Marceline DESBORDES VALMORE sends her first poems.

Marceline DESBORDES VALMORE (1786.1859)

Autograph letter signed to the publisher François Louis.

Three pages in-8°. Without place. August 25, 1818.

“I was very overwhelmed, sir. Heaven never tires of testing my heart. »

Very moving letter from the poet, written at the dawn of her literary glory.

Élégies, Marie et Romances a few months later

________________________________________________________

" Sir. If the work I have just undertaken does not completely satisfy your expectations, you will at least see it as proof of the desire I have to recognize your good opinions. I was very overwhelmed, Sir. Heaven never tires of testing my heart – I have only glimpsed an angel… you can guess, sir, that the title of mother costs me many tears [the poet had just lost her first daughter, Junie, died at a young age]. Judge that it was difficult for me to fix my troubled ideas on a work necessary for you - I will not stop your ideas on what it cost me - it is painful even to live when one is struck in the 'soul.

Not being able to write much, my husband [Prosper Lanchantin, known as Valmore] did it under my dictation. I am taking this opportunity to send you these papers. Mr. ^Dupavillon , the author of the little drawings brings them to you. If you choose Winter Night for your almanac this year, then you have the design ready-made.

Mr. ^Alibert [the doctor Jean-Louis Alibert, support of Marceline] has just written to me, I dare not tell you that he finds the verses of Elegies and Romances enchanting as he has not read them he would have believed what you said about it. If you want to submit to him, that's up to you, but he won't have the time either, because it must be admitted, he is too busy.

I have a favor to ask of you, and that is to give Mr. ^William fifty francs which, he tells me, he needs at the moment. You may see it often. If you want to give me the address of your correspondent in Brussels, I will have this sum transferred there, because I feel that I am using it too freely with you. The difficulty of sending money to Paris gives me this boldness. I don't have a moment to write to Mr. ^William . Deign to pay my respects to him by wishing him all kinds of happiness.

I in turn await a response, and ask you to believe me, Sir, your most devoted M ^ne Desb. Valmore .

The third page of the letter is fascinating: it indeed testifies to all the meticulousness of Desbordes Valmore, his precision, his choice of the right word, the perfect verse. She thus returns, to the publisher, on the perfect arrangement of three of her poems: La Nuit d'hiver, L'Orpheline and Clémentine à Marie.

I am completely convinced for Louise Lavalière . I will keep the humble violet for the three verses - but keep this romance for your song writer - I will arrange it following your advice and in its place, I send you another for the collection Winter Night: naively I will... she does not say that she is naive, she says that she will speak frankly without disguise, without constraint, naively. She believes herself abandoned by everything in the world, and the world is for her her little deserted room.

We are alone in the universe. She believes it – the world is a desert for the unfortunate.

It's the winter that overwhelms him - the winter doesn't overwhelm, it's the heat - the cold oppresses - it seems to me.

I leave you with regret – it does not leave it, it is poetry that flies out of the window, as it entered. So I prefer: I can't stop you. We can clearly guess that poetry was exiled by love.

The orphan : Harm is bad, I agree. I'm going to remove it (…) I would prefer to leave it vague for the future; Pauline would be more interesting, you'll see.

Prayer to Mary . Put if you like it better:

Clementine on her knees

In his melancholy

And for the title Clementine to Marie.  

I just sent the Orphan. You will see two verses changed , and twelve removed.

Be my brother and save your sister!

Read if we follow you.

________________________________________________________

For easier reading we have corrected and Frenchified certain words of Mr. Desbordes Valmore.