- Jean Passerat
Jean Passerat (1534-1602), French political satirist and poet, was born at
Troyes , on18 October 1534 . He studied at theUniversity of Paris , and is said to have had some curious adventures at one time working in a mine. He was, however, a scholar by natural taste, and became eventually a teacher at the Collège de Plessis, and on the death ofRamus was made professor ofLatin in 1572 in the Collège de France.In the meanwhile Passerat had studied law, and had composed much agreeable poetry in the Pléiade style, the best pieces being his short ode "Du Premier jour de mai" and the
villanelle whose first line is "J'ay perdu ma tourterelle". The nonce form of the latter poem was eventually imitated by many nineteenth- and twentieth-century poets. Passerat's exact share in the "Satire Ménippée " (Tours , 1594), the great manifesto of the "politique" or Moderate Royalist party when it had declared itself forHenry of Navarre , is unknown; but it is agreed that he wrote most of the verse, and the harangue of the guerrilla chiefRieux is sometimes attributed to him. The famous "Sur la journée de Senlis", which commends theduc d'Aumale 's ability in running away, is one of the most celebrated political songs in French. Towards the end of his life Passerat became blind. He died in Paris on14 September 1602 .:Villanelle
:I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle: :Eft-ce point celle que i'oy?:Ie veus aller aprés elle.
:Tu regretes ta femelle, :Helas! außi fai-ie moy,:I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle.
:Si ton Amour eft fidelle, :Außi est ferme ma foy,:Ie veus aller aprés elle.
:Ta plainte fe renouuelle;:Toufiours plaindre ie me doy::I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle.
:En ne voyant plus la belle :Plus rien de beau ie ne voy: :Ie veus aller aprés elle.
:Mort, que tant de fois i'appelle, :Pren ce qui fe donne à toy::I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle, :Ie veus aller aprés elle.
Jean Passerat. "Recueil des oeuvres poétiques de Ian Passerat augmenté de plus de la moitié, outre les précédentes impressions." [Ed. Jean de Rougevalet.] Paris: Morel, 1606. 344-5.
References
*1911
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