguresofmythology，oratthecloseoftheprocessionofDionysusandhisMaenads.DeBanvilleoftenrecallsKeatsinhischoiceofclassicalthemes.\"LesExiles，\"apoemofhismaturity，isaFrench\"Hyperion.\"\"LeTriomphedeBacchus\"remindsoneofthesongoftheBassaridsin\"Endymion\"—
\"Somany，andsomany，andsogay.\"
Thereisaprettytouchofthepedant（whoexists，saysM.DeBanville，intheheartofthepoet）inthisverse：
\"IlreveeCama，l’amourauxcinqflechesfleuries，Qui，lorsquesoupireaumilieudesrosesprairiesLadouceVasanta，parmilesbosquetsdesantal，Envoieauxcinqsenslesflechesducarquoisfatal.\"
TheBacchusofTitianhasnoneofthisOrientallanguor，nomemoriesofperfumedplaceswhere\"thethroneofIndianCamaslowlysails.\"
OnecannothelpadmiringthefancywhichsawtheconqueringgodstillsteepedinAsiaticease，stillunawakenedtomorevigorouspassionbythefreshwindblowingfromThrace.OfalltheOlympians，DianahasbeenmostoftenhymnedbyM.DeBanville：hisimaginationishauntedbythefigureofthegoddess.NowsheismanifestinherHellenicaspect，asHomerbeheldher，\"takingherpastimeinthechaseofboarsandswiftdeer;andwithherthewildwood—nymphsaresportingthedaughtersofZeus;andLetoisgladatheart，forherchildtowersoverthemall，andiseasytobeknownwhereallarefair\"（Odyssey，vi.）.Again，Artemisappearsmorethoughtful，asinthesculptureofJeanGoujon，touchedwiththesadnessofmoonlight.Yetagain，sheisthewearyandexiledspiritthathauntstheforestofFontainebleau，andisastrangeramongthewoodlandfolk，thefadesandnixies.Tothisgoddess，\"beingtripleinherdivideddeity，\"M.DeBanvillehaswrittenhishymninthecharacteristicformoftheoldFrenchballade.ThetranslatormayborrowChaucer’sapology—
\"Andeketomeitisagretepenaunce，SythrhymeinEnglishhathsuchscarseteTofolowe，wordbyword，thecuriositeOfBanville，flowerofthemthatmakeinFrance.\"
\"BALLADESURLESHOTESMYSTERIEUXDELAFORET
\"Stillsingthemockingfairies，asofold，Beneaththeshadeofthornandhollytree;
Thewestwindbreathesuponthempureandcold，AndstillwolvesdreadDianarovingfree，Insecretwoodlandwithhercompany.
Tisthoughtthepeasants’hovelsknowherriteWhennowthewoldsarebathedinsilverlight，Andfirstthemoonrisebreakstheduskygrey，Thendownthedells，withblownsofthairandbright，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway.
\"Withwater—weedstwinedintheirlocksofgoldThestrangecoldforest—fairiesdanceinglee;
Sylphsover—timorousandover—boldHauntthedarkhollowswherethedwarfmaybe，Thewildreddwarf，thenixies’enemy;
Then，’midtheirmirth，andlaughter，andaffright，Thesuddengoddessenters，tallandwhite，Withonelongsighforsummerspassedaway;
Theswiftfeetteartheivynetsoutright，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway.
\"Shegleanshersylvantrophies;downthewoldShehearsthesobbingofthestagsthatflee，Mixedwiththemusicofthehuntingrolled，Butherdelightisallinarchery，AndnoughtofruthandpitywottethsheMorethanthehoundsthatfollowontheflight;
Thetallnymphdrawsagoldenbowofmight，Andthicksherainsthegentleshaftsthatslay，Shetosseslooseherlocksuponthenight，AndDianthroughthedimwoodthridsherway.
ENVOI.
\"Prince，letusleavethedin，thedust，thespite，Thegloomandglareoftowns，theplague，theblight;
AmidtheforestleavesandfountainsprayThereisthemystichomeofourdelight，AndthroughthedimwoodDianthridsherway.\"
ThepieceischaracteristicofM.DeBanville’sgenius.ThroughhisthrongofoperaticnixiesandsylphsoftheballetthecoldMusesometimespasses，strange，butnotunfriendly.He，forhispart，hasneverdegradedthebeautifulformsofoldreligiontomakethelaughing—stockoffools.Hislittleplay，DianeauBois，hasgrace，andgravity，andtendernesslikethetendernessofKeats，forthefailingsofimmortals.\"Thegodsarejealousexceedinglyifanygoddesstakesamortalmantoherparamour，asDemeterchoseIasion.\"TheleastthatmortalpoetscandoistoshowtheOlympiansanexampleoftoleration.
\"LesCariatides\"havedelayedustoolong.Theyarewonderfullyvaried，vigorous，andrich，andfullofpromiseinmanyways.Thepromisehashardlybeenkept.Thereismoreseriousnessin\"LesStalactites\"（1846），itistrue，butthenthereislessdaring.
Thereisonemorselthatmustbequoted，——afragmentfashionedontheairandthesimplewordsthatusedtowakenthemusingsofGeorgeSandwhenshewasachild，dancingwiththepeasantchildren：
\"Nousn’ironsplusanbois：leslauriessontcoupes，Lesamoursdesbassins，lesnaiadesengroupeVoientreluireausoleil，encristauxdecoupesLesflotssilencieuxquicoulaientdeleurcoupe，LeslaurierssontcoupesetlecerfauxaboisTressailleausonducor：nousn’ironsplusaubois！
OudesenfantsjoueursriaitlafolletroupeParmileslysd’argentauxpleursducieltrempes，Voicil’herbequ’onfaucheetleslauriersqu’oncoupe;
Nousn’ironsplusaubois;leslaurierssontcoupes.\"
InthesedaysBanville，likeGerarddeNervalinearliertimes，RONSARDISED.Thepoem’AlaFontGeorges，’fullofthememoriesofchildhood，sweetandrichwiththeairandthehourofsunset，iswritteninafavouritemetreofRonsard’s.ThusRonsardsaysinhislyricalversionoffivefamouslinesofHomer—
\"LagreslenilaneigeN’onttelslieuxpourleursiegeNelafoudreoncquesleNedevala.\"
（Thesnow，andwind，andhailMayneverthereprevail，Northunderboltdothfall，Norrainatall.）
DeBanvillechosethismetre，rapidyetmelancholy，withitssademphaticcadenceinthefourthline，asthevehicleofhischildishmemories：
\"Ochampspleinsdesilence，OumonheureuseenfanceAvaitdesjoursencorToutfilesd’or！\"
OmavieilleFontGeorges，Versquilesrouges—gorgesEtledouxrossignolPrenaientleurvol！
Sothispoemofthefountainofyouthbegins，\"toutfiled’or，\"andcloseswhentheduskiswashedwithsilver—
\"Al’heureousousleursvoilesLestremblantesetoilesBrodentlecielchangeantDefleursd’argent.\"
The\"Stalactites\"mightdetainonelong，butwemustpassonafternoticinganunnamedpoemwhichistheFrenchcounterpartofKeats’
\"OdetoaGreekUrn\"：
\"Qu’autourduvasepur，tropbeaupourlaBacchante，Laverveine，meleeedesfeuillesd’acanthe，Fleurisse，etqueplusbasdesviergeslentementS’avancentdeuxedeux，d’unpassuretcharmant，LesbraspendantslelongdeleurstuniquesdroitesEtlescheyeuxtressessurleurstetesetroites.\"
Inthesamevolumeofthedefiniteseriesofpoemscome\"LesOdelettes，\"charminglyrics，oneofwhich，addressedtoTheophileGautier，wasansweredinthewell—knownversescalled\"L’Art.\"Iftherehadbeenanyrivalrybetweenthewriters，M.DeBanvillewouldhardlyhavecaredtoprintGautier’s\"Odelette\"besidehisown.Thetoneofitisinfinitelymoremanly：oneseemstohearadeep，decisivevoicereplyingtotonesfarlesssweetandserious.M.DeBanvillerevengedhimselfnoblyinlaterversesaddressedtoGautier，verseswhichcriticisethegeniusofthatworkmanbetter，wethink，thananythingelsethathasbeenwrittenofhiminproseorrhyme.
ThelessseriouspoemsofDeBanvilleare，perhaps，thebetterknowninthiscountry.Hisfeatsofgracefulmetricalgymnasticshavebeenadmiredbyeveryonewhocaresforskillpureandsimple.\"LesOdesFunambulesques\"and\"LesOccidentales\"arelikeornamentalskating.Theauthormovesinmanycirclesandcutsahundredfantasticfigureswithaperfecteaseandsmoothness.Atthesametime，naturally，hedoesnotadvancenorcarryhisreaderswithhiminanydirection.\"LesOdesFunambulesques\"wereatfirstunsigned.
Theyappearedinjournalsandmagazines，and，asM.deBanvilleappliedtheutmostlyricalskilltolighttopicsofthemoment，theywerethemostpopularof\"ArticlesdeParis.\"OnemustadmitthattheyboretheEnglishreader，andbythistimelongscholiaarenecessaryfortheenlightenmentevenoftheParisianstudent.Theversesare，perhaps，the\"bird—chorus\"ofFrenchlife，buttheyhavenotthepermanenttruthanddelightfulnessofthe\"bird—chorus\"inAristophanes.OnehaseasilytoomuchoftheCarnival，themaskedball，thedebardeurs，andthepierrots.ThepeopleatwhomM.DeBanvillelaughedaredeadandforgotten.TherewasacertainM.
PaulLimayracofthosedays，whobarkedattheheelsofBalzac，andothergreatmen，intheRevuedesDeuxMondes.InhishonourDeBanvillewroteasongwhichparodiedallpopularaspirationstobeaflower.M.Limayracwassupposedtohavebecomeablossom：
\"SurlescoteauxetdansleslandesVoltigeantcommeunoiseleurBulozenferaitdesguirlandesSiLimayracdevenaitfleur！\"
Thereismoreofhighspiritsthanofwitinthelyric，whichbecameaspopularasourmoderninvocationofJingo，thegodofbattles.
ItchancedonenightthatM.Limayracappearedatamaskedballintheopera—house.Hewasrecognisedbysomeoneinthecrowd.Theturbulentwaltzstoodstill，themusicwassilent，andthedancersofeveryhuehowledatthecritic\"SiPaulLimayracdevenaitfleur！\"
FancyaBritishreviewer，knownassuchtotheBritishpublic，andimaginethatpublictakingalivelyinterestinthefeudsofmenofletters！Paris，tobesure，wasmoreorlessofauniversitytownthirtyyearsago，andthestudentswerecertaintobelargelyrepresentedattheball.
The\"OdesFunambulesques\"containmanyexamplesofM.DeBanville’sskillinrevivingoldformsofverse——triolets，rondeaux，chantsroyaux，andballades.MostofthesewerecomposedforthespecialannoyanceofM.Buloz，M.Limayrac，andaM.JacquotwhocalledhimselfDeMirecourt.Therondeauxarefullofpunsintherefrain：
\"Houssayeouc’est;lyre，l’ire，lire，\"andsoon，notveryexhilarating.Thepantoum，wherelinesrecuralternately，wasborrowedfromthedistantMalay;butprimitivepantoum，inwhichthelasttwolinesofeachstanzaarethefirsttwoofthenext，occurinoldFrenchfolk—song.Thepopulartrickofrepetition，affordingaresttothememoryofthesinger，isperhapstheoriginofallrefrains.DeBanville’slatersatiresaredirectedagainstpermanentobjectsofhumanindignation——thelittleFrenchdebauchee，thehypocriticalfriendofreaction，thebloodthirstychauviniste.
TiredoftheflashyluxuryoftheEmpire，hismemorygoesbacktohisyouth—
\"Lorsquelalevredel’auroreBaisaitnosyeuxsouleves，Etquenousn’etionspasencoreLaFrancedespetitscreves.\"
Thepoem\"EtTartufe\"prolongsthenoteofasatirealwayspopularinFrance——thesatireofScarron，Moliere，LaBruyere，againsttheclericalcurseofthenation.TheRomanQuestionwasTartufe’sstrongholdatthemoment.\"Frenchinterests\"demandedthatItalyshouldbeheadless.
\"EtTartufe？IlnousditentredeuxcremusQuepourtoutbonFrancaisl’empireesteRome，Etqu’ayantpouraieuxRomulusetRemusNoustetteronslalouveejamais——lepauvrehomme.\"
ThenewTartufeworshipsSt.Chassepot，whoonce，itwillnotbeforgotten，\"wroughtmiracles\";buthehashisdoubtsastothemoralityofexplosivebullets.ThenymphofmodernwarfareisaddressedasshehoversabovetheGenevaConvention，—
\"Quoi，nympheducanonraye，TumontrescespudeursrisiblesEtcepetitaireffrayeDevantlesballesexploisibles？\"
DeBanvillewasforlongalmostaloneamongpoetsinhisfreedomfromWeltschmerz，fromregretanddesireforworldslostorimpossible.InthelaterandstupidercorruptionoftheEmpire，sadnessandangerbegantovexevenhiscarelessmuse.Shehadpipedinhertimetomuchwilddancing，butcouldnotsingtoawaltzofmushroomspeculatorsanddecoratedcapitalists.\"LeSangdelaCoupe\"containsaverypowerfulpoem，\"TheCurseofVenus，\"
pronouncedonParis，thecityofpleasure，whichhasbecomethecityofgreed.Thisverseisappropriatetoourowncommercialenterprise：
\"VendslesboisoudormaientVivianeetMerlin！
L’Aigledemontn’estfaitquepourtagibeciere;
Laneigeviergeestlepourfournirtaglaciere;
Letorrentquibonditsurlerocsybillin，Etvole，diamant，neige，ecumeetpoussiere，N’estplusbonqu’etournertesmeulesdemoulin！\"
Intheburningindignationofthispoem，M.DeBanvillereacheshishighestmarkofattainment.\"LesExiles\"isscarcelylessimpressive.TheoutcastgodsofHellas，wanderinginaforestofancientGaul，remindoneatonceofthefallendeitiesofHeine，thedecrepitOlympiansofBruno，andthelargeutteranceofKeats’s\"Hyperion.\"Amonggreatexiles，VictorHugo，\"leperele—basdansl’ile，\"isnotforgotten：
\"Ettoiquil’accueillis，sollibreetverdoyant，Quiprodigueslesfleurssurtescoteauxfertiles，Etquisemblessourireel’oceanbruyant，Soisbenie，ileverte，entretouteslesiles.\"
ThehoarsestnoteofM.DeBanville’slyreisthatdiscordantonestruckinthe\"IdyllesPrussiennes.\"Onewouldnotlingeroverpoetryorprosecomposedduringthesiege，inhoursofshameandimpotentscorn.Thepoetsingshowthesword，theflashingDurendal，isrustedandbroken，howvictoryistohim—
\"quisecelaDansuntrou，souslaterrenoire.\"
HecanspareatenderlyrictothememoryofaPrussianofficer，aladofeighteen，shotdeadthroughavolumeofPindarwhichhecarriedinhistunic.
Itisimpossibletoleavethepoetofgaietyandgood—humourinthemoodoftheprisonerinbesiegedParis.His\"TrenteSixBalladesJoyeuses\"makeafarmorepleasantsubjectforalastword.ThereisscarcelyamoredelightfullittlevolumeintheFrenchlanguagethanthiscollectionofversesinthemostdifficultofforms，whichpourforth，withabsoluteeaseandfluency，notesofmirth，banter，joyinthespring，inletters，art，andgood—fellowship.
\"L’oiseletretourneauxforets;
Jesuisunpoetelyrique，\"—
hecries，withanotelikeabird’ssong.Amongthethirty—sixeveryonewillhavehisfavourites.Weventuretotranslatethe\"BalladdeBanville\"：
\"AUXENFANTSPERDUS
\"IknowCytheralongisdesolate;
Iknowthewindshavestrippedthegardengreen.
Alas，myfriends！beneaththefiercesun’sweightAbarrenreeflieswhereLove’sflowershavebeen，Noreverloveronthatcoastisseen！
Sobeit，forweseekafabledshore，Tolullourvaguedesireswithmysticlore，TowanderwhereLove’slabyrinths，beguile;
Thereletusland，theredreamforevermore：
’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’
\"Theseamaybeoursepulchre.IfFate，Iftempestswreaktheirwrathonus，sereneWewatchtheboltofHeaven，andscornthehateOfangrygodsthatsmiteusintheirspleen.
PerchancethejealousmistsarebutthescreenThatveilsthefairycoastwewouldexplore.
Come，thoughtheseabevexed，andbreakersroar，Come，forthebreathofthisoldworldisvile，Hastewe，andtoil，andfaintnotattheoar;
’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’
\"GreyserpentstrailintemplesdesecrateWhereCyprissmiled，thegoldenmaid，thequeen，Andruinedisthepalaceofourstate;
Buthappylovesflitroundthemast，andkeenTheshrillwindsingsthesilkencordsbetween.
Heroesarewe，withweariedheartsandsore，Whoseflowerisfadedandwhoselocksarehoar.
Haste，yelightskiffs，wheremyrtlethicketssmile;
Love’spantherssleep’midroses，asofyore：
’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’
ENVOI.
\"Sadeyes！thebluesealaughs，asheretofore.
All，singingbirds，yourhappymusicpour;
Ah，poets，leavethesordidearthawhile;
Flittotheseancientgodswestilladore：
’Itmaybeweshalltouchthehappyisle.’\"
Alas！themiststhatveiltheshoreofourCytheraarenotthesummerhazeofWatteau，butthesmokeandsteamofacommercialtime.
ItisasalyricpoetthatwehavestudiedM.DeBanville.\"Jenem’entendsqu’elameurique，\"hesaysinhisballadonhimself;buthecanwriteprosewhenhepleases.
ItisinhisdramaofGringoireactedattheTheatreFrancais，andfamiliarintheversionofMessrs.PollockandBesant，thatM.DeBanville’sproseshowstothebestadvantage.LouisXI.issuppingwithhisbourgeoisfriendsandwiththeterribleOlivierleDaim.
Twobeautifulgirlsareofthecompany，friendsofPierreGringoire，thestrollingpoet.PresentlyGringoirehimselfappears.Heisdyingofhunger;hedoesnotrecognisetheking，andheispromisedagoodsupperifhewillrecitethenewsatirical\"BalladedesPendus，\"whichhehasmadeatthemonarch’sexpense.Hungerovercomeshistimidity，and，addressinghimselfespeciallytotheking，heentersonthisgoodlymatter：
\"Wherewidetheforestboughsarespread，WhereFlorawakeswithsylphandfay，Arecrownsandgarlandsofmendead，Allgoldeninthemorninggay;
WithinthisancientgardengreyAreclusterssuchasnomailknows，WhereMoorandSoldanbearthesway：
ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！
\"Thesewretchedfolkwaveoverhead，Withsuchstrangethoughtsasnonemaysay;
Amomentstill，thensuddensped，Theyswinginaringandwasteaway.
Themorningsmitesthemwithherray;
Theytosswitheverybreezethatblows，Theydancewherefiresofdawningplay：
ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！
\"Allhangedanddead，they’vesummoned（WithHelltoaid，thathearsthempray）
Newlegionsofanarmydread，Nowdowntheblueskyflamestheday;
Thedewdiesoff;thefoularrayOfobsceneravensgathersandgoes，Withwingsthatflapandbeaksthatflay：
ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！
ENVOI.
\"Prince，whereleavesmurmuroftheMay，Atreeofbitterclustersgrows;
Thebodiesofmendeadarethey！
ThisisKingLouis’orchardclose！
PoorGringoirehasnosoonercommittedhimself，thanheismadetorecognisetheterribleking.Hepleadsthat，ifhemustjointheghastlyarmyofthedead，heought，atleast，tobeallowedtofinishhissupper.Thisthekinggrants，andintheend，afterGringoirehaswontheheartoftheheroine，hereceiveshislifeandafairbridewithafulldowry.
GringoireisaplayverydifferentfromM.DeBanville’sotherdramas，anditisnotincludedintheprettyvolumeof\"Comedies\"
whichclosestheLemerreseriesofhispoems.Thepoethasoftendeclared，withaniterationwhichhasbeenparodiedbyM.Richepin，that\"comedyisthechildoftheode，\"andthatadramawithoutthe\"lyric\"elementisscarcelyadramaatall.Whilecomedyretainseitherthechoralodeinitsstrictform，oritsrepresentativeintheshapeoflyricenthusiasm（lelyrisme），comedyiscompleteandliving.Gringoire，toourmind，hasplentyoflyricenthusiasm;butM.DeBanvilleseemstobeofadifferentopinion.Hisrepublished\"Comedies\"aremoreremotefromexperiencethanGringoire，hischaractersareidealcreatures，familiartypesofthestage，likeScapinand\"lebeauLeandre，\"oretherealpersons，orfiguresofoldmythology，likeDianainDianeauBois，andDeidamiainthepiecewhichshowsAchillesamongwomen.M.DeBanville’sdramashavescarcelyproseenoughinthemtosuitthemoderntaste.Theyaremasquesforthedelicatediversionofanhour，anditisnotinthenatureofthingsthattheyshouldrivalthesuccessofblatantbuffooneries.Hisearliestpieces——LeFeuilletond’Aristophane（actedattheOdeon，Dec.26th，1852），andLeCousinduRoi（Odeon，April4th，1857）——werewrittenincollaborationwithPhiloxeneBoyer，agenerousbutindiscreetpatronofsingers.
\"DanslessalonsdePhiloxeneNousetionsquatre—vingtrimeurs，\"
M.DeBanvillewrote，parodyingthe\"quatre—vingtramuers\"ofVictorHugo.ThememoryofM.Boyer’senthusiasmforpoetryandhisamiablehospitalityarenotunlikelytosurvivebothhiscompositionsandthoseinwhichM.DeBanvilleaidedhim.ThelatterpoetbegantowalkaloneasaplaywrightinLeBeauLeandre（Vaudeville，1856）——apiecewithscarcelymoresubstancethantheFrenchscenesintheoldFranco—Italiandramapossess.Wearetakenintoanimpossibleworldofgaynon—morality，whereawickedoldbourgeois，Orgon，hisdaughterColombine，aprettyflirt，andherloverLeandre，alight—heartedscamp，bustlethroughtheirlittlehour.Leandre，whohasnonotionofbeingmarried，says，\"Lecieln’estpaspluspurquemesintentions.\"AndtheartlessColombinereplies，\"Alorsmarions—nous！\"TomarryColombinewithoutadowryforms，asamodernnovelistsays，\"nopartofLeandre’sprofligateschemeofpleasure.\"Thereisasortoftrebleintrigue.OrgonwantstogiveawayColombinedowerless，Leandretoescapefromthewholetransaction，andColombinetosecureherdotandherhusband.
ThestrengthofthepieceisthebriskactioninthescenewhenLeandreproteststhathecan’trobOrgonofhisonlydaughter，andOrgoninsiststhathecanrefusenothingexcepthisducatstosocharmingason—in—law.Theplayisredeemedfromsordidnessbythecostumes.LeandreisdressedintheattireofWatteau’s\"L’Indifferent\"intheLouvre，andwearsadiamond—hiltedsword.
TheladywhoplaysthepartofColombinemayselect（delightfulprivilege！）theprettiestdressinWatteau’scollection.
ThisloveoftheglitterofthestageisverycharacteristicofDeBanville.InhisDeidamie（Odeon，Nov.18th，1876）theplayerswhotooktherolesofThetis，Achilles，Odysseus，Deidamia，andtherest，wereaccoutredinsemi—barbaricraimentandarmouroftheperiodimmediatelyprecedingtheGraeco—Phoenician（abouttheeighthcenturyB.C.）.Againwenoticethetouchofpedantryinthepoet.
Asfortheplay，thesombrethreadinitislentbythecertaintyofAchilles’earlydeath，thefatewhichdriveshimfromDeidamie’sarms，andfromtheseaking’sisletotheleaguesunderthefatalwallsofIlion.Ofcomiceffectthereisplenty，forthesistersofDeidamieimitatealltheactsbywhichAchillesislikelytobetrayhimself——grasptheswordamongtheinsidiouspresentsofOdysseus，whenheseizesthespear，anddrinkeachoneofthemahugebeakerofwinetotheconfusionoftheTrojans.{1}OnaParisianaudiencetheimitationsofthetoneoftheOdysseymusthavebeenthrownaway.Forexample，hereisapassagewhichisasnearbeingHomericasFrenchversecanbe.Deidamieisspeakinginamelancholymood：
\"Heureuxlesepouxroisassisdansleurmaison，Quivoienttranquillements’enfuirchaquesaison—
L’epouxtenantsonsceptre，environnedegloire，Etl’epousefilantsaquenouilled’ivoire！
Maislejeuneherosque，laglaiveesonfranc！
Courtdanslenoircombat，lesmainsteintesdesang，Laissesafemmeenpleursdanssahautedemeure.\"
Withtheaccustomedpedantry，M.DeBanville，inthesceneofthebanquet，makesthecup—bearergorounddealingoutalittlewine，withwhichlibationismade，andthenthefeastgoesoninproperHomericfashion.Theseoverwroughtdetailsareforgotteninthepartingscenes，whereDeidamietakeswhatsheknowstobeherlastfarewellofAchilles，andgirdshimwithhissword：
\"Lalamedel’epee，ensaformedivineEstpareilleelafeuilleausteredulaurier！\"
LetitbenotedthateachofM.DeBanville’smoreseriousplaysendswiththesamescene，withslightdifferences.InFlorise（neverputonthestage）thewanderingactressofHardy’stroupeleavesherlover，theyoungnoble，andtheshelterofhiscastle，tofollowwhereartandhergeniusbeckonher.InDianeauBoisthegoddess\"thatleadsthepreciselife\"turnsherbackonEros，whohassubduedevenher，andpassesfromthesceneasshewavesherhandinsignofafarewellineffablymournful.NearertragedythanthisM.DeBanvilledoesnotcaretogo;andifthereisanydeepertragedyinscenesofbloodandinstagesstrewnwithcorpses，fromthatheabstains.HisFloriseisperhapstoolong，perhapstoolearned;andcertainlyweareaskedtobelievetoomuchwhenakindofetherealisedConsueloissetbeforeusastheprimadonnaofoldHardy’stroupe：
\"MaisFlorisen’estpasunefemme.JesuisL’harmonieusevoixquebercevosennuis;
JesuislalyreauxsonsdiversquelepoeteFaitresonneretquisansluiseraitmuette—
Unecomedienneenfin.JenesuispasUnefemme.\"
AnactresswhowasnotawomanhadlittletodointhecompanyofScarron’sAngeliqueandMademoiselledel’Estoile.Florise，inshort，issomewhattooallegoricalandhaughtyacreature;whileColombineandNerine（Vaudeville，June1864）arerathertricksyimpsthanwomenoffleshandblood.M.DeBanville’sstage，onthewhole，isoneofglitterandfantasy;yetheistoomuchaGreekfortheagethatappreciates\"labelleHelene，\"toomuchalyricdramatisttopleasethecontemporariesofSardou;helendstoomuchsentimentanddaintyrefinementtocharactersasflimsyasthoseofOffenbach’sdrama.
LikeotherFrenchpoets，M.DeBanvillehasoccasionallydeignedtowritefeuilletonsandcriticisms.Notmanyofthesescatteredleavesarecollected，butonevolume，\"LaMerdeNice\"（Poulet—
MalassisetDeBroise，Paris，1861），maybereadwithpleasureevenbyjealousadmirersofGautier’ssuccessasachronicleroftheimpressionsmadebysouthernscenery.
ToDeBanville（hedoesnotconcealit）ajourneytoaplacesofarfromParisastheRivierawasnoslightlabour.Evenfromtheroses，thepalms，thesirensea，thewellsofwaterunderthefrondsofmaiden—hairfern，hismindtravelsbackwistfullytothecityofhislove.
\"Iam，Ihavealwaysbeen，oneofthosedevoteesofPariswhovisitGreeceonlywhentheygazeontheface，sofairandsoterrible，ofthetwice—victoriousVenusoftheLouvre.OneofthoseobstinateadorersofmytownamI，whowillneverseeItaly，saveintheglassthatreflectsthetawnyhairofTitian’sViolante，orinthatdreadisleofAlcinouswhereLionardoshowsyouthemountainpeaksthatwaverinthebluebehindthemysteriousMonnaLisa.ButtheFacultyofPhysicians，whichhas，Iown，therighttobesceptical，doesnotbelievethatneuralgiacanbehealedbythehighsunwhichTitianandVeronesehavefixedonthecanvas.TometheFacultyprescribestherealsunofnatureandoflife;andhereamI，condemnedtolearninsufferingallthatpassesinthemindofapoetofParisexiledfromthatblessedplacewherehefindstheCycladesandtheislandsblossoming，thevaleofAvalon，andalltheheavenlyhomesofthefairiesofexperienceanddesire.\"
NiceisTomitothisOvid，buthemakesthebestofit，andsendstotheeditoroftheMoniteurlettersmuchmoredivertingthanthe\"Tristia.\"Totellthetruth，heneverovercomeshisamazementatbeingoutofParisstreets，andinagladeofthelowerAlpshelovestoberemindedofhisdearcityofpleasure.OnlyundertheolivesofMonaco，thosesolemnandancienttrees，hefeelswhatsurelyallmenfeelwhowalkatsunsetthroughtheirshadow——thememoryofamysterioustwilightofagonyinanolivegarden.
\"Etceux—ci，lespalesoliviers，n’est—cepasdecesheuresdesoleesou，commetorturesupreme，leSauveuracceptaitensonamel’irreparablemiseredudoute，n’est—cepasalorsqu’ilontapprisdeluiecourberlefrontsouslepoidsimperieuxdessouvenirs？\"
ThepageswhichM.DeBanvilleconsecratestotheVillaSardou，whereRacheldied，maydisenchant，perhaps，somereadersofMr.
MatthewArnold’ssonnet.ThesceneofRachel’sdeathhasbeenspoiledby\"improvements\"intootheatricaltaste.Allthesenotes，however，weremademanyyearsago;andvisitorsoftheRiviera，thoughtheywillfindthelittlebookcharmingwhereitspeaksofseasandhills，willlearnthatFrancehasgreatlychangedthecitywhichshehasannexed.AsapracticalmanandaParisian，DeBanvillehasprinted（pp.179—81）arecipefortheconcoctionoftheMarseillesdish，bouillabaisse，themessthatThackeray’sballadmadesofamous.Ittakesgenius，however，tocookbouillabaisse;
and，toparodywhatDeBanvillesaysabouthisownrecipeformakingamechanical\"ballade，\"\"enemploymentcemoyen，onestsurdefaireunemauvaise，irremediablementmauvaisebouillabaisse.\"Thepoetaddstheremarkthat\"unebouillabaissereussievautunsonnetsansdefaut.\"
ThereremainsonefieldofM.DeBanville’sactivitytobeshortlydescribed.Ofhis\"EmauxParisiens，\"shortstudiesofcelebratedwriters，weneedsaynomorethanthattheyarewrittenincarefulprose.M.DeBanvilleisnotonlyapoet，butinhis\"PetitTraitedePoesieFrancaise\"（Bibliothequedel’EchodelaSorbonne，s.d.）ateacherofthemechanicalpartofpoetry.Hedoesnot，ofcourse，advanceaparadoxlikethatofBaudelaire，\"thatpoetrycanbetaughtinthirtylessons.\"Hemerelyinstructshispupilinthematerialpart——thescansion，metres，andsoon——ofFrenchpoetry.
Inthislittleworkheintroducesthese\"traditionalformsofverse，\"whichoncecausedsometalkinEngland：therondel，rondeau，ballade，villanelle，andchantroyal.Itmaybeworthwhiletoquotehistestimonyastothemeritofthesemodesofexpression.\"Thisclusterofformsisoneofourmostprecioustreasures，foreachofthemformsarhythmicwhole，completeandperfect，whileatthesametimetheyallpossessthefreshandunconsciousgracewhichmarkstheproductionsofprimitivetimes.\"
Now，thereissometruthinthiscriticism;foritisamarkofman’searlyingenuity，inmanyarts，toseekcomplexity（whereyouwouldexpectsimplicity），andyettolendtothatcomplexityaninfantinenaturalness.Onecanseethisphenomenoninearlydecorativeart，andinearlylawandcustom，andeveninthecomplicatedstructureofprimitivelanguages.Now，justasearly，andevensavage，racesareourmastersinthedecorativeuseofcolourandofcarving，sothenamelessmaster—singersofancientFrancemaybeourteachersindecorativepoetry，thepoetrysomecallversdesociete.Whetheritispossibletogobeyondthis，andadapttheoldFrenchformstoseriousmodernpoetry，itisnotforanyonebuttimetodecide.Inthismatter，asingreateraffairs，securusjudicatorbisterrarum.FormyownpartIscarcelybelievethattherevivalwouldservethenoblerendsofEnglishpoetry.NowletuslistenagaintoDeBanville.
\"Intherondel，asintherondeauandtheballade，alltheartistobringintherefrainwithouteffort，naturally，gaily，andeachtimewithnoveleffectandwithfreshlightcastonthecentralidea.\"
Now，youcanTEACHnoonetodothat，andM.DeBanvilleneverpretendstogiveanyrecipesforcookingrondelsorballadesworthreading.\"WithoutpoeticVISIONallismeremarqueteryandcabinet—
maker’swork：thatis，sofaraspoetryisconcerned——nothing.\"Itisbecausehewasapoet，notamerecraftsman，thatVillonwasandremainstheking，theabsolutemaster，ofballad—land.\"Abouttherondeau，M.DeBanvilleaversthatitpossesses\"nimblemovement，speed，grace，lightnessoftouch，and，asitwere，anancientfragranceofthesoil，thatmustcharmallwholoveourcountryandourcountry’spoetry，initseveryage.\"Asforthevillanelle，M.
DeBanvilledeclaresthatitisthefairestjewelinthecasketofthemuseErato;whilethechantroyalisakindoffossilpoem，arelicofanagewhenkingsandallegoriesflourished.\"Thekingsandthegodsaredead，\"likePan;oratleastwenolongerfindthemable，bytouchroyalordivine，toreanimatethemagnificentchantroyal.
ThisisM.DeBanville’sapologyinprolyrasua，thatlightlyreofmanytones，inwhosejingletheeternalnoteofmodernsadnessisheardsorarely.IfhehasalessontoteachEnglishversifiers，surelyitisalessonofgaiety.Theyareonlytoofondofrueandrosemary，andnowandthenpreferthecypresstothebay.M.DeBanville’smuseiscontenttowearrosesinherlocks，andperhapsmayretain，formanyyears，alaurelleaffromtheancientlaureltreewhichonceshelteredthepoetatTurbia.
HOMERANDTHESTUDYOFGREEK
TheGreeklanguageisbeingoustedfromeducation，here，inFrance，andinAmerica.Thespeechoftheearliestdemocraciesisnotdemocraticenoughformodernanarchy.Thereisnothingtobegained，itissaid，byaknowledgeofGreek.WehavenottofightthebattleoflifewithHellenicwaiters;and，evenifwehad，Romaic，ormodernGreek，ismuchmoreeasilylearnedthantheoldclassicaltongue.Thereasonofthiscomparativeeasewillbeplaintoanyonewho，retainingavaguememoryofhisGreekgrammar，takesupamodernGreeknewspaper.Hewillfindthattheidiomsofthemodernnewspaperaretheidiomsofallnewspapers，thatthegrammaristhegrammarofmodernlanguages，thattheopinionsareexpressedinbarbaroustranslationsofbarbarousFrenchandEnglishjournalisticclichesorcommonplaces.ThisuglyandundignifiedmixtureoftheancientGreekcharacters，andofancientGreekwordswithmoderngrammarandidioms，andstereotypedphrases，isextremelydistastefultothescholar.ModernGreek，asitisatpresentprinted，isnotthenaturalspokenlanguageofthepeasants.
YoucanreadaGreekleadingarticle，thoughyoucanhardlymakesenseofaGreekruralballad.Thepeasantspeechisathingofslowdevelopment;thereisabasisofancientGreekinit，withlargeelementsofSlavonic，Turkish，Italian，andotherimposedorimportedlanguages.ModernliteraryGreekisahybridofrevivedclassicalwords，blendedwiththeidiomsofthespeecheswhichhavearisensincethefalloftheRomanEmpire.Thus，thankstothemodernandfamiliarelementinit，modernGreek\"assheiswrit\"ismuchmoreeasilylearnedthanancientGreek.Consequently，ifanyonehasneedforthespeechinbusinessortravel，hecanacquireasmuchofitasmostofushaveofFrench，withconsiderableease.
PeoplethereforearguethatancientGreekisparticularlysuperfluousinschools.Whywastetimeonit，theyask，whichcouldbeexpendedonscience，onmodernlanguages，oranyotherbranchofeducation？Thereisagreatdealofjusticeinthisposition.Thegenerationofmenwhoarenowmiddle—agedbestowedmuchtimeandlabouronGreek;andinwhat，itmaybeasked，aretheybetterforit？Veryfewofthem\"keepuptheirGreek.\"Say，forexample，thatonewasinaformwithfiftyboyswhobeganthestudy——itisoddsagainstfiveofthesurvivorsstillreadingGreekbooks.Theworldlyadvantagesofthestudyareslight：itmayleadthreeofthefiftytoagooddegree，andonetoafellowship;butgooddegreesmaybetakeninothersubjects，andfellowshipsmaybeabolished，or\"nationalised，\"withallotherformsofproperty.
Then，whymaintainGreekinschools？Onlyaveryminutepercentageoftheboyswhoaretormentedwithitreallylearnit.Onlyastillsmallerpercentagecanreaditaftertheyarethirty.Onlyoneortwogainanymaterialadvantagebyit.Inverytruth，mostmindsarenotframedbynaturetoexcelandtodelightinliterature，andonlytosuchmindsandtoschoolmastersisGreekvaluable.