Description
JAMMES (Francis). Rayons de Miel. Églogues. Paris: Bibliothèque de l'Occident, 1908. - In-8, 253 x 160: 53 pp. (1 blank), printed cover. Jansenist dark green morocco, ribbed spine, interior gilt lace, gilt edges on witnesses, cover preserved (Joly fils). First edition of this poetic collection, printed in an edition of 400 copies. It comprises 11 poems: Alexandre de Ruchenfleur. Églogue de printemps. - Par la porte épaisse et cloutée... - Comme quand on relève un bouquet... - O quenouilles rosâtres!... - Le Contrevent gémit,... - Si tu descends du nord,... - François, le savetier mon voisin,... - Il est des jours de Juin.... - Dites-vous que la vie est ici,... - À cette heure ou j'écris,... Paysanne. Summer eglogue. André Gide wrote this note in 1909 about his friend's book: "A Francis Jammes poem is never the result of an effort, of a poetic gageure, as Baudelaire wished; it springs from a divine source, eager to reflect as much of heaven as possible ; to find fault with the quality of its water, the harmony of its murmurs, the direction of its course, is futile; all one can do is refuse to drink from it; I pity anyone who is not thirsty for this water, water so clear, so fresh, so lustrous that I don't come so much to drink from it as to wash in it. [...] My predilection lingers with the Church dressed in leaves; but I don't think Alexandre de Ruchenfleur, which opens this new collection, is in any way inferior to Jammes's other long poems (to Jean de Noarrieu, for example, whom it sometimes reminds us of), if not even superior to them. Its only fault is that it comes later. - From now on, Francis Jammes forbids himself to have any intelligence for any drama other than the one he would like to be common to every man, whose only events, between birth and death, would be legitimate love and the procreation of a few children. This is the "simple and tranquil" life that Verlaine sobbed about; a fabric of azure and light, unadorned and unencumbered, inevitably cut short by mourning, but not overshadowed by it, so radiant will be the faith. The few short pieces, which follow Alexandre de Ruchenfleur, have an unexpected rhythm and retain a charming verdeur" (André Gide, Francis Jammes: Rayons de Miel, in Nouvelle Revue Française, no. 4, May 1909, pp. 372-373). To conclude his note, he quotes an extract from the poem that closes the collection, entitled Paysanne. Églogue de l'été. In his opinion, this is one of the most characteristic poems Jammes has given us, composed of a sequence of lines "of singular nobility, breadth and beauty" (André Gide, ibid., p. 373). ONE OF 25 FIRST NUMBERED EXAMPLES ON HOLLAND VAN GELDER PAPER (no. 3). A very fine copy bound by Joly fils. Spine slightly faded. A few rare brown spots. Provenance: Henri Thuile, with bookplate.
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JAMMES (Francis). Rayons de Miel. Églogues. Paris: Bibliothèque de l'Occident, 1908. - In-8, 253 x 160: 53 pp. (1 blank), printed cover. Jansenist dark green morocco, ribbed spine, interior gilt lace, gilt edges on witnesses, cover preserved (Joly fils). First edition of this poetic collection, printed in an edition of 400 copies. It comprises 11 poems: Alexandre de Ruchenfleur. Églogue de printemps. - Par la porte épaisse et cloutée... - Comme quand on relève un bouquet... - O quenouilles rosâtres!... - Le Contrevent gémit,... - Si tu descends du nord,... - François, le savetier mon voisin,... - Il est des jours de Juin.... - Dites-vous que la vie est ici,... - À cette heure ou j'écris,... Paysanne. Summer eglogue. André Gide wrote this note in 1909 about his friend's book: "A Francis Jammes poem is never the result of an effort, of a poetic gageure, as Baudelaire wished; it springs from a divine source, eager to reflect as much of heaven as possible ; to find fault with the quality of its water, the harmony of its murmurs, the direction of its course, is futile; all one can do is refuse to drink from it; I pity anyone who is not thirsty for this water, water so clear, so fresh, so lustrous that I don't come so much to drink from it as to wash in it. [...] My predilection lingers with the Church dressed in leaves; but I don't think Alexandre de Ruchenfleur, which opens this new collection, is in any way inferior to Jammes's other long poems (to Jean de Noarrieu, for example, whom it sometimes reminds us of), if not even superior to them. Its only fault is that it comes later. - From now on, Francis Jammes forbids himself to have any intelligence for any drama other than the one he would like to be common to every man, whose only events, between birth and death, would be legitimate love and the procreation of a few children. This is the "simple and tranquil" life that Verlaine sobbed about; a fabric of azure and light, unadorned and unencumbered, inevitably cut short by mourning, but not overshadowed by it, so radiant will be the faith. The few short pieces, which follow Alexandre de Ruchenfleur, have an unexpected rhythm and retain a charming verdeur" (André Gide, Francis Jammes: Rayons de Miel, in Nouvelle Revue Française, no. 4, May 1909, pp. 372-373). To conclude his note, he quotes an extract from the poem that closes the collection, entitled Paysanne. Églogue de l'été. In his opinion, this is one of the most characteristic poems Jammes has given us, composed of a sequence of lines "of singular nobility, breadth and beauty" (André Gide, ibid., p. 373). ONE OF 25 FIRST NUMBERED EXAMPLES ON HOLLAND VAN GELDER PAPER (no. 3). A very fine copy bound by Joly fils. Spine slightly faded. A few rare brown spots. Provenance: Henri Thuile, with bookplate.
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