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JASMIN 
 
 BARBER, POET, PHILANTHROPIST 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL SMILES, LL.D. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "character" " SELF-HELP " " THRIFT " ETC. 
 
 " II rasait Men, il chantait miettx. . . . St la France poss^dait 
 dix poetes comrne Jasviin, dix poet/m de cette influence, elle 
 n'aurait pas d craindre de reoofuffojw. "—Sainte-Bkuvb 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 
 
 1892 
 
Copyright, 1891, by Harper & Brothers. 
 
 All 'TighU yscTTcd:' 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 My attention was first called to the works of 
 the poet Jasmin by the eulogistic articles which 
 appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes^ by De 
 Mazade, ISTodier, Yillemain, and other well-known 
 reviewers. 
 
 I afterwards read the articles by Sainte-Beuve, 
 perhaps the finest critic of French literature, on 
 the life and history of Jasmin, in his Portr^aits 
 Contemjporains as well as his admirable article 
 on the same subject in the Causer ies du Lundi, 
 
 While Jasmin was still alive, a translation was 
 published by the American poet Longfellow of 
 *'The Blind Girl of Castel-CuiUe," perhaps the 
 best of Jasmin's poems. In his note to the trans- 
 lation, Longfellow said that " Jasmin, the author 
 of this beautiful poem, is to the South of France 
 what Burns is to the South of Scotland, the repre- 
 sentative of the heart of the people ; one of those 
 happy bards who are born with their mouths 
 full of birds {la houco ])leno d'^aouveloics). lie has 
 written his own biography in a poetic form, and 
 the simple narrative of his poverty, his struggles, 
 
 M4:i95G 
 
iv Jasmin. 
 
 and his triumphs is very touching. He still lives 
 at Agen, on the Garonne ; and long may he live 
 there to delight his native land with native 
 songs." 
 
 I had some difficulty in obtaining Jasmin's 
 poems, but at length I received them from his 
 native town of Agen. They consisted of four 
 volumes octavo, though they were still incom- 
 plete. But a new edition has since been pub- 
 lished, in 1889, which was heralded by an inter- 
 esting article in the Paris Figaro. 
 
 While at Eoyat, in 1888, I went across the 
 country to Agen, the town in which Jasmin was 
 born, lived, and died. I saw the little room in 
 which he was born, the banks of the Garonne 
 which sounded so sweetly in his ears, the heights 
 of the Ermitage where he played when a boy, 
 the Petite Seminaire in which he was partly 
 educated, the coiffeur's shop in which he carried 
 on his business as a barber and hair-dresser, and 
 finally his tomb in the cemetery where he was 
 buried with all the honors that his towns-fellows 
 could bestow upon him. 
 
 From Agen I went south to Toulouse, where I 
 saw the large room in the Museum in which 
 Jasmin first recited his poem of " Franconnette ;" 
 and the hall in the Capitol, where the poet was 
 hailed as The Troubadour, and enrolled member 
 of the Academy of Jeux Floreaux — perhaps the 
 crowning event of his life. 
 
 In the Appendix to this memoir I have en- 
 deavored to give translations from some of Jas- 
 
Preface. v 
 
 rain's poems. Longfellow's translation of ^' The 
 Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille " has not been given, as 
 it has already been published in his poems, which 
 are in nearly every library. In those which have 
 been given, I have in certain cases taken advan- 
 tage of the translations by Miss Costello, Miss 
 Preston (of Boston, U.S.), and the Eeverend Mr. 
 Craig, D.D., for some time Kector of Kinsale, 
 Ireland. 
 
 It is, however, very difficult to translate French 
 poetry into English. The languages, especiall}'' 
 the Gascon, are very unlike French as well as 
 English. Hence Yillemain remarks that "every 
 translation must virtually be a new creation." 
 But, such as they are, I have endeavored to 
 translate the poems as literally as possible. Jas- 
 min's poetry is rather wordy, and requires con- 
 densation, though it is admirably suited for reci- 
 tation. When other persons recited his poems 
 they were not successful; but when Jasmin re- 
 cited, or rather acted them, they were always 
 received with enthusiasm. 
 
 There was a special feature in Jasmin's life 
 which was altogether unique. This was the part 
 which he played in the South of France as a 
 philanthropist. Where famine or hunger made 
 its appearance among the poor people — where a 
 creche, or orphange, or school, or even a church, 
 had to bo helped and supported — Jasmin was 
 usually called upon to assist with his recitations. 
 He travelled thousands of miles for such pur- 
 poses, during which he collected about half a 
 
vi Jasmin. 
 
 million of francs, and gave the whole of this 
 hard-earned money over to the public charities, 
 reserving nothing for himself except the grati- 
 tude of the poor and needy. And after his long 
 journeyings were over, he quietly returned to 
 pursue his humble occupation at Agen. Perhaps 
 there is nothing like this in the history of poetry 
 or literature. For this reason, the character of 
 the man as a philanthropist is even more to be 
 esteemed than his character as a poet and a song- 
 writer. 
 
 The author requests the indulgence of the reader 
 with respect to the translations of certain poems 
 given in the Appendix. The memoir of Jasmin 
 must speak for itself. 
 
 London, November^ 1891. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AGEN. — jasmin's BOYHOOD. 
 
 Description of Agen — Statue of Jasmin — His " Souvenirs " — Birth 
 of Jasmin — Poverty of the Family — Grandfather Boe — The 
 Charivari — Jasmin's Father and Mother — His Playfellows — 
 Playing at Soldiers — Agen Fairs — The Vintage — The Spinning 
 Women — School detested — Old Boe carried to the Hospital — 
 Death of Boo Pages 1-11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 JASMIN AT SCHOOL. 
 
 Sister Boo — Jasmin enters the Seminary — His Progress — His 
 Naughty Trick — Tumbles from a Ladder — His Punishment 
 — Imprisoned — The Preserves — Expelled from the Seminary 
 — His Mother sells her Wedding-ring for Bread — The Abbo 
 Miraben — Jasmin a Helpful Boy 12-18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 BARBER AND HAIR-DRESSER. 
 
 Jasmin Apprenticed — Reading in his Garret — His First Books — 
 Florian's Romances — Begins to Rhyme — The Poetic Nature — 
 Barbers and Poetry — Importance of the Barber — Jasmin's 
 first Theatrical Entertainment — Under the Tiles — Talent for 
 Recitation — Jasmin begins Business 19-26 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JASMIN AND MARIETTE. 
 
 Falls in Love — Marries Mariette Barrtre — Jasmin's Marriage Cos- 
 tume — Prosperity in Business — The Curl-Papn's — Christ- 
 
viii Contents. 
 
 ened " Apollo " — Mariette dislikes Rhyming— Visit of Charles 
 Nodier — The Pair Reconciled — Mariette Encourages her Hus- 
 band — Jasmin at Home — The "rivulet of silver" — Jas- 
 min Buys his House on the Gravier — Becomes Collector of 
 Taxes Pages 27-35 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 JASMIN AND GASCON. 
 
 Jasmin's first Efforts at Yerse-making — The People Conservative 
 of old Dialects — Jasmin's Study of Gascon — Langue d'Oc and 
 Langue d'Oil — Antiquity of Languages in Western Europe — 
 The Franks — Language of Modern France — The Gauls — The 
 "Franciman" — Language of the Troubadours — Gascon and 
 Proven9al — Jasmin begins to Write in Gascon — Uneducated 
 Poets — Jasmin's " Me cal Mouri " — Miss Costello's Translation 
 — The " Charivari " — Jasmin publishes First Volume of The 
 Curl-Papei's {Papillotos) 36-50 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 BERANGKR. — " MES SOUVENIRS." — PAUL DE MUSSET. 
 
 The "Third of May" — Statue of Henry IV. — Nerac — Jasmin's 
 Ode in Gascon approved — A Corporal in the National Guard — 
 Letter to Beranger — His Reply — " Mes Souvenirs " — Recollec- 
 tions of his Past Life — Nodier's Eulog\- — Lines on the Ban- 
 ished Poles — Sainte-Beuve on Jasmin's Poems — Second Vol- 
 ume of the Papillotos published — Interview with Paul de 
 Musset 51-66 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 "the blind girl of castel-cuille." 
 
 A Poetical Legend — Translated into English by Lady Georgiana 
 Fullerton and Longfellow — Description of Castel-Cuill(^ — The 
 Story of Marguerite — The Bridal Procession to Saint-Amans — 
 Presence of Marguerite — Her Death — The Poem first recited 
 at Bordeaux — Enthusiasm excited — Popularity of the Author 
 — Fetes and Banquets — Declines to visit Paris — Picture of 
 Mariette — A Wise and Sensible Wife — Private Recitation of his 
 Poems — A Happy Pair — Eloquence of Jasmin 67-80 
 
Contents, ix 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 JASMIN AS J'lIILANTHROPIST. 
 
 Charity a Universal Duty — Want of Poor-law in France — Appeals 
 for Help in Times of Distress — Jasmin's Recitations entirely 
 Gratuitous — Famine in the Lot-ct-Garonnc — Composition of 
 the Poem " Charity " — Respect for tlic Law — Collection at 
 Tonneins — Jasmin assailed by Deputations — His Reception in 
 the Neighboring Towns — Appearance at Bcrgerac — At Gon- 
 taud — At Damazan — His Noble Missions Pages 81-89 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 jasmin's " FRANCONNETTE." 
 
 Composition of the Poem — Expostulations of M. Dumon — Jasmin's 
 Defence of the Gascon Dialect — Jasmin and Dante — "Fran- 
 connettc " dedicated to Toulouse — Outline of the Story — 
 Marshal Montluc — Huguenots — Castle of Estellac — Marcel and 
 Pascal — The Buscou — " The Siren with a Heart of Ice" — The 
 Sorcerer — Franconnette accursed — Festival on Easter Morning 
 — The Crown -piece — Storra at Notre Dame — The Villagers 
 determine to burn Franconnette — Her Deliverance and Mar- 
 riage 90-108 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 JASMIN AT TOULOUSE. 
 
 " Franconnette " Recited first at Toulouse — Received with Acclama- 
 tion — Academy of Jcnx Floreaux — Jasmin's Eloquent Decla- 
 mation — The Fetes — Publication of " Franconnette " — Sainte- 
 Bcuve's Criticism — M. de Lavergne — Charles Nodier — Testi- 
 monial to Jasmin — Mademoiselle Gaze — Death of Jasmin's 
 Mother — Jasmin's Acknowledgment — Readings in the Cause 
 of Charity — Increasing Reputation 109-1 16 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 jasmin's visit to pauis. 
 
 Visits Paris with his Son — Wonders of Paris — Country Cousins — 
 Letters to Agen — Visit to Sainto-Beuve — Charles Nodier, Jules 
 Janin — Landlord of Jasmin's Hotel — Recitation before Angus- 
 tin Thierry and Members of the Academy — Career of the His- 
 torian — His Blindness — His Farewell to Literature.. 117-12? 
 
X Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 jasmin's recitations in PARIS. 
 
 Assembly at Augustin Thierry's — The " Blind Girl " Recited— The 
 Girl's Blindness — Interruption of Thierry — Ampere's Obser- 
 vation — Jasmin's Love of Applause — Interesting Conversation 
 — Fetes at Paris — Visit to Louis Philippe and the Duchess of 
 Orleans — -Recitals before the Royal Family — Souvenirs of the 
 Visit — Banquet of Barbers and Hair - dressers — M. Chateau- 
 briand — Return to Agen Pages 124-130 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 JASMIN AND HIS ENGLISH CRITICS. 
 
 Translation of his Poems — The Aihenceiun — Miss Costello's Visit 
 to Jasmin — Her Description of the Poet — His Recitations — 
 Her renewed Visit — A Pension from the King — Proposed 
 Journey to England — The Westminster Beview — Angus B. 
 Reach's Interview with Jasmin — His Description of the Poet 
 — His Charitable Collection for the Poor — Was he Quixotic? 
 — His Vivid Conversation — His Array of Gifts — The Dialect 
 in which he Composes 131-148 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 jasmin's TOURS OF PHILANTROPY. 
 
 Appeals from the Poor and Distressed — His Journeys to Remote 
 Places — Carcassonne — The Orphan Institution of Bordeaux — 
 " The Shepherd and the Gascon Poet "—The Orphans' Grati- 
 tude — Helps to Found an xVgricultural Colony — Jasmin's Letter 
 — His Numerous Engagements — Society of Arts and Litera- 
 ture — His Strength of Constitution — At Marseilles — At Audi 
 — Refusal to Shave a Millionaire — Mademoiselle Rouldes — 
 Jasmin's Cheerful Help — Their Tour in the South of France 
 — At Marseilles again — Gratitude of Mademoiselle Roaldes — 
 Reboul at Nimes — Dumas and Chateaubriand — Letters from 
 Madame Lafarge 149-162 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 jasmin's vineyard. — "MARTHA THE INNOCENT." 
 
 Agen — Jasmin buys a little Vineyard, his "Papiilote" — "Ma 
 Bigno " dedicated to Madame Veill — Description of the Vine- 
 
Contents. xi 
 
 yard — The Happiness it Confers— M. Rodi6re, Toulouse — 
 Jasmin's Slowness in Composition — A Golden Medal struck 
 in his Honor — A Pension Awarded Him — Made Chevalier of the 
 Legion of Honor — Serenades in the Gravier — Honor from Pope 
 Pius IX. — " Martha the Innocent " — Description of the Narra- 
 tive — Jasmin and Martha — Another Visit to Toulouse— The 
 Banquet— Dax, Gers, Condon — Challenge of Peyrottes — Jas- 
 min's Reply — His further Poems — " La Semaine d'un Fils " de- 
 scribed — Dedicated to Lamartinc — His Reply. Pages 163-17Y 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 THE PRIEST WITHOUT A CHURCH. 
 
 Ruin of the Church at Vergt— Description of Vergt — Jasmin Ap- 
 pealed to for Help — The Abbe and Poet — Meeting at Pcri- 
 gueux — Fetes and Banquets — Montignac, Sarlat, Nontron, 
 Bergerac — Consecration of the Church — Cardinal Gousset — 
 Jasmin's Poem — "A Priest without a Church" — Assailed 
 by Deputations — Saint Vincent de Paul— A Priest and his 
 Parishioners — The Church of Vergt again — Another Tour 
 for Offerings — Cr6che at Bordeaux — Revolution of 1848 — 
 Abbo and Poet recommence their Journeys — Jasmin invit- 
 ed to become a Deputy — Declines, and pursues his Career of 
 Charitv 178-189 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 CHURCH OF VERGT. — THE ACADEMY. — EMPEROR AND EMPRESS. 
 
 Renewed Journeys for Church of Vergt — Arcachon — Biarritz — 
 A Troupe of Poor Comedians Helped — Towns in the South — 
 Jasmin'.s Bell - tower erected — The French Academy — M. 
 Villcmain to Jasmin — M. de Montyon's Prize — M. Ancelo to 
 Jasmin — Visits Paris again — Monsigneur Sibour — Banquet 
 by Les Deux Mondes Reviewers — Marquise de Barth61emy de- 
 scribed in Chambers' Journal — Description of Jasmin and the 
 Entertainment — Jasmin and the French Academy — Visit to 
 Louis Napoleon — Intercedes for return of M. Baze — AgainVisits 
 Paris — Louis Napoleon, Emperor, and Empress Eugenie — The 
 Interview — M. Baze Restored to his Family at Agen — The 
 Church of Vergt Finished, with Jasmin Bells 190-204 
 
xii Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 JASMIN ENROLLED MAITRE-ES-JEUX. — CROWNED BY AGEN. 
 
 Jasmin invited to Toulouse — Enrolled as Maitre-es-jeux — The 
 Ceremony in the Selles des Illustres — Jasmin's acknowledg- 
 ment — The Crowd in the Place de Capitol — Agen Awards him 
 a Crown of Gold — Society of Saint Vincent de Paul — The 
 Committee — Construction of the Crown — The Public Meet- 
 ing — Address of M. Noubel, Deputy — Jasmin's Poem, " Tiie 
 Crown of My Birthplace " Pages 205-211 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LAST POEMS. — LAST MISSIONS OF CHARITY. 
 
 His " New Recollections " — Journey to Albi and Castera — Bordeaux 
 — Montignac, Saint Macaire — Saint Andre, Monsegur — Recita- 
 tion at Arcachon — Societies of Mutual Help — Imitation of 
 Christy Testimony from Bishop of Saint-Flour — Jasmin's Self- 
 denial — Collects about a Million and a half of Francs for the 
 Poor — Expenses of his Journey of Fifty Days — His Faithful 
 Record — Jasmin at Rodez — Aurillac — Toulouse — His last Re- 
 cital at Villeneuve-sur-Lot 212-220 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 DEATH OF jasmin: HIS CHARACTER. 
 
 Jasmin's Illness from Overwork and Fatigue — Last Poem to Renan 
 — Receives the Last Sacrament — Takes Leave of his Wife — 
 His Death, at Sixty-five — His Public Funeral — The Ceremony 
 — Eulogiums — M. Noubel, Deputy ; Capot and Magen— Inau- 
 guration of Bronze Statue — Character of Jasmin — His Love 
 of Truth — His Fellow-feeling for the Poor — His Pride in Agen 
 — His Lovalty and Patience — Charity his Heroic Programme 
 —His long Apostolate 221-233 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Jasmin's Defence of the Gascon Dialect 23Y-242 
 
 The Mason's Son 242-248 
 
 The Poor Man's Doctor 248-252 
 
 My Vineyard 252-256 
 
 Franconnette 256-293 
 
JASMIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 AGEN. -JASMIN'S BOYHOOD. 
 
 Agen is an important town in the South of France, 
 situated on the right bank of the Garonne, about eighty 
 miles above Bordeaux. The country to the south of 
 Agen contains some of the most fertile Umd in France. 
 The wide valley is covered with vineyards, orchards, fruit 
 gardens, and cornfields. 
 
 The best panoramic view of Agen and the surround- 
 ing country is to be seen from the rocky heights on the 
 northern side of the town. A holy hermit had once oc- 
 cupied a cell on the ascending cliffs, and near it the 
 Convent of the Hermitage has since been erected. Far 
 underneath are seen the red-roofed houses of the town, 
 and beyond them the green promenade of the Gravier. 
 
 From the summit of the cliffs the view extends to 
 a great distance along the wide valley of the Garonne, 
 covered with woods, vineyards, and greenery. The spires 
 of village churches peep up here and there among the 
 trees, and in the far distance, on a clear day, are seen 
 the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees. 
 
 Three bridges connect Agen with the country to the 
 west of the Garonne — the bridge for ordinary traffic, a 
 1 
 
2 Jasmin. 
 
 light and elegant suspension -bridge, and a bridge of 
 twenty-three arches which carries the lateral canal to the 
 other side of the river. 
 
 The town of Agen itself is not particularly attractive. 
 The old streets, narrow and tortuous, are paved with 
 pointed stones ; but a fine broad street — the Kue de la 
 Republique — has recently been erected through the heart 
 of th(>(>l(i iqwn, which greatly adds to the attractions of 
 the place. - At one end of this street an ideal statue of 
 the llepublic has been erected, and at the other end a 
 life-like bronze statue of the famous poet Jasmin. 
 
 This statue to Jasmin is the only one in the town 
 erected to an individual. Yet many distinguished per- 
 sons have belonged to Agen and the neighborhood who 
 have not been commemorated in any form. Among 
 these were Bernard Palissy, the famous potter;* Joseph 
 J. Scaliger, the great scholar and philologist; and three 
 distinguished naturalists — Boudon de Saint-Aman, Bory 
 de Saint-Vincent, and the Count de Lacepede. 
 
 The bronze statue of Jasmin stands in one of the finest 
 sites in Agen, at one end of the Rue de la Republique, 
 and nearly opposite the little shop in which he carried on 
 his humble trade of a barber and hair-dresser. It repre- 
 sents the poet standing, with his right arm and hand ex- 
 tended, as if in the act of recitation. 
 
 * It is stated in the Bihliographie Generale de VAgenais that 
 Palissy was born in the district of Agen, perhaps at La Chapelle- 
 Biron, and that, being a Huguenot, he was imprisoned in the Bas- 
 tille at Paris, and died there in 1590, shortly after the massacre of 
 St. Bartholomew. But Palissy seems to have been born in an- 
 other town, not far from La Chapelle-Biron. The Times of July V, 
 1891, contains the following paragraph: "A statue of Bernard 
 Palissy was unveiled yesterday at Villeneuve-sur-Lot, his native 
 town, by M. Bourgeois, Minister of Education." 
 
Jasmin's Boyhood. 3 
 
 How the fame of Jasmin came to be commemorated 
 by a statue erected in his native town by public sub- 
 scription will be found related in the following pages. 
 He has told the story of his early life in a bright, nat- 
 ural, and touching style, in one of his best poems, enti- 
 tled "My Recollections" {Mes Souvenirs), written in Gas- 
 con, where he revealed his own character with perfect 
 frankness, and at the same time with exquisite sensibility. 
 
 Several of Jasmin's works have been translated into 
 English, especially his " Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille," by 
 Longfellow and Lady Georgina Fullerton. The elegant 
 translation by Longfellow is so well known that it is un- 
 necessary to repeat it in the appendix to this volume; 
 but a few other translations of Jasmin's works have been 
 given to enable the reader to form some idea of his po- 
 etical powers. 
 
 Although Jasmin's recitations of his poems were inva- 
 riably received with enthusiastic applause by his quick- 
 spirited audiences in the South of France, the story of his 
 life will perhaps be found more attractive to English read- 
 ers than any rendering of his poems, however accurate, 
 into a language different from his own. For poetry, 
 more than all forms of literature, loses most by transla- 
 tion, especially from Gascon into English. Villemain, 
 one of the best of critics, says : " Toute traduction en 
 vers est une autre creation que I'original." 
 
 We proceed to give an account, mostly from his own 
 "Souvenirs," of the early life and boyhood of Jasmin. 
 The eighteenth century, old, decrepit, and cruel, was about 
 to come to an end, when, in the corner of a little room 
 haunted by rats, a child, the subject of this story, was 
 born. It was on the morning of Shrove Tuesday, March 
 6, 1V98 — just as the day had flung aside its black night- 
 cap, and the morning sun was about to shed its rays 
 
4 Jasmin. 
 
 upon the earth — that this son of a crippled mother and 
 a hump-backed tailor first saw the light. The child was 
 born in a house situated in one of the old streets of Agen 
 — 15 Eue Fon-de-Rache — not far from the shop on the 
 Gravier where Jasmin afterwards carried on the trade of 
 a barber and hair-dresser. 
 
 "When a prince is born," said Jasmin in his "Souve- 
 nirs," " his entrance into the world is saluted with rounds 
 of cannon; but when I, the son of a poor tailor, made my 
 appearance, I was not saluted even with a pop-gun." Yet 
 Jasmin was afterwards to become a king of hearts! A 
 charivari was, however, going on in front of a neighbor's 
 door, as a nuptial serenade on the occasion of some un- 
 suitable marriage, and the clamor of horns and kettles, 
 marrow-bones and cleavers, saluted the mother's ears^ ac- 
 companied by thirty burlesque verses, the composition of 
 the father of the child who had just been born. 
 
 Jacques Jasmin was only one child among many. Their 
 parents had considerable difficulty in providing for the 
 wants of the family, in food as well as clothing. Besides 
 the father's small earnings as a tailor of the lowest stand- 
 ing, the mother occasionally earned a little money as a 
 laundress. A grandfather, Boe, formed one of the fam- 
 ily group. He had been a soldier, but was now too old 
 to serve in the ranks, though France was waging war in 
 Italy and Austria under its* new emperor. Bo6, however, 
 helped to earn the family living by begging with his wal- 
 let from door to door. 
 
 Jasmin describes the dwelling in which this poor fam- 
 ily lived. It was miserably furnished. The winds blew 
 in at every corner. Three ragged beds ; a cupboard, con- 
 taining a few bits of broken plates ; a stone bottle ; two 
 jugs of cracked earthen-ware ; a wooden cup broken at 
 the edges ; a rusty candlestick, used when candles were 
 
Jasmines Boyhood. 6 
 
 available; a small half -black looking-glass without a 
 frame, held against the wall by three little nails; four 
 broken chairs; a closet without a key; old Boe's sus- 
 pended wallet; a tailor's board, with clippings of stuff 
 and patched-up garments — such were the contents of the 
 household, consisting in all of nine persons. 
 
 It is well that poor children know comparatively little 
 of their miserable bringings-up. They have no opportu- 
 nity of contrasting their life and belongings with those 
 of other children more richly nurtured. The infant Jas- 
 min slept no less soundly in his little cot stuffed with 
 larks' feathers than if he had been laid on a bed of down. 
 Then he was nourished by his mother's milk,' and he grew, 
 though somewhat lean and angular, as fast as any king's 
 son. He began to toddle about, and made acquaintances 
 with the neighbors' children. 
 
 After a few years had passed. Jasmin, being a spirited 
 fellow, was allowed to accompany his father at night m 
 the concerts of rough music. lie placed a long paper 
 cap on his head, like a French clown, and with a horn in 
 his hand he made as much noise, and played as many an- 
 tics, as any fool in the crowd. Though the tailor could 
 not read, he usually composed the verses for the chari- 
 vari ; and the doggerel of the father, mysteriously fructi- 
 fied, afterwards became the seed of poetry in the son. 
 
 The performance of the charivari was common at that 
 time in the South of France. When an old man proposed 
 to marry a maiden less than lialf his age, or when an el- 
 derly widow proposed to marry a young man, or when 
 anything of a heterogeneous kind occurred in any pro- 
 posed union, a terrible row began. The populace assem- 
 bled in the evening of the day on which the banns had 
 been first proclaimed, and saluted the happy pair in their 
 respective houses with a charivari. Bells, horns, pokers 
 
6 Jas7nin. 
 
 and tongs, marrow-bones and cleavers, or anything that 
 would make a noise, was brought into requisition, and 
 the noise thus made, accompanied with howling recita- 
 tions of the charivari, made the night positively hid- 
 eous. 
 
 The riot went on for several evenings ; and when the 
 wedding-day arrived the charivarists, with the same noise 
 and violence, entered the church with the marriage guests; 
 and at night they besieged the house of the happy pair, 
 throwing into their windows stones, brick-bats, and every 
 kind of missile. Such was the honeymoon ! 
 
 This barbarous custom has now fallen entirely into 
 disuse. If attempted to be renewed it is summarily put 
 down by the police, though it still exists among the 
 Basques as a toberac. It may also be mentioned that a 
 similar practice once prevailed in Devonshire — described 
 by the Rev. S. Baring-Gould in his "Red Spider." It 
 was there known as the hare hunt, or skimmity-riding. 
 
 The tailor's charivaris brought him in no money. 
 They did not increase his business ; in fact, they made 
 him many enemies. His uncouth rhymes did not in- 
 crease his mending of old clothes. However sharp his 
 needle might be, his children's teeth were still sharper ; 
 and often they had too little to eat. The maintenance 
 of the family mainly depended on the mother and the 
 wallet of grandfather Boe. 
 
 The mother, poor though she was, had a heart of gold 
 under her serge gown. She washed and mended inde- 
 fatigably. When she had finished her washing, the chil- 
 dren, so soon as they could walk, accompanied her to 
 the willows along the banks of the Garonne, where the 
 clothes were hung out to dry. There they had at least 
 the benefit of breathing fresh and pure air. 
 
 Grandfather Boe was a venerable old fellow. He 
 
Jasmin's Boyhood. 1 
 
 amused the children at night with his stories of military 
 life— 
 
 " Wept o'er his wonuds, or, tales of sorrow done, 
 Sboulder'd his crutch and show'd how fiekls were won." 
 
 During the day he carried his wallet from door to 
 door in Agen, or among the farm-houses in the neigh- 
 borhood ; and when he came home at eve he emptied his 
 wallet and divided the spoil among the family. If he 
 obtained during his day's journey some more succulent 
 morsel than another, he bestowed it upon his grandson 
 Jacques, whom he loved most dearly. 
 
 Like all healthy boys, young Jasmin's chief delight was 
 in the sunshine and the open air. Then he enjoyed the 
 pleasures of fellowship and the happiness of living. Rich 
 and poor, old and young, share in this glorified gladness. 
 Jasmin had as yet no sorrow. His companions were 
 poor boys like himself. They had never known any 
 other condition. 
 
 Just as the noontide bells began to ring, Jasmin set 
 out with a hunch of bread in his hand — perhaps taken 
 from his grandfather's wallet — to enjoy the afternoon 
 with his comrades. Without cap or shoes he sped away. 
 The sun was often genial, and he never bethought him 
 of cold. On the company went, some twenty or thirty 
 in number, to gather willow fagots by the banks of the 
 Garonne. 
 
 " Oh, how my soul leaped !" he exclaimed in his " Sou- 
 venirs," "when we all set out together at mid-day, singing 
 *Tlie Lamb whom Thou hast given me,' a well-known 
 carol in the South. The very recollection of that pleas- 
 ure even now enchants mo. * To the Island — to the Isl- 
 and r shouted the boldest, and then we made haste to 
 
8 Jasmin. 
 
 wade to the Island, each to gather together our little 
 bundle of fagots." 
 
 The rest of the vagrants' time was spent in play. They 
 ascended the cliff towards the grotto of Saint John. 
 They shared in many a contest. They dared each other 
 to do things — possible and impossible. There were 
 climbings of rocks, and daring leaps, with many perils 
 and escapades, according to the nature of boys at play. 
 At length, after becoming tired, there was the return 
 home an hour before nightfall. And then the little fel- 
 lows tripped along; thirty fagot bundles were carried on 
 thirty heads ; and the thirty sang, as on setting out, the 
 same carol, with the same refrain. 
 
 Jasmin proceeds, in his " Souvenirs," to describe, with 
 great zest and a wonderful richness of local color, the im- 
 promptu fetes in which he bore a part : his raids upon 
 the cherry and plum orchards — for the neighborhood of 
 Agen is rich in plum-trees, and prunes are one of the 
 principal articles of commerce in the district. Playing at 
 soldiers was one of Jasmin's favorite amusements, and 
 he was usually elected captain. 
 
 "I should need," he says, "a hundred trumpets to cel- 
 ebrate all my victories." Then he describes the dancing 
 round the bonfires, and the fantastic ceremonies connect- 
 ed with the celebration of Saint John's Eve. 
 
 Agen is celebrated for its fairs. In the month of 
 June one of the most important fairs in the South of 
 France is held on the extensive promenade in front of the 
 Gravier. There Jasmin went to pick up any spare sous 
 by holding horses or cattle, or running errands, or per- 
 forming any trifling commission for the farmers or graz- 
 iers. When he had filled to a slight extent his little 
 purse he went home at night and emptied the whole con- 
 tents into his mother's hand. His heart often sank as 
 
Jasmines Boyhood. 9 
 
 she received his earnings with smiles and tears. " Poor 
 child," she would say, "your help comes just in time." 
 Tims the bitter thought of poverty and the evidences of 
 destitution were always near at hand. 
 
 In the autumn Jasmin went gleaning in the cornfields, 
 for it was Iiis greatest pleasure to bring home some ad- 
 ditional help for the family needs. In September came 
 the vintage — the gathering in and pressing of the grapes 
 previous to their manufacture into wine. The boy was 
 able with his handy helpfulness to add a little more mon- 
 ey to the home store. Winter followed, and the weather 
 became colder. In the dearth of firewood Jasmin was 
 fain to preserve his bodily heat, notwithstanding his rag- 
 ged clothes, by warming himself by the sun in some 
 sheltered nook so long as the day lasted ; or he would 
 play with his companions, being still buoyed up with the 
 joy and vigor of youth. 
 
 When the stern winter set in, Jasmin spent his evenings 
 in the company of spinning-women and children, princi- 
 pally for the sake of warmth. A score or more of wom- 
 en, with their children, assembled in a large room, light- 
 ed by a single antique lamp suspended from the ceiling. 
 The women had distaffs and heavy spindles, by means of 
 which they spun a kind of coarse packthread which the 
 children wound up, sitting on stools at their feet. All 
 the while some old dame would relate the old-world ogre- 
 ish stories of Blue Beard, the Sorcerer, or the Loup Ga- 
 rou, to fascinate the ears and trouble the dreams of the 
 young folks. It was here, no doubt, that Jasmin gath- 
 ered much of the traditionary lore which he afterwards 
 wove into his poetical ballads. 
 
 Jasmin had his moments of sadness. He was now 
 getting a big fellow, and his mother was anxious that he 
 should receive some little education. lie had not yet 
 1* 
 
10 Jasmin. 
 
 been taught to read ; he had not even learned his ABC. 
 The word school frightened him. He could not bear to 
 be shut up in a close room — he who had been accus- 
 tomed to enjoy a sort of vagabond life in the open air. 
 He could not give up his comrades, his playing at sol- 
 diers, and his numerous escapades. 
 
 The mother, during the hum of her spinning-wheel, 
 often spoke in whispers to grandfather Boe of her de- 
 sire to send the boy to school. When Jasmin overheard 
 their conversation he could scarcely conceal his tears. 
 Old Boe determined to do what he could. He scraped 
 too^ether his little savings and handed them over to the 
 mother. But the money could not then be used for ed- 
 ucating Jasmin ; it was sorely needed for buying bread. 
 Thus the matter lay over for a time. 
 
 The old man became unable to go out of doors to so- 
 licit alms. Age and infirmity kept him in-doors. He 
 began to feel himself a burden on the impoverished fam- 
 ily. He made up his mind to rid them of the encum- 
 brance, and desired the parents to put him into the fam- 
 ily arm-chair and have him carried to the hospital. Jasmin 
 has touchingly told the incident of his removal. 
 
 " It happened on a Monday," he says in his " Souvenirs." 
 " I was then ten years old. I was playing in the square 
 with my companions, girded about with a wooden sword, 
 and I was king ; but suddenly a dreadful spectacle dis- 
 turbed my royalty. I saw an old man in an arm-chair 
 borne along by several persons. The bearers approached 
 still nearer, when I recognized my afflicted grandfather. 
 ' God,' said I, ' what do I see ? My old grandfather 
 surrounded by ray family.' In my grief I saw only him. 
 I ran up to him in tears, threw myself on his neck and 
 kissed him. 
 
 ^' In returning my embrace, he wept. 'O grandfather,' 
 
Jasmin'' s Boyhood. 11 
 
 said I, * where are you going ? Why do you weep ? 
 Why are you leaviiig our home V ' My cliild,' said the old 
 man, ' I am going to Vhdpital* lohere all the Jasmins 
 die.'' He again embraced me, closed his eyes, and was 
 carried away. We followed him for some time under 
 the trees. I abandoned my play, and returned home full 
 of sorrow." 
 
 Grandfather Bo6 did not survive long in the hospital. 
 He was utterly worn out. After five days the old man 
 quietly breathed his last. His wallet was hung up on 
 its usual nail in his former home, but it was never used 
 again. One of the bread-winners had departed, and the 
 family was poorer than ever. 
 
 "On that Monday," says Jasmin, "I for the first time 
 knew and felt that we were very poor." 
 
 All this is told with marvellous effect in the first part 
 of the "Souvenirs," which ends with a wail and a sob. 
 
 * Llwpital means an infirmary or almshouse for old and im- 
 poverished people. 
 
12 Jasmin. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 JASMIN AT SCHOOL. 
 
 One joyful day Jasmin's mother came home in an 
 ecstasy of delight, and cried, " To school, my child, to 
 school !" " To school ?" said Jasmin, greatly amazed. 
 "How is this? Have we grown rich?" " No, my poor 
 boy, but you will get your schooling for nothing. Your 
 cousin has promised to educate you ; come, come, I am 
 so happy!" It was Sister Boe, the school -mistress of 
 Agen, who had offered to teach the boy gratuitously the 
 elements of readinir and writinor. 
 
 The news of Jacques' proposed scholarship caused no 
 small stir at home. The mother was almost beside her- 
 self with joy. The father, too, was equally moved, and 
 shed tears of gratitude. He believed that the boy might 
 yet be able to help him in writing out, under his dicta- 
 tion, the charivari impromptus which, he supposed, were 
 his chief forte. Indeed, the whole family regarded this 
 great stroke of luck for Jacques in the light of a special 
 providence, and as the beginning of a brilliant destiny. 
 The mother, in order to dress him properly, rummaged 
 the house, and picked out the least mended suit of 
 clothes in which to array the young scholar. When 
 properly clothed, the boy, not without fear on his own 
 part, was taken by his mother to school. 
 
 Behold him, then, placed under the tuition of Sister 
 Boe I There were some fifty other children at school, 
 
Jasmin at School. 13 
 
 mumbling at the letters of the alphabet, and trying to 
 read their first easy sentences. Jasmin had a good mem- 
 ory, and soon mastered the difficulties of the A 13 0. 
 " 'Tvvixt smiles and tears," he says, " I soon learned to 
 read, by the help of the pious Sister." 
 
 In six months he was able to enter the Seminary in the 
 Hue Montesquieu as a free schohu*. lie now served at 
 mass. Having a good ear for music, he becam<? a chor- 
 ister, and sang the "Tantum ergo." He was a diligent 
 boy, and so far everything prospered well with him. He 
 even received a prize. True, it was only an old cassock, 
 dry as autumn heather. But being trimmed up by his 
 father, it served to hide his ragged clothes beneath. 
 
 His mother was very proud of the cassock. " Thank 
 God," she said, " thou learnest well ; and this is the reason 
 why each Tuesday a white loaf comes from the Semi- 
 nary. It is always welcome, for the sake of the hungry 
 little ones." "Yes," he replied, " I will try my best to 
 be learned for your sake." But Jasmin did not long 
 wear the cassock. He was shortly after turned out of 
 the Seminary, in consequence of a naughty trick which 
 he played upon a girl of the household. 
 
 Jasmin tells the story of his expulsion with great frank- 
 ness, though evidently ashamed of the transaction. He 
 was passing through the inner court one day, during the 
 Shrove Carnival, when, looking up, he caught sight of a 
 petticoat. He stopped and gazed. A strange tremor 
 crept through his nerves. AVhat evil spirit possessed 
 him to approach the owner of the petticoat? lie looked 
 up again and recognized the sweet and rosy -cheeked 
 Catherine — the house-maid of the Seminary. She was 
 perched near the top of a slim ladder leaning against the 
 wall, standing upright, and feeding the feathery-footed 
 pigeons. 
 
14 Jasmin. 
 
 A vision flashed through Jasmin's mind — "a life all 
 velvet," as he expressed it — and he approached the lad- 
 der. He climbed up a few steps, and what did he see? 
 Two comely ankles and two pretty little feet. His heart 
 burned within him, and he breathed a loud sigh. The 
 girl heard the sigh, looked down, and huddled up the 
 ladder, crying piteously. The ladder was too slim to 
 bear two. It snapped and fell, and they tumbled down, 
 she above and he below ! 
 
 The loud screams of the girl brought all the household 
 to the spot — the canons, the little abbe, the cook, the 
 scullion — indeed, all the inmates of the Seminary. Jasmin 
 quaintly remarks, ''A girl always likes to have the sins 
 known that she has caused others to commit." But in 
 this case, according to Jasmin's own showing, the girl 
 was not to blame. The trick which he played might be 
 very innocent, but to the assembled household it seemed 
 very wicked. He must be punished ! First he had a 
 terrible wio;o;inoj from the master, and next he was sen- 
 tenced to imprisonment during the rest of the carnival. 
 
 In default of a dungeon they locked him in a dismal 
 little chamber, with some bread and water. Next day, 
 Shrove Tuesday, while the carnival was afoot. Jasmin 
 felt very angry and very hungry. " Who sleeps cats," 
 says the proverb. " But," said Jasmin, " the proverb 
 lies; I did not sleep, and was consumed by hunger." 
 Then he filled up the measure of his iniquity by break- 
 ing into a cupboard ! 
 
 It happened that the Convent preserves were kept in 
 the room wherein he was confined. Their odor attracted 
 him, and he climbed up, by means of a table and chair, to 
 the closet in which they were stored. He found a splen- 
 did pot of preserves. He opened it ; and though he had 
 no spoon, he used his fingers and soon emptied the pot. 
 
Jasmin at School. 15 
 
 What a delicious treat he enjoyed — enough to make him 
 forget the pleasures of the carnival. 
 
 Jasmin was about to replace thq empty pot wlicn he 
 heard the click-clack of a door behind him. lie looked 
 round and saw the Superior, who had unlocked the door 
 and come to restore the boy to liberty. Oh, unhappy 
 day ! When the abbe found the prisoner stealing his 
 precious preserves he became furious. " What ! plun- 
 dering my sweetmeats?" he cried. " Come down, sirrah, 
 come down ! no pardon for you now." He pulled Jas- 
 min from his chair and table, and the empty jar fell bro- 
 ken at his feet. " Get out, get out of this house, thou 
 imp of h — ! " And taking Jasmin by the scruff of the 
 neck he thrust him violently out of the door and into 
 the street. 
 
 But worse was yet to come. When the expelled 
 scholar reached the street his face and mouth were 
 smeared with jam. He was like a blackamoor. Some 
 urchins who encountered him on liis homeward route 
 surmised that liis disguise was intended as a mask for 
 the carnival. He ran, and they pursued him. The mob 
 of boys increased, and he ran the faster. At last he 
 reached liis father's door, and rushed in, half dead with 
 pain, hunger, and thirst. The family were all there — 
 father, mother, and children. 
 
 They were surprised and astonished at his sudden en- 
 trance. After kissing them all round, he proceeded to 
 relate his adventures at the Seminary. He could not tell 
 them all, but he told enough. His narrative was re- 
 ceived with dead silence. But he was thirsty and hun- 
 gry. He saw a pot hanging over the fire, and said he 
 would like to allay his hunger by participating in their 
 meal of kidney-bean porridge. But, alas ! the whole of 
 it had been consumed. The pot was empty, and yet 
 
1 6 Jasmin. 
 
 the children were not satisfied vvitli their dinner. " Now 
 I know," said the mother, " why no white bread lias 
 come from the Seminary." Jasmin was now greatly 
 distressed. "Accursed sweetmeats," he thought. "Oh, 
 what a wretch I am to have caused so much misery and 
 distress !" 
 
 The children had eaten only a few vegetables, and 
 now there was another mouth to fill. The fire had al- 
 most expired for want of fuel. The children had no 
 bread that day, for the Seminary loaf had not arrived. 
 What were they now to do ? The mother suffered cruel 
 tortures in not being able to give her children bread, es- 
 pecially on the home-coming of her favorite scapegrace. 
 
 At last, after glancing at her left hand, she rose sud- 
 denly. She exclaimed in a cheerful voice, " Wait pa- 
 tiently until my return." She put her Sunday kerchief 
 on her head and departed. In a short time she returned, 
 to the delight of the children, with a loaf of bread under 
 her arm. They laughed and sang, and prepared to enjoy 
 their feast, though it was only of bread. The mother 
 apparently joined in their cheerfulness, though a sad pain 
 gnawed at her heart. Jasmin saw his mother hide her 
 hand ; but when it was necessary for her to cut the loaf, 
 after making the cross according to custom, he saw that 
 the ring on her left hand had disappeared. " Holy Cross," 
 he thought, "it is true that she has sold her wedding-ring 
 to buy bread for her children 1" 
 
 This was a sad beginning of life for the poor boy. 
 He was now another burden on the family. Old Boe 
 had gone, and could no longer help him with his savory 
 morsels. He was so oppressed with grief that he could 
 no longer play w^itli his comrades as before. But Provi- 
 dence again came to his aid. The good Abbe Miraben 
 heard the story of his expulsion from the Seminary. 
 
Jasmin at School. 17 
 
 Though a boy may bo tricky he cannot be perfect, and 
 the priest had much compassion on him. Knowing Jas- 
 min's abilities and the poverty of his parents, the abbe 
 used his influence to obtain an admission for him to one 
 of the town's schools, where he was again enabled to 
 carry on his education. 
 
 The good abbe was helpful to the boy in many ways. 
 One evening, when Jasmin was on his way to the Au- 
 gustins to read and recite to the Sisters, he was waylaid 
 by a troop of his old playfellows. They wished him to 
 accompany them to the old rendezvous in the square; 
 but he refused, because he had a previous engagement. 
 The boys then began to hustle him, and proceeded to 
 tear off his tattered clothes. He could only bend his 
 head before his assailants, but never said a word. 
 
 At length his good friend Miraben came up and res- 
 cued him. He drove away the boys, and said to Jasmin, 
 " Little one, don't breathe a word ; your mother knows 
 nothing. They won't torment you long ! Take up thy 
 clothes," he said. " Come, poverty is not a crime. Cour- 
 age! Thou art even rich. Thou hast an angel on high 
 watching over thee. Console thyself, brave child, and 
 nothing more will happen to vex tliee." 
 
 The encouragement of the abbe proved prophetic. 
 No more troubles of this kind afflicted the bo}'. The 
 aged priest looked after the well-being of himself and 
 family. He sent them bread from time to time, and 
 kept the wolf from their door. Meanwhile Jasmin did 
 what he could to help them at home. During the vin- 
 tage time he was well employed, and also at fair times. 
 He was a helpful boy, and was always willing to oblige 
 friends and neighbors. 
 
 But the time arrived when he must come to some de- 
 termination as to his future callinir in life. He was averse 
 
18 Jasmin. 
 
 to being a tailor, seeing the sad results of his father's 
 trade at home. After consultation with his mother, he 
 resolved on becoming a barber and hair-dresser. Very 
 little capital was required for carrying on that trade : only 
 razors, combs, and scissors. 
 
 Long after, when Jasmin was a comparatively thriving 
 man, he said : " Yes, I have eaten the bread of charity ; 
 most of my ancestors died at the hospital ; my mother 
 pledged her nuptial ring to buy a loaf of bread. All this 
 shows how much misery we had to endure, the frightful 
 picture of which I have placed in the light of day in my 
 " Souvenirs." But I am afraid of wearying the public, as 
 I do not wish to be accused of aiming too much at con- 
 trasts. For when we are happy, perfectly happy, there 
 is nothing further from what I am, and what I have been, 
 as to make me fear for any misconstruction on the part 
 of my hearers." 
 
Barber and Hair-dresser, 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 BARBER AND HAIR-DRESSER. 
 
 Jasmin was sixteen years old when lie was apprenticed 
 to a barber and bair-dresser at Agon. Tbe barber's sbop 
 was near tlie Prefecture — tbe ancient palace of tbe bisb- 
 op. It was situated at tbe corner of Lamoureux Street 
 and tbe alley of tbe Prefecture. Tbere Jasmin learned 
 tbo art of cutting, curling, and dressing bair, and of deft- 
 ly using tbe comb and tbe razor. Tbe master gave bim 
 instructions in tbe trade, and watcbed bim wbile at work. 
 Jasmin was willing and active, and was soon able to curl 
 and sbave witb any apprentice in Agen. 
 
 After tbe day's work was over, tbe apprentice retired 
 to lus garret under the tiles. Tbere be spent liis even- 
 ings, and tbere be slept at nigbt. Tbougb tbe garret was 
 infested by rats, lie tbougbt notbing of tbem ; be iiad 
 known tbem familiarly at home. They did him no harm, 
 and they even learned to know him. His garret became 
 his paradise, for there be renewed bis love of reading. 
 Tbe solitariness of bis life did bim good by throwing his 
 mind in upon himself, and showing tbe mental stuff of 
 which ho was made. All the greatest and weightiest 
 things have been done in solitude. 
 
 Tbe first books he read were for tbe most part bor- 
 rowed. Customers who camo to the shop to be shaved 
 or have their liair dressed took an interest in the conver- 
 sation of tbe bright, cheerful, dark-eyed lad, and some of 
 
20 Jasmin. 
 
 them lent him books to read. What joy possessed him 
 when he took refuge in his garret with a new book! 
 Opening the book was like opening the door of a new 
 world. What enchantment! What mystery! What a 
 wonderful universe surrounds us! 
 
 In reading a new book Jasmin forgot his impoverished 
 boyhood, his grandfather Boe and his death in the hos- 
 pital, his expulsion from the Seminary, and his mother's 
 sale of her wedding-ring to buy bread for her children. 
 He had now left the past behind, and a new world lay 
 entrancingly before him. He read and thought and 
 dreamed until far on in the morninsf. 
 
 The first books he read were of comparatively little 
 importance, though they gave him an opening into litera- 
 ture. The ChildrerCs Magazine * held him in raptures 
 for a time. Some of his friendly customers lent him the 
 Fables of Florian, and afterwards Florian's pastoral ro- 
 mance of Estelle — perhaps his best work. The singer of 
 the Gardon entirely bewitched Jasmin. Estelle allured 
 him into the rosy -fingered regions of bliss and happi- 
 ness. Then Jasmin himself began to rhyme. Florian's 
 works encouraged him to write his first verses in the har- 
 monious Gascon patois, to which he afterwards gave such 
 wonderful brilliancy. 
 
 In his after-life Jasmin was often asked how and when 
 he first began to feel himself a poet. Some think that 
 the poetical gift begins at some fixed hour, just as one 
 becomes a barrister, a doctor, or a professor. But Jas- 
 min could not give an answer. 
 
 "I have often searched into my past life," he said, 
 " bnt I have never yet found the day when I began my 
 career of rhyming." f 
 
 * 3{agasin des Enfants. f Men JVonveaux Souvenirs. 
 
Barber and Hair-dresser. 21 
 
 There are certain gifts whicb men can never attain by 
 will and work if God has not put the seed of tbeni into 
 their souls at birth, and poetry is one of those gifts. 
 
 When such a seed has been planted its divine origin 
 is shown by its power of growth and expansion, and in 
 a noble soul apparently insurmountable difficulties and 
 obstacles cannot arrest its development. The life and 
 career of Jasmin amply illustrates this truth. Here was 
 a young man born in the depths of poverty. In his early 
 life he suffered the most cruel needs of existence. When 
 he became a barber's apprentice he touched the lowest 
 round of the ladder of reputation ; but he had at least 
 learned the befjinninfjs of knowledQ:e. 
 
 lie knew how to read, and when we know the twentj'- 
 four letters of the alphabet we may learn almost every- 
 thing that wc wish to know. From that slight begin- 
 ning most men may raise themselves to the heights of 
 moral and intellectual worth by a persevering will and 
 the faithful performance of duty. 
 
 At the same time it must be confessed that it is alto- 
 gether different with poetical genius. It is not possible 
 to tell what unforeseen and forgotten circumstances may 
 have given the initial impulse to a poetic nature. It is 
 not the result of any fortuitous impression, and still less 
 of any act of the will. 
 
 It is possible that Jasmin may have obtained his first 
 insight into poetic art during his solitary evening walks 
 along the banks of the Garonne, or from the nightingales 
 singing overhead, or from his chanting in the choir when 
 a child. Perhaps the Fables of Florian kindled the 
 poetic fire within him — at least they may have acted as 
 the first stimulus to his art of rhyming. They opened 
 his mind to the love of nature, to the pleasures of coun- 
 try life, and the joys of social intercourse. 
 
22 Jasmin, 
 
 There is nothing in the occupation of a barber incom- 
 patible with the cultivation of poetry. Folez, the old 
 German poet, was a barber, as well as the still more cele- 
 brated Burchiello, of Florence, whose sonnets are still ad- 
 mired because of the purity of their style. Our own Al- 
 lan Ramsay, author of "The Gentle Shepherd," spent 
 some of his early years in the same occupation. In 
 Southern and Oriental life the barber plays an important 
 part. In the Arabian tales he is generally a shrewd, med- 
 dling, inquisitive fellow. In Spain and Italy the barber 
 is often the one brilliant man in his town ; his shop is 
 the place where gossip circulates, and where many a pret- 
 ty intrigue is contrived. 
 
 ^Men of culture are often the friends of barbers. Buf- 
 fon trusted to his barber for all the news of Montbard. 
 Moliere spent many long and pleasant hours with the 
 barber of Pezenas. Figaro, the famous barber of Seville, 
 was one of the most perfect prototypes of his trade. Jas- 
 min was of the same calling as Gil Bias, inspired with the 
 same spirit, and full of the same talent. He was a French- 
 man of the South, of the same race as Villon and Marot. 
 Even in the prim and formal society of the eighteenth 
 century the barber occupied no unimportant part. He 
 and the sculptor, of all working-men, were allowed to wear 
 the sword — that distinctive badge of gentility. In short, 
 the barber was regarded as an artist. Besides, barbers were 
 in ancient times surgeons ; they w^ere the only persons who 
 could scientifically " let blood." The barber-surgeons of 
 London still represent the class. They possess a cap pre- 
 sented to the Guild by Charles IL, in commemoration of 
 his escape while taking refuge in the oak-tree atBoscobel.* 
 
 * In England some barbers and barbers' sons have eventually 
 occupied the highest positions. Arkwright, the founder of the cot- 
 
Barber and Hair-dresser, 23 
 
 But to return to tlie adventures of Jasmin's early life. 
 He describes with great zest his first visit to a theatre. 
 It was situated near at hand, by the ancient palace of the 
 bishop. After his day's work was over — his shaving, 
 curling, and hair-dressing — he went across the square, 
 and pressed in with the rest of the crowd. He took his 
 seat. 
 
 "'Heavens!' said I, * where am I?' The curtain 
 rises ! * Oh, this is lovely ! It is a new world ; how beau- 
 tifully they sing; and how sweetly and tenderly they 
 speak 1' I had eyes for nothing else : I was quite beside 
 myself with joy. * It is Cinderella,' I cried aloud, in my 
 excitement. * Be quiet,' said my neighbor. * Oh, sir ! why 
 quiet? Where are we? What is this?' * You gaping 
 idiot,' he replied, * this is the Comedy !' " 
 
 Jasmin now remained quiet; but he saw and heard 
 with all his eyes and ears. " ' What love ! what poetry !' 
 I thought: *it is more than a dream ! It's macjic. O 
 Cinderella, Cinderella ! thou art my guardian angel !' And 
 from this time, from day to day, I thought of being an 
 actor 1" 
 
 Jasmin entered his garret late at night; and he slept 
 so soundly that next morning his master went up to 
 rouse him. "Where were you last night? Answer, 
 
 toil inunufuctuie, was originally a barber. Tenterden, Lord Chief- 
 justice, was a barber's son, intended for a ciiorister in Canterbury 
 Cathedral. Sugden, afterwards Lord Chancellor, was opposed by 
 a noble lord while engaged in a parliamentary contest. Replying 
 to the allegation that he was only tiie son of a country barber, 
 Sugden said: "His lordship has told you that I am nothing but 
 the son of a country barber; but he has not told you all, for I 
 have been a barber myself, and worked in my father's shop — and 
 ail I wish to say about that is, that liad his lordship been born 
 the son of a country barber Ac vcould have been a barber still T 
 
24 Jasmin. 
 
 knave ; you were not back till midnight !" " I was at the 
 Comedy," answered Jasmin, sleepily ; " it was so beauti- 
 ful !" " You have been there, then, and lost your head. 
 During the day you make such an uproar, singing and 
 declaiming. You, who have worn the cassock, should 
 blush. But I give you up ; you will come to no good. 
 Change, indeed ! You will give up the comb and razor, 
 and become an actor! Unfortunate boy, you must be 
 blind. Do you want to die in the hospital?" 
 
 "This terrible word," says Jasmin, " fell like lead upon 
 my heart and threw me into consternation. Cinderella 
 was forthwith dethroned in my foolish mind, and my 
 master's threat completely calmed me. I went on faith- 
 fully with my work. I curled and plaited Jiair in my 
 little room. As the saying goes, S'il ne phut, il bruine 
 (If it does not rain, it drizzles). When I suffered least 
 time passed all the quicker. It was then that, dreaming 
 and happy, I found two lives within me — one in my daily 
 work, another in my garret. I was like a bird ; I war- 
 bled and sang. What happiness I enjoyed in my little 
 bed under the tiles ! I listened to the warbling of birds. 
 Lo ! the angel came, and in her sweetest voice sang to 
 me. Then I tried to make verses in the language of the 
 shepherd swain. Bright thoughts came to me ; great se- 
 crets were discovered. What hours ! What lessons ! 
 What pleasures I found under the tiles !" 
 
 During the winter evenings, when night comes on 
 quickly. Jasmin's small savings went to the oil-merchant. 
 He trimmed his little lamp, and went on till late, reading 
 and rhyming. His poetical efforts, first written in French, 
 were to a certain extent successful. While shaving his 
 customers he often recited to them his verses. They 
 were amazed at the boy's cleverness, and expressed their 
 delight. He had already a remarkable talent for recita- 
 
Barber and JIair-dresser. 25 
 
 tion, and in course of time lie became eloquent. It was 
 some time, however, before his powers became generally 
 known. The ladies whose hair he dressed sometimes 
 complained that their curl-papers were scrawled over with 
 writing, and, when opened out, they were found covered 
 with verses. 
 
 The men whom he shaved spread his praises abroad. 
 In so small a town a reputation for verse-making soon 
 becomes known. "You can see me," he said to a cus- 
 tomer, " with a comb in my hand and a verse in my 
 head. I give you always a gentle hand with my razor of 
 velvet. My mouth recites while my hand works." 
 
 When Jasmin desired to display his oratorical powers 
 he went in the evenings to the quarter of the Augustins, 
 where the spinning- women assembled, surrounded by 
 their boys and girls. There he related to them his pleas- 
 ant narratives and recited his numerous verses. Indeed, 
 he even began to bo patronized. His master addressed 
 him as " Moussu " — the master who had threatened him 
 with ending his days in the hospital ! 
 
 Thus far everything had gone well with him. What 
 with shaving, hair-dressing, and rhyming, two years soon 
 passed away. Jasmin was now eighteen, and proposed 
 to start business on his own account. This required very 
 little capital, and he had already secured many acquaint- 
 ances who proposed to patronize him. M. Boyerd'Agen, 
 who has recently published the works of Jasmin, with a 
 short preface and a bibliography,* says that he first began 
 business tis a hair-dresser in the Cour Saint- Antoine, now 
 
 * CEuvres CompUtes de Jacques Jasmin: Preface de rEdition, Essai 
 d'ortliographe gascoune d'apr^s les langues Romaue et d'Oc, et col- 
 lation de la traduction lltt6ralc. Par Dover d'Agen. 1889. Qua- 
 tre volumes. 
 2 
 
26 Jasmin. 
 
 the Cour Voltaire. When the author of this memoir 
 was at Agen in the autumn of 1888 the proprietor of 
 the Hotel du Petit St. Jean informed him that a little 
 apartment had been placed at Jasmin's disposal, separated 
 from the hotel by the entrance to the court-yard, and that 
 Jasmin had for a time carried on his business there. 
 
 But desiring to have a tenement of his own, he shortly 
 after took a small house alongside the Promenade du 
 Gravier; and he removed and carried on his trade there 
 for about forty years. The little shop is still in exist- 
 ence, with Jasmin's sign-board over the entrance door : 
 " Jasmin, coiffeur des Jeunes Gens," with the barber's 
 sud-dish hanging from a pendant in front. The shop is 
 very small, with a little sitting-room behind, and several 
 bedrooms above. When I entered the shop during my 
 visit to Agen, I found a customer sitting before a look- 
 ing-glass, wrapped in a sheet, the lower part of his face 
 covered with lather, and a young fellow shaving his 
 beard. 
 
 Jasmin's little saloon was not merely a shaving and a 
 curling shop. Eventually it became known as the sanct- 
 uary of the Muses. It was visited by some of the most 
 distinguished people in France, and became celebrated 
 throughout Europe. But this part of the work is re- 
 served for future chapters. 
 
Jasmin and Mariette. 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 JASMIN AND MARIETTE. 
 
 Jasmin was now a bright, vivid, and handsome fellow, 
 a favorite with men, women, and children. Of course, 
 an attractive young man, with a pleasant, comfortable* 
 home, could not long remain single. At length love 
 came to beautify his existence. " It was for her sake," 
 he says, *' that I first tried to make verses in the sweet 
 patois which she spoke so well — verses in which I asked 
 her, in rather lofty phrases, to be my guardian angel for 
 life." 
 
 Mariette was a pretty, dark-eyed girl.* She was an 
 old companion of Jasmin's, and as they began to know 
 each other better the acquaintance gradually grew into 
 affection, and finally into mutual love. She was of his 
 own class of life, poor and hard-working. After the 
 day's work was over they had many a pleasant walk 
 together on the summer evenings along the banks of the 
 Garonne or up the ascending road towards the Hermit- 
 age and the rocky heights above the town. There they 
 pledged their vows. Like a poet, he promised to love her 
 forever; she believed him, and loved bim in return. 
 The rest may be left to the imagination. 
 
 Jasmin still went on dreaming and rhyming ! Mariette 
 
 * In Gascon, Maj^nounct ; her pet name, Marie, or in French, Ma- 
 riette. Madame Jasmin called herself Marie BurrJjre. 
 
28 Jasmin. 
 
 was a lovely subject for his rhymes. He read his verses 
 to her; and she could not but be pleased with his devo- 
 tion, even though recited in verse. He scribbled his 
 rhymes upon his curl-papers; and when he had read 
 them to his sweetheart he used them to curl the hair of 
 his fair customers. When too much soiled by being 
 written on both sides he tore them up, for as yet he 
 had not the slightest idea of publishing his verses. 
 
 When the minds of the young pair were finally made 
 up their further courtship did not last very long. They 
 were willing to be united. 
 
 "Happy's the wooing that's not long a-doin<j." 
 
 The wedding-day at length arrived. Jasmin does not 
 describe his bride's dress. But he describes his own. " I 
 might give you," he says, in his " Souvenirs," " a picture 
 of our happy nuptial day. I might tell you at length of 
 my newly-dyed hat, my dress-coat with blue facings, and 
 my home-spun linen shirt with calico front. But I for- 
 bear all details. My godfather and godmother were at 
 the wedding. You will see that the purse did not always 
 respond to the wishes of the heart." 
 
 It is true that Jasmin's wedding-garment was not very 
 sumptuous, nor was his bride's; but they did the best 
 that they could, and looked forward with hope. Jasmin 
 took his wife home to their pleasant house on the Gra- 
 vier, and joy and happiness sat down with them at their 
 own fireside. There was no charivari, because their mar- 
 riage was suitable. Both had been poor, and the wife 
 was ready and willing to share the lot of her young hus- 
 band, whether in joy or sorrow. Their home was very 
 small and cosey — very different from the rat -haunted 
 house of his lame mother and hump-backed father. 
 
 Customers came, but not very quickly. The barber's 
 
Jasmin and' Mariette. 29 
 
 shop was somewhat removed from the more populous 
 parts of the town. But when the customers did come 
 Jasmin treated them playfully and humorously. He was 
 as lively as any Figaro, and he became such a favorite 
 that when his customers were shaved or had their hair 
 dressed they invariably returned, as well as recommended 
 others to patronize the new coiffeur. 
 
 His little shop, which was at first nearly empty, soon 
 became fuller and fuller of customers. People took 
 pleasure in coming to the hair-dresser's shop and hearing 
 liim recite his verses. He sang, he declaimed, while ply- 
 ing his razor or his scissors. But the chins and tresses 
 of his sitters were in no danger from his skipping about, 
 for he deftly used his hands as well as his head. His 
 razor glistened lightly over the stubbly beards, and his 
 scissors clipped neatly over the locks of his customers. 
 
 Except when so engaged, he went on rhyming. In a 
 little town gossip flies about quickly, and even gets into 
 the local papers. One day Jasmin read in one of the 
 Agen journals : " Pegasus is a beast that often carries 
 poets to the hospital." Were the words .intended for 
 him? He roared with laughter. Some gossip had be- 
 witched the editor. Perhaps he was no poet. His rhymes 
 would certainly never carry him to the hospital. Jasmin's 
 business was becoming a little more lucrative. It is true 
 his home was not yet fully furnished, but day by day he 
 was adding to the plenishing. At all events his humble 
 home protected him and his wife from wind and weather. 
 
 On one occasion M. Gontaud, an amiable young poet, 
 in a chaffing way addressed Jasmin as " Apollo !" — in for- 
 mer times regarded as the god of poetry and music. The 
 epistle appeared in a local journal. Jasmin read it aloud 
 to his family. Gontaud alleged in his poem that Apollo 
 had met Jasmin's mother on the banks of the Garonne 
 
30 Jasmin. 
 
 and fell in love with her, and that Jasmin, because of 
 the merits of his poetry, was their son. 
 
 Up flamed the old pair! "What, Catherine," cried 
 the old man, "is it true that you have been a coquette? 
 How ! have I been only the foster-father of thy little 
 poet?" "No! No!" replied the enraged mother; "he 
 is all thine own ! Console thyself, poor John ; thou 
 alone hast been my mate. And who is this 'Polio, the 
 humbug who has deceived thee so? Yes, I am lame; 
 but when I was washing my linen if any coxcomb had 
 approached me I would have hit him on the mouth with 
 a stroke of my mallet !" " Mother," exclaimed the 
 daughter, " 'Polio is only a fool not worth talking about. 
 Where does he live, Jacques?" Jasmin relished the chaff, 
 and explained that he only lived in the old mythology 
 and had no part in human affairs. And thus was Apollo, 
 the ancient god of poetry and music, sent about his busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Years passed on. The married pair settled down quiet- 
 ly, and their life of happiness went on pleasantly. The 
 honeymoon had long since passed. Jasmin had married 
 at twenty, and Mariette was a year younger. 
 
 W^hen a couple live together for a time they begin to 
 detect some little differences of opinion. It is well if 
 they do not allow those little differences to end in a 
 quarrel. This is always a sad beginning of a married life. 
 
 There was one thing about her husband that Mariette 
 did not like. This was his verse- making. It was all 
 very well in courtship, but was it worth while in busi- 
 ness? She saw him scribbling upon curl-papers instead 
 of attending to his periwigs. She sometimes interrupted 
 him while he was writing; and on one occasion, while 
 Jasmin was absent on business, she went so far as to 
 burn his pens and throw his ink into the fire ! 
 
Jasmin and Mariette. 31 
 
 Jasmin was a good-natured man, but lie did not like 
 tbis treatment. It was not likely to end in a quiet do- 
 mestic life, lie expostulated, but it was of little use. 
 He would not give up bis bobby, lie went on rbyming, 
 and in order to write down bis verses he bougbt new 
 pens and a new bottle of ink. Perbaps be felt tbe germs 
 of poetic tbougbt moving witiiin bim. His wife resent- 
 ed bis conduct. Wby could be not attend to tlie sbav- 
 ing and bair-dressing, wbicb brougbt in money, instead 
 of wasting time in scribbling verses on his curl-papers? 
 
 M. Charles Nodier, member of tbe French Academy, 
 paid a visit to Agen in 1832. Jasmin was then thirty- 
 four years old. He had been married fourteen years, 
 but his name was quite unknown, save to the people of 
 Agen. It was well known in tbe town that he bad a 
 talent for versification, for be was accustomed to recite 
 and chant his verses to his customers. 
 
 One quiet morning M. Nodier was taking a leisurely 
 walk along tbe promenade of the Gravier, when he was 
 attracted by a loud altercation going on between a man 
 and a woman in tbe barber's shop. Tbe woman was de- 
 claiming with tbe fury of a Xantippe, while tbe man was 
 answering her with Homeric laughter. Nodier entered 
 tbe shop, and found himself in tbe presence of Jasmin 
 and his wife. He politely bowed to tbe pair, and said 
 that be had taken the liberty of entering to see whether 
 be could not establish some domestic concord between 
 them. 
 
 "Is that all you came for?" asked tbe wife, at tbe 
 same time somewhat calmed by the entrance of a stran- 
 ger. Jasmin interposed : 
 
 " Yes, my dear — certainly ; but — " 
 
 "Your wife is right, sir," said Nodier, thinking that 
 tbe quarrel was about some debts be had incurred. 
 
32 Jasmin. 
 
 " Truly, sir," rejoined Jasmin, " if you were a lover of 
 poetry you would not find it so easy to renounce it." 
 
 "Poetry?" said Nodier. "I know a little about that 
 myself." 
 
 " What!" replied Jasmin. "So much the better; you 
 will be able to help me out of my difficulties." 
 
 " You must not expect any help from me, for I pre- 
 sume you are oppressed with debts." 
 
 " Ha, ha 1" cried Jasmin, " it isn't debts ; it's verses, 
 sir." 
 
 "Yes, indeed," said the wife, "it's verses — always 
 verses ! Isn't it horrible ?" 
 
 " Will you let me see what you have written ?" asked 
 Nodier, turning to Jasmin. 
 
 " By all means, sir. Here is a specimen." The verses 
 began : 
 
 "Femrae ou ddmon, auge on sylx)hide, 
 Oh! par pitid, fiiis, laisse-moi! 
 Doux miel d'amour ii'est quo poison perfide, 
 Mon coeur a trop soiifferfc, il dort, 61oigue-toi. 
 
 " Je te Tai dit, mon coeur sommeille; 
 Laisse-le, de ses maux h, peine 11 est giidri, 
 Et j'ai penr que ta voix si douce a mou oreille 
 Par uu chant d'amour ne I'dveille, 
 Lui, que I'amour a taut meuitri !" 
 
 This was only about a fourth part of the verses which 
 Jasmin had composed."^ Nodier confessed that he was 
 greatly pleased with them. Turning round to the wife, 
 he said : " Madame, poetry knocks at your door ; open 
 
 * The remaining verses are to be found in tlie collected edition 
 of his works — the fourth volume of Las Papilldloa, new edition, 
 pp. 24Y-49, entitled A une jeune Voyageuse. 
 
Jasmin and Mariette. 33 
 
 it. Tliat wliicli inspires it is nsnally «i noble licart and a 
 (iistino^uislied spirit, incapable of mean actions. Let your 
 husband make his verses; it may bring you good-luck 
 and Iiappiness." 
 
 Then turning to the poet, and holding out his hand, 
 he asked, " What is your name, my friend ?" 
 
 *' Jacques Jasmin," he timidly replied. 
 
 "A good name," said Nodier. "At the same time, 
 while you give fair play to your genius, don't give up 
 the manufacture of periwigs, for this is an honest trade, 
 while verse -making might prove only a frivolous dis- 
 traction." 
 
 Nodier then took his leave, but from that time for- 
 ward Jasmin and he continued the best of friends. A 
 few years later, when the first volume of the Papillotos 
 appeared, Nodier published his account of the above in- 
 terview in Le Temps. He afterwards announced in the 
 Quotidienne the outburst of a new poet on the banks of 
 the Garonne — a poet full of piquant charm, of inspired 
 harmony — a Lamartine, a Victor Hugo, a Gascon Bo- 
 ranger ! 
 
 After Nodier's departure Madame Jasmin took a more 
 favorable view of the versification of her husband. She 
 no longer eluded him. The shop became more crowded 
 with customers. Ladies came to have their hair dressed 
 by the poet — it was so original ! He delighted them 
 with singing or chanting his verses. lie had a sympa- 
 thetic, perhaps a mesmeric voice, which touched the souls 
 of his hearers, and threw them into the sweetest of 
 dreams. 
 
 Besides attending to his shop he was accustomed to 
 
 go out in the afternoons to, dress the hair of four or five 
 
 ladies. This occupied him for about two hours, and 
 
 when he found the ladies at home he returned with four 
 
 2* 
 
34 Jasmin. 
 
 or five francs in his purse. But often they were not at 
 home, and he came home francless. Eventually he gave 
 up this part of his trade. The receipts at the shop were 
 more productive. Madame encouraged this economical 
 reform ; she was accustomed to call it Jasmin's coup- 
 d'etat. 
 
 The evenings passed pleasantly. Jasmin took his gui- 
 tar and sang to his wife and children ; or, in the summer 
 evenings, they would walk under the beautiful elms in 
 front of the Gravier, where Jasmin was ready for busi- 
 ness at any moment. Such prudence, such diligence, 
 could not but have its effect. When Jasmin's first vol- 
 ume of the Papillotos was published, it was received 
 with enthusiasm. 
 
 " The songs, the curl-papers," said Jasmin, " brought 
 in such a rivulet of silver that in my poetic joy I broke 
 into morsels and burned in the fire that dreaded arm- 
 chair in which my ancestors had been carried to the hos- 
 pital to die." 
 
 Madame Jasmin now became quite enthusiastic. In- 
 stead of breaking the poet's pens and throwing his ink 
 into tlie fire, she bought the best pens and the best ink. 
 She even supplied him with a comfortable desk on which 
 he might write his verses. " Courage ! courage !" she 
 would say ; " each verse that you write is another tile to 
 the roof and a rafter to the dwelling; therefore make 
 verses ! make verses !" 
 
 The rivulet of silver increased so rapidly that in the 
 course of a short time Jasmin was enabled to buy the 
 house in which he lived — tiles, rafters, and all. Instead 
 of Pegasus carrying him to the hospital, it carried him 
 to the office of the notary, who enrolled him in the list 
 of collectors of taxes, lie was now a man of substance, 
 a man to be trusted. The notary was also employed to 
 
Jasmin and Mariette. 36 
 
 convey the tenement to the prosperous Jasmin. He 
 ends the first part of his "Souvenirs" with these words: 
 
 " When Pegasus kicks with a fling of his feet, 
 Ho sends me to curl on my hobby horse fleet; 
 I lose all my time, true, not paper nor notes, 
 I write all my verso on my ])apill6te8." * 
 
 * Papillotes^ as we have said, are curl-papers. Jasmin's words, 
 in Gascon, are these : 
 
 "Quand Pegazo reguinno, et que d'un cot de pe 
 M'emboyo friza mas marotos, 
 Perdi moun ten, es bray, mais noun pas moun pape, 
 BOti mous v5rs en papillotosl" 
 
36 Jasmin. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 JASMIN AND GASCON. — FIRST VOLUME OF 
 "PAPILLOTES." 
 
 Jasmin's first efforts at verse-making were necessarily 
 imperfect. He tried to imitate tlie works of others rather 
 than create poetical images of his own. His verses con- 
 sisted mostly of imitations of the French poems which he 
 had read. He was overshadowed by the works of Boi- 
 leau, Gresset, Rousseau, and especially by Beranger, who, 
 like himself, was the son of a tailor. 
 
 The recollections of their poetry pervaded all his ear- 
 lier verses. His efforts in classical French were by no 
 means successful. It was only when he had raised liin?- 
 self above the influence of authors who had preceded 
 him that he soared into originality and was proclaimed 
 the Poet of the South. 
 
 Jasmin did not at first write in Gascon. In fact, he 
 had not yet mastered a perfect knowledge of this dialect. 
 Though familiarly used in ancient times, it did not exist 
 in any written form. It was the speech of the common 
 people ; and though the Gascons spoke the idiom, it 
 had lost much of its originality. It had become mixed, 
 more or less, with the ordinary French language, and 
 the old Gascon words were becoming gradually forgot- 
 ten. 
 
 Yet the common people, after all, remain the deposi- 
 tories of old idioms and old traditions, as well as of the 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 37 
 
 inheritances of the past. They are the most conservative 
 element in society. They love their old speech, their old 
 dress, their old manners and customs, and have an in- 
 stinctive worship of ancient memories. Their old idioms 
 are long preserved. Their old dialect continues the lan- 
 Cjuage of the fireside, of daily toil," of daily needs, and of 
 domestic joys and sorrows. It hovers in the air about 
 them, and has been sucked in with their mothers' milk. 
 Yet, when a primitive race such as the Gascons mix much 
 with the people of the adjoining departments, the local 
 dialect gradually dies out, and they le;irn to speak the 
 language of their neighbors. 
 
 The Gascon was disappearing as a speech, and very 
 few of its written elements survived. Was it possible 
 for Jasmin to revive the dialect, and embody it in a writ- 
 ten language? He knew much of the patois from hear- 
 ing it spoken at home. But now, desiring to know it 
 more thoroughly, he set to work and studied it. He was 
 almost as assiduous as Sir Walter Scott in learning ob- 
 scure Lowland words while writing the Waverlerj Novels. 
 Jasmin went into the market-places, where the peasants 
 from the country sold their produce, and there he picked 
 up many new words and expressions. He made excur- 
 sions into the country round Agen, where many of the 
 old farmers and laborers spoke nothing but Gascon. He 
 conversed with illiterate people, and especially with old 
 women at their spinning-wheels, and eagerly listened to 
 their ancient tales and legends. 
 
 He thus gathered together many a golden relic, which 
 he afterwards made use of in his poetical works. He 
 studied Gascon like a pioneer. He made his own lexicon, 
 and eventually formed a written dialect, which he wove 
 into poems, to the delight of the people in the South of 
 France. For the Gascon dialect — such is its richness 
 
38 Jasmin. 
 
 and beauty — expresses many shades of meaning which 
 are entirely lost in the modern French. 
 
 When Jasmin first read his poems in Gascon to his 
 townspeople at Agen he usually introduced his readings 
 by describing the diflSculties he had encountered in 
 prosecuting his inquiries. His hearers, who knew more 
 French than Gascon, detected in his poems many com- 
 paratively unknown words — not indeed of his own crea- 
 tion, but merely the result of his patient and long-con- 
 tinued investigation of the Gascon dialect. Yet they 
 found the language as written and spoken by him full 
 of harmony — rich, mellifluous, and sonorous. Gascon 
 resembles the Spanish, to which it is strongly allied, more 
 than the Provencal, the language of the Troubadours, 
 which is more allied to the Latin or Italian. 
 
 Hallara, in his History of the Middle Ages^ regards the 
 sudden outburst of Troubadour poetry as one symptom 
 of the rapid impulse which the human mind received in 
 the twelfth century, contemporaneous with the improved 
 studies that began at the Universities. It was also en- 
 couraged bv the prosperity of Southern France, which 
 was comparatively undisturbed by internal warfare, and 
 it continued until the tremendous storm that fell upon 
 Languedoc during the crusade against the Albigenses, 
 which shook off the flowers of Provengal literature.* 
 
 The language of the south-west of France, including 
 the Gascon, was then called Langue d'Oc; while that of 
 the south-east of France, including the Provencal, was 
 called Langue d'Oil. M. Littre, in the preface to his 
 Dictionary of the French Language, says that he was in- 
 duced to begin the study of the subject by his desire to 
 
 * Hallam's Middle Ages, iii. 434. 12th edition (Murray), 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 39 
 
 know something more of the Langue d'Oil — the old 
 French language.* 
 
 In speaking of the languages of Western Europe, M. 
 Littr^ says that the German is the oldest, beginning in 
 the fourth century ; that the French is the next, begin- 
 ning in the ninth century ; and that the English is the 
 last, beginning in the fourteenth century. It must be 
 remembered, however, that Piatt - Beutsch preceded the 
 German, and was spoken by the Frisians, Angles, and 
 Saxons, who lived by the shores of the North Sea. 
 
 The Gaelic, or Celtic, and Kymric languages were 
 spoken in the middle and north-west of France-, but 
 these, except in Brittany, have been superseded by the 
 modern French language, which is founded mainly on 
 Latin, German, and Celtic, but mostly on Latin. The 
 English language consists mostly of Saxon, Norse, and 
 Norman - French, with a mixture of Welsh or Ancient 
 British. 
 
 That language is, however, no test of the genealogy of 
 a people, is illustrated by the history of France itself. 
 In the fourth and fifth centuries the Franks, a powerful 
 German race from the banks of the Rhine, invaded and 
 conquered the people north of the Somme, and eventu- 
 ally gave the name of France to the entire country. The 
 Burgundians and Visigoths, also a German race, invaded 
 
 * His words are these : " La conception m'en fut siigg6ree par 
 mes Etudes sur la vieille langue fran9aise ou langue d'o'il. Je fus 
 si frapp6 dcs liens qui unissent le fran9ai3 raoderne au fian9ais 
 ancien, j'apcr9U3 tant de cas oil les sens et des locutions du jour 
 no s'expllquent que par les sens et les locutions d'autrefois, tant 
 d'exemples oii la forme des mots n'est pas intelligible sans les 
 formes qui ont pr6c6d6, qu'il me sembla que la doctrine ct m6me 
 I'usage de la langue restent mal assis s'ils ne rcposent sur leur 
 base antique." (Preface, ii.) 
 
40 Jasmin, 
 
 France, and settled themselves in the south-east. In the 
 year 464 Childeric the Frank took Paris. 
 
 The whole history of the occupation of France is told 
 by Augustin Thierry in his Narratives of the Merovingian 
 Times. " There are Franks," he says in his preface, 
 " who remained pure Germans in Gaul ; Gallo-Romans, 
 irritated and disgusted by the barbarian rule; Franks 
 more or less influenced by the manners and customs of 
 civilized life ; and ' Romans more or less barbarian in 
 mind and manners.' The contrast may be followed in 
 all its shades through the sixth century, and into the 
 middle of the seventh ; later, the Germanic and Gallo- 
 Roman stamp seemed effaced and lost in a semi-barbarism 
 clothed in theocratic forms." 
 
 The Franks, when they had completed the conquest of 
 the entire country, gave it the name of Franken-ric — the 
 Franks' kingdom. Eventually, Charles the Great, or 
 Charlemagne, descended from Childeric the Frank, was 
 in 800 crowned Emperor of the West. Towards the end 
 of his reign the Norsemen began to devastate the north- 
 ern coast of Franken-ric. Aix-la-Chapelle was Charle- 
 magne's capital, and there he died and was buried. At 
 his death the Empire was divided among his sons. The 
 Norse Vikingers continued their invasions, and to pur- 
 chase repose Charles the Simple ceded to the Duke Rollo 
 a large territory in the north-west of France, which in 
 deference to their origin was known by the name of 
 Normandy. 
 
 There Norman - French was for a long time spoken. 
 Though the Franks had supplanted the Romans, the 
 Roman language continued to be spoken. In 996 Paris 
 was made the capital of France, and from that time 
 the language of Paris became, with various modifications, 
 the language of France ; and not only of France, but the 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 41 
 
 Itoman or Latin tongue became the foundation of the 
 languages of Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Thus, Gaulish, 
 Fiankish, and Norman disappeared to give place to the 
 Latin- French. The Kymric, or Celtic language, was 
 preserved only in Brittany, where it still lingers. And 
 in the south-west of Franco, where the population was 
 farthest removed from the invasions of the Gauls, Os- 
 trogoths, and Visigoths, the Basques continued to pre- 
 serve their language — the Basques, who are supposed by 
 Canon Isaac Taylor to be the direct descendants of the 
 Etruscans. 
 
 The descendants of the Gauls, however, constitute the 
 mass of the people in Central France. The Gauls, or 
 Galatians, are supposed to have come from the central 
 district of Asia Minor. They were always a warlike 
 people. In their wanderings westward they passed 
 through the north of Italy and entered France, where 
 they settled in large numbers. Br. Smith, in his Dic- 
 tionary of the Bible, says that " Galatai is the same 
 word as Keltici," which indicates that the Gauls were 
 Kelts. It is supposed that St. Paul wrote his Papistic to 
 the Galatians soon after his visit to the country of their 
 origin. *' Its abruptness and severity, and the sadness 
 of its tone, are caused by their sudden perversion from 
 the doctrine which the Apostle had taught them, and 
 which at first they had received so willingly." It is no 
 fancy if we see in this fickleness a specimen of that 
 *' esprit impetueux, ouvert a toutes les impressions," and 
 that "mobilito extreme," which Thierry marks as char- 
 acteristic of the Gaulish race. 
 
 At all events, the language of the Gauls disappeared 
 in Central France to make way for the language of tho 
 capital — the modern French, founded on the Latin. 
 The Gaulish race, nevertheless, preserved their character- 
 
42 Jcusmin. 
 
 istics — quickness, lightness, mobility, and elasticity — qual- 
 ities which enabled them quickly to conceive new ideas, 
 and at the same time to quickly abandon thein. The 
 Franks had given the country the name it now bears — 
 that of France. But they were long regarded as enemies 
 by the Central and Southern Gauls. In Gascony the 
 foreigner was called Lou Franciman^ and was regarded 
 with suspicion and dislike. 
 
 "This term of Franciman," says Miss Costello, who 
 travelled through the country and studied the subject, 
 "evidently belongs to a period of the English occupation 
 of Aquitaine, when a Frenchman was another word for 
 an enemy."* But the word has probably a more remote 
 origin. When the Franks, of German origin, burst into 
 Gaul, and settled in the country north of the Loire, and 
 afterwards carried their conquests to tlie Pyrenees, the 
 Franks were regarded as enemies in the South of France. 
 
 "Then all the countries," says Thierry, " united by 
 force to the empire of the Franks, and over which, in 
 consequence of this union, the name of France had ex- 
 tended itself, made unheard-of efforts to reconquer their 
 ancient names and places. Of all the Gallic provinces, 
 none but the southern ones succeeded in this great en- 
 terprise; and after the wars of insurrection which, under 
 the sons of Charlemagne, succeeded the wars of con- 
 quest, Aquitaine and Provenge became distinct states. 
 Among the South - Eastern provinces reappeared even 
 the ancient name of Gaul, which had forever perished 
 north of the Loire. The chiefs of the new Kingdom of 
 Aries, which extended from the Jura to the Alps, took 
 the title of Gaul in opposition to the Kings of France."f 
 , , 
 
 * Beam and the Pi/renees^ i. 348, 
 
 f Thierry — Historical Essays, No. XXIV. 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 43 
 
 It is probable that this was the cause of tlie name of 
 "Franciman" beini^ regarded as an hereditary term of re- 
 proach in the Gaulish country south of the Loire. Gas- 
 con and Provencal were the principal dialects which re- 
 mained in the South, though Littre classes them together 
 as the language of the Troubadours. They were both 
 well understood in the South, and Jasmin's recitations 
 were received with as much enthusiasm at Nimes, Aries, 
 and Marseilles, as at Toulouse, Agen, and Bordeaux. 
 
 Mezzofanti, a very Tower of Babel in dialects and lan- 
 guages, said of the Provencal that it was the only patois 
 of the Middle Ages, with its numerous derivations from 
 the Greek, the Arabic, and the Latin, which has survived 
 the various revolutions of language. The others have 
 been altered and modified. They have suffered from 
 the caprices of victory or of fortune. Of all the dialects 
 of the Roman tongue this patois alone preserves its 
 purity and life. It still remains the sonorous and har- 
 monious language of the Troubadours. The patois has 
 the suppleness of the Italian, the sombre majesty of the 
 Spanish, the energy and preciscness of the Latin, with 
 the " Molle atquc facetnm, le dolce de Tlonic," which still 
 lives among the Phoceens of Marseilles. The imagina- 
 tion and genius of Gascony have preserved the other 
 copious richness of the language. 
 
 M. de Lavcrgne, in his notice of Jasmin's works, 
 frankly admits the local jealousy which existed between 
 the Troubadours of Gascony and Provence. There 
 seemed, he said, to be nothing disingenuous in the si- 
 lence of the Provencals as to Jasmin's poems. They 
 did not allow that he borrowed from them, any more 
 than that they borrowed from liim. These men of 
 Southern France are born in the land of poetry. It 
 breathes in their native air. It echoes round them in 
 
44 Jasmin, 
 
 its varied measures. Na}^, the rhymes which are its dis- 
 tinguishing features pervade their daily talk. The seeds 
 lie dormant in their native soil, and when trodden under- 
 foot they burst through the ground and evolve their 
 odor in the open air. Gascon and Provencal alike pre- 
 serve the same relation to the classic romance — that love- 
 ly but short-lived eldest daughter of the Latin — the. lan- 
 guage of the Troubadours. 
 
 We have said that the Gascon dialect was gradually ex- 
 piring when Jasmin undertook its revival. His success 
 in recovering and restoring it, and presenting it in a 
 written form, was the result of laborious investigation. 
 lie did not at first realize the perfect comprehension of 
 the idiom, but he eventually succeeded by patient perse- 
 verance. When we read his poems we are enabled to 
 follow, step by step, his lexicological progress. At first 
 he clung to the measures most approved in French 
 poetry, especially to Alexandrines and Iambic tetrame- 
 ters, and to their irregular association in a sort of ballad 
 metre, which in England has been best handled by Robert 
 Browning in his fine ballad of " Ilarve Kiel." 
 
 Jasmin's first rhymes were written upon curl-papers 
 and then used on the heads of his lady customers. 
 When the spirit of original poetry within him awoke 
 his style changed. Genius brought sweet music from 
 his heart and mind. Imagination spiritualized his nat- 
 ure, lifted his soul above the cares of ordinary life, and 
 awakened the consciousness of his affinity with what is 
 pure and noble. Jasmin sang as a bird sings — at first in 
 weak notes, then in louder, until at length his voice filled 
 the skies. Near the end of his life he was styled the 
 Saint Vincent de Paul of poetry. 
 
 Jasmin might be classed among the Uneducated Poets. 
 But what poet is not uneducated at the beginning of 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 46 
 
 his career. The essential education of the poet is not 
 taui^ht in the schools. The lowly man, against whom 
 the asperities of his lot have closed the doors of worldly 
 academies, may nevertheless have some special vocation 
 for the poetic life. Academies cannot shut him out from 
 the odor of the violet or the song of the nightingale. 
 He hears the lark's song filling the heavens, as the happy 
 bird fans the milk-white cloud with its wings. lie listens 
 to the purling of the brook, the bleating of the lambs, 
 the song of the milkmaid, and the joyous cry of the 
 reaper. Thus his mind is daily fed with the choicest 
 influences of nature. lie cannot but appreciate the joy, 
 the glory, the unconscious delight of living. "The beau- 
 tiful is master of a star." This feeling of beauty is the 
 nurse of civilization and true refinement. Have we not 
 our Burns, who 
 
 " in glory and in joy 
 Followed bis plough along the niouutaiu-sido;" 
 
 Clare, the peasant boy ; Bloomfield, the farmer's lad ; 
 Tannahill, the weaver; Allan Ramsay, the peruke-maker; 
 Cooper, the shoemaker; and Critchlcy Prince, the factory- 
 worker; but greater than these was Shakespeare, though 
 all were of humble origin. 
 
 France, too, has had its uneducated poets. Though 
 the ancient song-writers of France were noble — Henry 
 IV., author of "Charmante Gabriclle ;" Thibault, Count 
 of Champagne; Lusignan, Count do la Marche ; Ilaval, 
 Blondel, and Bassclin de la Vive, whose songs were as 
 joyous as the juice of his grapes — yet some of the best 
 French poets of modern times have been of humble 
 origin : Marmontcl, Moliere, Rousseau, and Beranger. 
 There were also Reboul, the baker; Ilibley, the working- 
 tailor; Gonzctta, the shoemaker; Durand, the joiner; 
 
46 Jasmin. 
 
 Marchand, the lace-maker; Yoileau, the sail-maker; Magii, 
 the weaver; Policy, the mason; Germiny, the cooper;* 
 and, finally, Jasmin, the barber and hair-dresser, who was 
 not the least of the uneducated poets. 
 
 The first poem which Jasmin composed in the Gascon 
 dialect was written in 1822, when he was only twenty- 
 four years old. It was entitled " La fidelitat Agenoso," 
 which he subsequently altered to "Me cal Mouri" {II 
 me fait mourir)^ or " Let me Die." It is a languishing, 
 romantic poem, after the manner of Florian, Jasmin's first 
 master in poetry. It was printed at Agen in a quarto 
 form and sold for a franc. Jasmin did not attach his 
 name to the poem, but only his initials. 
 
 Sainte-Beuve, in his notice of the poem, says, " It is a 
 pretty, sentimental romance, showing that Jasmin pos- 
 sessed the brightness and sensibility of the Troubadours. 
 As one may say, he had not yet quitted the guitar for 
 the flageolet ; and Marot, who spoke of his flageolet, had 
 not, in the midst of his playful spirit, those tender ac- 
 cents which contrasted so well with his previous compo- 
 sitions. And did not Henry IV., in the midst of his 
 Gascon gayeties and sallies, compose his sweet song of 
 " Charmante Gabrielle ?" Jasmin, indeed, is the poet who 
 is nearest the region of Henry IV."f 
 
 "Me cal Mouri," was set to music by Fourgons, and 
 obtained great popularity in the south. It was known 
 by heart, and sung everywhere; in Agen, Toulouse, and 
 throughout Provence. It was not until the publication 
 of the first volume of his poems that it was known to be 
 the work of Jasmin. 
 
 * Les Pokes da Petiple au xiz. Siede. Pur Alphonse Vlollet. 
 Paris, 1846. 
 
 f Portraits ContemporainSy ii. 61 (edition 1847). 
 
Jasmin and Gascon, 47 
 
 Miss Louisa Stuart Costcllo, when making her pilgrim- 
 age in the Soutli of France, relates that, in the course 
 of her journey, "A friend repeated to me two charming 
 ballads picked up in Languedoc, where there is a variety 
 in the patois. I cannot resist giving them here, that 
 my readers may compare the difiference of dialect. I 
 wrote them down, however, merely by ear, and am not 
 aware that they have ever been printed. The mixture 
 of French, Spanish, and Italian is very curious."* 
 
 As the words of Jasmin's romance were written down 
 by Miss Costello from memory, they are not quite accu- 
 rate; but her translation into English sufficiently renders 
 the poet's meaning. The following is the first verse of 
 Jasmin's poem in Gascon — 
 
 "Deja hi ncy encrumis la uaturo, 
 Tout h% tranquillo et tout cargo lou dol ; 
 Dius lou clouchfe la brezdgo inurniuro, 
 Et lou tuquet succMo al rossignol: 
 Del mal, b61as! bebi jnsq'^ la ligo, 
 Moun c5 gdmis sans esponer de gari ; 
 Plus de bounhur, hy perdut moun aniigo, 
 Mo cal niouri ! nio cal mouri !" 
 
 Which Miss Costello thus translates into English : 
 
 "Already sullen night comes sadly on, 
 
 And Nature's form is clothed with mournful weeds; 
 Around the tower is heard the breeze's moan, 
 
 And to the nightingale the bat succeeds. 
 Oh! I have drained the cup of miserj'! 
 
 My fainting heart has now no hoi^e in store. 
 All! wretched me! what have I but to diet 
 
 For I have lost my love for evermore !" 
 
 * Pilgrimage to Auvergne, ii. 210. 
 
48 Jasmin, 
 
 Tliere arc four verses in the poem, but the second verse 
 may also be given — • 
 
 " Fair, tender Plicebe, liasten on tliy course, 
 
 My woes revive while I behold thee shine, 
 For of my hope thou art no more the source, 
 
 And of my happiness no more the sign. 
 Oh! I have drained the cup of misery. 
 
 My fainting heart has now no hliss in store. 
 Ah ! wretched me ! what have I but to die ? 
 
 Since I have lost my love for evermore!" 
 
 The whole of the poem was afterwards translated into 
 modern French, and, though somewhat artificial, it be- 
 came as popular in the north as in the south. 
 
 Jasmin's success in his native town, and his growing 
 popularity, encouraged him to proceed with the making 
 of verses. His poems were occasionally inserted in the 
 local journals ; but the editors did not approve of his use 
 of the expiring Gascon dialect. They were of opinion 
 that his works might be better appreciated if they ap- 
 peared in modern French. Gascon was to a large extent 
 a foreign language, and greatly interfered with Jasmin's 
 national reputation as a poet. 
 
 Nevertheless, he held on his way, and continued to 
 write his verses in Gascon. They contained many per- 
 sonal lyrics, tributes, dedications, hymns for festivals, and 
 impromptus scarcely worthy of being collected and print- 
 ed. Jasmin said of the last description of verse : '' One 
 can only pay a poetical debt by means of impromptus, 
 and though they may be good money of the heart, they 
 are almost always bad money of the head." 
 
 Jasmin's next poem was the " Charivari " [Lou Chali- 
 baris), also written in Gascon. It was composed in 1825, 
 when he was twenty-seven years old ; and dedicated to 
 
Jasmin and Gascon. 49 
 
 M. Duprount, the advocate, who was himself a poetaster. 
 The dedication contained some fine passages of genuine 
 beauty and graceful versification. It was in some re- 
 spects an imitation of the "Lulrin" of Boileau. It was 
 very different from the doggerel in which he liad taken 
 part with his hump-backed father so long ago. Then he 
 had blown the cow-liorn, now he spoke with the tongue 
 of a trumpet. The hero of Jasmin's "Charivari" was 
 one Aduber, an old widower, wlio dreamed of remarry- 
 ing. It reminded one of the strains of Beranger, in oth- 
 er passages of the mock-heroic poem of Boileau. 
 
 Though the poem, when published, was read with much 
 interest, it was not nearly so popular as "Me cal Mouri." 
 This last- mentioned poem, his first published work, 
 touched the harp of sadness ; while his " Charivari " dis- 
 j)layed the playfulness of joy. Thus, at the beginning 
 of his career, Jasmin revealed himself as a poet in two 
 very different styles; in one, touching tlie springs of 
 grief, and in the other exhibiting brightness and happi- 
 ness. At the end of the same year he sounded his third 
 an«I deepest note in his poem "On the Death of Gener- 
 al Foy " — one of France's truest patriots. Now his lyre 
 was complete ; it had its three strings — of sadness, joy, 
 and sorrow. 
 
 These three poems, " Me cal Mouri," the " Charivari," 
 and the ode "On the Death of General Foy," with some 
 other verses, were published in 1825. What was to be 
 the title of the volume ? As Adam, the carpenter-poet 
 of Nevers, had entitled his volume of poetry Shavings, 
 so Jasmin decided to name his collection The Curl-pa- 
 pers of Jasmin, Coiffeur of A gen. The title was a good 
 one, and the subsequent volumes of his works were 
 known as La Papillotos (the Cuil -Papers) of Jasmin. 
 The publication of this first volume served to make Jas- 
 3 
 
50 Jasmin. 
 
 min's name popular beyond the town in wliicli they had 
 been composed and pubhshed. His friend, M. Gaze, said 
 of him, that during the year 1825 he had been marrying 
 his razor with the swan's quill ; and that his hand of vel- 
 vet in shaving was even surpassed by his skill in verse- 
 making. 
 
 Charles Nodier, his old friend, who had entered the 
 barber's shop some years before to intercede between 
 the poet and his wife, sounded Jasmin's praises in the 
 Paris journals. He confessed that he had been greatly 
 struck with the *' Charivari," and boldly declared that 
 the language of the Troubadours, which every one sup- 
 posed to be dead, was still in full life in France ; that it 
 not only lived, but that at that very moment a poor bar- 
 ber at Agen, without any instruction beyond that given 
 by the fields, the woods, and the heavens, had written a 
 serio-comic poem which, at the risk -of being thought 
 crazy by his colleagues of the Academy, he considered 
 to be better composed than the " Lutrin " of Boileau, and 
 even better than one of Pope's masterpieces, the " Rape 
 of the Lock." 
 
 The first volume of the Papillotes sold very well ; and 
 the receipts from its sale not only increased Jasmin's in- 
 come, but also increased his national reputation. Jasmin 
 was not, however, elated by success. He remained sim- 
 ple, frugal, honest, and hard-working. He was not car- 
 ried off his feet by eclat. Though many illustrious 
 strangers, when passing through Agen, called upon and 
 interviewed the poetical coiffeur, he quietly went back 
 to his razors, his combs, and his periwigs, and cheerfully 
 pursued the business that he could always depend upon 
 in his time of need. 
 
Miscellaneous Verses. 61 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS VERSES.— BERANGER.—" MES SOUVE- 
 NIRS."— PAUL DE MUSSET. 
 
 During the next four years Jasmin composed no work 
 of special importance. He occasionally wrote poetry, 
 but chiefly on local subjects. In 1828 he wrote an im- 
 promptu to M. Pradel, who had improvised a Gascon song 
 in honor of the poet. The Gascon painter, Champmas, 
 had compared Jasmin to a ray of sunshine, and in 1829 
 the poet sent him a charming piece of verse in return for 
 his compliment. 
 
 In 1830 Jasmin composed " The Third of May," which 
 was translated into French by M. Duvigneau. It appears 
 that the Count of Dijon had presented to the town of 
 Nerac, near Agcn, a bronze statue of Henry IV., exe- 
 cuted by the sculptor Raggi — of the same character as 
 the statue erected to the same monarch at Pan. But 
 though Henry IV. was born at Pau, Nerac was perhaps 
 more identified with him, for there he had his strong cas- 
 tle, though only its ruins now remain. 
 
 Nerac was at one time almost the centre of the Refor- 
 mation in France. Clement Marot, the poet of the Re- 
 formed faith, lived there ; and the house of Theodore de 
 Beze, who emigrated to Geneva, still exists. The Prot- 
 estant faith extended to Agen and the neighboring 
 towns. When tlie Roman Catholics obtained the upper- 
 hand, persecutions began. Vindocin, the pastor, was 
 
52 Jasmin. 
 
 burned alive at Agen. J. J. Scaliger was an eye-witness 
 of the burning, and he records the fact that not less than 
 300 victims perished for their faith. 
 
 At a later time Nerac, which had been a prosperous 
 town, was ruined by the Revocation of the Edict of 
 Nantes; for the Protestant population, who had been 
 the most diligent and industrious in the town and neigh- 
 borhood, were all either " converted," hanged, sent to the 
 galleys, or forced to emigrate to England, Holland, or 
 Prussia. Nevertheless, the people of Nerac continued to 
 be proud of their old monarch. 
 
 The bronze statue of Henry IV. was unveiled in 1829. 
 On one side of the marble pedestal supporting the statue 
 were the words " Alumno, mox patri nostro, Henrico 
 quarto," and on the reverse side was a verse in the Gas- 
 con dialect.: 
 
 '•'Brabcs Gascons! 
 A moun anion per bous aon dib^s creyrc ; 
 Bciies! Benes! ^y plazd do bous beyrc! 
 Ai)proiicba-bous !" 
 
 The words were assumed to be those of Henry IV"., 
 and may be thus translated into English : 
 
 "Brave Gascons! 
 You may well trust my lovo for yon ; 
 Come ! Come ! I leave to you my glory ! 
 Come near! Approacb!"* 
 
 * M. Duvigneau thus translated the words into French : he be- 
 gins his verses by announcing the birth of Henry IV. : 
 
 "A son aspect, mille cris d'allegresse 
 Ebranlent le palais et montent jusqu'au ciel : 
 
 Le voilit beau commc dans sa jeunesse, 
 Alors qu'il recevait le baiser maternel. 
 
Miscella7ieou8 Verses. 63 
 
 It is necessary to explain how the verse in Gascon 
 came to be engraved on the pedestal of the statue. The 
 Society of Agriculture, Sciences, and Arts, of Agcn, of- 
 fered a prize of 300 francs for the best ode to the mem- 
 ory of Henry the Great. Many poems were accordingly 
 sent in to the Society ; and, after some consideration, it 
 was thought that the prize should be awarded to M. Jude 
 Patissie. But among the thirty-nine poems which had 
 been presented for examination, it was found that two 
 had been written in the Gascon dialect. The committee 
 were at first of opinion that they could not award the prize 
 to the author of any poem written in the vulgar tongue. 
 
 At the same time they reported that one of the poems 
 written in Gascon possessed such real merit that the com- 
 mittee decided by a unanimous vote that a prize should 
 be awarded to the author of the best poem written in the 
 Gascon dialect. Many poems were accordingly sent in 
 and examined. " Lou Tres de May " was selected as the 
 best ; and on the letter attached to the poem being opened 
 the president proclaimed the author to be "Jasmin, Coif- 
 feur." After the decision of the Society at Agen, the 
 people of Nerac desired to set their seal upon their judg- 
 ment, and they accordingly caused the above words to be 
 engraved on the reverse side of the pedestal supporting 
 the statue of Henry IV. Jasmin's poem was crowned by 
 the Academy of Agen; and though it contained many 
 fine verses, it had the same merits and the same defects 
 as the " Charivari," published a few years before. 
 
 A CO peuple charm6 qui des yeux le devore 
 Le bou Roi semble <lire encore: 
 
 ' Braves Gascons, accourez tons ; 
 A mon amour pour vou.s vous devez croire; 
 Je njct h. vous revoir mon bonhour ct lua gloire, 
 Vcncz, vcncz, approclicz-vous I' ' 
 
54 Jasmin. 
 
 M. Rodiere, professor of law at Toulouse, was of opin- 
 ion that during the four years in which Jasmin produced 
 no work of any special importance he was carefully 
 studying Gascon ; for it ought to be known that the 
 language in which Godolin wrote his fine poems is not 
 without its literature. " The fact," says Rodiere, " that 
 Jasmin used some of his time in studying the works of 
 Godolin is that while in ' Lou Charibari ' there are some 
 French words ill-disguised in a Gascon dress, on the oth- 
 er hand, from the year 1830, there are none; and the 
 language of Jasmin is the same as the language of Godo- 
 lin, except for a few trifling differences, due to the differ- 
 ent dialects of Agen and Toulouse." 
 
 Besides studying Gascon, Jasmin had some military 
 duties to perform. He was corporal of the third com- 
 pany of the National Guard of Agen; and in 1830 he 
 addressed his comrades in a series of verses. One of 
 these was a song, entitled " The Flag of Liberty " {Lou 
 Drapeou de laLibertat) ; another, "The good all-merciful 
 God !" {Lou Boun Diou liberal) ; and the third was " Lou 
 Seromen." 
 
 Two years later, in 1832, Jasmin composed "The Gas- 
 cons," which he improvised at a banquet given to the non- 
 commissioned officers of the 14th Chasseurs. Of course 
 the improvisation was carefully prepared ; and it was 
 composed in French, as the non-commissioned officers 
 did not understand the Gascon dialect. Jasmin extolled 
 the valor of the French, and especially of the Gascons. 
 Tlie last lines of his eulogy ran as follows : 
 
 " O Liberty ! mother of victory, 
 Thy flag always brings us success! 
 Though as Gascons we sing of thy glory, 
 We chastise our foes with the French!" 
 
Beranger. 66 
 
 In the same year Jasmin addressed the poet Beranger 
 in a pleasant poetical letter written in classical French. 
 Beranger replied in prose; his answer was dated July 
 12, 1832. He thanked Jasmin for his fervent eulogy. 
 Tiiough he thought that the Gascon poet's praise of his 
 works was exaggerated, he believed in his sincerity. 
 
 "I hasten to express my thanks for the kindness of 
 your address. Believe in my sincerity, as I believe in 
 your praises. Your exaggeration of my poetical merits 
 make me repeat the first words of your address, in which 
 you assume the title of a Gascon* poet. It would please 
 me much better if you would be a French poet, as you 
 prove by your epistle, which is written with taste and 
 harmony. The sympathy of our sentiments has in- 
 spired you to praise me in a manner which I am far 
 from meriting. Nevertheless, sir, I am proud of your 
 sympathy. 
 
 "You have been born and brought up in the same con- 
 dition as myself. Like me, you appear to have triumphed 
 over the absence of scholastic instruction, and like me, 
 too, you love your country. You reproach me, sir, with 
 the silence which I have for some time preserved. At 
 the end of this year I intend to publish my last volume; 
 I will then take my leave of the public. I am now fifty- 
 two years old. I am tired of the world. My little mis- 
 sion is fulfilled, and the public lias had enough of me. I 
 am therefore making arrangements for retiring. With- 
 out the desire for living longer, I have broken silence too 
 soon. At least you must pardon the silence of one who 
 has never demanded anything of his country. I care 
 
 * Gascon or Gasconade is often used as implying hoattting or 
 gnxconading. 
 
56 Jasmin. 
 
 nothing about power, and liave now merely the ambition 
 of a morsel of bread and repose. 
 
 "I ask your pardon for submitting to you these per- 
 sonal details; but your epistle makes it my duty. I 
 thank you again for the pleasure you have given me. I 
 do not understand the language of Langucdoc, but if you 
 speak this language as you write French, I dare to proph- 
 esy a true success in the further publication of your 
 works. — Beranger." * 
 
 Notwithstanding this advice of Beranger and other 
 critics. Jasmin continued to write his poems in the Gas- 
 con dialect. He had very little time to spare for the 
 study of classical French ; he was occupied with the 
 trade by which he earned his living, and his business was 
 increasing. His customers were always happy to hear 
 him recite his poetry while he shaved their beards or 
 dressed their hair. 
 
 He was equally unfortunate with M. Minier, of Bor- 
 deaux. Jasmin addressed him in a Gascon letter full of 
 bright poetry, not unlike Burns's "Vision," when he 
 dreamt of becoming a song-writer. The only consolation 
 that Jasmin received from M. Minier was a poetical let- 
 ter, in which the poet was implored to retain his position, 
 and not to frequent the society of distinguished persons. 
 
 Perhaps the finest work which Jasmin composed at 
 this period of his life was that which he entitled "Mous 
 Soubenis," or " My Recollections." In none of his poems 
 did he display more of the characteristic qualities of his 
 mind, his candor, his pathos, and his humor, than in 
 these verses. He used the rustic dialect, from which he 
 
 * This letter was written before Jasmin had decided to publish 
 the second volume of his Fapillotes^ which appeared in 1835. 
 
^^Mes Souvenirs,'*'' 67 
 
 never afterwards departed, lie showed that the Gascon 
 was not yet a dead language, and he lifted it to the level of 
 the most serious themes. His verses have all the greater 
 charm because of their artless gayety, their delicate taste, 
 and the sweetness of their cadence. 
 
 Jasmin began to compose his "Recollections" in 1830, 
 but the first two cantos were not completed until two 
 years later. The third canto was added in 1835, when 
 the poem was published in the first volume of his Curl- 
 Papers {Papillotes). These recollections, in fact, con- 
 stitute Jasmin's autobiography, and we are indebted to 
 them for the description we have already given of the 
 poet's early life. 
 
 Many years later Jasmin wrote his "Mous noubels Sou- 
 benis" (My New Recollections) ; but in that work he re- 
 turned to the trials and the enjoyments of his youth, and 
 described few of the events of his later life. " What a 
 pity," says M. Rodiere, "that Jasmin did not continue 
 to write his impressions until the end of his life ! What 
 trouble he would have saved his biographers! For how 
 can one speak when Jasmin ceases to sing?" 
 
 It is unnecessary to return to the autobiography and 
 repeat the confessions of Jasmin's youth. His joys and 
 sorrows are all described there — his birth in the poverty- 
 stricken dwelling in the Rue Fon-de-Rache, his love for 
 his parents, his sports with his playfellows on the banks 
 of the Garonne, his blowing the horn in his father's 
 charivaris, his enjoyment of the tidbits which old Boo 
 brought home from his begging tours, the decay of the 
 old man, and his conveyance to the hospital " where all 
 the Jasmins die;" then his education at the academy, his 
 toying with the house-maid, his stealing the preserves, his 
 expulsion from the Seminary, and the sale of his mother's 
 wedding-ring to buv bread for her family. 
 
 3* 
 
58 Jasmin. 
 
 While composing the first two cantos of the " Souve- 
 nirs" he seemed half-ashamed of the homeliness of the tale 
 he had undertaken to relate. Should he soften and bright- 
 en it ? Should he dress it up with false lights and colors ? 
 For there are times when falsehood in silk and gold is 
 acceptable, and the naked, new-born truth is unwelcome. 
 But he repudiated the thought, and added : 
 
 '' Myself, nor less, nor more, I'll draw for you. 
 And if uot bright, the likeness shall be trueJ^ 
 
 The third canto of the poem was composed at inter- 
 vals. It took him two more years to finish it. It com- 
 mences with his apprenticeship to the barber; describes 
 his first visit to the theatre, his reading of Florian's ro- 
 mances and poems, his solitary meditations, and the birth 
 and growth of his imagination. Then he falls in love, 
 and a new era opens in his life. He writes verses and 
 sings them. He opens a barber's shop of his own, mar- 
 ries, and brings his young bride home. " Two angels," 
 he says, "took up their abode with me." His newly- 
 wedded wife was one, and the other was his rustic Muse 
 — the angel of homely pastoral poetry ; 
 
 "'Who, flnttering softly from on hi<»li, 
 Raised ou his wing and bore me fur, 
 Where fields of balmiest ether are ; 
 There, In the shepherd lassie's speech, 
 I sang a song, or shaped a rhyme ; 
 There learned I stronger love than I can teach. 
 Oh, mystic lessons! Happy time! 
 And fond farewells I said, when at the close of day. 
 Silent she led my spirit back whence it was borne away!" 
 
 He then speaks of the happiness of his wedded life ; 
 he shaves and sings most joyfully. A little rivulet of 
 
'^Mee Souvenirs.^^ 59 
 
 silver passes into the barber's shop, and in a fit of poetic 
 ardor he breaks into pieces and burns the wretched arm- 
 chair in which liis ancestors were borne to the hospital 
 to die. His wife no longer troubles him with her doubts 
 as to his versos interfering with his business. She sup- 
 plies him with pen, paper, ink, and a comfortable desk ; 
 and in course of time he buys the house in which he 
 lives, and becomes a man of importance in Agcn. He 
 ends the third canto with a sort of hurrah : 
 
 *' Thus, reader, have I told m^'^ tale in cantos three : 
 Though still I sing, I hazard no great risk ; 
 For should Pegasus rear aud fliug me, it is clear, 
 
 However ruffled all my faucies fair, 
 I waste my time, 'tis true ; though verses I may lose, 
 
 The paper still will serve for curling hair."* 
 
 Robert Nicoll, the Scotch poet, said of his works : " I 
 have written my heart in my poems; and rude, unfin- 
 ished, and hasty as they are, it can be read there." Jas- 
 min might have used the same words. " With all my 
 faults," he said, *' I desired to write the truth, and I have 
 described it as I saw it." In his "Recollections" he 
 showed without reserve his whole heart. 
 
 Jasmin dedicated his " Recollections," when finished, to 
 M. Florimond de Saint-Amand, one of the first gentlemen 
 who recognized his poetical talents. This was unques- 
 tionably the first poem in which Jasmin exhibited the 
 
 * The following are the lines in Gascon : 
 
 "Atai boudroy dan bous fiiii ma triple puoiizo; 
 Mais anfin, by cantat, n'hazardi pas gran caouzo; 
 Quand Pej^azo reguinno, et que d'un cot de p6 
 
 M'einb6}'0 friza mas marotos, 
 Perdi moun ten, hs bray, mais noun pas moun pap6 ; 
 
 B6ti mous b6rs en paplllotos!" 
 
60 Jasmin, 
 
 true bent of his genius. He avoided entirely the French 
 models, which he had before endeavored to imitate; and 
 he now gave full flight to the artless gayety and humor 
 of his Gascon muse. It is unfortunate that the poem 
 cannot be translated into English. It was translated into 
 French, but even in that kindred language it lost much 
 of its beauty and pathos. The more exquisite the poetry 
 that is contained in one language, the more difficulty 
 there is in translating it into another. 
 
 M. Charles Nodier said of " Lou Tres de May " that it 
 contains poetic thoughts conveyed in exquisite words ; 
 but it is impossible to render it into any language but its 
 own. In the case of the " Charivari " he shrinks from at- 
 tempting to translate it. There is one passage contain- 
 ing a superb description of the rising of the sun in win- 
 ter, but two of the lines quite puzzled him. In Gascon 
 they arc : 
 
 " Quand I'Anroro, fourrado en raoubo do sati, 
 Desparrouillo, sau brut, las portos del mati." 
 
 Some of the words translated into French might seem 
 vulgar, though in Gascon they are beautiful. In English 
 they might be rendered : 
 
 "When Aurora, enfiirred in her robe of satin, 
 Unbars, without noise, the doors of the morning." 
 
 "Dream, if you like," says Nodier, "of the Aurora of 
 winter, and tell me if Homer could have better robed it 
 in words. The Aurora of Jasmin is quite his own ; ' un- 
 bars the doors of the morning;' it is done without noise, 
 like a goddess, patient and silent, who announces herself 
 to mortals only by her brightness of light. It is this 
 
*^ Mes Souvenirs,'''^ 61 
 
 finished felicity of expression which distinguishes great 
 writers. The vulgar cannot accomplish it." 
 
 Again Nodier says of the " Recollections :" " They are 
 an ingenuous marvel of gayety, sensibility, and passion. I 
 use," he says, " this expression of enthusiasm, and I re- 
 gret that I cannot be more lavish in my praises. There 
 is almost nothing in modern literature, and scarcely any- 
 thing in ancient, which has moved me more profound- 
 ly than the 'Souvenirs' of Jasmin. Happy and lovely 
 children of Guienne and Langucdoc, read and reread the 
 'Souvenirs' of Jasmin; they will give you painful recol- 
 lections of public schools, and perhaps give you hope of 
 better things to come. You will learn by heart what you 
 will never forget. You will know from this poetry all 
 that you ought to treasure." 
 
 Jasmin added several other poems to his collection be- 
 fore his second volume appeared in 1835. Among these 
 were his lines on the Polish nation — " Aux debris de la 
 Nation Polonaise," and " Les Oiseaux Voyageurs, on Les 
 Polonais en France" — both written in Gascon. Saint- 
 Beuve thinks the latter one of Jasmin's best works. " It 
 is full of pathos," he says, "and rises to the sublime 
 through its very simplicity. It is indeed difficult to ex- 
 aggerate the poetic instinct and the unaffected artlessness 
 of this amiable bard. At the same time," he said, "Jas- 
 min still wanted the fire of passion to reach the noblest 
 poetic work. Yet he had the art of style. If Agen was 
 renowned as ' the eye of Guienne,' Jasmin was certainly 
 the greatest poet who had ever written in the pure patois 
 of Agen." 
 
 Sainte-Beuve also said of Jasmin that he was " invari- 
 ably sober." And Jasmin said of himself, " I have learned 
 that in moments of heat and emotion we are all eloquent 
 and laconic, alike in speech and action — unconscious 
 
62 Jasmin, 
 
 poets, in fact ; and I have also learned that it is possible 
 for a muse to become all this willingly and by dint of 
 patient toil." 
 
 Another of his supplementary poems consisted of a 
 dialogue between Ramoun, a soldier of the Old Guard, 
 and Mathiou, a peasant. It is of a political cast, and 
 Jasmin did not shine in politics. He was, however, al- 
 ways a patriot, whether under the Empire, the Monarchy, 
 or the Republic. He loved France above all things, 
 while he entertained the warmest affection for his native 
 province. If Jasmin had published his volume in clas- 
 sical French he might have been lost amid a crowd of 
 rhymers; but as he published the work in his native di- 
 alect, he became forthwith distinguished in his neighbor- 
 hood, and was ever after known as the Gascon poet. 
 
 Nor did he long remain unknown beyond the district 
 in which he lived. AVhen his second volume appeared 
 in 1835, with a preface by M. Baze, an advocate of the 
 Royal Court of Agen, it created considerable excitement, 
 not only at Bordeaux and Toulouse, but also at Paris, 
 the centre of the literature, science, and fine arts of 
 France. There men of the highest distinction wel- 
 comed the work with enthusiasm. 
 
 M. Baze, in his preface, was very eulogistic. " We 
 have the pleasure," he said, " of seeing united in one col- 
 lection the sweet Romanic tongue which the South of 
 France has adopted, like the privileged children of her 
 lovely sky and voluptuous climate, and her lyrical songs, 
 whose masculine vigor and energetic sentiments have 
 more than once excited patriotic transports and awakened 
 popular enthusiasm. For Jasmin is above all a poet of 
 the people. He is not ashamed of his origin. He was 
 born in the midst of them, and, though a poet, still be- 
 longs to them. For genius is of all stations and ranks 
 
^^ Mes Souvenirs^ 63 
 
 of life, lie is but a hair-dresser at Agen, and, more than 
 that, he wishes to remain so. Ilis ambition is to unite 
 the razor to tlie poet's pen." 
 
 At Paris the work was welcomed witli applause, first 
 by his poetic sponsor, Ciiarles Nodier, in the Temps^ 
 where he coni^ratulatcd Jasmin on usini^ the Gascon pat- 
 ois, though still under the ban of literature. " It is a ver- 
 itable Saint BartholoFiiew of innocent and beautiful idi- 
 oms, which can scarcely be employed even in the hours 
 of recreation." lie pronounced Jasmin to be a Gascon 
 Beranger, and quoted several of his linos from the "Cha- 
 rivari," but apologized for their translation into French, 
 fearing that they might lose much of their rustic artless- 
 ness and soft harmony. 
 
 What was a still greater honor, Jasmin was reviewed 
 by the first critic of France — Sainte-Beuve — in the> lead- 
 ing critical journal, the Revue des deux Mondes. The 
 article was afterwards republished in his Contemporary 
 Portraits* He there gives a general account of his 
 poems; compares him with the English and Scotch poets 
 of the working-class, and contrasts him with Reboul, the 
 baker of Nimes, who writes in classical French, after the 
 manner of the Meditations of Lamar tine. He proceeds 
 to give a brief account of Jasmin's life, taken from the 
 " Souvenirs," which he regards as a beautiful work, written 
 with much artlessness and simplicity. 
 
 Various other reviews of Jasmin's poems appeared, in 
 Agen, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Paris, by men of literary 
 mark — by Leonce de Lavergne, and De Mazudc in Revue 
 des deux Mondes — by Charles Labitte, M. Ducuing, and 
 M. de Pontmartin. The latter classed Jasmin with The- 
 
 * Portraits Contemporains, u. 60. Par C. A. Sainte-Beuve, Mem- 
 bre de rAcad6mic Fran^nise. 1847. 
 
64 Jasmin. 
 
 ocritus, Horace, and Lafontaine, and paid liim the sin- 
 gular tribute, "that he had made Goodness as attractive 
 as other French writers had made Badness." Such crit- 
 icisms as these made Jasmin popular, not only in his own 
 district, but throughout France. 
 
 We cannot withhold the interesting statement of Paul 
 de Musset as to his interview with Jasmin in 1836, after 
 the publication of his second volume of poems. Paul 
 de Musset was the author of several nov'els, as well as of 
 Lui et Elle, apropos of his brother's connection with 
 George Sand. Paul de Musset thus describes his visit 
 to the poet at Agen :* 
 
 "Let no one return northward by the direct road from 
 Toulouse. Nothing can be more dreary than the Lot, 
 the Limousin, and the interminable Dordogne ; but make 
 for Bordeaux by the plains of Gascony, and do not for- 
 get the steamboat from Marmande. You will then find 
 yourself on the Garonne, in the midst of a beautiful coun- 
 try where the air is vigorous and healthy. The roads 
 are bordered with vines arranged in arches, lovely to the 
 eyes of travellers. The poets, who delight in making 
 the union of the vine with the trees which support it an 
 emblem of marriage, can verify their comparisons only 
 in Gascony or Italy. It is usually pear-trees that are 
 used to support them. . . . 
 
 "Thanks to M. Charles Nodier, who had discovered a 
 man of modest talent buried in this province, I knew a 
 little of the verses of the Gascon poet Jasmin. Early 
 one morning, at about seven, the diligence stopped in the 
 middle of a Place, where I read this inscription over a 
 shop-door, ' Jasmin, Coiffeur des Jeunes Gens.' We were 
 
 * " Perpignan, I'Ari^ge et le pofete Jasmin" {Journal politique et 
 
 litleraire de Lot-et- Garonne). 
 
Paul de Miisset. 66 
 
 at Agcn. I descended, swallowed iny cup of coffee as 
 fast as I could, and entered the shop of the most lettered 
 of peruke-makers. On a table was a mass of pamphlets 
 and some of the journals of the South. 
 
 " ' Monsieur Jasmin ?' said T, on entering. ' Here I am, 
 sir, at your service,' replied a handsome, brown-haired fel- 
 low, with a cheerful expression, who seemed to me about 
 thirty years of age. 
 
 " ' Will you shave me?' I asked. * Willingly, sir,' he 
 replied. I sat down and we entered into conversation. 
 *I have read your verses, sir,' said I, while he was cover- 
 ing my chin with lather. ' Monsieur then comprehends 
 the patois V ' A little,' I said ; * one of my friends has 
 explained to me the difficult passages. But tell me, Mon- 
 sieur Jasmin, why is it that you, who appear to know 
 French perfectly, write in a language that is not spoken 
 in any chief town or capital?' 
 
 *"Ah, sir, how could a poor rhymer like me appear 
 among the great celebrities of Paris? I have sold eigh- 
 teen hundred copies of my little pieces of poetry (in a 
 pamphlet form), and certainly all who speak Gascon know 
 them well. Remember that there are at least six millions 
 of people in Languedoc' 
 
 " My mouth was covered with soapsuds and I could 
 not answer him for some time. Then I said, * But a 
 liundrcd thousand persons at most know how to read, 
 and twenty thousand of them can scarcely be able to en- 
 joy your works.' 
 
 " * Well, sir, I am content with that amount. Perhaps 
 you have at Paris more than one writer who possesses 
 his twenty thousand readers. My little reputation would 
 soon carry me astray if I ventured to address all Europe. 
 The voice that appears sonorous in a little place is not 
 heard in the midst of a vast plain. And then my read- 
 
66 Jasmin. 
 
 ers arc confined within a radius of forty leagues, and the 
 result is of real advantage to an author.' 
 
 " 'Ah ! And why do you not abandon your razor?' I 
 inquired of this singular poet. ' What would you have V 
 he said. ' The Muses are most capricious ; to-day they 
 give gold, to-morrow, they refuse bread. The razor se- 
 cures me soup, and perhaps a bottle of Bordeaux. Be- 
 sides, my salon is a little literary circle, where all the 
 young people of the town assemble. When I come from 
 one of the academies of which I am a member I find my- 
 self among the tools which I can manage better than my 
 pen ; and most of the members of the, circle usually pass 
 through my hands.' 
 
 " It is a fact that M. Jasmin shaves more skilfully 
 than any other poet. After a long conversation with 
 this simple-minded man I experienced a certain confu- 
 sion in depositing upon his table the amount of fifty 
 centimes, which I owed him on this occasion more for 
 his talent than for his razor; and I remounted the dili- 
 gence more than charmed with the modesty of his char- 
 acter and demeanor," 
 
" The Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille:' 67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 "THE BLIND GIRL OF CASTEL-CUILLE." 
 
 Jasmin was now thirty-six years old. He was virtually 
 in the prime of life. He had been dreaming, he had 
 been thinking, for many years, of composing some poems 
 of a higher order than his " Souvenirs." lie desired to 
 embody in his work some romantic tales in verse, founded 
 upon local legends, noble in conception, elaborated with 
 care, and impressive by the dignity of simple, natural 
 passion. 
 
 In these new lyrical poems his intention was to aim 
 high, and he succeeded to a marvellous extent. He was 
 enabled to show the depth and strength of his dramatic 
 powers, his fidelity in the description of romantic and 
 picturesque incidents, his shrewdness in reading character 
 and his skill in representing it — all of which he did in 
 perfect innocence of all established canons in the com- 
 position of dramatic poetry. 
 
 The first of Jasmin's poetical legends was "The Blind 
 Girl of Castel-Cuillo " (Ij Abuglo), It was translated into 
 English, a few years after its appearance, by Lady Geor- 
 giana Fullerton, daughter of the British ambassador at 
 Paris,* and afterwards by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 
 
   The translation appeared in Bentley's Miscellany for March, 
 1840. It was published for a charitable purpose. Mrs. Craven, in 
 her Life of Lady Georgiana Fnllerlon^ says : " It was put in at 
 once, and its two hundred and seventy lines brought to the author 
 
68 Jasmin. 
 
 the American poet. Longfellow follows the rhythm of 
 the original, and on the whole his translation of the poem 
 is more correct, so that his version is to be preferred. 
 He begins his version with these words : 
 
 '' Only the Lowland tongne of Scotland might 
 Eeliearse tliis little tragedy aright ; 
 Let me attempt it with an English quill, 
 And takej O reader, for the deed the will." 
 
 At the end of his translation Longfellow adds: "Jas- 
 min, the author of this beautiful poem, is to the South 
 of France what Burns is to the South of Scotland : 
 the representative of the heart of the people — one of 
 those happy bards who are born with their mouths full 
 of birds {la bouco pleno d'auuvelous). He has written 
 his own biography in a poetic form, and the simple nar- 
 rative of his poverty, his struggles, and his triumphs, is 
 very touching. He still lives at Agen, on the Garonne, 
 and long may he live there to delight his native land 
 with native songs !" It is unnecessary to quote the 
 poem, which is so well known by the numerous readers 
 of Longfellovv's poems, but a compressed narrative of the 
 story may be given. 
 
 The legend is founded on a popular tradition. Castel- 
 Cuille stands upon a bluff rock in the pretty valley of 
 Saint-Amans, about a league from Agen. The castle was 
 of considerable importance many centuries ago, while the 
 English occupied Guienne; but is now in ruins, though 
 the village near it still exists. In a cottage, at the foot 
 of the rock, lived the girl Marguerite, a soldier's daughter, 
 
 twelve guineas on the day on which it appeared. Lady Fullerton 
 was surprised and delighted. All her long years of success, differ- 
 ent indeed in degree, never effaced the memory of the joy." 
 
"2%e Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille:'' 69 
 
 with her brother Paul. The girl had been betrothed to 
 her lover Baptiste; but during his absence she was at- 
 tacked by virulent small - pox and lost her eyesight. 
 Though her beauty had disappeared, her love remained. 
 She waited long for her beloved Baptiste, but he never 
 returned. He forsook his betrothed Marguerite, and 
 plighted his troth to the fairer and richer Angele. It 
 was, after all, only the old story. 
 
 Marguerite heard at night the song of their espousals 
 on the eve of the marriage. She was in despair, but 
 suppressed her grief. Wednesday morning arrived, the 
 eve of St. Joseph. The bridal procession passed along 
 the village towards the church of Saint-Amans, singing 
 the bridal song. The fair and fertile valley was be- 
 decked with the blossoms of the apple, the plum, and the 
 almond, which whitened the country round. Nothing 
 could have seemed more propitious. Then came the 
 chorus, which was no invention of the poet, but a refrain 
 always sung at rustic weddings, in accordance with the 
 custom of strewing the bridal-path with flowers: 
 
 " Tho paths with buds and blossoms sticw, 
 A lovely brido approaches nigh; 
 For all should bloom and spring anew, 
 A lovely bride is passing by !" * 
 
 Under the blue sky and brilliant sunshine the joyous 
 young people frisked along. The picture of youth, 
 gayety, and beauty is full of truth and nature. The bride 
 
 * The refrain, in the original Gascon, is as follows : 
 
 "L4s carrferos dlouyon flouri, 
 Tan bfelo nobio bay soiirti ; 
 Diouyon flouri, diouyon *;raua, 
 Tan belo nobio buy passa!" 
 
VO Jasmin. 
 
 herself takes part in the frolic. With roguish eyes she 
 escapes and cries : " Those who catch me will be married 
 this year!" And then they descend the hill towards the 
 church of Saint -Amans. Baptiste, the bridegroom, is 
 out of spirits and mute. He takes no part in the sports 
 of the bridal-party. He remembers with grief the blind 
 girl he has abandoned. 
 
 In the cottage under the cliff Marguerite meditates a 
 tragedy. She dresses herself, and resolves to attend the 
 wedding at Saint-Amans with her little brother. While 
 dressing she slips a knife into her bosom, and then they 
 start for the church. The bridal-party soon arrived, and 
 Marguerite heard their entrance. 
 
 The ceremony proceeded. Mass was said. The wed- 
 ding-ring was blessed; and as Baptiste placed it on the 
 bride's finger he said the accustomed words. In a mo- 
 ment a voice cried : " It is he ! It is he !" and Marguerite 
 rushed through the bridal -party towards him with a 
 knife in her hand to stab herself; but before she could 
 reach the bridegroom she fell down dead — broken- 
 hearted ! The crime which she had intended to commit 
 against herself was thus prevented. 
 
 In the evening, in place of a bridal song, the "De Pro- 
 fundis" was chanted, and now each one seemed to say : 
 
 " The roads shall mourn, and, veiled in gloom, 
 So fair a corpse shall leave its home! 
 Should mourn and weep, ah, well-away. 
 So fair a corpse shall pass to-day !" * 
 
 * In Gascon : 
 
 Las carreros dionyon gemi, 
 Tan belo morto bay sourti! 
 Diouyon gemi, diouyon ploura, 
 Tan bclo morto bay passa !" 
 
''The Blind Girl of Castel-Cuilley Tl 
 
 This poem was finished in Angust, 1835; and on the 
 26th of the same month it was publicly recited by Jasmin 
 at Bordeaux, at the request of the Academy of that city. 
 
 There was great beauty, tenderness, and pathos in the 
 poem. It was perfectly simple and natural. The poem 
 might form the subject of a drama or a musical cantata. 
 The lamentations of Marguerite on her blindness remind 
 one of Milton's heart-rending words on the same subject: 
 
 " For others, day and joy and light, 
 For me, all darkness, always night."* 
 
 Sainte-Beuve, in criticising Jasmin's poems, says that 
 "It was in 1835 that his talent raised itself to the emi- 
 nence of writing one of his purest compositions — nat- 
 ural, touching, and disinterested — his 'Blind Girl of 
 Castel-Cuillo,' in which he makes us assist in a fete, 
 amid the joys of the villagers; and at the grief of a 
 young girl, a fiancee whom a severe attack of small-pox 
 had deprived of her eyesight, and whom her betrothed 
 lover had abandoned to marry another. 
 
 "The grief of the poor abandoned girl, her changes 
 of color, her attitude, her conversation, her projects — the 
 whole surrounded by the freshness of spring and the 
 laughing brightness of the season — exhibits a character 
 of nature and of truth which very few poets have been 
 able to attain. One is quite surprised, on reading this 
 simple picture, to be involuntarily carried back to the 
 most expressive poems of the ancient Greeks— to Theoc- 
 ritus, for example — for the Marguerite of Jasmin may be 
 
 * In Gascon : 
 
 " Jour per aoutres, toutjour I et per jou, raalhurouzo, 
 Toutjour n6y, toutjour n5y ! 
 Que fay negre 16n d'el ! Oh ! quo raoun amo h& tristo !" 
 
12 Jasmin. 
 
 compared with the Simetha of the Greek poet. This is 
 true poetry, rich from the same sources, and gilded witli 
 the same imagery. In his new compositions Jasmin lias 
 followed his own bias; this man, who had few books, 
 but meditated deeply in his heart and his love of nature ; 
 and he followed the way of true art with secret and per- 
 severing labor in what appeared to him the most elo- 
 quent, easy, and happy manner. . . . 
 
 "His language," Sainte-Beuve continues, "is always 
 the most natural, faithful, transparent, truthful, eloquent, 
 and sober ; never forget this last characteristic, lie is 
 never more happy than when he finds that he can bor- 
 row from an artisan or laborer one of those words which 
 arc worth ten of others. It is thus that his genius has 
 refined during the years preceding the time in which he 
 produced his greatest works. It is thus that he has be- 
 come the poet of the people, writing in the popular 
 patois, and for public solemnities, which remind one of 
 those of the Middle Ages and of Greece; thus lie finds 
 himself to be, in short, more than any of our contempo- 
 raries, of the School of Horace, of Theocritus, or of Gray, 
 and all the brilliant geniuses who have endeavored by 
 study to bring each of their works to perfection."* 
 
 " The Blind Girl " was the most remarkable work that 
 Jasmin liad up to this time composed. There is no 
 country where an author is so popular, when he is once 
 known, as in France. When Jasmin's poem was pub- 
 lished he became, by universal consent, the Poet-laureate 
 of the South. Yet some of the local journals of Bor- 
 deaux made light of his appearance in that city for the 
 purpose of reciting his as yet unknown poem. "That a 
 
 * Saint-Beuve: Caiiseries dn Lnndi, iv. 240-41 (edition 1852), 
 and Foi-t7'aits Contemporaim, ii. 61 (edition 184'7). 
 
''The Blind Girl of CasteC- Cuilley 73 
 
 barber and hair-dresser of Agen," they said, " speaking 
 and writing in a vulgar tongue, should attempt to amuse 
 or enlighten the intelligent people of Bordeaux, seemed 
 to them beneath contempt." 
 
 But Jasmin soon showed them that genius is of no 
 rank or condition of life, and their views shortly under- 
 went a sudden change. His very appearance in the city 
 was a triumph. Crowds resorted to the large hall, in 
 which he was to recite his new poem, " The Blind Girl 
 of Castel-Cuille." The prefect, the mayor, the members 
 of the Academy, and the most cultivated people of the 
 city were present, and received him with applause. 
 
 There might have been some misgivings as to fhe suc- 
 cess of the poem, but from the moment that he appeared 
 on the platform and began his recitation every doubt 
 disappeared. He read the poem with marvellous elo- 
 quence; while his artistic figure, his mobile countenance, 
 liis dark-brown eyebrows, which be raised or lowered at 
 will, his expressive gesticulation, and his passionate act- 
 ing, added greatly to the effect of his recital, and soon 
 won every heart When he came to the refrain, 
 
 "The paths witli buds and blossoms strew,^ 
 
 he no longer declaimed, but sang after the manner of the 
 peasants in their popular chant. His eyes became suf- 
 fused with tears, and those who listened to the patois, 
 even though they only imperfectly understood it, partook 
 of the impression, and wept also. 
 
 He was alike tender and impressive throughout the 
 piece, especially at the death of the blind girl ; and when 
 be had ended, a storm of applause burst from the audi- 
 ence. There was a clapping of hands and a thunderous 
 stamping of feet that shook the building almost to its 
 foundations. 
 
 4 
 
V4 Jasmin. 
 
 It was a remarkable spectacle that a humble working- 
 man, comparatively uneducated, should have evoked the 
 tumultuous applause of a brilliant assembly of intelligent 
 ladies and gentlemen. It was indeed something extraor- 
 dinary. Some said that he declaimed like Talma or Ra- 
 chel, nor was there any note of dissonance in his recep- 
 tion. The enthusiasm was general and unanimous among 
 the magistrates, clergy, scientific men, artists, physicians, 
 ship-owners, men of business, and working-people. They 
 all joined in the applause when Jasmin had concluded 
 his recitation. 
 
 From this time forward Jasmin was one of the most 
 popular men at Bordeaux. He was entertained at a se- 
 ries of fetes. He was invited to soirees by the prefect, 
 by the archbishop, by the various social circles, as well 
 as by the workmen's associations. Tliey vied with each 
 other for the honor of entertaining him. He went from 
 matinees to soirees, and in ten days he appeared at thir- 
 ty-four entertainments. 
 
 At length he became thoroughly tired and exhausted 
 by this enormous feteing. He longed to be away and 
 at home with his wife and children. He took leave of 
 his friends and admirers with emotion, and, notwith- 
 standing the praises and acclamations he had received at 
 Bordeaux, he quietly turned to pursue his humble occu- 
 pation at Agen. 
 
 It was one of the most remarkable things about Jas- 
 min that he was never carried off his feet by the brilliant 
 ovations he received. Though enough to turn any poor 
 fellow's head, he remained simple and natural to the last. 
 As they say in England, he could "carry corn." We 
 have said that "Gascon" is often used in connection 
 with boasting or gasconading. But the term was in no 
 way applicable to Jasmin. He left the echo of praises 
 
"7%e Blind Girl of Castle- CuilU:'' 16 
 
 behind him, and returned to Agen to enjoy the comforts 
 of liis fireside. 
 
 He was not, however, witliout tempters to wean him 
 from his home and his ordinary pursuits. In 1836, the 
 year after his triumphal reception at Bordeaux, some of 
 his friends urged him to go to Paris — the centre of liglit 
 and leading — in order to " make his fortune." But no, 
 he had never contemplated the idea of leaving his native 
 town. A rich wine -merchant of Toulouse was one of 
 his tempters. He advised Jasmin to go to the great me- 
 tropolis, where genius alone was recognized. Jasmin 
 answered him in a charming letter, setting forth the rea- 
 sons which determined him to remain at home, princi- 
 pally because his tastes were modest and his desires were 
 homely. 
 
 "You, too," he said, '' without regard to troubling my 
 days and my nights, have written to ask me to carry my 
 guitar and my dressing-comb to the great city of kings, 
 because there, you say, my poetical humor and my well- 
 known verses will bring torrents of crowns to ray purse. 
 Oh, you may well boast to me of this shower of gold 
 and its clinking stream. You only make me cry, ' Honor 
 is but smoke, glory is but glory, and money is only 
 money !' I ask you, in no craven spirit, is money the 
 only thing for a man to seek who feels in his heart the 
 least spark of poetry ? In my town, where every one 
 works, leave me as I am. Every summer, happic* than 
 a king, I lay up my small provision for the winter, and 
 then I sing like a goldfinch under the shade of a poplar 
 or an ash tree, only too happy to grow gray in the land 
 which gave me birth. One hears in summer the pleas- 
 ant zigo^ ziou, ziou, of the nimble grasshopper, or the 
 young sparrow pluming his wings to make himself ready 
 for flight, he knows not whither; but the wise man acts 
 
76 Jasmin. 
 
 not so. I remain here in my home. Everything suits 
 me — earth, sky, air — all that is necessary for my com- 
 fort. To sing of joyous poverty one must be joyful and 
 poor. I am satisfied with my rye-bread and the cool 
 water from my fountain." 
 
 Jasmin remained faithful to these rules of conduct 
 during his life. Though he afterwards made a visit to 
 Paris, it was only for a short time ; but his native town 
 of Agen, his home on the Gravier, his shop, his wife and 
 his children, continued to be his little paradise. His 
 Muse soared over him like a guardian angel, giving him 
 songs for his happiness and consolation for his sorrows. 
 He was, above all things, happy in his wife. She cheered 
 him, strengthened him, and consoled him. He thus por- 
 trayed her in one of his poems : 
 
 " Her eyes like sparkling stars of heavenly blue ; 
 Her cheeks so sweet,, so round, and rosy ; 
 Her hair so bright, and brown, and curly ; 
 Her mouth so like a ripened cherry; 
 Her teeth more brilliant than the snow." 
 
 Jasmin was attached to his wife, not only by her beau- 
 ty, but by her good sense. She counselled and advised 
 him in everything. He gave himself up to her wise ad- 
 vice, and never had occasion to regret it. It was with 
 her modest marriage-portion that he was enabled to es- 
 tablish himself as a master hair-dresser. 
 
 When he opened his shop he set over the entrance 
 door this sign : "L'Art embellit La Nature ; Jasmin, Coif- 
 feur des Jeunes Gens." As his family grew, in order to 
 increase his income, he added the words, " Coiffeur des 
 Dames." This proved to be a happy addition to his 
 business. Most of the ladies of Agen strove for the 
 honor of having their hair dressed by the poetical bar- 
 
''The Blind Girl of Castel- Ciiille.'' 11 
 
 ber. While dressing tbeir hair he delighted them with 
 his songs. lie had a sympathetic voice, which touched 
 their souls and threw them into the sweetest of dreams. 
 
 Though Jasmin was always disposed to rhyme a little, 
 his wise wife never allowed him to forget his regular 
 daily work. At the same time she understood that his 
 delicate nature could not be entirely absorbed by the labors 
 of an ordinary workman. She was no longer jealous of 
 his solitary communions with his Muse; and after his 
 usual hours of occupation, she left him, or sat by him, 
 to enable him to pursue his dear reveries in quiet. 
 
 Mai'iette, or Marie, as she was usually called, was a 
 thoroughly good partner for Jasmin. Though not by 
 any means a highly educated woman, she felt the ele- 
 vating effects of poetry even on herself. She influenced 
 her husband's mind through her practical wisdom and 
 good sense, while he in his turn influenced hers by ele- 
 vating her soul and intellect. 
 
 Jasmin, while he was laboring over some song or verse, 
 found it necessary to recite it to some one near him, but 
 mostly to his wife. He wandered with her along the 
 banks of the Garonne, and while he recited she listened 
 with bated breath. She could even venture to correct 
 him ; for she knew, better than he did, the ordinary Gas- 
 con dialect. She often found for him the true word for 
 the picture which he desired to present to his reader. 
 Though Jasmin was always thankful for her help, he did 
 not abandon his own words without some little conten- 
 tion. He had worked out the subject in his mind, and 
 any new word or mode of description might interrupt 
 the beauty of the verses. When he at length recognized 
 the justice of her criticism, he would say, " Marie, you 
 are right; and I will again think over the subject, and 
 make it fit more completely into the Gascon idiom." In 
 
78 Jasmin. 
 
 certain cases passages were suppressed; in others they 
 were considerably altered. 
 
 When Jasmin, after much labor and correction, had 
 finished his poem, he would call about him his intimate 
 friends, and recite the poem to them. He had no objec- 
 tion to the most thorough criticism, by his wife as well 
 as by his friends. When the poem was long and elab- 
 orate, the auditors sometimes began to yawn. Then the 
 wife stepped in and said, "Jasmin, you must stop; leave 
 the remainder of the poem for another day." Thus the 
 recital ceased for the time. 
 
 The people of Agen entertained a lively sympathy for 
 their poet. Even those who might to a certain extent 
 depreciate his talent did every justice to the nobility of 
 his character. Perhaps some might envy the position of 
 a man who had risen from the ranks and secured the es- 
 teem of men of fortune and even of the leaders of liter- 
 ary opinion. Jasmin, like every person envied or perhaps 
 detracted, had his hours of depression. But the strong 
 soul of his wife in these hours came to his relief, <ind as- 
 suaged the spirit of the man and the poet. 
 
 Jasmin was at one time on the point of abandoning 
 verse-making. Yet he was encouraged to proceed by the 
 demands which were made for his songs and verses. In- 
 deed, no fete was considered complete without the recita- 
 tions of Jasmin. It was no doubt very flattering; yet 
 fame has its drawbacks. His invitations were usually 
 unceremonious. 
 
 Jasmin was no doubt recognized as a poet and an ex- 
 cellent reciter; yet he was a person who handled the 
 razor and the curling-tongs. AVhen he was invited to a 
 local party it was merely that he might recite his verses 
 gratuitously. He did not belong to their social circle, 
 and his wife was not included. What sympathy could 
 
''The Blind Girl of Castd-Ciiille:' 79 
 
 she have with these distinguished personages ? At length 
 Jasmin declined to go where his wife could not be in- 
 vited. He preferred to stay at home with his family, 
 and all further invitations of this sort were declined. 
 
 Besides, his friend Nodier had warned him that a poet 
 of his stamp ought not to appear too often at the feasts 
 of the lazy; that his time was too precious for that; 
 that a poet ought, above all, not to occupy himself with 
 politics, for by so doing he ran the risk of injuring his 
 talent. 
 
 Some of his local critics, not having comprehended the 
 inner life of Jasmin, compared his wife to the gardener 
 of Boileau and the maid-servant of Moliere. But the 
 comparison did not at all apply. Jasmin had no gar- 
 dener nor any old servant or house-keeper. Jasmin and 
 Marie were quite different. They lived the same lives, 
 and were all in all to each other. They were both of 
 the people ; and though she was without culture, and 
 had not shared in the society of the educated, she took 
 every interest in the sentiments and the prosperity of 
 her admirable husband. 
 
 One might ask, How did Jasmin acquire his eloquence 
 of declamation — his power of attracting and moving as- 
 semblies of people in all ranks of life? It was the result, 
 no doubt, partly of the gifts with which the Creator had 
 endowed him, and partly also of patience and persevering 
 study. He liad a fine voice, and he managed it with such 
 art that it became like a perfectly tuned instrument in 
 the hands of a musician. His voice was powerful and 
 pathetic by turns, and he possessed great sweetness of in- 
 tonation — combined with sympathetic feeling and special 
 felicity of emphasis. And feeling is the vitalizing prin- 
 ciple of poetry. Jasmin occasionally varied his readings 
 by singing or chanting the songs which occurred in cer- 
 
80 Jasmin, 
 
 tain parts of his poems. This, together with his elo- 
 quence, gave such immense vital power to the recitations 
 of the Agenaise bard. 
 
 And we shall find from the next chapter that Jasmin 
 used his pathetic eloquence for very noble — one might 
 almost say, for divine — purposes. 
 
Jasmin as Philanthropist. 81 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 JASMIN AS PHILANTHROPIST. 
 
 It is now necessary to consider Jasmin in an altogeth- 
 er different cliaracter — that of a benefactor of his species. 
 Self-sacrifice and devotion to others, forgetting self while 
 spending and being spent for the good of one's fellow- 
 creatures, exhibit man in his noblest characteristics. But 
 who would have expected such virtues to be illustrated by 
 a man like Jasmin, sprung from the humblest condition 
 of life? 
 
 Charity may be regarded as a universal duty, which it 
 is in every person's power to practise. Every kind of 
 help given to another, on proper motives, is an act of 
 charity ; and there is scarcely any man in such a strait- 
 ened condition as that he may not, on certain occasions, 
 assist his neighbor. The widow that gives her mite to 
 the treasury, the poor man that brings to the thirsty a 
 cup of cold water, perform their acts of charity, though 
 they may be of comparatively little moment. Words- 
 worth, in a poetic gem, described the virtue of charity : 
 
 '^ . . Man is dear to man ; tUe poorest poor 
 Long for some moments in a weary life 
 When they can know and feel that they have been, 
 Themselves, the fathers and the dealers out 
 Of some small blessings, have been kind to such 
 As needed kindness, for the single cause 
 That we have all of us one human heart.*' 
 
 4* 
 
82 Jasmin. 
 
 This maxim of Wordsworth's truly describes the life 
 and deeds of Jasmin. It may be said that he was first 
 incited to exert himself on behalf of charity to his neigh- 
 bors by the absence of any Poor Law in France such as 
 they have in England. In the cases of drought, when the 
 crops did not ripen, or in the phylloxera blights, where the 
 grapes were ruined, or in the occasional disastrous floods, 
 when the whole of the agricultural produce was swept 
 away, the small farmers and laborers were reduced to 
 great distress. The French peasant is usually very thrifty ; 
 but where accumulated savings were not available for re- 
 lief, the result, in many cases, was wide-spread starvation. 
 
 Jasmin felt that, while himself living in the midst of 
 blessings, he owed a duty, on such occasions, to the ex- 
 treme necessities of his neighbors. The afflicted, could 
 not appeal to the administrators of local taxes; all that 
 they could do was to appeal to the feelings of the be- 
 nevolent, and rely upon local charity. He believed that 
 the extremely poor should excite our liberality, the mis- 
 erable our pity, the sick our assistance, the ignorant our 
 instruction, and the fallen our helping hand. 
 
 It was under such circumstances that Jasmin consented 
 to recite his poems for the relief of the afflicted poor. 
 His fame had increased from year to year. His songs 
 were sung and his poems were read all over the South 
 of France. When it was known that he was willing to 
 recite his poems for charitable purposes, he was immedi- 
 ately assailed with invitations from far and near. 
 
 When bread fell short in winter-time, and the poor 
 were famished ; when a hospital for the needy was starv- 
 ing for want of funds ; when a creche or infants' asylum 
 had to be founded ; when a school or an orphanage had 
 to be built or renovated, and money began to fail, an ap- 
 peal was at once made to Jasmin's charitable feelings. 
 
Jmmin as PhilanthropisL 83 
 
 It was not tlien usual for men like Jasmin to recite 
 their poems in public. Those who possessed his works 
 might recite them for their own pleasure. But no one 
 could declaim them better than he could, and bis personal 
 presence was therefore indispensable. 
 
 It is true that about the same time Mr. Dickens and 
 Mr. Thackeray were givini^ readings from their works in 
 England and America. Both readers were equally popu- 
 lar; but while they made a considerable addition to their 
 fortunes,* Jasmin realized nothing for himself; all that 
 was collected at his recitations was given to the poor. 
 
 Of course, Jasmin was received with enthusiasm in 
 those towns and cities which he visited for charitable 
 purposes. When it was known that he was about to 
 give one of his poetical recitals, the artisan left his shop, 
 the blacksmith his smithy, the servant her household 
 work, and the mother often shut up her house and went 
 with her children to listen to the marvellous poet; young 
 girls spread flowers before his path -way; and lovely 
 women tore flowers from their dresses to crown their be- 
 loved minstrel with their offerings. 
 
 Since his appearance at Bordeaux, in 1835, when he 
 recited his "Blind Girl" for a charitable purpose, he had 
 been invited to many meetings in the neighborhood of 
 Agen, wherever any worthy institution had to be erected 
 
 * Mr. George Dolby, in his work, Charles Dickmn as I Knew Him, 
 tells " the story of the famous ' reading tours,' the most brilliantly 
 successful enterprises that were ever undertaken." Chappell & Co. 
 paid him £1500 for thirty readings in London and the provinces, 
 by which they realized £5000. Arthur Smith and Mr. Headland 
 were his next managers, and finally Mr. George Dolby. The latter 
 says that Mr. Dickens computed the money he netted under the 
 Smith and Headland management at about £12,000; and under 
 Dolby's management " he cleared nearly £.33,000." 
 
84 Jasmin. 
 
 or assisted. He continued to write occasional verses, 
 though not of any moment, for he was still dreaming of 
 another masterpiece. 
 
 All further thoughts of poetical composition were, 
 however, dispelled, by the threatened famine in the Lotet- 
 Garonne. In the winter of 1837 bread became very 
 dear in the South of France. The poor people were suf- 
 fering greatly, and the usual appeal was made to Jasmin 
 to come to their help. A concert was advertised to be 
 given at Tonneins, a considerable town to the north-west 
 of Agen, when the local musicians were to give their serv- 
 ices, and Jasmin was to recite a poem. 
 
 For this purpose he composed his " Charity " (La Cari- 
 tat). It was addressed to the ladies and musicians who 
 assisted at the entertainment. " Charity " is a short 
 lyrical effusion, not so much a finished poem as the 
 utterings of a tender heart. Though of some merit, it 
 looks pale beside " The Blind Girl." But his choice of 
 the subject proved a forecast of the noble uses which 
 Jasmin was afterwards enabled to make of his poetical 
 talents. 
 
 Man, he said in his verses, is truly great chiefly through 
 his charity. The compassionate man, doing his works of 
 benevolence, though in secret, in a measure resembles the 
 Divine Author of his beinor. The followins: is the intro- 
 ductory passage of the poem : 
 
 "As wo behold at sea great ships of voyagers 
 Glide o'er the waves to billows white with spray, 
 And to another world the hardy travellers convey ; 
 Just as bold savants travel through the sky 
 To illustrate the world which they espy, 
 Men without ceasing cry, 'How great is man!' 
 But no! Great God! How infinitely little he! 
 Has he a genius ? 'Tis nothing without goodness ! 
 
Jasmin as Philanthropist. 85 
 
 Without some grace, no grandeur do wo rate. 
 It is the tender-hearted who show chanty iii kindness. 
 Unseen of men, he hides his gift from sight, 
 lie does all that he owes in silent good. 
 Like the jioor widow's mite: 
 Yet hoth are great, 
 Great above all — srreat as the Grace of God." 
 
 This is, of course, a very feeble attempt to render the 
 words of Jasmin. lie was most pathetic when lie re- 
 counted the sorrows of the poor. While doing so, he 
 avoided exciting their lower instincts. He disavowed all 
 envy of the goods of others. He maintained respect for 
 the law, while at the same time he exhorted the ricli to 
 have regard for their poorer bretliren. "It is the glory 
 of the people," he said at a meeting of workmen, "to 
 protect themselves from evil, and to preserve throughout 
 their purity of character." 
 
 This was the spirit in which Jasmin labored. He wrote 
 some other poems in a similar strain — "The Rich and 
 Poor," *' The Poor Man's Doctor," " The Rich Benefac- 
 tor" {Lou BounEiche); but Jasmin's own "Charity" 
 contained the germ of them all. He put his own soul 
 into his poems. At Tonneins the emotion he excited 
 by his reading of " Charity " was very great, and the 
 subscriptions for the afflicted poor were correspondingly 
 large. 
 
 The municipality never forgot the occasion ; and when- 
 ever they became embarrassed by the poverty of the peo- 
 ple they invariably appealed to Jasmin, and always with 
 the same success. On one occasion the mayor wrote to 
 him : " We are still under the charm of your verses ; and 
 I address you in the name of the poor people of Ton- 
 neins, to thank you most gratefully for the charitable act 
 
86 Jasmin, 
 
 t 
 
 you bave done for their benefit. The evening you ap- 
 peared here, sir, will long survive in our memory. It 
 excited everywhere the most lively gratitude. The poor 
 enjoyed a day of happiness, and the rich enjoyed a day 
 of pleasure, for nothing can be more blessed than Char- 
 ity !'^ 
 
 Jasmin, in replying to this letter, said : " Christ's words 
 were, ' The poor always ye have with you ;' in pronounc- 
 ing this fact he called the world to deeds of charity, and 
 instituted this admirable joint responsibility {solidarite) , 
 in virtue of which each man should fulfil the duty of 
 helping his poorer neighbors. It is this responsibility 
 which, when the cry of hunger or suffering is heard, is 
 most instrumental in bringing all generous souls to the 
 front, in order to create and multiply the resources of the 
 poor." 
 
 Jasmin's success at Tonneins led to numerous invita- 
 tions of a like character. " Come over and help us," was 
 the general cry during that winter of famine. The bar- 
 ber's shop was invaded by numerous deputations, and the 
 postman was constantly delivering letters of invitation at 
 his door. He was no longer master of his time, and had 
 considerable difficulty in attending to his own proper 
 business. Sometimes his leisure hours were appropriated 
 six months beforehand ; and he was often peremptorily 
 called upon to proceed with his philanthropic work. 
 
 When he could find time enough to spare from his 
 business he would consent to give another recitation. 
 When the distance was not great he walked, partly for 
 exercise and partly to save money. There were few rail- 
 ways in those days, and hiring a conveyance was an ex- 
 pensive affair. Besides, his desire always was to hand 
 over, if possible, the whole of the receipts to the charita- 
 ble institutions for whose benefit he gave his recitations. 
 
Jasmin as Philanthropist, 87 
 
 The wayfaring poet, on his approach to the town in 
 which he was to appear, was usually met by crowds of peo- 
 ple. They received liim with joy and acclamation. The 
 magistrates presented him with a congratulatory address. 
 Deputations from neighboring towns were present at the 
 celebration. At the entrance to the town Jasmin often 
 passed under a triumphal arch, with " Welcome, Jasmin ! 
 our native poet !" in«cribed upon it. He was conveyed, 
 headed by the local band, to the hall where he was to 
 give his recitation. 
 
 Jasmin's appearance at Bergerac was a great event. 
 Bergerac is a town of considerable importance, contain- 
 ing about fourteen thousand inhabitants, situated on the 
 riirht or north bank of the river Dordo^ne. But durintj 
 that terrible winter the poor people of Bergerac were in 
 great distress, and Jasmin was -summoned to their help. 
 The place was at too- great a distance from Agen for him 
 to walk thither, and accordingly he was obliged to take 
 a conveyance. Ue was as usual met by a multitude of 
 people, who escorted him into- the town. 
 
 The magistrates could not find a place sufficiently 
 large to give accommodation to the great number of per- 
 sons who desired to hear him. At length they found a 
 large building which had been used as a barn ; and there 
 they raised a platform for the poet. The place was at 
 once filled, and those who could not get admission crowd- 
 ed about the entrance. Some of the people raised ladders 
 against the walls of the building, and clambered in at the 
 windows. Groups of auditors were seen at every place 
 where they could find a footing. Unfortunately the 
 weather was rainy, and a crowd of women filled the sur- 
 rounding meadow, sheltered by their umbrellas. 
 
 More than five hundred persons had not been able to 
 find admission, and it was therefore necessarv for Jasmin 
 
88 Jasmin. 
 
 to give several more readings to satisfy the general en- 
 thusiasm. All the receipts were given over by Jasmin 
 for the benefit of the poor, and the poet hurried home at 
 once to his shaving and hair-dressing. 
 
 On another occasion, at Gontaud, the weather was 
 more satisfactory. The day was fine and sunny, and the 
 ground was covered with flowers. About the time that 
 Jasmin was expected an open carjiage, festooned with 
 flowers, and drawn by four horses, was sent to the gate 
 of the town, escorted by the municipal council, to wait 
 for the poet; When he arrived on foot — for the place 
 was at no great distance from Agen — twelve young girls, 
 clothed in white, offered him a bouquet of flowers, and 
 presented him with an address. He then entered the 
 carriage and proceeded to the place where he was to give 
 his recitation. All went well and happily, and a large 
 offering was collected and distributed among the poor. 
 
 Then at Damazan, where he gave another reading for 
 the same purpose, after he had entered the carriage which 
 was to convey him to the place of entertainment, a num- 
 ber of girls preceded the carHage in which the poet sat, 
 and scattered flowers in his way, singing the refrain of 
 the country adapted to the occasion. It resembled the 
 refrain sung before the bride in "The Blind Girl of Cas- 
 tel-CuiUe': 
 
 "The paths with flowers bestrew, 
 So great a poet comes this way; 
 For all sliould flower and bloom anew, 
 So great a poet comes to-day." * 
 
 * In Gascon 
 
 " Las carreros dionyon fleuri, 
 Tan gran poete bay sourti ; 
 Diouyon fleuri, diouyon graua, 
 Tan gran poete bay passa." 
 
Jasmin as Philanthropist. 89 
 
 These are only specimens of the way in which Jasnain 
 was received during his missions of philanthropy. He 
 went from north to south, from east to west, by river and 
 by road, sleeping where he could, but always happy and 
 cheerful, doing his noble work with a full and joyous 
 heart. He chirruped and sang from time to time as if 
 his mouth was full of nightingales. And he was never 
 without enthusiastic multitudes to listen to his recitals, 
 and to share their means with the poor and afflicted. 
 We might fill this little story with a detailed account 
 of his journeyings ; but a summary account is all that 
 is at present necessary. We shall afterwards return to 
 the subject. 
 
90 Jasmin, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 JASMIN'S "FRANCONNETTE." 
 
 Jasmin published no further poems for three or four 
 years. His time was taken up with his trade and his 
 philanthropic missions. Besides, he did not compose 
 with rapidity ; he elaborated his poems by degrees ; he 
 arranged the plot of his story, and then he clothed it 
 with poetical words and images. While he walked and 
 journeyed from place to place, he was dreaming and 
 thinking of his next dramatic poem — his " Francon- 
 nette," which many of his Parisian critics regard as his 
 masterpiece. 
 
 Like most of his previous poems, Jasmin wrote "Fran- 
 connette" in the Gascon dialect. Some of his intimate 
 friends continued to expostulate with him for using this 
 almost dead and virtually illiterate patois. Why not 
 write in classical French ? M. Dumon, his colleague at 
 the Academy of Agen, again urged him to employ the 
 national language, which all intelligent readers could un- 
 derstand. 
 
 " Under the reign of our Henry IV.," said M. Dumon, 
 " the Langue d'Oil became, with modifications, the lan- 
 guage of the French, while the Langue d'Oc remained 
 merely a patois. Do not therefore sing in the dialect of 
 the past, but in the language of the present, like Beran- 
 ger, Lamartine, and Victor Hugo. 
 
 " What," asked M. Dumon, " will be the fate of your 
 
Jasmin^ ^^Franconnettey 91 
 
 original poetry ? It will live, no doubt, like the dialect 
 in -which it is written ; but is this, the Gascon patois, 
 likely to live? Will it be spoken by our posterity as long 
 as it has been spoken by our ancestors ? I hope not ; at 
 least I wish it may be less spoken. Yet I love its artless 
 and picturesque expressions, its lively recollections of cus- 
 toms and manners which have long ceased to exist, like 
 those old ruins which still embellish our landscape. But 
 the tendency which is gradually effacing the vestiges of 
 our old language and customs is but the tendency of civ- 
 ilization itself. 
 
 " When Rome fell under the blows of the barbarians, 
 she was entirely conquered ; her laws were subjected at 
 the same time as her armies. The conquest dismembered 
 her idiom as well as her empire. . . . The last trace of 
 national unity disappeared in this country after the Ro- 
 man occupation. It had been Gaul, but now it became 
 France. The force of centralization which has civilized 
 Europe, covering this immense chaos, has brought to 
 light, after more than a hundred years, this most mag- 
 nificent creation — the French monarchy and the French 
 language. Let us lament, if you will, that the poetical 
 imagination and the characteristic language of our ances- 
 tors have not left a more profound impression. But the 
 sentence is pronounced ; even our Henry IV. could not 
 change it. Under his reign the Langue d'Oil became for- 
 ever the French language, and the Langue d'Oc remained 
 but a patois. 
 
 " Popular poet as you are, you sing to posterity in the 
 language of the past. This language, which you recite so 
 well, you have restored and perhaps even created; yet you 
 do not feel that it is the national language ; this powerful 
 instrument of a new era, which invades and besieges yours 
 on all sides like the last fortress of an obsolete civilization." 
 
92 Jasmin. 
 
 Jasmin was cut to the quick by this severe letter of 
 his friend, and he lost not a moment in pleading a de- 
 fence of the language condemned to death by his oppo- 
 nent. He even displayed the force and harmony of the 
 language which had been denounced by M. Dumon as a 
 patois. He endeavored to express himself in the most 
 characteristic and poetical style, as evidence of the vital- 
 ity of his native Gascon. He compared it to a widowed 
 mother who dies, and also to a mother who does not die, 
 but continues young, lovely, and alert, even to the last. 
 Dumon had published his protest on August 28, 1837, 
 and a few days later, on September 2d, Jasmin replied in 
 the following poem : 
 
 "There's not a deeper grief to man 
 
 Than when his mother, faint with years, 
 Decrepit, old, and weak and w^an, 
 
 Beyond the leech's art appears; 
 When by her couch her son may stay, 
 
 And press her hand, and watch her eyes, 
 And feel, though she revives to-day. 
 
 Perchance his hope to-morrow dies. 
 
 "It is not thus, believe me, sir, 
 
 With this enchantress — she will call 
 
 Oar second mother : Frenchmen err. 
 
 Who, cent'ries since, proclaimed her fall! 
 
 Our mother-tongue — all melody — 
 
 While music lives can never die. 
 
 " Yes ! she still lives, her words still ring ; 
 Her children yet her carols sing ; 
 And thousand years may roll away 
 Before her magic notes decay. 
 
 '' The people love their ancient songs, and will 
 While yet a people, love and keep them still : 
 
Jasmiii's ^^JFranconnette.''^ 93 
 
 These lays are as their mother; they recall 
 Fond thoughts of mother, sister, frieuds, aud all 
 The mauy little things that X)lea80 the heart, 
 The dreams, the hopes, from which wo cannot part. 
 These songs are as sweet waters, where we find 
 Health in the sparkling Avave that nerves the mind. 
 In ev'ry home, at ev'ry cottage door, 
 By ev'ry fireside, when our toil is o'er. 
 These songs are round us — near our cradles sigh, 
 And to the grave attend iis when wo die. 
 
 "Oh, think, cold critics! 'twill be late and long, 
 Ere time shall sweep away this flood of song! 
 There are who bid this nmsic sound no more, 
 And you can hear them, nor defend — deplore ! 
 You, who were born where its first daisies grew, 
 Have fed upon its honey, sipp'd its dew. 
 Slept in its arms, and wakened to its kiss. 
 Danced to its sounds, and warbled to its tone — 
 You can forsake it in an hour like this ! 
 Yes, weary of its age, renounce — disown — 
 And blame one minstrel who is true— alone !" * 
 
 This is but a paraphrase of Jasmin's poem, which, as 
 we have already said, cannot be verbally translated into 
 any other language. Even the last editor of Jasmin's 
 poems — Boyer d'Agen — does not translate them into 
 French poetry, but into French prose. Much of the aroma 
 of poetry evaporates in converting poetical thoughts from 
 one language into another. 
 
 Jasmin, in one part of his poem, compares the ancient 
 patois to one of the grand old elms in the Promenade du 
 Gravier, which, having in a storm had some of its branches 
 
 * The whole of Jasmin's answer to M. Dumon will be found in 
 the Appendix at the end of this volume. 
 
94 Jasmin. 
 
 torn away, was ordered by the local authorities to be 
 rooted up. The laborers worked away, but their pick- 
 axes became unhafted. They could not uproot the tree ; 
 they grew tired and forsook the work. When the sum- 
 mer came olorious verdure ao-ain clothed the remainino: 
 boughs, the birds sang sweetly in the branches, and the 
 neighbors rejoiced that its roots had been so numerous 
 and the tree had been so firmly planted. 
 
 Jasmin's description of his mother -tongue is most 
 touching. Seasons pass away, and, as they roll on, their 
 echoes sound in our ears; but the loved tongue shall not 
 and must not die. The mother-tongue recalls our own 
 dear mother, sisters, friends, and crowds of by-gone asso- 
 ciations, which press into our minds while sitting by the 
 evening fire. -This tongue is the language of our toils 
 and labors ; she comes to us at our birth, she lingers at 
 our tomb. 
 
 "No, no — I cannot desert my mother-tongue!" said 
 Jasmin. " It preserves the folk-lore of the district ; it 
 is the language of the poor, of the laborer, the shepherd, 
 the farmer and grape - gatherers, of boys and girls, of 
 brides and bridegrooms. The people," he said to M. 
 Duraon, "love to hear my songs in their native dialect. 
 You have enough poetry in classical French ; leave me 
 to please my compatriots in the dialect which they love. 
 I cannot give up this harmonious language, our sec- 
 ond mother, even though it has been condemned for 
 three hundred years. Why ! she still lives, her voice 
 still sounds; like her, the seasons pass, the bells ring 
 out their peals, and though a hundred thousand years 
 may roll away they will still be sounding and ring- 
 ing!" 
 
 Jasmin has been compared to Dante. But there is this 
 immense difference between them. Dante was virtually 
 
Jasmines '^Franconnettey 95 
 
 the creator of the Italian lani^nage, which was in its in- 
 fancy when lie wrote his " Divine Comedy " some six hun- 
 dred years ago, while Jasmin was merely reviving a grad- 
 ually expiring dialect. Drouilhct de Sigalas has said that 
 Dante lived at the sunrise of his language, while Jasmin 
 lived at its sunset. Indeed, Gascon was not a written 
 language, and Jasmin had to collect his lexicon, gram- 
 mar, and speech mostly from the peasants who lived in 
 the neighborhood of Agen. Dante virtually created the 
 Italian language, but Jasmin merely resuscitated for a 
 time the Gascon dialect. 
 
 Jasmin was not deterred by the expostulations of Du- 
 mon, but again wrote his new epic of " Franconnette " in 
 Gascon. It took him a long time to clothe his poetical 
 thoughts in words. Nearly five years had elapsed since 
 he recited "The Blind Girl of Castel-Cuillc " to the citi- 
 zens of Bordeaux ; since then he had written a few poet- 
 ical themes, but he was mainly thinking and dreaming, 
 and at times writing down his new epic, " Franconnette." 
 It was completed in 1840, when he dedicated the poem 
 to the city of Toulouse. 
 
 The story embodied in the poem was founded on an 
 ancient tradition. The time at which it occurred was 
 towards the end of the sixteenth century, when France 
 was torn to pieces by the civil war between the Hugue- 
 nots and the Catholics. Agen was then a centre of 
 Protestantism. It was taken and retaken by both par- 
 ties again and again. The Huguenot captain, Truelle, 
 occupied the town in April, 1562; but Blaize de Mont- 
 luc, "a fierce Catholic," as he is termed by M. Paul 
 Joanne, assailed the town with a strong force and recapt- 
 ured it. On entering the place, Montluc found that the 
 inliabitants had fled with the garrison, and " the terrible 
 chief was greatly disappointed at not finding any person 
 
96 Jasmin. 
 
 in Agen to slaughter."* Montliic struck with a heavy 
 hand the Protestants of the South. In the name of the 
 God of Mercy he hewed the Huguenots to pieces, and, 
 after spreading desolation through the South, he retired 
 to his fortress at Estellac, knelt before the altar, took the 
 communion, and was welcomed by his party as one of 
 the greatest friends of the Church. 
 
 The civil war went on for ten years, until in August, 
 1572, the massacre of Saint Bartholomew took place. 
 After that event the word "Huguenot" was abolished, 
 or was only mentioned with terror. Montluc's castle of 
 Estellac, situated near the pretty village of Estanquet, 
 near Roquefort — famous for its cheese — still exists; his 
 cabinet is preserved, and his tomb and statue are to be 
 seen in the adjoining garden. The principal scenes of 
 the following story are supposed to have occurred at 
 Estanquet, a few miles to the south of Agen. 
 
 " Franconnette," like the " The Blind Girl of Castel- 
 Cuille," is a story of rivalry in love ; but, though more 
 full of adventure, it ends more happily. Franconnette 
 was a village beauty. Her brilliant eyes, her rosy com- 
 plexion, her cherry lips, her lithe and handsome figure, 
 brought all the young fellows of the neighborhood to 
 her feet. Her father was a banished Huo-uenot, but 
 beauty of person sets differences of belief at defiance. 
 The village lads praised her and tried to win her affec- 
 tions ; but, like beauties in general surrounded by ad- 
 mirers, she was a bit of a flirt. 
 
 At length two rivals appeared — one Marcel, a soldier 
 under Montluc, favored by Franconnette's grandmother, 
 and Pascal, the village blacksmith, favored by the girl 
 herself. One Sunday afternoon a number of young men 
 
 * Gascorjne ot Langiiedoc^ par Paul Joanne, p. 95 (edition 1883). 
 
Jasmiiih ^^Franconnette.'''' 97 
 
 and maidens assembled at the foot of Montluc's castle of 
 Estellac on the votive festival of St. Jacques at Roquefort. 
 Franconnette was there, as well as Marcel and Pascal, 
 her special admirers. Dancing began to the music of the 
 fife ; but Pascal, the handsomest of the young men, 
 seemed to avoid the village beauty. Franconnette was 
 indignant at his neo:lect, but was anxious to secure his 
 attention and devotion. She danced away, sliding, whirl- 
 ing, and pirouetting. What would not the admiring 
 youths have given to impress two kisses on her lovely 
 cheek ! * 
 
 In these village dances it is the custom for the young 
 men to kiss their partners, if they can tire them out ; but 
 in some cases, when the girl is strong and an accomplished 
 dancer, she declines to be tired until she wishes to cease 
 dancing. First one youth danced with Franconnette, 
 then another ; but she tired them all. Then came Mar- 
 cel, the soldier, wearing his sabre, with a cockade in his 
 caf) — a tall and stately fellow, determined to win the re- 
 ward. But he, too, after much whirling and dancing, 
 was at last tired out ; he was about to fall with dizziness, 
 and then gave in. On goes the dance ; Franconnette 
 waits for another partner ; Pascal springs to her side, 
 and takes her round the waist. Before they had made a 
 
 * The dance still exists in the neighborhood of Agen. When 
 there a few j-ears ago I wa3 drawn by the sound of a fife and a 
 drum to the spot where a dance of this sort was going on. It 
 was beyond the suspension-bridge over the Garonne, a little to the 
 south of Agen. A number of men and women of the working-class 
 were assembled on the grassy sward, and were dancing, whirling, 
 and pirouetting to their hearts' content. Sometimes the girls 
 bounded from the circle, were followed by their sweethearts, and 
 kissed. It reminded one of the dance so vigorously depicted by 
 Jasmin in "Franconnette." 
 5 
 
98 Jasmin. 
 
 dozen steps the girl smiles and stops, and turns her 
 blushing cheeks to receive her partner's willing kisses. 
 
 Marcel started up in a rage, and drawing himself to his 
 full height, he strode to Pascal. "Peasant!" he said, 
 *'thou hast supplied ray place too quickly," and then 
 dealt him a thundering blow between the eyes. Pascal 
 was not felled ; he raised his arm, and his fist descended 
 on Marcel's head like a bolt. The soldier attempted to 
 draw his sabre. When Pascal saw this he closed with 
 Marcel, grasped him in his arras, and dashed him to the 
 ground, crushed and senseless. 
 
 Marcel was about to rise to renew the duel when 
 suddenly Montluc, who happened to be passing with the 
 Baron of Roquefort, stepped forward and sternly ordered 
 the combatants to separate. 
 
 This terrible encounter put an end to the fete. The 
 girls fled like frightened doves. The young men escorted 
 Pascal to his home preceded by the fifers. Marcel was 
 not discouraged. On recovering his speech he stam- 
 mered out, grinding his teeth : " They shall pay dearly 
 for this jesting; Franconnette shall have no other hus- 
 band than myself." 
 
 Many months passed. The harvest was gathered in. 
 There were no more out-door fetes or dances. The 
 villagers of Estanquet assembled round their firesides. 
 Christmas arrived with its games and carol -singing. 
 Then came the Feast of Lovers, called the Buscou,* on 
 
 * Miss Harriet Preston, of Boston, published part of a trans- 
 lation of "Franconnette" in the Atlantic Monthly for February, 
 ISYB, and adds the following note: "The buscou, or busking, was 
 a kind of bee, at which the young people assembled, bringing the 
 thread of their late spinning, which was divided into skeins of the 
 proper size by a broad and thin plate of steel or whalebone called 
 
Jasmines ^^Franconnettey 
 
 99 
 
 the last day of the year, where, in a large chamber, some 
 hundred distaffs were turning, and boys and girls, with 
 nimble fingers, were winding thread of the finest flax. 
 Franconnette was there, and appointed queen of the 
 games. After the winding was over the songs and 
 dances began to the music of a tambourine. The queen, 
 admired by all, sang and danced like the rest. 
 
 Pascal was not there; his mother was poor, and she 
 endeavored to persuade him to remain at home and 
 work. After a short struggle with himself Pascal yield- 
 ed. He turned aside to his forge in silent dejection, 
 Rod soon the anvil was ringing and the sparks were fly- 
 ing, while away down in the village the busking went 
 merrily on. " If the prettiest were always the most 
 sensible," says Jasmin, "how much my Franconnette 
 might have accomplished ;" but instead of this she flitted 
 from place to place, idle and gay, jesting, singing, danc- 
 ing, and, as usual, bewitching all. 
 
 Then Thomas, Pascal's friend, asked leave to sing a 
 few verses, and, fixing his keen eyes upon the coquette, 
 lie began in tones of lute-like sweetness the following 
 song, entitled "The Siren with a Heart of Ice." We 
 have translated it, as nearly as possible, from the Gascon 
 dialect: 
 
 "Faribolo pastonro, 
 Sertino al c5 de glas. 
 Oh ! digo, (ligo couro 
 Eutendren tinda I'liouro 
 Oun t'amistonzaras. 
 Toutjour fariboulejes, 
 
 Wayward shoplierd maid. 
 Siren with heart of ice, 
 Oh ! tell lis, tell us ! when 
 Wo listen for the hour 
 When thou shalt feel 
 Ever so free and gay. 
 
 a hiiic. The same thinj^, under precisely the same name, figured 
 in the toilets of our grandmothers, and hence, probably, the Scotch 
 use of the verb to btiak, or attire." 
 
100 
 
 Jasmin. 
 
 Et quaiid parpailloulejes 
 La foulo que mestrejes, 
 Sur touii cami set met 
 
 Et te si^t. 
 Mais r6s d'acos, maynaclo, 
 
 Al boimhur pot mena; 
 Qu'6s ac5s d'estre aymado, 
 
 Qiiand on sat pas ayma?" 
 
 And when j'ou flutter o'er 
 The number you subdue, 
 Upon thy path they fall 
 
 At thy feet. 
 But nothing comes of this, 
 
 young maid, 
 To happiness it never leads; 
 What is it to be loved like 
 
 this 
 If you ne'er can love 
 
 Hirain ?" 
 
 Such poetry, however, defies translation. The more ex- 
 quisite the mastery of a writer over his own language 
 the more difScult it is to reproduce it in another. But 
 the spirit of the song is in Miss Costello's translation,* 
 as given in " Franconnette" at the close of this volume. 
 
 When reciting " Franconnette," Jasmin usually sang 
 "The Siren" to music of his own composition. We 
 accordingly annex his music : 
 
 SERENO AL CO DE GLAS. 
 
 Paroles et Musique de Jasmin. 
 
 i 
 
 Allegretto, 
 
 3! 
 
 t) 
 
 -N-3- 
 
 ^U 
 
 Fa - ri - bo - lo pas-tou - ro, Se - re - no al c6 de 
 
 
 t=w=t 
 
 'V-ti-v-\^E=. 
 
 M— 
 
 glas, Oh ! di-go, di - go cou - ro En - ten-dren tin-da 
 
 * Miss Louisa Stuart Costello, in Beam and the Pyrenees. 
 
Jasmines ^^Framohnett^!''* 
 
 X^X' 
 
 % 
 
 ^. 
 
 g^^^ 
 
 -#— ^- 
 
 #— #- 
 
 V-t/- 
 
 V=^' 
 
 v-^ 
 
 rhou-ro Oun t'a-mis-tou-za - ras. Tout jour fa-ri-bou- 
 
 mm: 
 
 le - - jes, Et quand par-pail-lou - le - jes, La 
 
 #=T 
 
 
 fou- lo que mes- tre - jes, Sur toun ca -mi set 
 
 
 ■^ 
 
 1^ 
 
 met Et te siet. Mais res d'a - cos, may-na - do, Al 
 
 rail. 
 
 Itifc; 
 
 3^ 
 
 5=^ 
 
 i^Eg^^ g^EEl 
 
 boun-hurpot me - na ; Qu'es a-cos d'es-tre ayma-do, 
 Allegro. 
 
 > . ^- 
 
 N-=1- 
 
 ^^^i^^j 
 
 bien, ay -ma -do, Quand on sat pas ay - ma? 
 
 All were transported with admiration at the beautiful 
 song. When Thomas had finished, loud shouts were 
 raised for the name of the poet. " Who composed this 
 beautiful lay ?" " It is Pascal," replied Thomas. '* Bra- 
 vo, Pascal! Lonjv live Pascal!" was the cry of the 
 young people. Franconnette was unwontedly touched 
 by the song. "But where is Pascal?" she said. **If 
 he loves, why docs he not appear?" "Oh," said Lau- 
 rent, another of his rivals, in a jealous and piqued tone, 
 " he is loo poor; ho is obliged to stay at home; his fa- 
 
■] Q'2 Jasmin. 
 
 ther is so infirm that lie lives upon alms!" "You lie!" 
 cried Thomas. "Pascal is unfortunate; he has been six 
 months ill from the wounds he received in defence of 
 Franconnette, and now his family is dependent upon 
 him; but he has industry and courage, and will soon 
 recover from his misfortunes." 
 
 Franconnette remained quiet, concealing her emotions. 
 Then the games began. They played at cache couteau 
 or hunt the slipper. Dancing came next; Franconnette 
 was challenged by Laurent, and after many rounds the 
 girl was tired, and Laurent claimed the kisses that she 
 had forfeited. Franconnette flew away like a bird ; 
 Laurent ran after her, caught her, and was claiming the 
 customary forfeit, when, struggling to free herself, Lau- 
 rent slipped upon the floor, fell heavily, and broke his arm. 
 
 Franconnette was again unfortunate. Ill-luck seems 
 to have pursued the girl. The games came to an jend, 
 and the young people were about to disperse when, at 
 this unlucky moment, the door was burst open and a 
 sombre apparition appeared. It was the Black Forest 
 sorcerer, the supposed warlock of the neighborhood. 
 " Unthinking creatures," he said, " I have come from my 
 gloomy rocks up yonder to open your eyes. You all 
 adore this Franconnette. Behold, she is accursed ! While 
 in her cradle her father, the Huguenot, sold her to the 
 devil. He has punished Pascal and Laurent for the 
 light embrace she gave them. Be warned in time and 
 avoid her. The demon alone has a claim to her." 
 
 The sorcerer ended ; sparks of fire surrounded him, 
 and after turning four times round in a circle he sud- 
 denly disappeared ! Franconnette's friends at once held 
 aloof from her. They called out to her, " Begone !" All 
 in a maze the girl shuddered and sickened ; she became 
 senseless and fell down on the floor in a swoon. The 
 
Jasmin's ^^Franco^inette.''^ 103 
 
 young people fled, leaving her helpless. And thns ended 
 the second fete which began so gayly. 
 
 The grossest superstition then prevailed in France, as 
 everywhere. Witches and warlocks were thoroughly be- 
 lieved in, far more so than belief in God and His Son. 
 Tiie news spread abroad that the girl was accursed and 
 sold to the Evil One, and she was avoided by everybody. 
 She felt herself doomed. At length she reached her 
 grandmother's house, but she could not work, she could 
 scarcely stand. The once radiant Franconnette could 
 neither play nor sing, she could only weep. 
 
 Thus ended two cantos of the poem. The third opens 
 with a lovely picture of a cottage by a leafy brook-side 
 in the hamlet of Estanquet. The spring brought out the 
 singing-birds to pair and build their nests. They listened, 
 but could no longer hear the music which, in former 
 years, had been almost sweeter than their own. The 
 nightingales, more curious than the rest, flew into the 
 maid's garden ; they saw her straw-hat on a bench, a rake 
 and watering-pot among the neglected jonquils, and the 
 rose branches running riot. Peering yet farther and 
 peeping into the cottage door, the curious birds discov- 
 ered an old woman asleep in her arm-chair, and a pale, 
 quiet girl beside her, dropping tears upon her lily hands. 
 "Yes, yes, it is Franconnette," says the poet. " You will 
 have guessed that already. A poor girl, weeping in soli- 
 tude, the daughter of a Uuguenot, banned by the Church 
 and sold to the devil ! Could anything be more fright- 
 ful?" 
 
 Nevertheless her grandmother said to her, " My child, 
 it is not true ; the sorcerer's charge is false. Be of good 
 cheer; you are more lovely than ever." One gleam of 
 hope had come to Franconnette; she hears that Pascal 
 has defended her everywhere, and boldly declared her to 
 
104 Jasmin, 
 
 be the victim of a brutal plot. She now realized how 
 great was his goodness, and her proud spirit was softened 
 even to tears. The grandmother put in a good word for 
 Marcel, but the girl turned aside. Then the old woman 
 said, " To-morrow is Easter Day ; go to mass, pray as you 
 never prayed before, and take the blessed bread, proving 
 that you are numbered with His children forever." 
 
 The girl consented, and went to the Church of Saint 
 Peter on Easter morning. She knelt, with her chaplet 
 of- beads, among the rest, imploring Heaven's mercy. 
 But she knelt alone in the midst of a wide circle. All 
 the communicants avoided her. The church-warden. Mar- 
 cel's uncle, in his long-tailed coat, with a pompous step, 
 passed her entirely by, and refused her the heavenly meal. 
 Pascal was there and came to her help. He went for- 
 ward to the church-warden and took from the silver plate 
 the crown piece* of the holy element covered with flow- 
 ers, and took and presented two pieces of the holy bread 
 to Franconnette — one for herself, the other for her grand- 
 mother. 
 
 From that moment she begins to live a new life, and 
 to understand the magic of love. She carries home the 
 blessed bread to the ancient dame, and retires to her 
 chamber to give herself up, with the utmost gratefulness, 
 to the rapturous delight of loving. " Ah," says Jasmin 
 in his poem, "the sorrowing heart aye loveth best 1" 
 
 Yet still she remembers the fatal doom of the sorcerer 
 — that she is sold for a price to the demon. All seem to 
 
 * A custom which tlien existed in certain parts of France. It 
 was talcen by the French emigrants to Canada, where it existed 
 not long ago. The crown of the sacramental bread used to be re- 
 served for the family of the seigneur or other communicants of 
 distinction. 
 
Jasmin's ''^ Franconnettey 105 
 
 believe the hideous tale, and no one takes her part save 
 Pascal and her grandmother. She kneels before her lit- 
 tle shrine, and prays to the Holy Virgin for help and 
 succor. 
 
 At the next fete day she repaired to the church of 
 Notre Dame de bon Encontre,* where the inhabitants of 
 half a dozen of the neijjhborinQ; villaores had assembled, 
 with priests and crucifixes, garlands and tapers, banners 
 and angels. The latter, girls about to be confirmed, 
 walked in procession and sang the " Angelus" at the ap- 
 propriate hours. The report had spread abroad that Fran- 
 connette would entreat the Blessed Virgin to save her 
 from the demon. The strangers were more kind to her 
 than her immediate neighbors, and from many a pitying 
 heart the prayer went up that a miracle might be wrought 
 in favor of the beautiful maiden. She felt their sympa- 
 thy, and it gave her confidence. The special suppliants 
 passed up to the altar one by one — anxious mothers, dis- 
 appointed lovers, orphans, and children. They kneel, they 
 ask for blessings, they present their candles for the old 
 priest to bless, and then they retire. 
 
 Now came the turn of Franconnette. Pascal was in 
 sight and prayed for her success. She went forward in 
 a happy frame of mind, with her taper and a bouquet of 
 flowers. She knelt before the priest. He took the sa- 
 cred image and presented it to her; but scarcely had it 
 touched the lips of the orphan when a terrible peal of 
 thunder rent the heavens, and a bolt of lightning struck 
 the spire of the church, extinguishing her taper as well 
 as the altar lights. This was a most unlucky coincidence 
 
 * A church in the suburbs of Agen, celebrated for it3 legends 
 and miracles, to which numerous pilgrimages are made in the 
 month of May. 
 6* 
 
106 Jasmin, 
 
 for the terrified girl, and, cowering like a lost soul, she 
 crept out of the church. The people were in consterna- 
 tion. " It was all true ; she was now sold to the devil ! 
 Put her to death ; that is the only way of ending our mis- 
 fortunes !" 
 
 The truth is that the storm of thunder and lightning 
 prevailed throughout the neighborhood. It is a common 
 thing in Southern climes. The storm which broke out 
 at Notre Dame destroyed the belfry; the church of 
 Roquefort was demolished by a bolt of lightning, the 
 spire of Saint Pierre' was ruined. The storm was fol- 
 lowed by a tempest of hail and rain. Agen was engulfed 
 by the waters ; her bridge was destroyed,* and many of 
 the neighboring vineyards were devastated. And all this 
 ruin was laid at the door of poor Franconnette I 
 
 The neighbors — her worst enemies — determined to 
 burn the daughter of the Huguenot out of her cottage. 
 The grandmother first heard the cries of the villagers; 
 " Fire them, let them both burn together !" Franconnette 
 rushed to the door and pleaded for mercy, " Go back," 
 cried the crowd, "you must both roast together l" They 
 
 *A long time ago the inhabitants of the town of Agen commu- 
 nicated with the other side of the Garonne by means of little boats. 
 The first wooden bridge was commenced when Aquitaine was gov- 
 erned by the English, in the reign of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, at the 
 end of the twelfth century. The bridge was destroyed and repaired 
 many times, and one of the piles on which the bridge was built is 
 still to be seen. It is attributed to Napoleon I, that he caused 
 the first bridge of stone to be erected, for the purpose of facilitat- 
 ing the passage of his troops to Spain. The work was, however, 
 abandoned during his reign, and it was not until the Restoration 
 that the bridge was completed. Since that time other bridges, es- 
 pecially the suspension-bridge, have been erected, to enable the in- 
 habitants of the towns on the Garonne to communicate freely with 
 each other. 
 
Jasmines ^^ Franconnettey 107 
 
 set fire to the rick outside and then proceeded to fire the 
 thatch of the cottage. ** Hoh^, hold !" cried a stern 
 voice, and Pascal rushed in among them. " Cowards ! 
 would you murder two defenceless women ? Tigers that 
 you are, would you fire and burn them in their dwelling?" 
 
 Marcel too appeared ; he had not yet given up the 
 hope of winning Franconnette's love. He now joined 
 Pascal in defending her and the old dame, and being a 
 soldier of Montluc, he was a powerful man in the neigh- 
 borhood. The girl was again asked to choose between 
 the two. At last, after refusing any marriage under pres- 
 ent circumstances, she clung to Pascal. " I would have 
 died alone," she said, *' but since you will have it so, I 
 resist no longer. It is our fate ; we will die together." 
 Pascal was willing to die with her, and turning to Mar- 
 cel he said: "I have been more fortunate than you, but 
 you are a brave man and you will forgive me. I have 
 no friend, but will you act as a squire and see me to my 
 grave?" After struggling with his feelings. Marcel at 
 last said, " Since it is her wish, I will be your friend." 
 
 A fortnight later the marriage between the unhappy 
 lovers took place. Every one foreboded disaster. The 
 wedding procession went down the green hill towards 
 the church of Notre Dame. There was no singing, no 
 dancing, no merriment, as was usual on such occasions. 
 The rustics shuddered at heart over the doom of Pascal. 
 The soldier Marcel marched at the head of the wedding- 
 party. At the church an old woman appeared — Pascal's 
 mother. She flung her arms about him and adjured him 
 to fly from liis false bride, for his marriage would doom 
 liim to death. She even fell at the feet of her son and 
 said that he should pass over her body rather than be 
 married. Pascal turned to Marcel and said : " Love over- 
 powers me! If I die, will you take care of my mother?" 
 
108 Jasmin, 
 
 Then the gallant soldier dispelled the gloom which had 
 overshadowed the union of the loving pair. *' I can do 
 no more," he said; "your mother has conquered me. 
 Franconnette is good and pure and true. I loved the 
 maid, Pascal, and would have shed my blood for her, but 
 she loved you instead of me. 
 
 "Know that she is not sold to the Evil One. In my 
 despair I hired the sorcerer to frighten you with his mis- 
 chievous tale, and chance did the rest. When we both 
 demanded her, she confessed her love for you. It was 
 more than I could bear, and I resolved that we should 
 both die. 
 
 " But your mother has disarmed me ; she reminds me 
 of my own. Live, Pascal, for your wife and your moth- 
 er ! You need have no more fear of me. It is better 
 that I should die the death of a soldier than with a crime 
 upon ray conscience." 
 
 Thus saying, he vanished from the crowd, who burst 
 into cheers. The happy lovers fell into each other's 
 arms. " And now," said Jasmin, in concluding his poem, 
 " I must lay aside my pencil. I had colors for sorrow ; 
 I have none for such happiness as theirs!" 
 
Jasmin at Toulouse. 109 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 JASMIN AT TOULOUSE. 
 
 It had hitherto been the custom of Jasmin to dedicate 
 his poems to one of his friends; but in the case of " Fran- 
 connette" he dedicated the poem to the city of Toulouse. 
 His object in makinor the dedication was to express his 
 gratitude for the banquet given to him in 1836 by the 
 leading men of the city, at which the president had given 
 the toast of "Jasmin, the adopted son of Toulouse." 
 
 Toulouse was the most wealthy and prosperous city in 
 the South of France. Among its citizens were many 
 men of literature, art, and science. Jasmin was at first 
 disposed to dedicate "Franconnettc" to the city of 
 Bordeaux, where he had been so graciously received and 
 feted on the recitation of his '* Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille ;" 
 but he eventually decided to dedicate the new poem to 
 the city of Toulouse, where he had already achieved a 
 considerable reputation. 
 
 Jasmin was received with every honor by the city 
 which had adopted him. It was his intention to read 
 the poem at Toulouse before its publication. If there 
 was one of the towns or cities in which his language 
 was understood — one which promised by the strength 
 and depth of its roots to defy all the chances of the fut- 
 ure — that city was Toulouse, the capital of the Languo 
 d'Oc. 
 
 The place in wliich he first recited the poem was the 
 
110 Jasmin. 
 
 great hall of the Museum. When the present author 
 saw it about two years ago, the ground-floor was full of 
 antique tombs, statues, and monuments of the past ; while 
 the hall above it was crowded with pictures and works 
 of art, ancient and modern. 
 
 About fifteen hundred persons assembled to listen to 
 Jasmin in the great hall. " It is impossible," said the 
 local journal,* "to describe the transport with which he 
 was received." The vast gallery was filled with one of 
 the most brilliant assemblies that had ever met in Tou- 
 louse. Jasmin occupied the centre of the platform. At 
 his right and left hand were seated the rnayor, the mem- 
 bers of the municipal council, the military chiefs, the 
 members of the Academy of Jeux-Floraux,f and many 
 distinguished persons in science, literature, and learning. 
 A large space had been reserved for the accommodation 
 of ladies, who appeared in their light summer dresses, 
 colored like the rainbow; and behind them stood an im- 
 mense number of the citizens of Toulouse. 
 
 Jasmin had no sooner begun to recite his poem than 
 it was clear that he had fall command of his audience. 
 Impressed by his eloquence and powers of declamation, 
 they were riveted to their seats, dazzled and moved by 
 turns, as the crowd of beautiful thoughts passed through 
 
 * Journal de Toulouse^ July 4, 1840. 
 
 t The Society of the Jeux-Floranx derives its oiigin from the 
 ancient Troubadours. It claims to be the oldest society of the 
 kind in Europe. It is said to have been founded in the fourteenth 
 century by Clemence Isaure, a Toulousian lady, to commemorate 
 the " Gay Science." A meeting of tlie society is held every year, 
 when prizes are distributed to the authors of the best compositions 
 in prose and verse. It somewhat resembles the annual meeting of 
 the Eisteddfod held for awarding prizes to the bards and compos- 
 ers of Wales. 
 
Jasmin at Toulouse, 111 
 
 their minds. The audience were so much absorbed by 
 the poet's recitation that not a whisper was heard. He 
 evoked by the tones and tremor of his voice their sighs, 
 their tears, their indignation. lie was by turns gay, 
 melancholy, artless, tender, arch, courteous, and declama- 
 tory. As the drama proceeded, the audience recognized 
 the beauty of the plot, and the poet's knowledge of the 
 human heart. He touched with grace all the chords of 
 his lyre. His poetry evidently came direct from his 
 heart: it was as rare as it was delicious. 
 
 The success of the recitation was complete, and when 
 Jasmin resumed his seat he received the most enthusiastic 
 applause. As the whole of the receipts were, as usual, 
 handed over by Jasmin to the local charities, the as- 
 sembly decided by acclamation that a subscription should 
 be raised to present to the poet, who had been adopted 
 by the city, some testimony of their admiration for his 
 talent, and for his having first recited to them and dedi- 
 cated to Toulouse his fine poem of *' Franconnette." 
 
 Jasmin handed over to the municipality the manuscript 
 of his poem in a volume beautifully bound. The mayor, 
 in eloquent language, accepted the work, and acknowl- 
 edged the fervent thanks of the citizens of Toulouse. 
 
 As at Bordeaux, Jasmin was feted and entertained by 
 the most distinguished people of the city. At one of 
 the numerous banquets at which he was present, he re- 
 plied to the speech of the chairman by an impromptu in 
 honor of those who had so splendidly entertained him. 
 But, as he had already said, " Impromptus may be good 
 money of the heart, but they are often the worst money 
 of the head." 
 
 On the day following the entertainment Jasmin was 
 invited to a *' grand banquet" given by the coiffeurs of 
 Toulouse, where they presented him with *' a crown of 
 
1 1 2 Jasmin, 
 
 immortelles and jasmines," and to them also he recited 
 another of his impromptus.* 
 
 " Franconnette " was shortly after published, and the 
 poem was received with almost as much applause by the 
 public as it had been by the citizens of Toulouse. Sainte- 
 Beuve, the prince of French critics, said of the work : 
 
 "In all his compositions Jasmin has a natural, touch- 
 ing idea; it is a history, either of his invention, or taken 
 from some local tradition. With his facility as an im- 
 provisatore, aided by the patois in which he writes, . . . 
 when he puts his dramatis ^^ersona into action, he en- 
 deavors to depict their thoughts, all their simple yet 
 lively conversation, and to clothe them in words the most 
 artless, simple, and transparent, and in a language true, 
 eloquent, and sober: never forget this latter characteristic 
 of Jasmin's works." f 
 
 M. de Lavergne says of " Franconnette," that of all Jas- 
 min's work it is the one in which he aimed at beins: 
 
 * The following was his impromptu to the savants of Toulouse, 
 July 4, 1840: 
 
 "Oh, bon Dieu! que de gloire! Oh, bon Dieu ! que d'honneurs! 
 Messieurs, ce jour pour ma Muse est bien doux ; 
 Mais maintenant, d'etre quitte, j'ai perdu I'esperance: 
 
 Car je viens, plus fier que jamais, 
 
 Vous payer ma reconnaissance, 
 
 Et je m'endette que plus !" 
 
 This is the impromptu given on July 5, 1840: 
 
 "Toulouse m'a donne un beau bouquet d'honneur; 
 Votre festin, amis, en est une belle fleur ; 
 Aussi, dans les plaisirs de cette longue fete, 
 
 Quand je veux remercier de eela, 
 Je poursuis mon esprit pour ne pas etre en reste 
 Id, I'esprit me nait et tombe de raon coeur !" 
 
 f Ciuneries du Lnndi, iv. 240 (edition 1852). 
 
Jasmin at Toulouse. 113 
 
 most entirely popular, and that it is at the same time 
 the most noble and the most chastened. He might also 
 have added the most chivah'ous. "There is something 
 essentially knightly," says Miss Preston, " in Pascal's cast 
 of character, and it is singular that at the supreme crisis 
 of his fate he assumes, as if unconsciously, the very 
 phraseology of chivalry. 
 
 " * Some squire (donzel) should follow rae to death.' 
 
 It is altogether natural and becoming in the high-minded 
 smith." 
 
 M. Charles Nodier — Jasmin's old friend — was equally 
 complimentary in his praises of " Franconnette." When 
 a copy of the poem was sent to him, with an accompany- 
 ing letter, Nodier replied : 
 
 " I have received with lively gratitude, my dear and 
 illustrious friend, your beautiful verses, and your charm- 
 ing and affectionate letter. I have read them with great 
 pleasure and profound admiration. Although ill in bed, 
 I have devoured 'Franconnette' and the other poems. 
 I observe, with a certain pride, that you have followed 
 my advice, and that you think in that fine language 
 which you recite so admirably, in place of translating the 
 patois into French, which deprives it of its fulness and 
 fairness. I thank you a thousand times for your very 
 flattering epistle. I am too happy to expostulate with 
 you seriously as to the gracious things you have said to 
 me ; ray name will pass to posterity in the works of my 
 friends ; the glory of having been loved by you goes for 
 a great deal." 
 
 The time at length arrived for the presentation of the 
 testimonial of Toulouse to Jasmin. It consisted of a 
 branch of laurel in gold. The artist who fashioned it 
 was charged to put his best work into the jjolden laurel, 
 
114 Jasmin. 
 
 so that it might be a chef-d'oeuvre worthy of the city 
 which conferred it, and of being treasured in the museum 
 of their adopted poet. The work was indeed admirably 
 executed. The stem was rough, as in nature, though 
 the leaves were beautifully polished. It had a ribbon del- 
 icately ornamented, with the words " Toulouse aJasminy 
 
 When the work was finished and placed in its case, the 
 mayor desired to send it to Jasmin by a trusty messen- 
 ger. He selected Mademoiselle Gasc, assisted by her 
 father, advocate and member of the municipal council, 
 to present the tribute to Jasmin. It ought to have been 
 a fete day for the people of Agen, when their illustri- 
 ous townsman, though a barber, was about to receive so 
 cordial an appreciation of his poetical genius from the 
 learned city of Toulouse. It ought also to have been a 
 fete day for Jasmin himself. 
 
 But, alas, an unhappy coincidence occurred which sad- 
 dened the day that ought to have been a day of triumph 
 for the poet 1 His mother was dying. When Mademoiselle 
 Gasc, accompanied by her father, the Mayor of Agen, 
 and other friends of Jasmin, entered the shop, they were 
 informed that he was by the bedside of his mother, who 
 was at death's door. The physician, who was consulted 
 as to her state, said that there might only be sufficient 
 time for Jasmin to receive the deputation. 
 
 He accordingly came out for a few moments from his 
 mother's bedside. M. Gasc explained the object of the 
 visit, and read to Jasmin the gracious letter of the Mayor 
 of Toulouse, concluding as follows : 
 
 " I thank you, in the name of the city of Toulouse, 
 for the fine poem which you have dedicated to us. This 
 branch of laurel will remind you of the youthful and 
 beautiful Muse which has inspired you with such charm- 
 
Jdsmm at Toulouse. 115 
 
 The Mayor of Agen here introduced Mademoiselle 
 Gasc, who, in her turn, said : 
 
 " And I also, sir, am most happy and proud of the 
 mission which has been intrusted to me." 
 
 Then she presented him with the casket which con- 
 tained the golden laurel. Jasmin responded in the lines 
 entitled " Yesterday and To-day," from which the follow- 
 ing words may be quoted : 
 
 ^''Yesterday! Thanks, Toulouse, for our old language 
 and for my poetry. Your beautiful golden branch en- 
 nobles both. And you who offer it to me, gracious mes- 
 senger — queen of song and queen of hearts — tell your 
 city of my perfect happiness, and that I never anticipated 
 such an honor even in my most golden dreams. 
 
 ''''To-day! Fascinated by the laurel which Toulouse 
 has sent me, and which fills my heart with joy, I cannot 
 forget, my dear young lady, the sorrow which over- 
 whelms me — the fatal illness of my mother — which 
 makes me fear that the most joyful day of life will also 
 be the most sorrowful." 
 
 Jasmin's alarms were justified. His prayers were of 
 no avail. His mother died with her hand in his shortly 
 after the deputation had departed. Her husband had 
 preceded her to the tomb a few years before. He al- 
 ways had a firm presentiment that he should be carried 
 in the arm-chair to the hospital, " where all the Jasmins 
 die." But Jasmin did his best to save his father from 
 that indignity. He had already broken the arm-chair, 
 and the old tailor died peacefully in the arms of his son. 
 
 Some four months after the recitation of " Francon- 
 nctte" at Toulouse, Jasmin resumed liis readings in the 
 cause of charity. In October, 1840, he visited Oleron, 
 and was received with the usual enthusiasm ; and on his 
 return to Pan he passed the obelisk erected to Despour- 
 
116 Jasmin, 
 
 rins, the Burns of the Pyrenees. At Pan he recited his 
 " Franconnette " to an immense audience amid frenzies 
 of applause. It was alleged that the people of the Pyre- 
 ncan country were prosaic and indifferent to art. But 
 M. Dugenne, in the Memorial des Pyrenees, said that it 
 only wanted such a bewitching poet as Jasmin — with his 
 vibratino: and maijical voice — to rouse them and set their 
 minds on fire. 
 
 Another writer, M. Alfred Danger, paid him a still 
 more delicate compliment. 
 
 " His poetry," he said, " is not merely the poetry of 
 illusions ; it is alive, and inspires every heart. His ad- 
 mirable delicacy ! His profound tact in every verse ! 
 What aristocratic poet could better express in a higher 
 degree the politeness of the heart, the truest of all po- 
 liteness." * 
 
 Jasmin did not seem to be at all elated by these eulo- 
 giums. When he had finished his recitations he returned 
 to Agen, sometimes on foot, sometimes in the diligence, 
 and quietly resumed his daily work. His success as a 
 poet never induced him to resign his more humble occu- 
 pation. Although he received some returns from the sale 
 of his poems, he felt himself more independent by rely- 
 ing upon the income derived from his own business. 
 
 His increasing reputation never engendered in him, as 
 is too often the case with self-taught geniuses who sud- 
 denly rise into fame, a supercilious contempt for the or- 
 dinary transactions of life. "After all," he said, *' con- 
 tentment is better than riches." 
 
 * " La politesse du coeiir," a French expression which can scarcely 
 be translated into English; just as "gentleman " has no precise 
 equivalent in French. 
 
Jasmines Visit to l^aris, 117 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 JASMIN'S VISIT TO PARIS. 
 
 Jasmin had been so often advised to visit Paris and 
 test his powers there that at length he determined to 
 proceed to the capital of France. It is true he had been 
 eulogized in the criticisms of Sainte-Beuve, Leonce de 
 Lavergne, Charles Nodier, and Charles de Mazade; but 
 he desired to make the personal acquaintance of some of 
 these illustrious persons as well as to see his son, who was 
 then settled in Paris. It was, therefore, in some respects 
 a visit of paternal affection as well as literary reputation, 
 lie set out for Paris in the month of May, 1842. 
 
 Jasmin was a boy in his heart and feelings, then as 
 always. Indeed, he never ceased to be a boy — in bis 
 manners, his gayety, his artlessness, and his enjoyment 
 of new pleasures. What a succession of wonders to him 
 was Paris — its streets, its boulevards, its Tuileries, its 
 Louvre, its Arc de Triomphe — reminding him of the 
 Revolution and the wars of the first Napoleon. 
 
 Accompanied by his son fidouard, he spent about a 
 week in visiting the most striking memorials of the capi- 
 tal. They visited together the Place de la Concorde, 
 the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, the Madeleine, the 
 Champs Elysees, and most of the other sights. At the 
 Colonne Vend6mc, Jasmin raised his head, looked up, 
 and stood erect, proud of the glories of France. He saw 
 all these things for the first time, but they had long been 
 associated with bis recollections of the past. 
 
118 Jasmin. 
 
 There are " country cousins " in Paris as well as in 
 London. They are known by their dress, their manners, 
 their amazement at all they see. When Jasmin stood 
 before the Yendome Column, he extended his hand as if 
 he were about to recite one of his poems. " Oh, my 
 son," he exclaimed, "such glories as these are truly mag- 
 nificent!" The son, who was familiar with the glories, 
 was rather disposed to laugh. He desired, for decorum's 
 sake, to repress his father's exclamations. He saw the 
 people standing about to hear his father's words. " Come," 
 said the young man, " let us go to the Madeleine and see 
 that famous church." " Ah, Edouard," said Jasmin, " I 
 can see well enough that you are not a poet ; not you 
 indeed !" 
 
 During his visit Jasmin wrote regularly to his wife and 
 friends at Agen, giving them his impressions of Paris. 
 His letters were full of his usual simplicity, brightness, 
 boyishness, and enthusiasm. " What wonderful things 
 I have already seen," he said, in one of his letters, " and 
 how many more have I to see to-morrow and the follow- 
 ing days. M. Dumon, Minister of Public Works (Jas- 
 min's compatriot and associate at the Academy of Agen), 
 has given me letters of admission to Versailles, Saint- 
 Cloud, Meudon — in fact, to all the public places that I 
 have for so long a time been burning to see and admire." 
 
 After a week's tramping about and seeing the most 
 attractive sights of the capital. Jasmin bethought him of 
 his literary friends and critics. The first person he 
 called upon was Sainte-Beuve, at the Mazarin Library, of 
 which he was director. " He received me like a brother," 
 said Jasmin, " and embraced me. He said the most flat- 
 tering things about my * Franconnette,' and considered 
 it an improvement upon ' L'Aveugle.' ' Continue,' he 
 said, * my good friend, and you will take a place in the 
 
Jasminh Visit to Paris. 119 
 
 brij^iitest poetry of our epoch.' In showing me over the 
 shelves in the library containing the works of the old 
 poets, which are still read and admired, he said, ' Like 
 them, you will never die.' " 
 
 Jasmin next called upon Charles Nodier and Jules 
 Janin. Nodier was delighted to see his old friend, and, 
 after a long conversation, Jasmin said that " he left him 
 with tears in his eyes." Janin complimented him upon 
 bis works, especially upon his masterly use of the Gascon 
 language. " Go on," he said, " and write your poetry in 
 the patois which always appears to me so delicious. You 
 possess the talent necessary for the purpose ; it is so 
 genuine and rare." 
 
 The Parisian journals mentioned Jasmin's appearance 
 in the capital ; the most distinguished critics had highly 
 approved of his works ; and before long he had become 
 the hero of the day. The modest hotel in which he 
 stayed during his visit was crowded with visitors. Peers, 
 ministers, deputies, journalists, members of the French 
 Academy, came to salute the author of the Papillotos. 
 
 The proprietor of the hotel began to think that he was 
 entertaining some prince in disguise — that he must have 
 come from some foreign court to negotiate secretly some 
 lofty questions of State. But when he was entertained 
 at a banquet by the barbers and hair-dressers of Paris 
 the opinions of "mine host" underwent a sudden altera- 
 tion. He informed Jasmin's son that he could scarcely 
 believe that ministers of State would bother themselves 
 with a country peruke-maker ! The son laughed ; he told 
 the maitre d'hotel that his bill would be paid, and that 
 was all he need to care for. 
 
 Jasmin was not, however, without his detractors. Even 
 in his own country many who had laughed heartily and 
 wept bitterly while listening to his voice, feared lest they 
 
120 • Jasmin. 
 
 might have given vent to their emotions against the 
 legitimate rules of poetry. Some of the Parisian critics 
 were of opinion that he was immensely overrated. They 
 attributed the success of the Gascon poet to the liveli- 
 ness of the Southerners, who were excited by the merest 
 trifles ; and they suspected that Jasmin, instead of being 
 a poet, was but a clever gasconader, differing only from 
 the rest of his class by speaking in verse instead of prose. 
 
 Now that Jasmin was in the capital, his real friends, 
 who knew his poetical powers, desired him to put an end 
 to these prejudices by reciting before a competent tribu- 
 nal some of his most admired verses. He would have 
 had no difficulty in obtaining a reception at the Tuileries. 
 He had already received several kind favors from the Duke 
 and Duchess of Orleans while visiting Agen. The duke 
 had presented him with a ring set in brilliants, and the 
 duchess had given him a gold pin in the shape of a flow- 
 er, with a fine pearl surrounded by diamonds, in memory 
 of their visit. It was this circumstance which induced 
 him to compose his poem "La Bago et L'Esplingo" 
 (La Bague et L^Epingle)^ which he dedicated to the 
 Duchess of Orleans. 
 
 But Jasmin aimed higher than the royal family. His 
 principal desire was to attend the French Academy ; but 
 as the Academy did not permit strangers to address their 
 meetings, Jasmin was under the necessity of adopting an- 
 other method. The salons were open. M. Leonce de 
 Lavergne said to him, " You are now classed among our 
 French poets; give us a recitation in Gascon." Jasmin 
 explained that he could not give his reading before the 
 members of the Academy. "That difficulty," said his 
 friend, "can soon be got over; I will arrange for a meeting 
 at the salon of one of our most distinguished members." 
 
 It was accordingly arranged that Jasmin should give a 
 
Jasmin's Visit to Paris. 121 
 
 reading at the house of M. Augustin Thierry, one of the 
 trreatcst of living historians. The elite of Parisian society 
 were present on the occasion, including Ampere, Nizard, 
 Burnouf, Ballanche, Villemain, and many distinguished 
 personages of literary celehrity. 
 
 A word as to Jasmin's distinguished entertainer, M. 
 Augustin Thierry. He had written the History of the 
 Conquest of England by the Normans — an original work 
 of great value, though since overshadowed by the more 
 minute History of the Norman Conquest, by Professor 
 Freeman. Yet Thierry's work is still of great inter- 
 est, displaying gifts of the highest and rarest kind in 
 felicitous combination. It shows the careful plodding of 
 the antiquary, the keen vision of the man of the world, 
 the passionate fervor of the politician, the calm dignity 
 of the philosophic thinker, and the grandeur of the epic 
 poet. Thierry succeeded in exhuming the dry bones of 
 history, clothing them for us anew, and presenting almost 
 visibly the "age and body of the times" long since passed 
 away. 
 
 Thierry had also written his Narratives of the Mero- 
 vingian Times, and revived almost a lost epoch in the 
 early history of France. In writing out these and other 
 works — the results of immense labor and research — he 
 partly lost his eyesight, lie travelled into Switzerland 
 and the South of France in the company of M. Fauriel. 
 He could read no more, and towards the end of the year 
 the remains of his sight entirely disappeared. He had 
 now to read with the eyes of others, and to dictate in- 
 stead of writing. In his works he was assisted by the 
 friendship of M. Armand Carrel, and the affection and 
 judgment of his loving young wife. 
 
 He proceeded with courage, and was able to complete 
 the fundamental basis of the two Frankish dynasties, 
 c 
 
122 Jasinin. 
 
 He was about to follow his investigations into the history 
 of the Goths, Huns, and Vandals, and other races which 
 had taken part in the dismemberment of the empire. 
 " However extended these labors," he says,* " my com- 
 plete blindness could not have prevented my going through 
 them ; I was resigned as much as a courageous man can 
 be ; I had made a friendship with darkness. But other 
 trials came : acute sufferings and the decline of my health 
 announced a nervous disease of the most serious kind. 
 I \^as obliged to confess myself conquered, and to save, 
 if it was still time, the last remains of my health." 
 
 The last words of Thierry's Autobiographical Preface 
 are most touching: "If, as I delight in thinking, the in- 
 terest of science is counted in the number of great na- 
 tional interests, I have given my country all that the sol- 
 dier mutilated on the field of battle gives her. Whatever 
 may be the fate of my labors, this example I hope will 
 not be lost. I would wish it to serve to combat the spe- 
 cies of moral weakness which is the disease of the pres- 
 ent generation ; to bring back into the straight road of 
 life some of those enervated souls that complain of want- 
 ing faith, that know not what to do, and seek everywhere, 
 without finding it, an object of worship and admiration. 
 Why say with so much bitterness that in this world, con- 
 stituted as it is, there is no air for all lungs, no employ- 
 ment for all minds? Is there not opportunity for calm 
 and serious study ? and is not that a refuge, a hope, a 
 field within the reach of all of us? W^ith it, evil days 
 are passed over without their weight being felt; every 
 one can make his own destiny ; every one can employ 
 his life nobly. This is what I have done, and would do 
 
 * Autobiographical Preface to the Narratives of the Merovivgian 
 Times. 
 
Jasmines Visit to Paris. 123 
 
 ai^ain if I had to recommence my career: I would choose 
 that which has brought me to where I am. Blind, and 
 suffering witliout hope and almost without intermission, 
 I may give this testimony, which from me will not ap- 
 pear suspicious : there is something in this world better 
 than sensual enjoyments, better than fortune, better than 
 health itself — it is devotion to science." 
 
124 Jasmin. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 JASMIN'S RECITATIONS IN PARIS. 
 
 It was a solemn and anxious moment for Jasmin when 
 lie appeared before this select party of the most distin- 
 guished literary men in Paris. He was no doubt placed 
 at a considerable disadvantage, for his judges did not 
 even know his language. He had frequently recited to 
 audiences who did not know Gascon ; and on such occa- 
 sions he used, before commencing his recitation, to give 
 in French a short sketch of his poem, with an explana- 
 tion of some of the more difficult Gascon words. This 
 was all ; his mimic talent did the rest. His gestures 
 were noble and well marked ; his eyes were flashing, but 
 they became languishing when he represented tender sen- 
 timents. Then his voice changed entirely, often sudden- 
 ly, following the expression of grief and joy. There 
 were now smiles, now tears in his voice. 
 
 It was remarkable that Jasmin should first recite be- 
 fore the blind historian "The Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille." 
 It may be that he thought it his best poem within the 
 compass of time allotted to him, and that it might best 
 please his audience. When he began to speak in Gas- 
 con he was heard with interest. A laugh was, indeed, 
 raised by a portion of his youthful hearers, but Jasmin 
 flashed his penetrating eye upon them, and there was no 
 more laughter. When he reached the tenderest part he 
 gave way to his emotion and wept. Tears are as conta- 
 
Jasmines Recitations in Paris, 125 
 
 gious as smiles ; and even the academicians, who may not 
 have wept with Racliel, wept witli Jasmin. It was the 
 eclio of sorrow to sorrow ; the words wliich blind despair 
 had evoked from the blind Margaret. 
 
 All eyes were turned to Thierry as Jasmin described 
 tlie girl's blindness. The poet omitted some of the more 
 painful lines, which might have occasioned sorrow to his 
 kind entertainer. These lines, for instance, in Gascon : 
 
 <' Jour per aoutres, toutjour! ct per jou, malhurouzo, 
 Toutjoiir iiey! toutjour \\hy\ 
 Que fay uegro 16u d'el! Oh! quo raoun anio <5s tristo! 
 Oh! que souflfri, moun Diou! Couro bfeu douu, Batisto !" 
 
 or, as translated by Longfellow : 
 
 "Day for the others ever, hut for me 
 Forever night! forever night! 
 When ho is gone, 'tis dark! my soul is sad! 
 I suffer ! O my God ! come, make me ghid !" 
 
 Wlien Jasmin omitted this verse, Thierry, who had 
 listened with rapt attention, interrupted liim. "Poet," 
 he said, " you have omitted a passage ; read the poem as 
 you have written it." Jasmin paused, and then added 
 the omitted passage. "Can it be?" said the historian. 
 " Surely you, who can describe so vividly the agony of 
 those who cannot see, must yourself have suffered blind- 
 ness !" The words of Jasmin might have been spoken 
 by Thierry himself, who in his hours of sadness often 
 said, " I see nothing but darkness to-day." 
 
 At the end of his recital Jasmin was much applauded. 
 Ampere, who had followed him closely in the French 
 translation of his poem, said, " If Jasmin had never 
 written verse it would be worth going a hundred leagues 
 to listen to his prose." What charmed his auditors most 
 
126 Jasmin. 
 
 was his frankness. Pic would even ask them to listen to 
 what he thought his best verses. " This passage," he 
 would say, *' is very fine." Then he read it afresh, and 
 was applauded. He liked to be cheered. "Applaud! 
 applaud !" he said at the end of his reading, " the clap- 
 ping of your hands will be heard at Agen." 
 
 After the recitation an interesting conversation took 
 place. Jasmin was asked how it was that he first began 
 to write poetry ; for every one likes to know the begin- 
 nings of self-culture. He thereupon entered into a brief 
 history of his life : how he had been born poor; how his 
 grandfather had died at the hospital ; and how he had 
 been brought up by charity. He described his limited 
 education and his admission to the barber's shop ; his 
 reading of Florian ; his determination to do something 
 of a similar kind ; his first efforts, his progress, and event- 
 ually his success. He said that his object was to rely 
 upon nature and truth, and invest the whole with imag- 
 ination and sensibility, that delicate touch which vibrated 
 through all the poems he had written. His auditors 
 were riveted by his sparkling and brilliant conversation. 
 
 This seance at M. Thierry's completed the triumph of 
 Jasmin at Paris. The doors of the most renowned sa- 
 lons were thrown open to him. The most brilliant so- 
 ciety in the capital listened to him and feted him. Ma- 
 dame de Remusat sent him a present of a golden pen, 
 with the words, " I admire your beautiful poetry ; I nev- 
 er forget you; accept this little gift as a token of my sin- 
 cere admiration." Lamartine described Jasmin, perhaps 
 with some exaggeration, as the truest and most original 
 of modern poets. 
 
 Much of Jasmin's work was no doubt the result of in- 
 tuition, " for the poet is born, not made." He was not 
 so much the poet of art as of instinct. Yet M. Charles 
 
Jasmin'' s Recitations in Paris. 127 
 
 de Mazade said of him, ** Left to himself, without study, 
 he carried art to perfection." His defect of literary ed- 
 ucation perhaps helped him by leaving him to his own 
 natural instincts. He himself said, with respect to the 
 perusal of books, " I constantly read Lafontaine, Victor 
 Hugo, Lamartine, and Beranger." It is thus probable 
 that he may have been influenced to a considerable ex- 
 tent by his study of the works of others. 
 
 Before Jasmin left Paris he had the honor of being 
 invited to visit the royal family at the palace of Neuilly, 
 a favorite residence of Louis Philippe. Tlie invitation 
 was made through General de Rumigny, who came to see 
 the poet at his hotel for the purpose. Jasmin had al- 
 ready made the acquaintance of the Duke and Duchess 
 of Orleans while at Agen a few years before. His visit 
 to Neuilly was made on May 24, 1842. He was gra- 
 ciously received by the royal family. The Duchess of 
 Orleans took her seat beside him. She read the verse 
 in Gascon which had been engraved on the pedestal of 
 the statue at Nerac, erected to the memory of Henry IV. 
 The poet was surprised as well as charmed by her conde- 
 scension. " What, madame," he exclaimed, " you speak 
 the patois?" "El jou tabe " (and I also), said Louis 
 Philippe, who came and joined the princess and the poet. 
 Never was Jasmin more pleased than when he heard the 
 words of the King at such a moment. 
 
 Jasmin was placed quite at his ease by this gracious 
 reception. The King and the duchess united in desir- 
 ing him to recite some of his poetry. He at once com- 
 plied with their request, and recited, his "Caritat" and 
 " L' Abuglo " (The Blind Girl). After this the party en- 
 gaged in conversation. Jasmin, by no means a courtier, 
 spoke of the past, of Henry IV., and especially of Na- 
 poleon — " L'Ampereur," as he described him. Jasmin 
 
128 Jasmin. 
 
 had, in the first vohimc of liis PapillotoSj written some 
 satirical pieces on the court and ministers of Louis Phi- 
 lippe. His friends wished him to omit these pieces from 
 the new edition of his works, which was about to be pub- 
 lished, but he would not consent to do so. " I must 
 give my works," he said, "just as they were composed; 
 their suppression would be a negation of myself and an 
 act of adulation unworthy of any true-minded man." 
 Accordingly they remained in the Pojnllotos. 
 
 Before he left the royal party the Duchess of Orleans 
 presented Jasmin with a golden pin, ornamented with 
 pearls and diamonds ; and the King afterwards sent him, 
 as a souvenir of his visit to the Court, a beautiful gold 
 watch, ornamented with diamonds. Notwithstanding 
 the pleasure of this visit. Jasmin, as with a prophetic eye, 
 saw the marks of sorrow upon the countenance of the 
 King, who was already experiencing the emptiness of 
 human glory. Scarcely had Jasmin left the palace when 
 he wrote to his friend Madame de Virens, at Agen : " On 
 that noble face I could see, beneath the smile, the ex- 
 pression of sadness ; so that from to-day I can no longer 
 say, ' Happy as a king.' " 
 
 Another entertainment, quite in contrast with his visit 
 to the King, was the banquet which Jasmin received from 
 the barbers and hair-dressers of Paris. He there recited 
 the verses which he had written in their honor. M. Bois- 
 joslin* says that half the barbers of Paris are Iberiens. 
 For the last three centuries, in all the legends and anec- 
 dotes, the barber is always a Gascon. The actor, the 
 singer, often came>from Provence, but much oftener from 
 Gascony ; that is the country of la parole. 
 
 During Jasmin's month at Paris he had been unable 
 
 * Les Penphs de la France : Ethnographie Nationale. (Didier.) 
 
Jasmines liecitations in Paris. 129 
 
 to visit many of the leading literary men ; but he was 
 especially anxious to see M. Chateaubriand, the father of 
 modern French literature. Jasmin was fortunate in find- 
 ing Chateaubriand at home, af 112 Rue du Bac. He re- 
 ceived Jasmin with cordiality. "I know you intimately 
 already," said the author of the Genius of Christianity ; 
 " my friends Ampere and Fauriel have often spoken of 
 you. They understand you, they love and admire you. 
 They acknowledge your great talent, thougli they have 
 long since bade their adieu to poetry ; you know poets are 
 very wayward," he added, with a sly smile. "You have 
 a happy privilege, my dear sir ; when our age turns prosy 
 you have but to take your lyre, in the sweet country of 
 the South, and resuscitate the glory of the Troubadours. 
 They tell me that in one of your recent journeys you 
 evoked enthusiastic applause and entered many towns 
 carpeted with flowers. Ah, mow Diea^wo can never do 
 that with our prose !" 
 
 " Ah, dear sir," said Jasmin, ** you have achieved much 
 more glory than I. Without mentioning the profound 
 respect with which all France regards you, posterity and 
 the world will glorify you." 
 
 "Glory, indeed," replied Chateaubriand, with a sad 
 smile. " What is that but a flower that fades and dies? 
 But speak to me of your sweet South ; it is beautiful. I 
 think of it as of Italy ; indeed, it sometimes seems to me 
 better than that glorious country !" 
 
 Notwithstanding his triumphant career at Paris, Jas- 
 min often thoufjht of Aijen, and of his friends and rela- 
 tives at home. " Oh, my wife, my children, my guitar, 
 my workshop, my papillotos, my pleasant Gravier, my 
 dear good friends, with what pleasure I shall again see 
 you!" That was his frequent remark in his letters to 
 Agen. He was not buoyed up by the praises he liad re- 
 6* 
 
130 Jasmin. 
 
 ceived. He remained, as usual, perfectly simple in his 
 thoughts, ways, and habits; and when the month had 
 elapsed he returned joyfully to his daily work at Agen. 
 Jasmin afterwards described the recollections of his 
 visit in his " Voyage to Paris " {Moun Bouyatage a Paris). 
 It was a happy piece of poetry, full of recollections of 
 the towns and departments through which he journeyed, 
 and finally of his arrival in Paris. Then the wonders 
 of the capital, the crowds in the streets, the soldiers, the 
 palaces, the statues and columns, the Tuileries tvherc the 
 Emperor had lived. 
 
 " I pass aud repass — not a soul I know ; 
 Not oue Agenaise in this hurrying crowd; 
 No one sahites or shakes me by the hand." 
 
 And yet, he says, what a grand world it is ! how taste- 
 ful ! how fashionable ! There seem to be no poor. They 
 are all ladies and gentlemen. Each day is a Sabbath ; 
 and under the trees the children play about the fountains. 
 So different from Agen ! He then speaks of his inter- 
 view with Louis Philippe and the royal family, his recital 
 of " L'Abuglo " before " great ladies, great writers, lords, 
 ministers, and great savants ;" and he concludes his poem 
 with the words, " Paris makes me proud, but Agen makes 
 me happy." 
 
 The poem is full of the impressions of his mind at the 
 time — simple, clear, naive. It is not a connected narra- 
 tive, nor a description of what he saw, but it was full of 
 admiration of Paris, the centre of France, and, as French- 
 men think, of civilization. It is the simple wonder of the 
 country cousin who sees Paris for the first time — the city 
 that had so long been associated with his recollections of 
 the past. And perhaps he seized its more striking points 
 more vividly than any regular denizen of the capital. 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 131 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 JASMIN AND HIS ENGLISH CRITICS. 
 
 Jasmin'* visit to Paris in 1842 made his works more 
 extensively known, both at home and abroad. His name 
 was frequently mentioned in the Parisian journals, and 
 Frenchmen north of the Loire began to pride themselves 
 on their Gascon poet. His "Blind Girl" had been trans- 
 lated into English, Spanish, and Italian. The principal 
 English literary journal, the Athenceum, called attention 
 to his works a few months after his appearance in Paris.* 
 The editor introduced the subject in the following words: 
 
 " On the banks of the Garonne, in the picturesque and 
 ancient town of Agen, there exists at this moment a man 
 of genius of the first order — a rustic Beranger, a Victor 
 lingo, a Lamartine — a poet full of fire, originality, and 
 feeling — an actor superior to any now in France, except- 
 ing Rachel, whom lie resembles both in his powers of 
 declamation and his fortunes. He is not unknown — he 
 is no mute, inglorious Milton ; for the first poets, states- 
 men, and men of letters in France have been to visit him. 
 His parlor chimney-piece, behind his barber's shop, is 
 covered with offerings to his genius from royalty and 
 rank. His smiling, dark-eyed wife, exhibits to the curi- 
 ous the tokens of her husband's acknowledged merit; 
 
 * Tlie Alheiuenm, November 6, 1842. " The Curl-papers of Jas- 
 min, tlie Barber of Agen" {Las Pnpilldtos de Jasmin^ Coiffeur). 
 
132 tfasmin. 
 
 and gold and jewels shine in the eyes of the astonished 
 stranger, who, having heard his name, is led to stroll 
 carelessly into the shop, attracted by a gorgeous blue 
 cloth hung outside, on which he may have read the words 
 ' Jasmin, Coiffeur/ " 
 
 After mentioning the golden laurels, and the gifts 
 awarded to him by those who acknowledged his genius, 
 the editor proceeds to mention his poems in the Gascon 
 dialect— his "Souvenirs," his "Blind Girl," and his "Fran- 
 connette" — and then refers to his personal appearance. 
 "Jasmin is handsome in person, with eyes full of intelli- 
 gence, of good features, a mobility of expression abso- 
 lutely electrifying, a manly figure, and an agreeable ad- 
 dress; but his voice is harmony itself, and its changes 
 have an effect seldom experienced on or off the stage. 
 The melody attributed to Mrs. Jordan seems to approach 
 it nearest. Had he been an actor instead of a poet, he 
 would have * won all hearts his way.' ... On the whole, 
 considering the spirit, taste, pathos, and power of this 
 poet, who writes in a patois hitherto confined to the lower 
 class of people in a remote district — considering the ef- 
 fect that his verses have made among educated persons, 
 both French and foreign, it is impossible not to look 
 upon' him as one of the remarkable characters of his 
 age, and to award him, as the city of Clemence Isaurc 
 has done, the Golden Laurel, as the first of the revived 
 Troubadours, destined, perhaps, to rescue his country from 
 the reproach of having buried her poetry in the graves 
 of Alain Chartier and Charles of Orleans, four centuries 
 
 It is probable that this article in the Athenceum was 
 written by Miss Louisa Stuart Costello, who had had an 
 interview with the poet in his house at Agen some years 
 before. While making her tmir through Auvergne and 
 
Jasmin and. his English Critics. 133 
 
 Langucdoc in 1840,* she states that she picked itp three 
 charming ballads, and was not aware that they had ever 
 been printed. She wrote them down merely by car, and 
 afterwards translated "Me cal Monri" into English (see 
 pp. 47, 48). The ballad was very popular, and was set to 
 music. She did not then know the name of the com- 
 poser, but when she ascertained that the poet was " one 
 Jasmin of Agcn," she resolved to go out of her way and 
 call upon him, when on her way to the Pyrenees about 
 two years later.f She had already heard much about him 
 before she Jirrived, as he was regarded in Gascony as "the 
 greatest poet in modern times." She had no difficulty 
 in finding his shop at the entrance to the Promenade du 
 Gravier, with the lines in large gold letters, "Jasmin, Coif- 
 feur." 
 
 Miss Costello entered, and was welcomed by a smiling, 
 dark-eyed woman, who informed her that her husband 
 was busy at that moment dressing a customer's hair, but 
 begged that she would walk into his parlor at the back 
 of the shop. Madame Jasmin took advantage of her hus- 
 band's absence to exhibit the memorials which he had re- 
 ceived for his gratuitous services on behalf of the public. 
 There was the golden laurel from the city of Toulouse, 
 the golden cup from the citizens of Auch, the gold watch 
 with chain and seals from " Le Roi " Louis Philippe, the 
 ring presented by the Duke of Orleans, the pearl pin 
 from the duchess, the fine service of linen presented by 
 the citizens of Pau, with other offerings from persons of 
 distinction. 
 
 At last Jasmin himself appeared, having dressed his 
 customer's hair. Miss Costello describes his manner as 
 
 * A Pilgi-image to Anvei'gne^ from Picardy to Velay. 1842. 
 f Beam and the Pyrenees. 1 844. 
 
134 Jasmin, 
 
 well-bred and lively, and his language as free and unem- 
 barrassed. He said, however, that he was ill, and too 
 hoarse to read. He spoke in a broad Gascon accent, very 
 rapidly and even eloquently. He told the story of his 
 difficulties and successes; how his grandfather had been 
 a beggar, and all his family very poor, but that now he 
 was as rich as he desired to be. His son, he said, was 
 placed in a good position at Nantes, and he exhibited 
 his picture with pride. Miss Costello told him that she 
 had seen his name mentioned in an English review. 
 Jasmin said the review had been sent him by Lord Dur- 
 ham, who had paid him a visit ; and then Miss Costello 
 spoke of "Me cal Mouri," as the first poem of his that 
 she had seen. " Oh," said he, " that little song is not my 
 best composition : it was merely my first." 
 
 His heart was now touched. He immediately forgot 
 his hoarseness, and proceeded to read some passages from 
 his poems. "If I were only well," said he, "and you 
 would give me the pleasure of your company for some 
 time, I would kill you with weeping ; I would make you 
 die with distress for my poor Margarido, my pretty Fran- 
 connette." He then took up two copies of his Las Pa- 
 pillotos, handed one to Miss Costello, where the transla- 
 tion was given in French, and read from the other in 
 Gascon. 
 
 " He began," says the lady, " in a rich, soft voice, and 
 as we advanced we found ourselves carried away by the 
 spell of his enthusiasm. His eyes swam in tears ; he be- 
 came pale and red; he trembled; he recovered himself; 
 his face was now joyous, now exulting, gay, jocose ; in 
 fact, he was twenty actors in one ; he rang the changes 
 from Rachel to bouffe ; and he finished by relieving us 
 of our tears, and overwhelming us with astonishment. 
 He would have been a treasure on the stage ; for he is 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 135 
 
 still, though his youth is past, remarkably good-looking 
 and striking; with black, sparkling eyes of intense ex- 
 pression ; a fine ruddy complexion ; a countenance of 
 wondrous mobility ; a good figure, and action full of fire 
 and grace; he has handsome hands, which he uses with 
 infinite effect ; and on the whole he is the best actor 
 of the kind I ever saw. I could now quite understand 
 what a Troubadour ov jongleur he might be; and I look 
 upon Jasfuin as a revived specimen of that extinct race." 
 Miss Costello proceeded on her journey to Beam and 
 the Pyrenees, and on her return northward she again re- 
 newed her acquaintance with Jasmin and his dark-eyed 
 wife. "I did not expect," she says, "that I should be 
 recognized; but the moment I entered the little shop I 
 was hailed as an old friend. * Ah,' cried Jasmin, ' enfin 
 la voila encore !' I could not but be flattered by this 
 recollection, but soon found that it was less on my own 
 account that I was thus welcomed, than because circum- 
 stances had occurred to the poet that I might perhaps ex- 
 plain. He produced several French newspapers, in which 
 he pointed out to me an article headed 'Jasmin a Lon- 
 dres,' being a translation of certain notices of himself 
 which had appeared in a leading English literary journal 
 — the Athenceam. ... I enjoyed his surprise, while I 
 informed him that I knew who was the reviewer and 
 translator; and explained the reason for the verses giv- 
 ing pleasure in an English dress, to the superior simplic- 
 ity of the English language over modern French, for 
 which he had a great contempt, as unfitted for lyrical 
 composition.* He inquired of me respecting Burns, to 
 
 * " Tliere are no poets in Fiance now," lie said to Miss Costello. 
 " There cannot be. The language does not admit of it. Where is 
 the fire, the ppirit, the expression, the tenderness, the force, of the 
 
136 Jasmin. 
 
 whom he had been likened, and begged me to tell him 
 something of Moore. 
 
 " He had a thousand things to tell me : in particular, 
 that he had only the day before received a letter from 
 the Duchess of Orleans, informing him that she had or- 
 dered a medal of her late husband to be struck, the first 
 of which should be sent to him. He also announced the 
 agreeable news of the King having granted him a pension 
 of a thousand francs. He smiled and wept by turns as 
 he told all this ; and declared that, much as he was elated 
 at the possession of a sum which made him a rich man 
 for life (though it was only equal to £42), the kindness 
 of the duchess gratified him still more. 
 
 " He then made us sit down while he read us two new 
 poems; both charming, and full of grace and naivete; and 
 one very affecting, being an address to the King, alkiding 
 to the death of his son. 
 
 "As he read, his wife stood by, and fearing that we 
 did not comprehend the language, she made a remark to 
 that effect, to which he answered, impatiently, * Nonsense ! 
 don't you see they are in tears?' This was unanswerable ; 
 we were allowed to hear the poem to the end, and I cer- 
 tainly never listened to anything more feelingly and en- 
 ergetically delivered. 
 
 " We had much conversation, for he was anxious to de- 
 tain us, and in the course of it he told me that he liad 
 been by some accused of vanity. ' Oh 1' lie exclaimed, 
 'what would you have? I am a child of nature, and 
 cannot conceal my feelings ; the only difference between 
 me and a man of refinement is, that he knows how to 
 
 Gascon? French is but the ladder to reach the Jirst Jloor of the 
 Gascon ; how can you get up to a height except by means of a 
 ladder?" 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 137 
 
 conceal his vanity and exaltation at success, while I let 
 everybody see my emotions.' 
 
 " His wife drew me aside, and asked my opinion as to 
 how much money it would cost to pay Jasmin's expenses 
 if he undertook a journey to England. * However,' she 
 added, ' I dare say he need be at no charge, for of course 
 your Queen has read that article in his favor and knows 
 liis merit. She probably will send for him, pay all the 
 expenses of his journey, and give him great fetes in Lon- 
 don !' " Miss Costello, knowing the difficulty of obtaining 
 royal recognition of literary merit in England, unless it 
 appears in formcL pauperis, advised the barber -poet to 
 wait till he was sent for — a very good advice, for then it 
 would be never! She concludes her recollections with 
 this remark: '^I left the happy pair, promising to let 
 them know the effect that the translation of Jasmin's 
 poetry produced in the royal mind. Indeed, their ear- 
 nest simplicity was really entertaining." 
 
 A contributor to the Westminster Review * also gave a 
 very favorable notice of Jasmin and his poetry, which, he 
 said, was less known in England than it deserved to be ; 
 nor was it well known in France, since he wrote in a pat- 
 ois. Yet he had been well received by some of the most 
 illustrious men in the capital, where unaided genius, to 
 be successful, must be genius indeed ; and there the Gas- 
 con bard had acquired for himself a fame of which any 
 man might well be proud. 
 
 The reviewer said that the Gascon patois was peculiarly 
 expressive and heart-touching, and in the South it was 
 held in universal honor. Jasmin, he continued, is what 
 Burns was to the Scottish peasantry ; only he received 
 his lienors in his lifetime. The comparison with Burns, 
 
 * Weitmimier Review for October, 1849. 
 
138 ' Jasmin. 
 
 however, was not appropriate. Burns bad more pith, 
 vigor, variety, and passion, than Jasmin — who was more 
 of a descriptive writer. In some respects Jasmin re- 
 sembled Allan Ramsay, a barber and periwig-maker, like 
 himself, whose " Gentle Shepherd " met with as great a 
 success as Jasmin's " Franconnette." Jasmin, however, 
 was the greater poet of the two. 
 
 The reviewer in the Westminster^ who had seen Jasmin 
 at Agen, goes on to speak of the honors he had received 
 in the South and at Paris — his recitations in the little room 
 behind his shop — his personal appearance, his hearty and 
 simple manners — and yet his disdain of the mock mod- 
 esty it would be affectation to assume. The reviewer thus 
 concludes ; " From the first prepossessing, he gains upon 
 you every moment ; and when he is fairly launched into 
 the recital of one of his poems, his rich voice does full 
 justice to the harmonious Gascon. The animation and 
 feeling he displays becomes contagious. Your admira- 
 tion kindles, and you become involved in his ardor. You 
 forget the little room in which he recites ; you altogether 
 forget the barber, and rise with him into a superior world, 
 an experience in a way you will never forget, the power 
 exercised by a true poet when pouring forth his living 
 thoughts in his own verses. . . . 
 
 *' Such is Jasmin — lively in imagination, warm in tem- 
 perament, humorous, playful, easily made happy, easily 
 softened, enthusiastically fond of his province, of its 
 heroes, of its scenery, of its language, and of its manners. 
 He is every inch a Gascon, except that he has none of 
 that consequential self-importance, or of the love of boast- 
 ing and exaggeration, which, falsely or not, is said to 
 characterize his countrymen. 
 
 " Born of the people, and following a humble trade, he 
 is prond of both circumstances; his poems are full of al- 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 139 
 
 lusions to his calling; and without ever uttering a word 
 in disparagement of other classes, he everywhere sings the 
 praises of his own. He stands by his order. It is from 
 it he draws his poetry ; it is there he finds his romance. 
 
 "And this is his great charm, as it is liis chief distinc- 
 tion. He invests virtue, however lowly, with the dignity 
 that belongs to it. He rewards merit, however obscure, 
 with its due honor. Whatever is true or beautiful or 
 good finds from him an immediate sympathy. The true 
 is never rejected by him because it is commonplace, nor 
 the beautiful because it is every-day, nor the good be- 
 cause it is not also great. He calls nothing unclean but 
 vice and crime. He sees meanness in nothing but in the 
 sham, the affectation, and the spangles of outward show. 
 
 " But while it is in exalting lowly excellence that Jas- 
 min takes especial delight, he is not blind, as some are, to 
 excellence in high places. All he seeks is the sterling 
 and the real. He recognizes the sparkle of the diamond 
 as well as that of the dew-drop. But he will not look 
 upon paste. 
 
 " He is thus pre-eminently the poet of nature ; not, be 
 it understood, of inanimate nature only, but of nature 
 also, as it exists in our thoughts and words and acts — 
 of nature as it is to be found living and moving in hu- 
 manity. But we cannot paint him so well as he paints 
 himself. We well remember how, in his little shop at 
 Agen, he described to us what he believed to be charac- 
 teristic of his poetry ; and we find in a letter from him 
 to M. Leonce de Lavergne the substance of what he then 
 said to us : 
 
 " ' I believe,' he said, * that I have portrayed a part of 
 the noble sentiments which men and women may experi- 
 ence here below. I believe that I have emancipated my- 
 self more than any one has ever done from every school, 
 
140 Jasmin. 
 
 and I have placed myself in more direct communication 
 with nature. My poetry comes from my heart. I have 
 taken my pictures from around me in the most humble 
 conditions of men ; and I have done for my native lan- 
 guage all that I could.' " 
 
 A few years later Mr. Angus B. Reach, a well-known 
 author, and a contributor to Punch in its earlier days, 
 was appointed a commissioner by the Morning Chronicle 
 to visit, for industrial purposes, the districts in the South 
 of France. His reports appeared in the Chronicle ; but 
 in 1852 Mr. Reach published a fuller account of his jour- 
 neys in a volume entitled Claret and Olives, from the 
 Garonne to the Rhone.* In passing through the South 
 of France, Mr. Reach stopped at Agen. " One of my ob- 
 jects," he says, " was to pay a literary visit to a very re- 
 markable man — Jasmin, the peasant-poet of Provence and 
 Languedoc — the *Last of the Troubadours,' as, with 
 more truth than is generally to be found in ad captan- 
 dum designations, he terms himself, and is termed by the 
 wide circle of his admirers ; for Jasmin's songs and rural 
 epics are written in the patois of the people, and that pat- 
 ois is the still almost unaltered Langue d'Oc — the tongue 
 of the chivalric minstrelsy of yore. 
 
 " But Jasmin is a Troubadour in another sense than 
 that of merely availing himself of the tongue of the me- 
 nestrels. He publishes, certainly, conforming so far to 
 the usages of our degenerate modern times ; but his great 
 
 * Published by David Bogue, Fleet Street, London. 1852. Mr. 
 Reach was very particular about the pronunciation of his name. 
 Being a native of Inverness, the last vowel Avas guttural. One day, 
 dining with Douglas Jerroldj who insisted on addressing him as Mr. 
 Reek or Reech, "No," said the other; " my name is neither Reek 
 nor Reech, but Reac/i." " Very well," said Jerrold, " Mr. "Reach will 
 you have a peac/i .^" 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 141 
 
 triumphs are his popular recitations of his poems. Stand- 
 ing bravely up before an expectant assembly of perhaps 
 a couple of thousand persons — the hot-blooded and 
 quick-brained children of the South — the modern Trou- 
 badour plunges over head and ears into his lays, evoking 
 both himself and his applauding audiences into fits of 
 enthusiasm and excitement, which, whatever may be the 
 excellence of the poetry, an Englishman finds it difficult 
 to conceive or account for. 
 
 "The raptures of the New Yorkers and Bostonians 
 with Jenny Lind are weak and cold compared with the 
 ovations which Jasmin has received. At a recitation 
 given shortly before my visit to Auch, the ladies present 
 actually tore the flowers and feathers out of their bon- 
 nets, wove them into extempore garlands, and flung them 
 in showers upon the panting minstrel ; while the editors 
 of the local papers next morning assured him, in floods 
 of flattering epigrams, that humble as he was now, future 
 ages would acknowledge the ' divinity ' of a Jasmin ! 
 
 ** There is a feature, however, about these recitations 
 which is still more extraordinary than the uncontrollable 
 fits of popular enthusiasm which- they produce. His last 
 entertainment before I saw him was given in one of the 
 Pyrenean cities, and produced 2000 francs. Every sou 
 of this went to the public charities; Jasmin will not ac- 
 cept a stiver of money so earned. With a species of 
 perhaps overstrained, but certainly exalted, chivalric feel- 
 ing, he declines to appear before an audience to exhibit 
 for money the gifts with which nature has endowed him. 
 
 "After, perhaps, a brilliant tour through the South of 
 France, delighting vast audiences in every city, and fling- 
 ing many thousands of francs into every poor-box which 
 he passes, the poet contentedly returns to his humble oc- 
 cupation, and to the little shop where he cams his daily 
 
142 Jasmin. 
 
 bread by Lis daily toil as a barber and hair-dresser. It 
 will be generally admitted that the man capable of self- 
 denial of so truly heroic a nature as this is no ordinary 
 poetaster. 
 
 " One would be puzzled to find a similar instance of 
 perfect and absolute disinterestedness in the roll of min- 
 strels, from Homer downward ; and, to tell the truth, 
 there does seem a spice of Quixotism mingled with and 
 tingeing the pure fervor of the enthusiast. Certain it is, 
 that the Troubadours of yore, upon whose model Jasmin 
 professes to found his poetry, were by no means so scru- 
 pulous. * Largesse ' was a very prominent word in their 
 vocabulary ; and it really seems difficult to assign any 
 satisfactory reason for a man refusing to live upon the 
 exercise of the finer gifts of his intellect and throwing 
 himself for his bread upon the daily performance of mere 
 mechanical drudgery. 
 
 "Jasmin, as may be imagined, is well known in Agen. 
 I was speedily directed to his abode, near the open Place 
 of the town, and within ear-shot of the rush of the Ga- 
 ronne; and in a few moments I found myself pausing 
 before the lintel of the modest shop inscribed ' Jasmin, 
 Perruquier, Coiffeur des Jeunes Gens.' A little brass ba- 
 sin dangled above the threshold ; and looking through 
 the glass I saw the master of the establishment shaving 
 a fat-faced neighbor. Now I had come to see and pay 
 my compliments to a poet, and there did appear to me 
 to be something strangely awkward and irresistibly ludi- 
 crous in having to address, to some extent, in a literary 
 and complimentary vein, an individual actually engaged 
 in so excessively prosaic and unelevated a species of per- 
 formance. 
 
 " I retreated, uncertain what to do, and waited outside 
 until the shop was clear. Three words explained the nat- 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 143 
 
 lire of my visit, and Jasmin received me with a species 
 of warm courtesy, wliich was very peculiar and very 
 cliarininf^; dashing at once, with the most clattering vol- 
 uhility and fiery speed of tongue, into a sort of rhapsodi- 
 cal discourse upon poetry in general, and the patois of it, 
 spoken in Languedoc, Provence, and Gascony in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 "Jasmin is a well-built and strongly-limbed man of 
 about fifty, with a large, massive head, and a broad pile 
 of forehead, overhanging two piercingly bright black 
 eyes, and features which would be heavy were they al- 
 lowed a moment's repose from the continual play of the 
 facial muscles, sending a never-ending series of varying 
 expressions across the dark, swarthy visage. Two sen- 
 tences of his conversation were quite sufficient to stamp 
 his individuality.   
 
 "The first thing which struck me was the utter al)- 
 sencc of all the mock modesty, and the pretended self- 
 underrating conventionally assumed by persons expect- 
 ing to be complimented upon their sayings or doings. 
 Jasmin seemed thoroughly to despise all such flimsy hy- 
 pocrisy. *God only made four Frenchmen poets,' he 
 burst out with, *and their names are Corneille, Lafon- 
 taine, Beranger, and Jasmin!' 
 
 "Talking with the most impassioned vehemence, and 
 the most redundant energy of gesture, he went on to de- 
 claim against the influences of civilizatio;i upon language 
 and manners as being fatal to all real poetry. If the 
 true inspiration yet existed upon earth, it burned in the 
 hearts and brains of men far removed from cities, salons, 
 and the clash and din of social influences. Your only 
 true poets were the unlettered peasants, who poured forth 
 their hearts in song, not because they wished to make 
 poetry, but because they were joyous and true. 
 
144 Jasmin, 
 
 "Colleges, academies, schools of learning, schools of 
 literature, and all such institutions. Jasmin denounced as 
 the curse and the bane of true poetry. They had spoiled, 
 he said, the very French language. You could no more 
 write poetry in French now than you could in arithmeti- 
 cal figures. The language had been licked and kneaded 
 and tricked out, and plumed and dandified and scented, 
 and minced and ruled square and chipped — (I am try- 
 ing to give an idea of the strange flood of epithets he 
 used) — and pranked out and polished and muscadined 
 until, for all honest purposes of true high poetry, it was 
 mere unavailable and contemptible jargon. 
 
 "It might do for cheating agents de change on the 
 Bourse — for squabbling politicians in the Chambers — 
 for mincing dandies in the salons — for the sarcasm of 
 Scribe-ish comedies, or the coarse drolleries of Palais 
 Royal farces, but for poetry the French language was ex- 
 tinct. All modern poets who used it were faiseurs de 
 phrase — thinking about words and not feelings. 'No, 
 no,' my Troubadour continued, ' to write poetry you must 
 get the language of a rural people — a language talked 
 among fields and trees, and by rivers and mountains — a 
 language never minced or disfigured by academies and 
 dictionary-makers and journalists; you must have a lan- 
 guage like that which your own Burns, whom I read of 
 in Chateaubriand, used ; or like the brave, old, mellow 
 tongue — unchanged for centuries — stuffed with the stran- 
 gest, quaintest, richest, raciest idioms and odd solemn 
 words, full of shifting meanings and associations, at once 
 pathetic and familiar, homely and graceful — the language 
 which I write in, and which has never yet been defiled by 
 calculating men of science or jack-a-dandy litterateurs.'' 
 
 "The above sentences may be taken as a specimen of 
 the ideas with which Jasmin seemed to be actually over- 
 
Jasniin and his English Critics. 145 
 
 flowing from every pore in his body — so rapid, vehe- 
 ment, and loud was his enunciation of them. Warming 
 more and more as lie went on, lie began to sketch the 
 outlines of his favorite pieces. Every now and then 
 plunging into recitation, jumping from French into pat- 
 ois, and from patois into French, and sometimes splut- 
 tering them out, mixed up pell-mell together. Hardly 
 pausing to take breath, he rushed about the shop as he 
 discoursed, lugging out, from old chests and drawers, 
 piles of old newspapers and reviews, pointing out a pas- 
 sage here in which the estimate of the writer pleased 
 him, a passage there which showed how perfectly the 
 critic had mistaken the scope of his poetic philosophy, 
 and exclaiming, with the most perfect naivete, how mor- 
 tifying it was for men of original and profound genius 
 to be misconceived and misrepresented by pygmy whip- 
 per-snapper scamps of journalists. 
 
 "There was one review of his works, published in a 
 London ^Hecueil,^ as he called it, to which Jasmin referred 
 with great pleasure. A portion of it had been translated, 
 he said, in the preface to a French edition of his works; 
 and he had most of the highly complimentary phrases by 
 heart. The English critic, he said, wrote in iho^Tinii- 
 num^^ and he looked dubiously at me when I confessed 
 that I had never heard of the organ in question. *Pour- 
 tant,' he said, * je vous Ic ferai voir,' and I soon perceived 
 that Jasmin's ^Tintinum^ was no other than the Aihe- 
 noeum ! 
 
 "In the little back drawing-room behind the shop, to 
 which the poet speedily introduced me, his sister [it must 
 have been his wife], a meek, smiling woman, whose eyes 
 never left him, following as he moved with a beautiful 
 expression of love and pride in his glory, received me 
 with simple cordiality. The walls were covered with 
 7 
 
146 Jasmin, 
 
 testimonials, presentations, and trophies, awarded by crit- 
 ics and distinguished persons, literary and political, to 
 the modern Troubadour. Not a few of these are of a 
 nature to make any man most legitimately proud. Jas- 
 min possesses gold and silver vases, laurel branches, snuff- 
 boxes, medals of honor, and a whole museum of similar 
 gifts, inscribed with such characteristic and laconic le- 
 gends as ''Au Poete, Les Jeunes filles de Toulouse recon- 
 naissantes P etc. 
 
 " The number of garlands of immortelles^ wreaths of ivy- 
 jasinin (punning upon the name), laurel, and so forth, ut- 
 terly astonished me. Jasmin preserved a perfect shrub- 
 bery of such tokens ; and each symbol had, of course, its 
 pleasant associative remembrance. One was given by the 
 ladies of such a town ; another was the gift of the pre- 
 fect's wife of such a department. A handsome full- 
 length portrait had been presented to the poet by the 
 municipal authorities of Agen ; and a letter from M. Lx- 
 martine, framed, above the chimney-piece, avowed the 
 writer's belief that the Troubadour of the Garonne was 
 the Homer of the modern world. M. Jasmin wears the 
 ribbon of the Legion of Honor, and has several valuable 
 presents which were made to him by the late ex-king and 
 different members of the Orleans family. 
 
 "I have been somewhat minute in giving an account 
 of ray interview with M. Jasmin because he is really the 
 popular poet — the peasant-poet of the South of France 
 — the Burns of Limousin, Provence, and Languedoc. 
 His songs are in the mouths of all who sing in the fields 
 and by the cottage firesides. Their subjects are always 
 rural, naive, and full of rustic pathos and rustic drollery. 
 To use his words to me, he sings what the hearts of the 
 people say, and he can no more help it than can the birds 
 in the trees. Translations into French of his main poems 
 
Jasmin and his English Critics. 147 
 
 liave appeared ; and compositions more full of natural 
 and tborouojhly unsopliisticated pathos and liiimor it 
 would be difficult to find. 
 
 "Jasmin writes from a teeming brain and a beaming 
 lieart, and there is a warmth and a glow, and a strong, 
 happy, triumphant march of song about his poems which 
 carry you away in tlie perusal as they carried away the au- 
 thor in the writing. I speak, of course, from the French 
 translations, and I can well conceive that they give but a 
 comparatively faint transcript of the pith and power of 
 the original. The patois in which these poems are writ- 
 ten is the common peasant language of the South-west of 
 France. It varies in some slight degree in different dis- 
 tricts, but not more than the broad Scotch of Forfarshire 
 differs from that of Ayrshire. As for the dialect itself, 
 it seems in the main to be a species of cross between old 
 French and Spanish — holding, however, I am assured, 
 rather to the latter tongue than to the former, and con- 
 stituting a bold, copious, and vigorous speech, very rich 
 in its coloring, full of quaint words and expressive phrases, 
 and especially strong in all that relates to the language of 
 the passions and affections. 
 
 " I hardly know how long my interview with Jasmin 
 might have lasted, for he seemed by no means likely to 
 tire of talking, and his talk was too good and too curious 
 not to be listened to with interest; but the sister [or wife] 
 who had left us for a moment, coming back with the in- 
 telligence that there was quite a gathering of customers 
 in the shop, I hastily took my leave, the poet squeezing 
 my hand like a vice, and immediately thereafter dashing 
 into all that appertains to curling-irons, scissors, razors, 
 and lather, with just as much apparent energy and enthu- 
 siasm as he had flung into liis rhapsodical discourse on 
 poetry and language !" 
 
148 Jasmiti. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to apologize for the length of 
 this extract, because no author that we know of — not 
 even any French author — has given so vivid a descrip- 
 tion of the man as he lived, moved, and talked, as Mr. 
 Reach ; and we believe the reader will thank us for quot- 
 ing from an almost entirely forgotten book the above 
 graphic description of the Gascon Poet. 
 
Jasmin'' s Tours of Philanthropy, 149 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 JASMIN'S TOURS OF PHILANTHROPY. 
 
 The poet had no sooner returned from his visit to 
 Paris than he was besieged with appeals to proceed to 
 the relief of the poor in the South of France. Indeed, 
 for more than thirty years he devoted a considerable part 
 of his time to works of charity and benevolence. He 
 visited successively cities and towns so far remote from 
 each other as Bayonne and Marseilles, Bagneres and 
 Lyons. He placed his talents at the service of the pub- 
 lic from motives of sheer benevolence, for the large col- 
 lections which were made at his recitations were not of 
 the slightest personal advantage to himself. 
 
 The first place he visited on this occasion was Carcas- 
 sonne, south-east of Toulouse — a town of considerable im- 
 portance, and containing a large number of poor people. 
 M. Dugue, prefect of the x\ude, wrote to Jasmin : " The 
 crying needs of this winter have called forth a desire to 
 help the poor; but the means are sadly wanting. Our 
 thoughts are necessarily directed to you. Will you come 
 and help us?" Jasmin at once complied. He was enter- 
 tained by the prefect. After several successful recitations, 
 a considerable sum of money was collected for the relief of 
 the poor of Carcassonne. To perpetuate the recollection 
 of Jasmin's noble work, and to popularize the genius of 
 the poet, the prefect of the Aude arranged that Jasmin's 
 poems should be distributed among all the schools of his 
 
150 Jasmin. 
 
 department, and for this purpose a portion of the surplus 
 funds was placed at the disposal of the council-general. 
 
 Bordeaux next appealed to the poet. He had a strong 
 love for Bordeaux. It was the place where he had first 
 recited his " Blind Girl," where he had first attracted pub- 
 lic attention, and where he was always admired and al- 
 ways feted. The Orphan Institution of the city was in 
 difficulties ; its funds were quite exhausted ; and who 
 should be invited to come to their help but their old 
 friend Jasmin? He was again enthusiastically received. 
 The Franklin Rooms were crowded, and money flowed 
 quickly into the orphans' treasury. Among the poems 
 he recited was the following : 
 
 THE SHEPHERD AND THE GASCON POET.* 
 
 Anx Bordelais, au jour de ma grande Seance au Casino. 
 
 _^ In a far land, I know not where, 
 
 Ere viol's sigh, or organ's swell, 
 Had made the sous of song a^vare 
 That music is a potent spell : 
 A shepherd to a city came, 
 Play'd on his pipe, and rose to fame. 
 He sang of fields, and at each close, 
 Applause from ready hands arose. 
 
 The simple swain was hail'd and crown'd, 
 In mansions where the great reside, 
 
 And cheering smiles and praise he found, 
 And in his heart rose honest pride. 
 
 All seem'd with joy and rapture gleaming, 
 
 He trembled lest he was but dreaming. 
 
 * We adopt the translation of Miss Costello. 
 
Jasmines Tours of Philanthropy. 151 
 
 But, modest still, bis soul was moved; 
 
 Yet of bis bnmlet was bis tbougbt — 
 Of friends at bome, and ber be loved, 
 
 Wlien back bis laurel brancb be brougbt. 
 And pleasure beaming in bis eyes, 
 Enjoj-ed tbeir welcome and surprise. 
 'Twas tbus witb mo wben Bordeanx deigned 
 
 To listen to my rustic song: 
 Wboso music praise and bonor gain'd 
 
 More than to rural strains belong. 
 
 Deligbted, cbarmed, I scarcely knew, 
 
 Wbence sprung tbis life so fresb and new, 
 
 And to my beart I wbispered low, 
 Wben to my fields returned again, 
 
 "Is not tbe Gascon Poet now 
 
 As bappy as tbe sbepberd swain ?" 
 
 Tbe minstrel never can forget, 
 
 Tbe spot wbere first success be met; 
 
 But be, tbe sbepberd wlio, of yore. 
 Has cbarniM so manj' a list'niug ear, 
 
 Came back, and was beloved no more. 
 
 Ho found all cbanged and cold and drear! 
 
 A skilful band bad toucb'd tbe flute; 
 
 His pipe and be were scorn'd — were mute. 
 
 But I, once more I dared appear. 
 
 And found old friends so true and dear. 
 
 Tbe mem'ry of my ancient lays 
 
 Lived in tbeir bearts, awoke tbeir praise. 
 
 Ob! tbey did more. I was tbeir guest; 
 
 Again was welcomed and caress'd, 
 
 And, twined witb tbeir melodious tongue, 
 
 Again my rustic carol rung; 
 
 And my old language proudly found 
 
 Her words bad list'ners pressing round. 
 
 Tbus, tbougb condemn'd tbe sbepbord's skill, 
 
 Tbe Gascon Poet triumpb'd still. 
 
152 Jasmin, 
 
 At the end of the recital a pretty little orphan girl 
 came forward and presented Jasmin with a laurel adorned 
 with a ruby, with these words in golden letters, "To Jas- 
 min, with the orphans' gratitude." Jasmin finally de- 
 scended from the rostrum and mixed with the audience, 
 who pressed round him and embraced him. The result 
 was the collection of more than a thousand francs for the 
 orphans' fund. 
 
 No matter what the institution was, or where it was 
 situated, if it was in difiiculties, and Jasmin was appealed 
 to, provided it commended itself to his judgment, he went 
 far and near to give his help. A priest at a remote place 
 in Perigord had for some time endeavored to found an 
 agricultural colony for the benefit of the laborers, and at 
 last wrote to Jasmin for assistance. The work had been 
 patronized by most of the wealthy people of the province ; 
 but the colony did not prosper. There remained no one 
 to help them but the noble barber of Agen. Without 
 appealing any more to the rich for further aid, the priest 
 applied to Jasmin through a mutual friend, one of the 
 promoters of the undertaking, who explained to him the 
 nature of the enterprise. The following was Jasmin's an- 
 swer : 
 
 " My dear Sir, — I have already heard of the pious 
 work of the curate of Vedey, and shall be most happy 
 to give him my services for one or two evenings, though 
 I regret that I must necessarily defer my visit until after 
 the month of February next. In May I have promised 
 to go twice to the help of the Albigenses, in aid of their 
 hospital and the poor of Alba. I start to-morrow for 
 Cahors, to help in a work equally benevolent, begun long 
 ago. I am engaged for the month of August for Foix 
 and Bagneres de Luchon, in behalf of a church and an 
 
Jasmin's Tours of Philanthropy. 15.3 
 
 agricultural society. All my spare time, you will ob- 
 serve, is occupied ; and though I may be tired out by my 
 journeys, I will endeavor to rally my forces and do all 
 that I can for you. Tell the curate of Vedey, therefore, 
 that as his labor has been of long continuance, my Muse 
 will be happy to help his philanthropic work during one 
 or two evenings at Perigueux in the month of March next. 
 "Yours faithfully, 
 
 " J. Jasmin." 
 
 In due time Jasmin fulfilled his promise, and a con- 
 siderable sum was collected in aid of the agricultural 
 colony, which, to his great joy, was eventually established 
 and prospered. On another and a very different occasion 
 the Society of Arts and Literature appealed to him. 
 Their object was to establish a fund for the assistance of 
 the poorer members of their craft — something like the 
 Royal Literary Fund of London. The letter addressed 
 to him was signed by Baron Taylor, Ingres, Ambroise 
 Thomas, Aubcr, Meyerbeer, Adolphe Adam, Jules Simon, 
 Zimmerman n, llalevy, and others. It seemed extraordi- 
 nary that men of such distinction in art and literature 
 should appeal to a man of such humble condition, living 
 at so remote a place as Agen. 
 
 "We ask your help," they said, " for our work, which 
 has only been begun, and is waiting for assistance. We 
 desire to have the encouragement and powerful support 
 of men of heart and intelligence. Do not be surprised, 
 sir, that we address this demand to you. We have not 
 yet appealed to the part of France in which you live; 
 but we repose our hopes in your admirable talent, in- 
 spired as it is with Christian charity, which has already 
 given birth to many benefactions, for the help of churches, 
 schools, and charitable institutions, and has spread among 
 7* 
 
1 54 Jasmin. 
 
 your compatriots the idea of relieving the poor and ne- 
 cessitous." Incited by these illustrious men, Jasmin at 
 once took the field, and by his exertions did much tow- 
 ards the foundation of the proposed institution. 
 
 The strength of his constitution seemed to be inex- 
 haustible. On one occasion he went as far as Marseilles. 
 He worked, he walked, he travelled, he recited almost 
 without end. Though he sometimes complained of be- 
 ing over -tired, he rallied, and went on as before. At 
 Marseilles, for instance, he got up early in the morning, 
 and at 8 a.m. he was present at a private council in a 
 school. At 11 he presided at a meeting of the Society 
 of Saint Francis Xavier, where he recited several of his 
 poems before two thousand persons. At 2 o'clock he 
 was present at a banquet given in his honor. In the 
 evening he had another triumphant reception. In the 
 morning he spoke of country, religion, and work to the 
 humbler classes, and in the evening he spoke of love and 
 charity to a crowded audience of distinguished ladies. He 
 was entertained at Marseilles like a prince rather than 
 like a poet. 
 
 He sometimes gave as many as three hundred recita- 
 tions of this sort in a year, visiting nearly every town 
 from Bordeaux to Marseilles for all kinds of charitable 
 institutions. Of course his travels were enlivened by 
 many adventures, and some people were unwilling to 
 allow him to forget that he was a barber. When at 
 Auch, a town several miles to the south of Agen, he 
 resided with the mayor. The time for the meeting had 
 nearly arrived ; but the mayor was still busy with his 
 toilet. The prefect of Gers was also waiting. Fearing 
 the impatience of his guests, the mayor opened the door 
 of his chamber to apologize, showing his face covered 
 with lather. 
 
Jasmines Tours of Philanthropy. 155 
 
 "Wait a moment," be said; "I am just finishing my 
 sliaving." 
 
 "Oh," said Jasmin, "why did you not perform your 
 toilet sooner? But now let me help you." Jasmin at 
 once doffed his coat, gave the finishing touch to his 
 razor, and shaved the mayor in a twinkling, with what 
 he called his " hand of velvet." In a few minutes after 
 Jasmin was receiving tumultuous applause for his splen- 
 did recitations. 
 
 Thus, as time was pressing, it was a pleasure to Jasmin 
 to make himself useful to his friend the mayor. But on 
 another occasion he treated a rich snob in the way he 
 deserved. Jasmin had been reciting for the benefit of 
 the poor. At the conclusion of the meeting the young 
 people of the town improvised a procession of flambeaux, 
 and triumphantly escorted him to his hotel. 
 
 Early next morning, while Jasmin was still asleep, he 
 was awakened by some one knocking at his chamber 
 door. Be rose, opened it, and found himself in presence 
 of one of the most opulent persons of the town. There 
 are vulgar people everywhere, and this person had more 
 wealth than courtesy. Like Jasmin, he was a man of 
 the people; but he had neither the grace nor the polite- 
 ness of the Gascon barber, lie was but a parvenu, and 
 his riches had only produced an accumulation of snob- 
 bishness, lie pushed into the room, installed himself 
 without invitation in a chair, and, without- further cere- 
 mony, proceeded : 
 
 '*My dear Jasmin," he said, "I am a banker — a mill- 
 ionaire, as you know ; I wish you to shave me with your 
 own hand. Please set to work at once, for I am pressed 
 for time. You cm ask what you like for your trouble." 
 
 "Pardon me, sir," said Jasmin, with some pride, "I 
 only shave for pay at home." 
 
156 Jasmin. 
 
 "What do yon say?" 
 
 " It is true, sir ; I only sliave for pay at home." 
 
 " Come, come — you are jesting! I cannot be put off. 
 Make your charge as much as you like — but shave me." 
 
 " Again I say, sir, it is impossible." 
 
 " How impossible ? It seems to me that it is your 
 trade !" 
 
 " It is so ; but at this moment I am not disposed to 
 exercise it." 
 
 The banker again pleaded ; Jasmin was firm ; and the 
 millionaire went away unshaved ! 
 
 During one of his recitations at Toulouse he was intro- 
 duced to Mdlle. Roaldes, a young and beautiful lady, 
 with whose father, a thriving stock-broker, he stayed 
 while in that city. His house was magnificent and splen- 
 didly furnished. Many persons of influence were invited 
 to meet Jasmin, and, while there, he was entertained 
 with much hospitality. But, as often happens with 
 stock-brokers, M. Roaldes' star fell ; he suffered many 
 losses, and at length became poor and almost destitute. 
 
 One day, while Jasmin was sharpening his razors in 
 his shop in Agen, who should appear but Mdlle. Therese 
 Roaldes, sad and dejected. It was the same young lady 
 who had charmed him, not only by her intellectual con- 
 verse, but by her admirable musical ability. She had 
 sung brilliantly at the entertainment given at her father's 
 house, and now she came to lay her case before the 
 Agenaise barber! She told her whole storj^ ending with 
 the present destitution of her father — formerly the rich 
 stock-broker. 
 
 " What can we do now?" asked Jasmin; "something 
 must be done at once." 
 
 Mdlle. Roaldes judged rightly of the generous heart of 
 Jasmin. He was instantly ready and willing to lielp her. 
 
 i 
 
Jasmines Tours of Philanthropy. 157 
 
 They miglit not restore her father's fortunes, but they 
 might rescue him from the poverty and humiliations in 
 which liis sudden reverse of fortune had involved him. 
 The young lady had only her voice and her harp, but 
 Jasmin had his Curl-papers. Mdlle. Roaldes was beauti- 
 ful ; could her beauty have influenced Jasmin ? For 
 beauty has a wonderful power in the world. But good- 
 ness is far better, and it was that and her filial love 
 which principally influenced Jasmin in now offering her 
 his assistance. 
 
 The two made their first appearance at Agen. They 
 gave their performance in the theatre, which was crowded. 
 The name of Mdlle. Roaldt^s excited the greatest sympa- 
 thy, for the misfortunes of her father were well known 
 in the South. For this beautiful girl to descend from 
 her brilliant home in Toulouse to the boards of a theatre 
 at Agen was a sad blow, but her courage bore her up, 
 and she excited the sympathetic applause of the audience. 
 In the midst of the general enthusiasm Jasmin addressed 
 the charming lady in some lines which he had prepared 
 for the occasion. Holding in his hand a bouquet of flow- 
 ers, he said : 
 
 "Oh well tbey bloom for you! Mothers aud daughters, 
 Throw flowers to her, though moistened with your tears. 
 These flowers receive them, for 
 They bear the incense of our hearts. 
 
 Daughter of heaveu, oh, sing! your name shiues bright, 
 The earth applauds, aud God will bless you ever." 
 
 At the conclusion of his poem Jasmin threw his 
 wreath of flowers to the young lady, and in an instant 
 she was covered with flowers by the audience. Mdlle. 
 Roaldes was deeply moved. She had faced a public an- 
 
158 Jasmin. 
 
 dience for tbe first time; she Lad been received with ap- 
 plause, and from that moment she felt confidence in her 
 performances as well as in her labor of love. 
 
 The poet, with the singer and harpist, made a tour in 
 the Southern provinces, and the two muses, Poetry and 
 Music, went from town to town, enlivening and enlight- 
 ening the way. Every heart praised the poet for giving 
 his services to his young and beautiful friend. They 
 applauded also the lovely woman who made her harp- 
 chords vibrate with her minstrel's music. The pair went 
 to Montauban, Albi, Toulouse, and Nimes; they were 
 welcomed at Avignon, the city of Petrarch and the 
 popes. Marseilles forgot for a time her harbor and her 
 ships, and listened with rapture to the musician and the 
 poet. 
 
 At Marseilles, Jasmin felt himself quite at home. In 
 the intervals between the concerts and recitals he made 
 many new friends, as well as visited many old ones. His 
 gay and genial humor, his lively sallies, his brilliant re- 
 citals, brought him friends from every circle. M. Merv, 
 in a political effusion, welcomed the Gascon poet. He 
 was invited to a fete of V Athmee- Ouvrier (the Work- 
 man's Athenaeum) ; after several speeches Jasmin rose 
 and responded : 
 
 " I am proud," he said, "of finding myself among the 
 members of this society, and of being welcomed by men 
 who are doubly my brethren — by the labor of the hands 
 and by the labor of the head. You have moved me and 
 astonished me, and I have incurred to V Athmee- Ouvrier 
 a poetical debt which my muse can only repay with the 
 most tender recollections." 
 
 Many pleasant letters passed between Jasmin and 
 Mdlle. De Roaldes. The lady entertained the liveliest 
 gratitude to the poet, who had helped her so nobly in 
 
Jasmhi's Tours of Philanthropy. 159 
 
 her misfortunes. On the morning after her first success- 
 ful appearance at Agen she addressed to him a letter full 
 of praise and thankfulness. She ended it thus: "Most 
 amiable poet, I adore your heart, and I do homage to 
 your genius." In a future letter she confessed that the 
 rays of the sun were not less welcome than the rays of 
 his genius, and that her music would have been compar- 
 atively worthless but for his poetry. 
 
 Towards the end of their joint entertainment she again 
 wrote to him: "You have become, my dear poet, my 
 shower of gold, my heaven-sent manna, while you con- 
 tinue your devotion to my personal interests. ... As a 
 poet, I give you all the glory ; as a friend, I owe you 
 the affection of my filial heart, the hopes of a better 
 time, and the consolation of my future days. . . . Let it 
 be remembered that this good deed on your part is due 
 to your heart and will. May it protect you during your 
 life, and make you blest in the life which is to come!" 
 
 While at Nimes the two poet-artisans met — Reboul 
 the baker and Jasmin the barber. Reboul, who attended 
 the music recitation, went up to Jasmin and cordially 
 embraced him, amid the enthusiastic cheers of three 
 thousand people. Jasmin afterwards visited Reboul at 
 his bakery, where they had a pleasant interview with re- 
 spect to the patois of Provence and Gascony. At the 
 same time, it must be observed that Reboul did not write 
 in patois, but in classical French. 
 
 Reboul had published a volume of poems which at- 
 tracted the notice and praise of Lamartine and Alexandre 
 Dumas. Perhaps the finest poem in the volume is enti- 
 tled "The Angel and Child." Reboul had lost his wife 
 and child ; he sorrowed greatly at their death, and tliis 
 poem was the result. The idea is simple and beautiful. 
 An angel, noticing a lovely child in its cradle, and deem- 
 
160 Jasmin. 
 
 ing it too pure for earth, bears its spirit away to heaven. 
 The poem has been admirably translated by Longfellow. 
 
 Dumas, in Pictures of Travel in the South of France, 
 relates an interview with the baker-poet of Nimes. 
 
 " What made you a poet ?" asked Dumas. 
 
 " It was sorrow," replied Reboul — " the loss of a be- 
 loved wife and child. I was in great grief; I sought 
 solitude, and, finding no one who could understand me, 
 poured forth my grief to the Almighty." 
 
 "Yes," said Dumas, *' I now comprehend your feel- 
 ings. It is thus that true poets become illustrious. 
 How many men of talent only want a great misfortune 
 to become men of genius ! You have told me in a word 
 the secret of your life; I know it now as well as you 
 do." And yet Jasmin, the contemporary of Reboul, had 
 written all his poetry without a sorrow, and amid praise 
 and joyfulness. 
 
 Chateaubriand, when in the South of France, called 
 upon Reboul. The baker met him at the door. 
 
 "Are you M. Reboul ?" inquired the author of The 
 Martyrs. 
 
 " Which, sir — the baker or the poet ?" 
 
 "The poet, of course." 
 
 "Then the poet cannot be seen until mid-day. At 
 present the baker is working at the oven." 
 
 Chateaubriand accordingly retired, but returned at the 
 time appointed, and had a long and interesting conversa- 
 tion with Reboul. 
 
 While at Montpellier Jasmin received two letters from 
 Madame Lafarge, then in prison. The circumstances 
 connected with her case were much discussed in the jour- 
 nals of the time. She had married at seventeen a M. 
 Lafarge, and found after her marriage that he had de- 
 ceived her as to his property. Ill-feeling arose between 
 
Jasmiii's Tours of Philanthropy. 161 
 
 the unhappy pair, and eventually she was tried for poi- 
 soning her husband. She was condemned with extenuat- 
 ing circumstances, and imprisoned at Montpellicr in 1839. 
 She declared that she was innocent of the crime imputed 
 to her, and Jasmin's faith in the virtue of womanhood 
 led him to believe her. Her letters to Jasmin were 
 touching. 
 
 *' Many pens," she said, *' have celebrated your genius ; 
 let mine touch your heart ! Oh, yes, sir, you are good, 
 noble, and generous ! I preserve every word of yours as 
 a dear consolation; I guard each of your promises as a 
 holy hope. Voltaire has saved Galas. Sing for me, sir, 
 and I will bless your memory to the day of my death. 
 I am innocent ! . . . For eight long years I have suffered ; 
 and I am still suffering from the stain upon my honor. 
 I grieve for a sight of the sun, but I still love life. Sing 
 for me." 
 
 She again wrote to Jasmin, endeavoring to excite his 
 interest by her appreciation of his poems. 
 
 " The spirit of your work," she said, " vibrates through 
 me in every form. What a pearl of eulogy is * Maltro 1' 
 What a great work is ' L'Abuglo !' In the first of these 
 poems you reach the sublime of love without touching a 
 single chord of passion. What purity, and at the same 
 time what ease and tenderness ! It is not only the fever 
 of the heart ; it is life itself, its religion, its virtue. This 
 poor * Innoucento ' does not live to love ; she loves to live. 
 . . . Iler love diffuses itself like a perfume — like the 
 scent of a flower. ... In writing * Maltro ' your muse 
 becomes virgin and Christian; and to dictate ' L'Abuglo' 
 is a crown of flowers, violets mingled with roses, like 
 Tibullus, Anacreon, and Horace." 
 
 And again: "Poet, be happy; sing in the language 
 of your mother, of your infancy, of your loves, your sor- 
 
162 Jasmin. 
 
 rows. The Gascon songs, revived by you, can never be 
 forgotten. Poet, be happy ! The language which you 
 love France will learn to admire and read, and your 
 brother-poets will learn to imitate you. . . . Spirit speaks 
 to spirit; genius speaks to the heart. Sing, poet, sing! 
 Envy jeers in vain ; your muse is French ; better still, it 
 is Christian, and the laurel at the end of your course has 
 two crowns — one for the forehead of the poet, and the 
 other for the heart of the man. Grand actions bring 
 glory ; good deeds bring happiness." 
 
 Although Jasmin wrote an interesting letter to Ma- 
 dame Lafarge, he did not venture to sing or recite for 
 her relief from prison. She died before him, in 1852. 
 
Jasmin's Vmet/ard, — "Martha the Innocent^ 163 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 JASMIN'S VINEYARD.— "MARTHA THE INNOCENT." 
 
 Agen, with its narrow and crooked streets, is not alto- 
 gether a pleasant town, excepting, perhaps, the beautiful 
 promenade of the Gravier, where Jasmin lived. Yet the 
 neighborhood of Agen is exceedingly picturesque, espe- 
 cially the wooded crags of the Hermitage and the pretty 
 villas near the convent of the Carmelites. From these 
 lofty sites a splendid view of the neighboring country 
 is to be seen alono: the windinsjs of the Garonne, and far 
 off, towards the south, to the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees. 
 
 Down beneath the Hermitage and the crags a road 
 winds up the valley towards Verona, once the home of 
 the famous Scaligers.* Near this place Jasmin bought a 
 little vineyard and established his Tivoli. In this pretty 
 spot his muse found pure air, liberty, and privacy. He 
 called the place, like his volume of poems, his " Papill6te," 
 liis " Curl-paper." Here for nearly thirty years he spent 
 some of his pleasantest hours, in exercise, in reflection, 
 and in composition. In commemoration of his occu- 
 pation of the site, he composed his *' Ma Bigno " (My 
 Vineyard), one of the most simple and graceful of his 
 poems. 
 
 * The elder Scaliger had been banished from Verona, settled near 
 Agen, and gave the villa its name. The tomb of the Scaliger fam- 
 ily in Verona is one of the finest mausoleums ever erected. 
 
164 Jasmin. 
 
 Jasmin dedicated *' Ma Bigno " to Madame Louis 
 Veill, of Paris. He told her of his purchase of Papillote, 
 a piece of ground which he had long desired to have, 
 and which he had now been able to buy with the money 
 gained by the sale of his poems. 
 
 He proceeds to describe the place : 
 
 " In this tiny little vineyard," he says, *' my only cham- 
 ber is a grotto. Nine cherry-trees : such is my wood ! 
 I have six rows of vines, between which I walk and med- 
 itate. The peaches are mine : the hazel-nuts are mine ! 
 I have two elms and two fountains. I am indeed rich ! 
 You may laugh, perhaps, at my happiness ; but I wish 
 you to know that I love the earth and the sky. It is a 
 living picture, sparkling in the sunshine. Come," he 
 said, "and pluck my peaches from the branches; put 
 them between your lovely teeth, whiter than the snow. 
 Press them: from the skin to the almond they melt in 
 the mouth — it is honey !" He next describes what he 
 sees and hears from his grotto : the beautiful flowers, the 
 fruit glowing in the sun, the luscious peaches, the notes 
 of the wood-lark, the zug-zug of the nightingale, the su- 
 perb beauty of the heavens. "They all sing love, and 
 love is always new." 
 
 He compares Paris, with its grand ladies and its grand 
 opera, with his vineyard and his nightingales. "Paris," 
 he says, "has fine flowers and lawns, but she is too much 
 of the grande dame. She is unhappy, sleepy. Here a 
 thousand hamlets laugh by the river's side. Our skies 
 laugh; everything is happy ; everything lives. From the 
 month of May, when our joyous summer arrives, for six 
 months the heavens resound with music. A thousand 
 nightingales sing all the night through. . . . Your grand 
 opera is silent, while our concert is in its fullest strain." 
 
 The poem ends with a confession on the part of the 
 
Jasmines Vineyard. — '•''Martha the ImiocenV* 165 
 
 poet of sundry pilferings cotumittcd by himself in the 
 same place when a boy — of apple-trees broken, hedges 
 forced, and vine-ladders scaled, winding up with the 
 words : 
 
 " Madame, you see I turn towards the past without a 
 blush ; will you? What I have robbed I return, and re- 
 turn with usury. I have no door to my vineyard ; only 
 two thorns bar its threshold. When through a hole I 
 see the noses of marauders, instead of arming myself with 
 a cane I turn and go away, so that they may come back. 
 He who robbed when he was young may in his old age 
 allow himself to be robbed, too." A most amicable sen- 
 timent, sure to be popular among the rising generation of 
 Agen. 
 
 " Ma Bigno " is written in graceful and felicitous verse. 
 We have endeavored to give a translation in the appen- 
 dix ; but the rendering of such a work into English is ex- 
 tremely diflScult. The soul will be found wanting; for 
 much of the elegance of the poem consists in the choice 
 of the words. M. de Mazade, editor of the Revue des 
 Deux Mondes, said of " Ma Bigno " that it was one of 
 Jasmin's best works, and that the style and sentiments 
 were equally satisfactory to the poetical mind and taste. 
 
 M. Rodiere, of Toulouse, in his brief memoir of Jasmin,* 
 says that " it might be thought that so great a work as 
 ' Franconnette ' would have exhausted the poet. When 
 the aloe flowers it rests for nearly a hundred years before 
 it blooms again. But Jasmin had an inexhaustible well 
 of poetry in liis soul. Never, in fact, was he more pro- 
 lific than in the two years which followed the publication 
 of ' Franconnette.' Poetry seemed to flow from him like 
 a fountain, and it came in various forms. His poems 
 
 • Journal de ToulousCy July 4, 1 840. 
 
166 Jasmin. 
 
 have no rules and little rhythm, except those which the 
 genius of the poet chooses to give them ; but there is al- 
 ways the most beautiful poetry, perfectly evident by its 
 divine light and its inspired accents." 
 
 Jasmin, however, did not compose with the rapidity 
 described by his reviewer. He could not throw off a 
 poem at one or many sittings, though he could write an 
 impromptu with ready facility. When he had an elab- 
 orate work in hand, such as " The Blind Girl of Castel- 
 Cuille," "Franconnette," or "Martha the Innocent," ho 
 meditated long over it, and elaborated it with conscien- 
 tious care. He arranged the plan in his mind, and wailed 
 for the best words and expressions in which to elaborate 
 his stanzas, so as most clearly to explain his true mean- 
 ing. Thus " Franconnette " cost him two years' labor. 
 Although he wrote of peasants in peasants' language, he 
 took care to avoid everything gross or vulgar. Not even 
 the most classical poet could have displayed inborn po- 
 liteness — la politesse du cceur — in a higher degree. At 
 the same time, while he expressed passion in many forms, 
 it was always with delicacy, truth, and beauty. 
 
 Notwithstanding his constant philanthropic journeys, 
 he beguiled his time with the germs of some forthcom- 
 ing poem, ready to be elaborated on his return to Agcn 
 and his vineyard. 
 
 His second volume of poems was published in 1842, 
 and in a few months it reached its third edition. About 
 twenty thousand copies of his poems had by this time 
 been issued. The sale of these made him comparatively 
 easy in his circumstances; and it was mainly by their 
 profits that he was enabled to buy his little vineyard near 
 Yerona. 
 
 It may also be mentioned that Jasmin received a fur- 
 ther increase of his means from the Government of Louis 
 
Jasmhi^s Vineyard. — ^^ Martha the Innocent,'''^ 167 
 
 Philippe. Many of his friends in the South of France 
 were of opinion that his philanthropic labors should be 
 publicly recognized. While Jasmin had made numerous 
 gifts to the poor from the collections made at his recita- 
 tions ; while he had helped to build schools, orphanages, 
 asylums, and even churches, it was thought that some rec- 
 ompense should be awarded to him by the State for his 
 self-sacrificing labors. 
 
 In 1843 the Duchess of Orleans bad a golden medal 
 struck in his honor ; and M. Dumon, when presenting it 
 to Jasmin, announced that the Minister of Instruction 
 had inscribed his name among the men of letters whoso 
 works the Government was desirous of encouraging, and 
 that consequently a pension had been awarded to him 
 of 1,000 francs per annum. This welcome news was 
 shortly after confirmed by the Minister of Instruction him- 
 self. " I am happy," said M. Yillemain, " to bear witness 
 to the merit of your writings and the originality of your 
 poetry, as well as to the loyalty of your sentiments." 
 
 The minister was not, however, satisfied with conferring 
 this favor. It was ordered that Jasmin should be made 
 a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor at the same time 
 tliat Balzac, Frederick Soulie, and Alfred de Musset were 
 advanced to the same role of honor. The minister, in 
 conveying the insignia to Jasmin, said, " Your actions are 
 equal to your works: you build churches, you succor 
 indigence, you are a powerful benefactor, and your muse 
 is the sister of Charity." 
 
 These unexpected honors made no difference in the 
 poet's daily life. He shaved and curled hair as before. 
 He lived in the same humble shop on the Gravier. He 
 was not in the least puffed up. His additional income 
 merely enabled him to defray his expenses while on his 
 charitable journeys on behalf of his poorer neighbors. 
 
168 Jasmin. 
 
 He had no desire to be rich, and he was now more than 
 comfortable in his position in life. 
 
 When the news arrived at Agen that Jasmin had been 
 made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor his salon was 
 crowded with sympathetic admirers. In the evening a 
 serenade was performed before his door on the Gravier 
 by the Philharmonic Society of x\gen. Indeed, the whole 
 town was filled with joy at the acknowledged celebrity 
 of their poet. 
 
 A few years later Pope Pius IX. conferred upon Jas- 
 min the honor of Chevalier of the Order of St. Gregory 
 the Great. The insignia of the Order was handed to the 
 poet by Monseigncur de Vezins, Bishop of Agen, in Sep- 
 tember, 1850. Who could have thought that the barber- 
 poet would have been so honored by his King and by 
 the head of his Church ? 
 
 Jasmin's next important poem after the production of 
 "Franconnette" was " Martha the Innocent" (in Gascon, 
 "Maltro rinnoucento ;" in French, " Marthe la Folic"). 
 It is, like " The Blind Girl," a touching story of disap- 
 pointment in love. Martha was an orphan living at La- 
 fitte, on the banks of the Lot. She was betrothed to a 
 young fellow, but the conscription forbade their union. 
 The conscript was sent to the wars of the first Napoleon, 
 which were then raging. The orphan sold her little cot- 
 tage in the hope of buying him off, or providing him 
 with a substitute. But it was all in vain. He was com- 
 pelled to follow his regiment. 
 
 She was a good and pious girl, beloved by all. She 
 was also beautiful — tall, fair, and handsome, with eyes of 
 blue — "the blue of heaven," according to Jasmin : 
 
 " With grace so fine, and air so sweet, 
 She was a lady among peasants." 
 
Jasmin's Vineyard. — ^'Martha the Innocent^ 169 
 
 The war came to an end for a time. The soldier was 
 discharged and returned home. 
 
 Martha went out to meet him; but alas! like many 
 other fickle men, he liad met and married another. It 
 was his wife who accompanied him homeward. Martha 
 could not bear the terrible calamity of her blighted love. 
 She became crazy — almost an idiot. 
 
 She ran away from her home at Lafitte, and wandered 
 about the country. Jasmin, when a boy, had often seen 
 the crazy woman wandering about the streets of Agen 
 with a basket on her arm, begging for bread. Even in 
 her rags she had the remains of beauty. The children 
 ran after her and cried, " Martha, a soldier !" then she ran 
 off and concealed herself. 
 
 Like other children of his age. Jasmin teased her; and 
 now, after more than thirty years, he proposed to atone 
 for his childish folly by converting her sad story into a 
 still sadder poem. 
 
 "Martha the Innocent" is a charming poem, full of 
 grace, harmony, and beauty. Jasmin often recited it, 
 and drew tears from many eyes. In the introduction he 
 related his own part in her history. "It all came back 
 upon liim," he said, "and now he recited the story of 
 this martyr of love." * 
 
 * In the preface to the poem, which was published in 1845, the 
 editor observes: "This little drama begins in 1798, at Lafitte, a 
 pretty market-town on the banks of the Lot, near Clairac, and ends 
 in 1802. When Martha became an idiot she ran away from the 
 town to which she belonged and went to Agen. When seen in the 
 streets of that town she became an object of commiseration to 
 many, but the children pursued her, calling out, * Martha, a sol- 
 dier !' Sometimes she disappeared for two weeks at a time, and 
 the people would then observe, ' Martha has hidden herself ; she 
 must now be very hungry.' More than once Jasmin, in his cljild- 
 hood, pursued Martha with the usual cry of * A soldier !* lie little 
 8 
 
170 Jasmin, 
 
 After the completion of "Martha," new triumphs 
 awaited Jasmin in the South of France. In 1846 he 
 again went to Toulouse on a labor of love. He recited 
 his new poem in the Room of the- Illustrious at the Cap- 
 itol. A brilliant assembly was present. Flowers per- 
 fumed the air. The entire audience rose and applauded 
 the poet. The ladies smiled and wept by turns. Jas- 
 min seemed to possess an electric influence. His clear, 
 harmonious, and flexible voice gave emphasis by its rich, 
 sympathetic tones to the artistic elements of his story. 
 
 The man who thus evoked such rapture from his au- 
 dience was not arrayed in gorgeous costume. He was a 
 little dark-eyed man of the working-class, clothed in a 
 quiet suit of black. 
 
 At the close of the recitation the assembly, ravished 
 with his performance, threw him a wreath of flowers and 
 laurels — more modest, though not less precious than the 
 golden branch which they had previously conferred upon 
 him. Jasmin thanked them most heartily for their wel- 
 come. " My Muse," he said, " with its glorious branch 
 of gold, little dreamed of gleaning anything more from 
 Toulouse; but Toulouse has again invited me to this 
 day's festival, and I feel more happy than a king, because 
 my poem is enthroned in the midst of the Capitol. Your 
 hands have applauded me throughout, and you have con- 
 cluded by throwing this crown of flowers at my feet." 
 
 It was then resolved to invite Jasmin to a banquet. 
 Forty ladies, the cream of Toulousian ^ciety, organized 
 the proceedings, and the banquet was given at the pal- 
 
 thought that at a future time he should make some compensation 
 for his sarcasms by writing the touching poem of ' Martha tlie Inno- 
 cent;' but this merely revealed the goodness of his heart and his 
 exquisite sensibility. Martha died at Agen in 1834." 
 
Jasmin'' s Vineyard, — ^^ Martha the Innocent?"* 171 
 
 ace of M. de Narbonnc. At the end of the proceedings 
 a young lady stepped forward, and placed upon the poet's 
 head a crown of immortelles and violets joined together 
 by a ribbon with golden threads, on which was inscribed 
 in letters of gold, " Your thoughts are immortal !" Was 
 not this enough to turn any poor poet's head ? The la- 
 dies clapped their hands. What could Jasmin say ? " It 
 is enough," he said, " to make angels jealous !" The din- 
 ner ended with a toast to the author of " Martha," who 
 still wore the crown upon his brow. 
 
 It is impossible to describe the enthusiasm with which 
 the poet was received all through the South. At Dax, 
 the ladies, for want of crowns of laurels to cover him, 
 tore the flowers and feathers from their bonnets, and 
 threw them at his feet. In another town the ladies rose 
 and invaded the platform where Jasmin stood ; they 
 plucked from his button-hole the ribbon of the Legion 
 of Honor, and divided it among them, as a precious relic 
 of their glorious poet. 
 
 He was received at Gers and Condon with equal en- 
 thusiasm. At Condon he charmed his audience with his 
 recitations for about five hours. Frenzies of applause 
 greeted him. He was invited to a banquet, where he re- 
 ceived the usual praises. When the banquet was over, 
 and Jasmin escaped, he was met in the street by crowds 
 of people, who wished to grasp him by the liand. He 
 recited to them in the open air his poem on " Charity." 
 They compared Jasmin to O'Connell ; but the barber of 
 Agen, by the power which he exercised for the good of 
 the people, proved himself more than equal to the great- 
 est of agitators. 
 
 Sainte-Beuve quotes with keen enjoyment* the banter- 
 
 • Causeries du Lundi, iv. 241 ( edition 1862). 
 
172 Jasmin. 
 
 ing letter wbicli Jasmin sent to Peyrottes, a Provencal 
 poet, who challenged him to a poetical combat. It was 
 while he was making one of his charitable tours through 
 Languedoc that Jasmin received the following letter (De- 
 cember 24, 1847): 
 
 " Sir, — I dare, in my temerity, which may look like 
 hardihood, to propose to you a challenge. Will you have 
 the goodness to accept it? In the Middle Ages the 
 Troubadours did not disdain such a challenge as that 
 which, in my audacity, I now propose to you. 
 
 "I will place myself at your disposal at Montpellier 
 on any day and at any hour that may be most conven- 
 ient to you. We shall name four persons of literary 
 standing to give us three subjects with which we are to 
 deal for twenty-four hours. W^e shall be shut up togeth- 
 er. Sentries will stand at the door. Only our provisions 
 shall pass through. 
 
 "A son of Herault, I will support the honor and the 
 glory of my country! And as in such circumstances a 
 good object is indispensable, the three subjects given must 
 be printed and sold for the benefit of the Creche of 
 Montpellier." Peyrotte ended his letter with a postscript, 
 in which he said that he would circulate his challenge 
 among the most eminent persons in Montpellier. 
 
 Jasmin answered this letter as follows: 
 
 "Sir, — I did not receive your poetical challenge until 
 the day before yesterday, on the point of my departure 
 for home ; but I must tell you that, thougli I have re- 
 ceived it, I cannot accept it. 
 
 "Do you really propose to my muse, which aims at 
 free air and liberty, to shut myself up in a close room, 
 guarded by sentinels, who could only allow provisions to 
 enter, and there to treat of three given subjects in twen- 
 ty-four hours? Three subjects in twenty -four hours! 
 
Jasmines Vineyard. — ^^ Martha the Innocent.^'* 1T3 
 
 You frighten me, sir, for the peril in which you place my 
 muse. 
 
 " I must inform you, in all humility, that I often can- 
 not compose more than two or three lines a day. My 
 five poems, 'L'Aveugle,' 'Mes Souvenirs,' 'Franconnette,' 
 * Martha the Innocent,' and 'Les Deux Jumeaux,' have 
 cost me ten years' work, and they only contain in all but 
 2,400 verses! ... I cannot write poetry by command. 
 I cannot be a prisoner while I compose. Therefore I 
 decline to enter the lists with you. 
 
 " The courser who drags his chariot with difficulty, al- 
 beit he may arrive at the goal, cannot contend with the 
 fiery locomotive of the iron railway. The art which pro- 
 duces verses one by one depends upon inspiration, not 
 upon manufacture. Therefore my muse declares itself 
 vanquished in advance; and I authorize you to publish 
 my refusal of your challenge." 
 
 In a postscript Jasmin added ; " Now that you have 
 made the acquaintance of my muse, I will, in a few 
 words, introduce you to the man: I love glory, but the 
 success of others never troubles my sleep at night 1" 
 
 " When one finds," said Sainte-Beuve, " this theory of 
 work pushed to such a degree by Jasmin, with whom the 
 spark of inspiration seems always so prompt and natural, 
 what a sad return we have of the poetical wealth dissi- 
 pated by the poets of our day !" Sainte-Beuve summed 
 up his praise of the Gascon poet by insisting that he was 
 invaribly sober in his tone. 
 
 "I have learned,'* said Jasmin of himself, "that in 
 moments of heat and emotion we may bo eloquent or 
 laconic, alike in speech and action — unconscious poets, in 
 fact ; but I have also learned that it is possible for a poet 
 to become all this voluntarily by dint of patient toil and 
 conscientious labor 1" 
 
174 Jasmin. 
 
 Jasmin was not the man to rest upon his laurels. 
 Shortly after his visit to Paris in 1842 he began to com- 
 pose his " Martha the Innocent," which we have already 
 briefly described. Two years later he composed " Les 
 Deux Freres Jumeanx" — a story of paternal and moth- 
 erly affection. This was followed by his " Ma Big- 
 no" (My Vineyard) and "La Semaine d'un Fils" (The 
 Week's Work of a Son), which a foot-note tells us is 
 historical, the event having recently occurred in the neigh- 
 borhood of Agen. 
 
 A short description may be given of this affecting 
 story. The poem is divided into three parts. In the 
 first, a young boy and his sister, Abel and Jeanne, are 
 described as kneeling before a cross in the moonlight, 
 praying to the Virgin to cure their father. "Mother 
 of God, Virgin compassionate, send down thine angel 
 and cure our sick father. Our mother will then be hap- 
 py, and we, Blessed Virgin, will love and praise thee for- 
 ever." 
 
 The Virgin hears their prayer, and the father is cured. 
 A woman opens the door of a neighboring house and ex- 
 claims, joyously, " Poor little ones, death has departed. 
 The poison of the fever is counteracted, and your father's 
 life is saved. Come, little lambs, and pray to God with 
 me." They all three kneel and pray by the side of the 
 good father Hilaire, formerly a brave soldier, but now 
 a mason's laborer. This ends the first part. 
 
 The second begins with a description of morning. The 
 sun shines through the glass of the casement mended 
 with paper, yet the morning rays are bright and glori- 
 ous. Little Abel glides into his father's room. He 
 is told that he must go to the house of his preceptor 
 to-day, for he must learn to read and write. Abel is 
 " more pretty than strong ;" he is to be an homme de 
 
Jasmin's Vineyard. — "Martha (he InnocenV^ 175 
 
 lettres, as his little arms would fail him if he were to 
 handle the rough stones of his father's trade. Father 
 and son embraced each other. 
 
 For a few days all goes well, but on the fourth, a Sun- 
 day, a command comes from the master-mason that if 
 Hilaire does not return to his work to-morrow his place 
 shall be given to another. This news spreads dismay and 
 consternation among them all. Hilaire declares that he 
 is cured, tries to rise from his bed, but falls prostrate 
 through weakness. It will take a week yet to re-estab- 
 lish his health. 
 
 The soul of little Abel is stirred. He dries his tears 
 and assumes the air of a man ; he feels some strength in 
 his little arms. He goes out and proceeds to the house 
 of the master-mason. When he returns, he is no longer 
 sorrowful ; " honey was in his mouth, and his eyes were 
 smiling." He said, " My father, rest yourself ; gain 
 strength and courage ; you have the whole week before 
 you. Then you may labor. Some one who loves you 
 will do your work, and you shall still keep your place." 
 Thus ends the second part. 
 
 The third begins : " Behold our little Abel, who no 
 longer toils at the school-desk, but in the workshop. In 
 the evenings he becomes again a petit monsieur ; and, 
 the better to deceive his father, speaks of books, papers, 
 and writings, and with a wink replies to the inquiring 
 look of his mother {et (Vun din (Toeil repond aux dins 
 des yeux de sa mere). Four days pass thus. On the 
 fifth, Friday, Hilaire, now cured, leaves his house at 
 mid-day. 
 
 " ' But fatal Friday, God has made thee for sorrow !' " 
 
 The father goes to the place where the masons are at 
 work. Though the hour for luncheon has not arrived, 
 
176 Jasmin. 
 
 yet no one is seen on the platforms above; and hon 
 Dieu ! what a crowd of people is seen at the foot of the 
 building ! Master, workmen, neighbors — all are there, in 
 haste and tumult. A workman has fallen from the scaf- 
 fold. It is poor little Abel. Hilaire pressed forward to 
 see his beloved boy lie bleeding on the ground. Abel is 
 dying, but before he expires, he whispers, " Master, I have 
 not been able to finish the work, but for my poor moth- 
 er's sake do not dismiss my father because there is one 
 day short !" The boy died, and was carried home by his 
 sorrowful parent. The place was preserved for Ililaire, 
 and his wages were even doubled. But it was too late. 
 One morning death closed his eyelids ; and the good fa- 
 ther went to take another place — in the tomb by the side 
 of his son. 
 
 Jasmin dedicated this poem to Lamartine, who an- 
 swered his dedication as follows : 
 
 "Paris, April 28, 1849. 
 " My dear Brother, — I am proud to read my name 
 in the language which you have made classic ; more proud 
 still of the beautiful verses in which you embalm the rec- 
 ollection of our three months of struggle with the dem- 
 agogues against our true republic. Poets entertain living 
 presentiments of posterity. I accept your omen. Your 
 poem has made us weep. You are the only epic writer 
 of our time, the sensible and pathetic Homer of the peo- 
 ple {proUtaires). Others sing, but you feel. I have seen 
 your son, who has three times sheltered me with his bay- 
 onet — in March and April. He appears to me worthy of 
 your name. Lamartine." 
 
 Besides the above poems, Jasmin composed " Le Pretre 
 sans Eglise" (The Priest without a Church), which forms 
 
Jasmin's Vineyard. — ^^ Martha the Innocent.'''' Ill 
 
 the subject of the next cbapter. These poems, with oth- 
 er songs and impromptus, were publislied in 1851, form- 
 ing the third volume of his Papillotos. After Jasmin 
 had completed his masterpieces, he again devoted himself 
 to the cause of charity. Before he had merely walked ; 
 now he soared aloft. What he accomplished will be as- 
 certained in the following pages. 
 8* 
 
178 Jasmin, 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE PRIEST WITHOUT A CHURCH. 
 
 The Abbe Masson, priest of Vergt in Perigord, found 
 the cLurch in which he oflSciated so decayed and crum- 
 bling that he was obliged to close it. It had long been 
 in a ruinous condition. The walls were cracked, and 
 pieces of plaster and even brick fell down upon the 
 heads of the congregation ; and for their sake, as well 
 as for his own, the Abbe Masson was obliged to discon- 
 tinue the services. At length he resolved to pull down 
 the ruined building and erect another church in its place. 
 
 Yergt is not a town of any considerable importance. 
 It contains the ruins of a fortress built by the English 
 while this part of France was in their possession. At a 
 later period a bloody battle was fought in the neighbor- 
 hood between the Catholics and the Huguenots. In- 
 deed, the whole of the South of France was for a long 
 period disturbed by the civil war which raged between 
 these sections of Christians. Though both Eoman Cath- 
 olics and Protestants still exist at Vergt they now live 
 together in peace and harmony. 
 
 Vergt is the chief town of the canton, and contains 
 about 1800 inhabitants. It is a small but picturesque 
 town, the buildings being half concealed by foliage and 
 chestnut-trees. Not far off, by the river Candou, the 
 scenery reminds one of the wooded valley at Bolton Pri- 
 ory in Yorkshire. 
 
The Priest loithout a Church. 179 
 
 Though the Abbe Masson was a man of power and 
 vigor, he found it very difficult to obtain funds from the 
 inhabitants of the town for tlie purpose of rebuilding his 
 church. Tliere were no Ecclesiastical Commissioners to 
 whom he could appeal, and the people of the neighbor- 
 liood were too limited in their circumstances to help him 
 to any large extent. 
 
 However, lie said to himself, " Heaven helps those who 
 help themselves;" or, rather, according to the Southern 
 proverb. Qui trahaillo, Thion li haillo (Who is diligent, 
 God helps). The priest began his work with much zeal. 
 He collected what he could in Vergt and the neighbor- 
 hood, and set the builders to work. He hoped that 
 Providence would help him in collecting the rest of the 
 building fund. 
 
 But the rebuilding of a church is a formidable affair; 
 and perhaps the priest, not being a man of business, did 
 not count the cost of the undertaking. He may have 
 "counted his chickens before they were hatched." Be- 
 fore long the priest's funds again ran short. He had 
 begun the rebuilding in 1840; the work went on for 
 about a year; but in 1841 the builders had to stop their 
 operations, as the Abbe Masson's funds were entirely ex- 
 hausted. 
 
 What was he to do now ? He suddenly remembered 
 the barber of Agcn, who was always willing to give his 
 friendly help. He had established Mdlle. Roald^s as a 
 musician a few years before; he had helped to build 
 schools, orphanages, asylums, and such like. But he had 
 never helped to build a church. Would he now help 
 iiim to rebuild the church of Vergt? 
 
 The abbe did not know Jasmin personally, but he 
 went over to Agen, and, through a relative, made his 
 acquaintance. Thus the abbe and the poet came to- 
 
180 Jasmin. 
 
 gether. After the priest had made an explanation of 
 his position, and of his difficulties in obtaining money 
 for the rebuilding of the church of Vergt, Jasmin at once 
 complied with the request that he would come over and 
 help him. They arranged for a circuit of visits through- 
 out the district — the priest with his address and Jasmin 
 with his poems. 
 
 Jasmin set out for Vergt in January, 1843. He was 
 received at the border of the canton by a numerous and 
 brilliant escort of cavalry, which accompanied him to the 
 presbytery. He remained there for two days, conferring 
 with the abbe. Then the two set out together for Peri- 
 gueux, the chief city of the province, accompanied on 
 their departure by the members of the municipal coun- 
 cil and the leading men of the town. 
 
 The first meeting was held in the theatre of Perigueux, 
 which was crowded from floor to ceiling, and many re- 
 mained outside who could not obtain admission. The 
 mayor and municipal councillors were present to wel- 
 come and introduce the poet. On this occasion Jasmin 
 recited, for the first time, "The Ruined Church" (in Gas- 
 con, La Glhjzo Descapelado), composed in one of his 
 happiest moments. Jasmin compared himself to Am- 
 phion, the sweet singer of Greece, who by his musical 
 powers enabled a city to be built ; and now the poet in- 
 voted the citizens of Perigueux to enable the Abbe Mas- 
 son to rebuild his church. His poem was received with 
 enthusiasm and almost with tears of joy at the pleading 
 of Jasmin. There was a shower of silver and gold. The 
 priest was overjoyed at the popularity of his colleague, 
 and also at his purse, which was filled with offerings. 
 
 While at Perigueux the poet and the priest enjoyed 
 the hospitality of M. August Dupont, to whom Jasmin, 
 in thanks, dedicated a piece of poetry. Other enter- 
 
The Priest loithout a Church. 181 
 
 tainmcnts followed — matinees and soirees. Jasmin re- 
 cited some of his poems before the professors and stu- 
 dents at the college, and at other places of public 
 instruction. Then came banquets — aristocratic and pop- 
 ular — and, as usual^ a banquet of the hair- dressers. 
 There was quite an ovation in the city while he re- 
 mained there. 
 
 But other calls awaited Jasmin. He received depu- 
 tations from many of the towns in the department so- 
 liciting his appearance and the recitation of his poems. 
 He had to portion out his time with care, and to ar- 
 range the programme of his visits. When the two pil- 
 grims started on their journey they were frequently in- 
 terrupted by crowds of people, who would not allow 
 Jasmin to pass without reciting some of his poetry. 
 Jasmin and Masson travelled by the post-office car — the 
 cheapest of all conveyances — but at Montignac they 
 were stopped by a crowd of people, and Jasmin had to 
 undergo the same process. Free and hearty, he was al- 
 ways willing to comply with their requests. That day 
 the postman arrived at his destination three hours after 
 his appointed time. 
 
 It was in the month of February, when darkness comes 
 on 80 quickly, that Jasmin informed the magistrates of 
 Sarlat, whither he was bound, that he would be there by 
 five o'clock. But they waited and waited for him and 
 the priest at the entrance to the town, attended by the 
 clergy, the sub-prefect, the town councillors, and a crowd 
 of people. It was a cold and dreary night. Still no 
 Jasmin ! They waited for three long hours. At last 
 Jasmin appeared on the post-office car. "There ho 
 comes at last !" was the general cry. His arrival was 
 greeted with enthusiastic cheers. It was now quite dark. 
 The poet and the priest entered Sarlat in triumph, 
 
182 Jasmin. 
 
 amid the glare of torches and the joyful shouts of the 
 multitude. Then came the priest's address, Jasmin's 
 recitations, and the final collection of offerings. 
 
 It is unnecessary to repeat the scenes, however im- 
 pressive, which occurred during the journey of the poet 
 and the priest. There was the same amount of enthu- 
 siasm at Nontron, Bergerac, and the other towns which 
 they visited. At Nontron, M. A. de Calvimont, the sub- 
 prefect, welcomed Jasmin with the following lines: 
 
 "To Jiismiu, our grand poet, 
 The painter of humanity ; 
 For him, elect of heaven, life is :i fete 
 Ending in immortality." 
 
 Jasmin replied to this with some impromptu lines, 
 " To Poetry," dedicated to the sub-prefect. At Bergerac 
 he wrote his " Adieu to Perigord," in which he conveyed 
 his thanks to the inhabitants of the department for the 
 kindness with which they had received him and his com- 
 panion. This, their first journey through Perigord, was 
 brought to a close at the end of February, 1843. 
 
 The result of this brilliant journey was very success- 
 ful. The purse of the abbe was now sufficiently well 
 filled to enable him to proceed with the rebuilding of 
 the church of Vergt ; and the work was so well ad- 
 vanced that by the 23d of the following month of July 
 it was ready for consecration. A solemn ceremony then 
 took place. Six bishops, including an archbishop, and 
 three hundred priests were present, with more than fif- 
 teen thousand people of all ranks and conditions of life. 
 Never had such a ceremony been seen before — at least 
 in so small a town. 
 
 The Cardinal Gousset, Archbishop of Rheims, after 
 consecrating the church, turned to Jasmin, and said : 
 
The Priest without a Church. 183 
 
 "Poet, we cannot avoid the recognition of your self- 
 sacrificing labors in the rebuilding of this church ; and 
 we shall be happy if you will consent to say a few words 
 before we part." 
 
 " Monseigneur," replied Jasmin, "can yon believe that 
 my muse has labored for fifteen days and fifteen nights 
 that I should interrupt this day of the fete? Vergt 
 keeps fete to-day for religion, but not for poetry, though 
 it welcomes and loves it. The church has six pontiffs ; 
 the poet is only a subdeacon ; but if I must sing my 
 liymn officially it must be elsewhere." 
 
 The archbishop — a man of intelligence who under- 
 stood the feelings of poets — promised, at the collation 
 which followed the consecration, to give Jasmin the op- 
 portunity of reciting the verses which he had composed 
 for the occasion. The poem was entitled "A Priest with- 
 out a Church " (in Gascon, Lou Prhte sans Gleyzo), 
 dedicated to M. Masson, the cure of Vcrgt. In his 
 verses the poet described the influence of a noble church 
 upon the imagination as well as the religion of the peo- 
 ple. But he said nothing of his own labors in collecting 
 the necessary funds for the rebuilding of the church. 
 The recitation of the poem was received with enthusiasm. 
 
 Monseigneur Bertaud, who preached in the afternoon 
 on the " Infinity of God," tonchingly referred to the 
 poems of Jasmin, and developed the subject so happily 
 referred to by the poet. 
 
 "Such examples as his," he said, "such delicate and 
 generous sentiments mingled together, elevate poetry 
 and show its noble origin, so that we cannot listen to 
 him without the gravest emotion."* 
 
 *Tlie whole of the interview between the Archbishop of Rheims 
 and Jnsmin is given by Sainte-Beuvein Causeries da Lundi\ iv, 250. 
 
184 Jasmin. 
 
 It was a great day for Vergt, and also a great day for 
 the poet. The consecration of the church amid so large 
 an assemblage of clergy and people occasioned great ex- 
 citement in the South. It was noised abroad in the pub- 
 lic journals, and even in the foreign press. Jasmin's fame 
 became greater than ever ; and his barber's shop at Agen 
 became, as it were, a shrine, where pilgrims, passing 
 through the district, stopped to visit him and praise his 
 almost divine efforts to help the cause of religion and 
 civilization. 
 
 The local enthusiasm was not, however, without its 
 drawbacks. The success of the curate of Vergt occa- 
 sioned a good deal of jealousy. Why should he be 
 patronized by Jasmin and have his purse filled by his 
 recitations when there were so many other churches to 
 be built and repaired, so many hospitals and schools to 
 found and maintain, so many orphanages to assist, so 
 many poor to relieve, so many good works to be done? 
 Why should not Jasmin, who could coin money with words 
 which cost him nothing, come to the help of the needy 
 and afflicted in the various districts throughout the South ? 
 
 Thus Jasmin was constantly assailed by deputations. 
 He must leave his razors and his curling-tongs, and go 
 here, tliere, and everywhere to raise money by his reci- 
 tations. 
 
 The members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul 
 were, as usual, full of many charitable designs. There 
 had been a fire, a flood, an epidemic, a severe winter, a 
 failure of crops, which had thrown hundreds of families 
 into poverty and misery ; and Jasmin must come imme- 
 diately to their succor. " Come, Jasmin ! Come quick, 
 quick 1" He was always willing to give his assistance ; 
 but it was a terrible strain upon his mental as well as his 
 physical powers. 
 
The Priest loithout a Church. 185 
 
 In ail seasons, at all hours, in cold, in heat, in wind, 
 in rain, he hastened to give his recitations — sometimes 
 of more than two hours' duration, and often twice or 
 thrice in the same day. He hastened, for fear lest the 
 poor should receive their food and firini^ too late. 
 
 What a picture! Had Jasmin lived in the time of 
 Saint Vincent de Paul the saint would have embraced him 
 a thousand times, and rejoiced to see himself in one way 
 surpassed ; for in pleading for the poor he also lielped 
 the rich by celebrating the great deeds of their ancestors, 
 as he did at Beziers, Riquct, Albi, Lafeyrouse, and other 
 places. The spectacle which he presented was so extraor- 
 dinary that all France was struck with admiration at the 
 qualities of this noble barber of Agen. 
 
 On one occasion Jasmin was requested by a curate to 
 come to his help and reconcile him with his parishioners. 
 Jasmin succeeded in performing the miracle. It hap- 
 pened that in 1846 the curate of Saint-Leger, near Penne, 
 in the Tarn, had caused a ball-room to be closed. This 
 gave great offence to the young people, who desired the 
 ball-room to be opened that they might have their fill of 
 dancing. They left his church, and declared that they 
 would have nothing further to do with him. To recon- 
 cile the malcontents the curate promised to let them hear 
 Jasmin. Accordingly, one Sunday afternoon the inhabit- 
 ants of four parishes assembled in a beautiful wood to 
 listen to Jasmin. He recited his "Charity" and some 
 other of his serious poems. When he had finished, the 
 voung people of Saint-L6ger embraced first the poet and 
 then the curate. The reconciliation was complete. 
 
 To return to the church at Vergt. Jasmin was a 
 poet, not an architect. The Abb6 Masson knew nothing 
 about stone or mortar. He was merely anxious to have 
 his church rebuilt and consecrated as soon as possible. 
 
186 Jasmin. 
 
 That had been done in 1843. But in the course of a few 
 years it was found that the church had been very badly 
 built. The lime was bad, and the carpentry was bad. 
 The consequence was that the main walls of the church 
 bulged out, and the shoddy building had to be supported 
 by outside abutments. In course of time it became clear 
 that the work, for the most part, had to be done over 
 again. 
 
 In 1847 the abbe again appealed to Jasmin. This 
 new task was more difficult than the first, for it was 
 necessary to appeal to a larger circle of contributors ; 
 not confining themselves to Perigord only, but taking 
 a wider range throughout the South of France. The 
 priest made the necessary arrangements for the joint 
 tour. They would first take the northern districts — 
 Angouleme, Limoges, Tulle, and Brives — and then pro- 
 ceed towards the south. 
 
 The pair started at the beginning of May, and began 
 their usual recitations and addresses, such as had been 
 given during the first journey in Perigord. They were 
 received with the usual enthusiasm. Prefects, bishops, 
 and municipal bodies vied with each other in receiving 
 and entertaining them. At Angouleme, the queen of 
 southern cities. Jasmin was presented with a crown of 
 immortelles and a snuffbox, on which was engraved : 
 "Esteem — Love — Admiration! To Jasmin, the most 
 sublime of poets ! From the youth of Angouleme, who 
 have had the happiness of seeing and hearing him !" 
 
 The poet and priest travelled by night as well as by 
 day in order to economize time. After their tour in the 
 northern towns and cities they returned to Vergt for 
 rest. They entered the town under a triumphal arch, 
 and were escorted by a numerous cavalcade. Before 
 they retired to the priest's house the leading men of the 
 
l^he Priest without a Church. 187 
 
 commune, in the name of the citizens, complimented Jas- 
 min for his cordial help towards the rebuildinir of the 
 church. 
 
 After two days of needful rest Jasmin set out for Bor- 
 deaux, the city whose inhabitants had first encouraged 
 him by their applause, and for which he continued to en- 
 tertain a cordial feeling to the last days of his life. His 
 mission on this occasion was to assist in the inauguration 
 of a creche, founded and supported by the charitable 
 contributions of the friends of poor children. It is not 
 necessary to mention the enthusiasm with which he was 
 received. 
 
 The farther progress of the poet and the priest, in 
 search of contributions for rebuilding the church, was 
 rudely interrupted by the revolution which broke out at 
 Paris, in 1848. His Majesty Louis Philippe abdicated 
 the throne of France on February 24th rather than come 
 into armed collision with his subjects, and two days after 
 the Republic was officially proclaimed at the Hotel dc 
 Ville. Louis Philippe and his family took refuge in 
 England — the usual retreat of persecuted Frenchmen ; and 
 nine months later Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, who had 
 also been a refugee in England, returned to France, and 
 on December 20th was proclaimed President of the French 
 Republic. 
 
 Jasmin and Masson accordingly suspended their tour. 
 No one would listen to poetical recitations in the midst of 
 political revolutions. Freedom and tranquillity were nec- 
 essary for the contemplation of ideas very different from 
 local and national squabbles. The poet and priest ac- 
 cordingly bade adieu to each other; and it was not until 
 two years later that they were able to recommence their 
 united journeys through the South of France. 
 
 The proclamation of the Republic and the forthcom- 
 
188 Jasmin. 
 
 ing elections brought many new men to the front. Even 
 poets made their appearance. Lamartine, who had been 
 a deputy, was a leader in the revolution, and for a time 
 was minister for foreign affairs. Victor Hugo, a still 
 greater poet, took a special interest in the politics of the 
 time, though he was fined and imprisoned for condemn- 
 ing capital punishment. Even Reboul, the poet-baker of 
 Niraes, deserted his muse and his kneading-trough to 
 solicit the suffrages of his fellow-citizens. Jasmin was 
 wiser. He was more popular in his neighborhood than 
 Reboul, though he cared little about politics. He would 
 neither be a deputy, nor a municipal councillor, nor an 
 agent for elections. He preferred to influence his coun- 
 try by spreading the seeds of domestic and social virtues ; 
 and he was satisfied with his position in Agen as poet 
 and hair-dresser. 
 
 Nevertheless, a deputation of his townsmen waited upon 
 Jasmin to request him to allow his name to appear as a 
 candidate for their suffrages. The delegates did not find 
 him at his shop. He was at his vineyard ; and there the 
 deputation found him tranquilly seated under a cherry- 
 tree shelling pease ! He listened to them with his usual 
 courtesy, and when one of the committee pressed, him 
 for an answer, and wished to know if he was not a 
 good Republican, he said, "Really, I care nothing for the 
 Republic. I am one of those who would have saved 
 the constitutional monarchy by enabling it to carry out 
 further reforms. . . . But," he continued, " look to the 
 past; was it not a loss to destroy the constitutional mon- 
 archy ? But now we must march forward, that we may 
 all be united again under the same flag. The welfare of 
 France should reign in all our thoughts and evoke our 
 most ardent sympathy. Choose among our citizens a 
 strong and wise man. . . . Tf the Republic is to live in 
 
Tfie Priest without a Church. 189 
 
 France, it must be great, strong, and good for all classes of 
 the people. Maintaining the predominance of the law 
 will be its security ; and in preserving law it will 
 strengthen our liberties." 
 
 In conclusion, Jasmin cordially thanked his fellow-citi- 
 zens for the honor they proposed to confer upon him, al- 
 though he could not accept it. The affairs of the State, 
 he said, were in a very confused condition, and he could 
 not protend to unravel them. He then took leave of the 
 deputation, and quietly proceeded to complete his task — 
 the shelling of his pease ! 
 
190 Jasmin, 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF VERGT AGAIN.— FRENCH ACADEMY.— 
 EMPEROR AND EMPRESS. 
 
 When the political turmoils in France had for a time 
 subsided, Jasmin and the Abbe Masson recommenced 
 their journeys in the South for the collection of funds 
 for the church at Vergt. They had already made two 
 pilgrimages — the first through Perigord, the second to 
 Angouleme, Limoges, Tulle, and Brives. The third 
 was begun early in 1850, and included the department 
 of the Landes, the higher and lower Pyrenees, and other 
 districts in the South of France. 
 
 At Bagneres de Bigorre and at Bagneres de Luchon 
 the receipts were divided between the church at Vergt 
 and that at Luchon. The public hospitals and the 
 benevolent societies frequently shared in the receipts. 
 There seemed to be no limits to the poet's zeal in labor- 
 ing for those who were in want of funds. Independent 
 of his recitations for the benefit of the church at Vergt, 
 he often turned aside to one place or another where 
 the poor were in the greatest need of assistance. 
 
 On one occasion he went to Arcachon. He started 
 early in the morning by the steamer from Agen to Bor- 
 deaux, intending to proceed by railway (a five hour's 
 journey) from Bordeaux to Arcachon. But the steamers 
 on the Garonne were then very irregular, and Jasmin did 
 not reach Bordeaux until six hours later than the ap- 
 
The Church ofVergt again. 191 
 
 poitited time. In the mean while a laro^e assembly had 
 met iu the largest room in Arcachon. They waited and 
 waited ; but no Jasmin 1 The Abbe Masson became em- 
 barrassed; but at length he gave his address, and the 
 receipts were 800 francs. The meeting dispersed, very 
 much disappointed because no Jasmin had appeared, and 
 they missed his recitations. At midnight the cure re- 
 turned to Bordeaux, and there he found Jasmin, just 
 arrived from Agen by the boat, which had been six 
 hours late. He was in great dismay ; but he afterwards 
 made up for the disappointment by reciting to the peo- 
 ple of Arcachon. 
 
 The same thing Iiappened at Biarritz. A large assem- 
 bly had met, and everything was ready for Jasmin. But 
 there was no Jasmin ! The omnibus from Bayonne did 
 not bring him. It turned out that at the moment of 
 setting out he was seized with a sudden loss of voice. 
 As in the case of Arcachon, the cure had to do without 
 him. The result of his address was a collection of 700 
 francs. 
 
 The Abbe Masson was a liberal-minded man. When 
 Jasmin urged him to help others more needy than him- 
 self, he was always ready to comply with his request. 
 When at Narbonne, in the department of Aude, a poor 
 troupe of comedians found themselves in difficulties. It 
 was winter- time, and the weather was very cold. The 
 public could not bear their canvas-covered shed, and de- 
 serted the entertainment. Meanwhile the artistes were 
 famished. Knowing the generosity of Jasmin, they asked 
 him to recite at one of their representations. He com- 
 plied with their request; the place was crowded; and 
 Jasmin's recitations were received with the usual enthu- 
 siasm. It had been arranged that half the proceeds 
 should go to the church at Vergt and the other half to 
 
192 Jasmin, 
 
 the comedians. But when the entire troupe presented 
 themselves to the abbe and offered him the full half, he 
 said: "No! no! keep it all. You want it more than 
 I do. Besides, I can always fall back upon my dear 
 poet !" 
 
 A fourth pilgrimage of the priest and poet was after- 
 wards made to the towns of Rodez, Villefranche-d'Avey- 
 ron, Cahors, Figeac, Gourdon, and Sarlat; and the pro- 
 ceeds of these excursions, added to a subvention of 5000 
 francs from the Government, enabled the church of Vergt 
 to be completed. In 1852 the steeple was built, and 
 appropriately named "Jasmin's Bell-tower" {Clocher Jas- 
 min). But it was still without bells, for which a subse- 
 quent pilgrimage was made by Jasmin and Masson. 
 
 To return to the honors paid to Jasmin for his works 
 of benevolence and charity. What was worth more to 
 him than the numerous golden laurels which had been 
 bestowed upon him was his recognition by the highest 
 and noblest of institutions, the Academy of France. Al- 
 though one of the objects of its members was to pre- 
 serve the French language in its highest purity, they 
 were found ready to crown a poet who wrote his poems 
 in the patois of the South. 
 
 There were, however, several adverse criticisms on the 
 proposed decision of the Academy ; though poetry may 
 be written in every tongue, and is quite independent of 
 the language or patois in which it is conveyed. Indeed, 
 several members of the Academy — such as MM. Thiers, 
 De Remusat, Viennet, and Flourens — came from the 
 meridional districts of France, and thoroughly under- 
 stood the language of Jasmin. They saw in him two 
 men — the poet and the benefactor of humanity. 
 
 This consideration completely overruled the criticisms 
 of the minority. Jasmin had once before appeared at 
 
The French Academy. 193 
 
 M. Thierry's before the best men of the Academy ; and 
 now the whole of the Academy, notwithstanding his 
 patois, approached and honored the man of good deeds. 
 
 Jasmin owed to M. Villeraain one of the most brilliant 
 panegyrics which he Iiad ever received. The Academy 
 desired to award a special prize in accordance with the 
 testamentary bequest of M. de Montyon * — his last debt 
 to art and morality ; a talent that employs itself in doing 
 good under a form the most brilliant and popular. This 
 talent, he continued, is that of the true poet; and Jas- 
 min, during his pure and modest life, had employed his 
 art for the benefit of morality with a noble, lielpful influ- 
 ence, while nothing detracted from the dignity of his 
 name. 
 
 Like the Scottish poet Burns, Jasmin had by his dialect 
 and his poetical talents enriched the literature of his 
 country. Jasmin, the hair-dresser of Agen, the poet of the 
 South, who drew crowds to hear the sound of his voice — 
 who even embellished the festivals of the rich, but wlio 
 still more assisted in the pleasures of the poor — who 
 spent his time in endowing charitable establishments — 
 who helped to build churches, schools, and orphanages — 
 Jasmin, the glory of his commune as well as of the South 
 of France, deserved to be adopted by all France and 
 publicly acknowledged by the Academy. 
 
 Tacitus had said that renown is not always deserved; 
 it chooses its due time — "iVb» semper erratfama^ aliquan- 
 do eligii^'' (Fame is not always mistaken ; she sometimes 
 
   The Baron de Montyon bequeathed a large sura to the Acad6- 
 mie Fran9aise, the Acad6raie dcs Science?, and the Facuit6 de 
 Mddecine, for the purpose of being awarded in prizes to men of 
 invention and discovery, or for any literary work likely to be use- 
 ful to society, and to rewarding acts of virtue among the poor. 
 Jasmin was certainly entitled to a share in this benevolent fund. 
 
194 Jasmin. 
 
 chooses the right). We have proof of it to-day. The 
 enthusiastic approbation of the great provinces of France 
 for a popular poet cannot be a surprise. They single out 
 the last, and, I may add, the greatest poet of the Trou- 
 badours ! 
 
 M. Villemain proceeded to comment upon the poet- 
 ical works of Jasmin — especially his "Blind Girl of 
 Castel-Cuille," his " Franconnette," and the noble works 
 he had done for the poor and the suffering; his self- 
 sacrificing labors for the building of schools, orphanages, 
 and churches. "Everywhere," he said, "his elevated and 
 generous sou'l has labored for the benefit of the world 
 about him ; and now he would, by the aid of the Acade- 
 my, embellish his coronet with a privileged donation to 
 the poet and philanthropist." He concluded by saying 
 that the especial prize for literary morality and virtuous 
 actions would be awarded to him, and that a gold medal 
 would be struck in his honor with the inscription : ^^Au 
 Jasmin Poete moral et populaire P'' • 
 
 M. Ancelo communicated to Jasmin tlie decision of 
 the Academy. " I have great pleasure," he said, " in 
 transmitting to you the genuine sympathy, the sincere 
 admiration, and the unanimous esteem which your name 
 and your works have evoked at this meeting of the Acad- 
 emy. The legitimate applause which you everywhere 
 receive in your beautiful country finds its echo on this 
 side of the Loire ; and if the spontaneous adoption of 
 you by the French Academy adds nothing to your glory, 
 it will at least serve to enhance our own." 
 
 The prize unanimously awarded to Jasmin on August 
 19, 1852, was 3000 francs, which was made up to 5000 
 by the number of copies of the Paj9«7/6^os purchased by 
 the Academy for distribution among the members. Jas- 
 min devoted part of the money to repairing his little 
 
The French Academy, 195 
 
 house on the Gravier, and the rest was ready for his fut- 
 ure charitable missions. 
 
 On receiving the intimation of the prizes awarded to 
 him he made another journey to Paris to pay his respects 
 to his devoted friends of the Academy. He was received 
 with welcome by the most eminent persons in the me- 
 tropolis. He was feted as usual. At the salon of the Mar- 
 quis de Barthelemy he met the Due de Levis, the Due des 
 Cars, MM. Berry er, de Salvandy, de Vatismenil, Hyde de 
 Neuville, and other distinguished noblemen and gentlemen. 
 
 Monsigneur Sibour, Archbishop of Paris, was desirous 
 of seeing and hearing this remarkable poet of the South. 
 The archbishop invited him to his palace for the purpose 
 of hearing a recitation of his poems ; and there he met 
 the pope's nuncio, several bishops, and the principal 
 members of the Parisian clergy. After the recitation 
 the archbishop presented Jasmin with a golden branch 
 with this device: "To Jasmin ! the greatest of the Trou- 
 badours, past, present, or to come." 
 
 The chief authors of Paris, the journalists, and the 
 artists, had a special meeting in honor of Jasmin. A 
 banquet was organized by the journalists of the Deux 
 Mondes, at the instance of Meissonier, Lireux, Lalandellc, 
 C. Reynaud, L. Pichat, and others. M. Jules Janin pre- 
 sided, and complimented Jasmin in the name of the 
 Parisian press. The people of Agen, resident in Paris, 
 also gave him a banquet, at which Jasmin recited a poem 
 composed for the occasion. 
 
 One of his evenings was spent at the house of Madame 
 la Marquise de Barthelemy. An interesting account of 
 the soir6e Is given by a correspondent of Chambers* 
 Edinburgh Journal^ who was present on the occasion.* 
 
 • Chambers' Edinburgh Jotutial, July, 1863. 
 
196 Jasmin. 
 
 The salous of Madame la Marquise were filled to over- 
 flowing. Many of the old nobility of France were pres- 
 ent. " It was a St. Germain's night," as she herself ex- 
 pressed it. High-sounding names were there — much in- 
 tellect and beauty ; all were assembled to do honor to 
 the coiffeur from the banks of the Garonne. France 
 honors intellect, no matter to what class of society it 
 belongs; it is an affectionate kind of social democracy. 
 Indeed, among many virtues in French society none is 
 so delightful, none so cheering, none so mutually im- 
 proving, and none more Christian than the kindly inter- 
 course, almost the equality, of all ranks of society, and 
 the comparatively small importance attached to wealth or 
 condition wherever there is intellect and power. 
 
 At half- past nine Jasmin made his appearance — a 
 short, stout, dark-haired man, with large bright eyes, and 
 a mobile, animated face, his button-hole decorated with 
 the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor. He made his 
 way through the richly -attired ladies, sparkling with 
 jewels, to a small table at the upper end of the salon, 
 whereon were books, his own Carl-papers, two candles, a 
 carafe of fresh water, and a vase of flowers. 
 
 The ladies arranged themselves in a series of brilliant 
 semicircles before him. The men blocked up the door- 
 way, peering over each other's shoulders. Jasmin waved 
 his hand like the leader of an orchestra, and a general 
 silence sealed all the fresh, noisy lips. One haughty 
 little brunette, not long emancipated from her convent, 
 giggled audibly ; but Jasmin's eye transfixed her, and 
 the poor child sat thereafter rebuked and dumb. The 
 hero of the evening again waved his hands, tossed back 
 his hair, struck an attitude, and began his poem. The 
 first he recited was " The Priest without a Church " (Lou, 
 Freste sans Gleyzo). He pleaded for the church as if it 
 
The French Academy, 197 
 
 were about to be built. He clasped his hands, looked up 
 to heaven, and tears were in his eyes. Some sought for 
 the silver and gold in their purses; but no collection was 
 made, as the church had already been built and was free 
 of debt. 
 
 After an interval he recited "La Semaine d'un Fils;" 
 and he recited it very beautifully. There were some men 
 who wept; and many women who exclaimed, "Char- 
 raant! Tout-a-fait charmant !" but who did not weep. 
 Jasmin next recited " Ma Bigno," which has been already 
 described. The contributor to Chambers' Journal pro- 
 ceeds: "It was all very amusing to a proud, stiff, re- 
 served Britisher like myself to sec how gray-headed men 
 with stars and ribbons could cry at Jasmin's reading; 
 and how Jasmin, himself a man, could sob and wipe his 
 eyes, and weep so violently, and display such excessive 
 emotion. This surpassed my understanding — probably 
 clouded by the chill atmosphere of the fogs in which ev- 
 ery Frenchmen believes we live. . . . After the recitations 
 had concluded Jasmin's social ovation began. Ladies 
 surrounded him, and men admired him. A ring was pre- 
 sented, and a pretty speech spoken by a pretty mouth ac- 
 companied the presentation ; and the man of the people 
 was flattered out of all proportion by the brave, haughty 
 old noblesse. 
 
 "To do Jasmin justice, although naturally enough 
 spoiled by the absurd amount of adulation he has met 
 with, he has not been made cold-hearted or worldly. He 
 is vain, but true and loyal to his class. He does not seek 
 to disguise or belie his profession. In fact, he always 
 dwells upon his past more or less, and never misses an 
 opportunity of reminding his audience that he is but a 
 plebeian, after all. 
 
 " lie wears a white apron, and shaves and frizzes hair 
 
198 Jasmin. 
 
 to this day when at Agen ; and though a Chevalier of 
 the Legion of Honor, member of Academies and Insti- 
 tutes without number, feted, praised, flattered beyond 
 anything we can imagine in England, crowned by the 
 King and the then heir to the throne with gilt and silver 
 crowns, decked with flowers and oak-leaves, and all con- 
 ceivable species of coronets, he does not ape the gentle- 
 man, but clips, curls, and chatters as simply as heretofore, 
 and as professionally. There is no little merit in this 
 steady attachment to his native place, and no little good 
 sense in this adherence to his old profession. ... It is 
 far manlier and nobler than that weak form of vanity 
 shown in a slavish imitation of the great, and a cowardly 
 shame of one's native condition. 
 
 " Without going so far as his eulogistic admirers in the 
 press, yet we honor in him a true poet and a true man, 
 brave, affectionate, mobile, loving, whose very faults are 
 all amiable, and whose vanity takes the form of nature. 
 And if we of the cold North can scarcely comprehend the 
 childish passionateness and emotional unreserve of the 
 more sensitive South, at least we can profoundly respect 
 the good common to us all — the good which lies under- 
 neath that many-colored robe of manners which changes 
 with every hamlet ; the good which speaks from heart to 
 heart, and quickens the pulses of the blood ; the good 
 which binds us all as brothers, and makes but one family 
 of universal man ; and this good we lovingly recognize in 
 Jasmin ; and while rallying him for his foibles, respect- 
 fully love him for liis virtues, and tender him a hand of 
 sympathy and admiration as a fine poet, a good citizen, 
 and a true-hearted man." 
 
 Before leaving Paris it was necessary for Jasmin to 
 acknowledge his gratitude to the French Academy. The 
 members had done him much honor by the gold medal 
 
The French Academy. 199 
 
 and the handsome donation they had awarded him. On 
 August 24, 1852, he addressed the Forty of the Academy 
 in a poem which he entitled "Langue Frangaise, Langue 
 Gasconne," or, as he styled it in Gascon, " Lengo Gas- 
 couno, Lengo Francezo." In tliis poem, which was dec- 
 orated with the most fragrant flowers of poetry with 
 which he could clothe his words, Jasmin endeavored to 
 disclose the characteristics of the two languages. At the 
 beginning, he said: "O my birth-place, what a concert 
 delights my earl Nightingales, sing aloud; bees, hum 
 together; Garonne, make music on your pure and laugh- 
 ing stream ; the elms of Gravier, tower above me ; not 
 for glory, but for gladness." * 
 
 After the recitation of the poem M. Laurentie said 
 that it abounded in patriotic sentiments and fine appre- 
 ciation, to say nothing of the charming style of the falling 
 strophes, at intervals, in their sonorous and lyrical refrain. 
 M. Villemain added his acclamation. " In truth," said he, 
 *' once more our Academy is indebted to Jasmin !" The 
 poet, though delighted by these ovations, declared that it 
 was he who was indebted to the members of the Academy, 
 not they to him. M. de Salvandy reassured him : " Do 
 not trouble yourself. Jasmin ; you have accomplished 
 everything we could have wished ; you have given us ten 
 for one, and still we are your debtors." 
 
 After Jasmin had paid his compliments to the French 
 Academy he was about to set out for Agen — being fa- 
 tigued and almost broken down by his numerous enter- 
 
 * The following are the Gascon words of this part of the poem : 
 
 " raoun brfea, d'un councfer festejo moun aoureillo I 
 Rouseignol, canto fort ! brounzino fort, Abeillo ! 
 Gardno, fay soiina toiin flot rizen et pur ; 
 De3 ourmcs del Grabb floiireji la cabeillo, 
 Non de Klorio . . . mais de bounlmr !" 
 
200 Jasmin. 
 
 tainments in Paris — when he was invited by General 
 Fleury to visit the President of the French Republic at 
 Saint-Cloud. This interview did not please him so much 
 as the gracious reception which he had received in the 
 same palace some years before from Louis Philippe and 
 the Duchess of Orleans; yet Jasmin was a man who re- 
 spected the law, and as France had elected Louis Napo- 
 leon as President he was not unwilling to render him his 
 homage. 
 
 Jasmin had already seen the President when passing 
 through Agen a few years before, on his visit to Bordeaux^ 
 Toulouse, and Toulon ; but they had no personal inter- 
 view. M. Edmond Texier, however, visited Jasmin, and 
 asked him whether he had not composed a hymn for the 
 fete of the day. No; he had composed nothing; yet he 
 had voted for Louis Napoleon, believing him to be the 
 savior of France. " But," said M. Texier, " if the prince 
 appeals to you, you will eulogize him in a poem ?" "Cer- 
 tainly," replied Jasmin, " and this is what I would say : 
 'Sir, in the name of our country, restore to us our noble 
 friend M. Baze. He was your adversary, but he is now 
 conquered, disarmed, and most unhappy. Restore him to 
 his mother, now eighty years old ; to his weeping family; 
 and to all his household, who deplore his absence ; restore 
 him also to our townsmen, who love and honor him, and 
 bear no hostility towards the President. His recall will 
 be an admirable political act, and will give our country 
 more happiness than the highest act of benevolence.' " 
 
 This conversation between Jasmin and Texier immedi- 
 ately appeared in the columns of the Steele, accompanied 
 with a stirring sympathetic article by the editor. It may 
 be mentioned that M. Baze was one of Jasmin's best 
 friends. He had introduced the poet to the public, and 
 written the charming preface to the first volume of the 
 
Emperor cmd Empress. 201 
 
 FapiliotoSy issued in 1835. M. Baze was an advocate of 
 the Royal Court of Agen — a man of fine character and 
 a true patriot. He was mayor of Agen, commander 
 of the National Guard, and afterwards member of the 
 Legislative Assembly and the Senate. But he was op- 
 posed to Prince Louis Napoleon, and was one of the 
 authors of the motion entitled de Questeurs. He was 
 arrested on tlie night of December 2, 1851, imprisoned 
 for a month in the Mazas, and then expelled from the 
 territory of France. During his exile he practised at 
 Liege as an advocate. 
 
 Jasmin again went to Paris in May, 1853, and this time 
 on his mission of mercy. The editor of the Siecle an- 
 nounced his arrival. He was again feted, and the salons 
 rejoiced in his recitations. After a few days he was in- 
 vited to Saint-Cloud. Louis Napoleon was now Emperor 
 of France, and the Empress Eugenie sat by his side. The 
 appearance of Jasmin was welcomed, and he was soon 
 made thoroughly at ease by the Emperor's interesting 
 conversation. A company had been assembled, and Jas- 
 min was requested to recite some of his poems. As usual, 
 he evoked smiles and tears by turns. When the audience 
 were in one of their fits of weeping, and Jasmin had fin- 
 ished his declamation, the Emperor exclaimed, " Why, 
 poet, this is a genuine display of handkerchiefs" {Mais, 
 poetCj c'est un veritable scene de mouchoirs). 
 
 Jasmin seized this moment for revealing to the Em- 
 peror the desire which he had long entertained for recall- 
 ing from exile his dear friend M. Baze. He had prepared 
 a charming piece of verse addressed to the Empress Eu- 
 genie, requesting his return to France through the grand 
 door of honor. "Restore him to us," he said; "Agen 
 cries aloud. The young Empress, as good as beautiful, 
 beloved of Heaven, will pray with her sympathetic soul, 
 
 9* 
 
202 Jasmin. 
 
 and save two children and an unhappy mother — she wlio 
 will be soon blessed as a happy mother herself." * Jas- 
 min concluded his poem with the following words in 
 Gascon: "Esperi! Lou angels nou se troumpon jamay!" 
 
 The result of this appeal to the Empress was that Jas- 
 min's prayer was immediately granted by the Emperor. 
 M. Baze returned to France at once, without any condi- 
 tions whatever. The parents of the quondam exile wrote 
 to Jasmin, thanking him most cordially for his exertions 
 in their favor. Four days after the soiree at Saint-Cloud 
 the Prefect of the Indre-et-Loire, head of the Baze family, 
 wrote to Jasmin, saying : " Your muse is accustomed to 
 triumphs, but this one ought to rejoice your heart, and 
 should yield you more honor than all the others. For 
 my part, I feel myself under the necessity of thanking 
 you cordially for your beautiful and noble action ; and in 
 saying so I interpret the sentiments of the whole fami- 
 ly." Madame Baze addressed the Emperor in a letter 
 of grateful thanks, which she wrote at the dictation of 
 Jasmin. The Siecle also gave an account of Jasmin's 
 interview with the Emperor and Empress at Saint-Cloud, 
 and the Avhole proceeding redounded to the honor of the 
 Gascon poet. 
 
 Jasmin had been made Chevalier of the Legion of 
 Honor at the same time as Balzac, Frederick Soulie, and 
 Alfred de Musset. The minister bore witness to the 
 worth of Jasmin, notwithstanding the rusticity of his id- 
 iom ; and he was classed among the men who did honor 
 to French literature. He was considered great, not only 
 
 * The editor of Vol. IV. of Jasmin's poems (1863) gives this 
 note: "In this circumstance Jasmin has realized the foresight 
 which the ancients aiforded to their poets, of predicting, two years 
 in advance, the birth of the Prince Imperial." 
 
The Church of Vergt again, 203 
 
 in his poems, but in liis benevolent works : *' You build 
 churches; you help indigence; you possess the talent of 
 a powerful benefactor; and your muse is the sister of 
 Charity." 
 
 When the news of the honors conferred upon Jasmin 
 reached Agen the people were most sympathetic in their 
 demonstrations. The shop of the barber-poet was crowded 
 with visitors, and when he himself reached the town he 
 was received with the greatest enthusiasm. The Philhar- 
 monic Society again treated him to a serenade, and the 
 whole town was full of joy at the honor done to their 
 beloved poet. 
 
 To return to the church of Vergt, which was not yet 
 entirely finished. A bell -tower had been erected, but 
 what was a bell-tower without bells? There was a little 
 tinkling affair which could scarcely be heard in the church, 
 still less in the neighborhood. With his constant trust 
 in Providence, the abbe did not hesitate to buy a clock 
 and order two large bells. The expense of both amounted 
 to VOOO francs. How was this to be paid? His funds 
 were entirely exhausted. The priest first applied to the 
 inhabitants of Vergt, but they could not raise half the 
 necessary funds. There was Jasmin ! He was the only 
 person that could enable the abbe to defray his debt. 
 
 Accordingly, another appeal was made to the public 
 outside of Vergt. The poet and the priest set out on 
 their fifth and last pilgrimage; and this time they went 
 as far as Lyons — a city which Jasmin had never seen 
 before. There he found himself face to face with an 
 immense audience, who knew next to nothing of his Gas- 
 con patois. He was afraid of his success; but, unwilling 
 to retreat, he resolved, he said, " to create a squadron in 
 reserve;" that is, after reciting some of the old inspira- 
 tions of his youth, to give tliem his " H^lene," or " Love 
 
204 Jasmin. 
 
 and Poetry," in modern classical French. The result, we 
 need scarcely say, was eminently successful, and the abbe 
 was doubly grateful in having added so many more thou- 
 sand francs to his purse. 
 
 During this journey another priest, the Abbe Cabanel, 
 united his forces with those of Jasmin and Masson. This 
 abbe was curate of Port de Sainte-Foi-la-Grande. He 
 had endeavored to erect in his parish a public school 
 under the charge of religious teachers. He now pro- 
 posed to partake of the profits of the recitations for the 
 purpose of helping his project ; and Jasmin and Masson 
 willingly complied with his request. They accordingly 
 appeared at the town of Sainte-Foi, and the result was 
 another excellent collection. 
 
 After visiting other towns sufficient subscriptions were 
 collected to enable the abbe to pay off his debts. The 
 clock and bells were christened by Monseigneur de San- 
 galerie, who had himself been a curate of the parish of 
 Vergt; and the bells were inscribed with the name of 
 Jasmin, the chief founder and rebuilder of the church. 
 The bells were the last addition to Jasmin's bell-tower, 
 but the final result was reached long after the beginning 
 of the rebuilding of the church. 
 
Jasmin Enrolled Mattre-hs-jeux at Toulouse. 205 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 JASMIN ENROLLED MAITRE-ES-JEUX AT TOULOUSE.- 
 CROWNED BY AGEN. 
 
 Shortly after the return of Jasmin from Paris, where 
 he had the honor of an interview with the Emperor and 
 Empress, as well as with the members of the French 
 Academy, he was invited to Toulouse for the purpose of 
 being enrolled as Maitre-es-jcux in the Academy of Jeux 
 Floreaux. 
 
 Toulouse is known as the City of Literary Fetes, and 
 the reception of Jasmin as Maitre-es-jeux will long exist 
 as a permanent record in her annals. The Academy of 
 Jeux Floreaux had no prize of 5000 francs to bestow, nor 
 any crowns, nor any golden laurels. She hides her pov- 
 erty under her flowers, and although she would willingly 
 have given all her flowers to Jasmin, yet her rules pre- 
 vented her. She called Jasmin to her bosom, and gave 
 him the heartiest of welcomes. But the honor was 
 there — the honor of being invited to join a brotherhood 
 of illustrious men. 
 
 The title of Maitre-es-jeux is a rare distinction, awarded 
 only to the highest celebrities. The ceremony of install- 
 ing Jasmin took place on February 6, 1854. The great 
 Salles des Ulustres was crowded long before he made his 
 appearance, while the Place de Capitol was filled with a 
 vast number of his admirers. The archbishop, the pre- 
 fect, the mayor, the magistrates, and the principal citizens 
 
206 Jasmin. 
 
 of Toulouse were present, with the most beautiful women 
 in the city. Many of the Southern bishops were pres- 
 ent, having desired to enjoy the pleasure of assisting at 
 the ceremony. 
 
 After an address of congratulation, Jasmin was enrolled 
 among the members, and presented with his diploma of 
 Maitre-es-jeux. Though it was only a piece of parch- 
 ment, he considered it the rarest of distinctions. It con- 
 nected the poet, through five centuries, with the last of 
 the Troubadours, whose language he had so splendidly 
 revived. Jasmin valued his bit of parchment more high- 
 ly than all the other gifts he had received. In answer to 
 }jis enrollment, he said : 
 
 "I have now enough! I want no morel All things 
 smile upon me. My Muse went proudly from the Forty 
 of Toulouse to the Forty of Paris. She is more than 
 proud to-day, she is completely happy ; for she sees my 
 name, which Isaure blessed, come from the Forty of Paris 
 to the Forty of Toulouse." 
 
 After his enrollment the poet -barber left the salon. 
 A large crowd had assembled in the court, under the 
 peristyle, in the Place of the Capitol. Every head was 
 uncovered as he passed through their ranks, and those 
 who accom.panied liira to his lodging called out, " Vive 
 Jasmin ! Vive Jasmin !" Never had such a scene been 
 witnessed before. 
 
 Although Jasmin had declared to the Academy of 
 Jeux Floreaux that he wanted nothing more than the 
 diploma they had given him, yet another triumph was 
 waiting him. The citizens of Agen capped all the pre- 
 vious honors of the poet. They awarded him a crown 
 of gold, which must have been the greatest recompense 
 of all. They had known him during almost his entire 
 life — the son of a hump-backed tailor and a crippled 
 
Crowned by Agen. 207 
 
 mother, of poor but honest people, whose means had 
 been helped by the grandfather, Boe, who begged from 
 door to door, the old man who closed his eyes in the 
 hospital, " where all the Jasmins die!" 
 
 They had known him by his boyish tricks, his expul- 
 sion from the academy, his setting up as a barber, his 
 happy marriage, and his laborious progress, until the 
 "shower of silver" came running into his shop. "Pan 
 de labouro, pan de salouro" (no work, no bread). Though 
 born in the lowest condition of life, he had, by the help 
 of his wife, and by his own energy and perseverance, 
 raised himself to the highest position as a man of char- 
 acter. Before he reached the age of thirty* he began to 
 show evidences of his genius as a poet. But still more 
 important were his works of charity, which endeared him 
 to the people through the South of France. It was right 
 and reasonable that his fellow-citizens should desire to 
 take part in the honors conferred upon their beloved 
 poet, lie had already experienced their profound sym- 
 pathy during liis self-sacrificing work, but they now 
 wished to testify their public admiration, and to proclaim 
 the fact by some offering of intrinsic value. 
 
 The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul — whom he had 
 80 often helped in their charitable labors — first started 
 the idea. They knew what Jasmin had done to found 
 
 * There is a Gascon proverb which says : 
 
 "Qu'A vingt ans nouns po, 
 Qu'ft trent ans noun sa, 
 Qu'a cranio noun er, 
 Qu'A cincanto se paouso pa, 
 Sabe pa que pot esper." 
 
 "Who at twenty does nothhig; who at thirty knows nothing; 
 who at forty has nothing ; who at fifty changes nothing ; for him 
 there is no hope." 
 
208 Jasmin. 
 
 schools, orphanages, and creches. Indeed, this was their 
 own mission, and no one had labored so willingly as he 
 had done to help them in their noble work. The idea 
 thus started by the society immediately attracted public 
 attention, and was received with universal approval. 
 
 A committee was formed, consisting of De Bouy, 
 mayor; H. Noubel, deputy; Aunac, banker; Canon 
 Deyche, arch - priest of the cathedral; Dufort, imperial 
 councillor ; Guizot, receiver - general ; Labat, advocate- 
 general ; Maysonnade, president of the conference of 
 Saint Vincent de Paul ; Couturier, the engineer, and 
 other gentlemen. A subscription was at once opened, 
 and more than four thousand persons answered the ap- 
 peal. 
 
 When the subscriptions were collected they were 
 found so great in amount that the committee resolved 
 to present Jasmin with a crown of gold. Five hundred 
 years before Petrarch had been crowned at Rome in the 
 name of Italy, and now Jasmin was to be crowned at 
 Agen, in the name of Meridional France. To crown a 
 man who during his lifetime had been engaged in the 
 trade of barber and hair-dresser seemed something ex- 
 traordinary and unique. To the cold-blooded people of 
 the North there might appear something theatrical in 
 such a demonstration, but it was quite in keeping with 
 the warm-hearted children of the South. 
 
 The construction of the crown was intrusted to MM. 
 Fannieres, of Paris, the best workers of gold in France. 
 They put their best art and skill into the crown. It con- 
 sisted of two branches of laurel in dead gold, large and 
 knotted behind, like the crowns of the Caesars and the 
 poets, with a ruby, artistically arranged, containing the 
 simple device : " La Ville dfAgen a Jasmin.'''' The pen- 
 dants of the laurel, in dead silver, were mixed with the 
 
Crowned by Agen, 209 
 
 foliage. The style of the work was severe and pure, and 
 the effect of the chef-d'oeuvre was admirable. 
 
 The public meeting at which the golden crown was 
 presented to Jasmin w,as held on November 27, 1856, in 
 the large hall of the Great Seminary. Gilt banners were 
 hung round the walls, containing the titles of Jasmin's 
 principal poems, while the platform was splendidly dec- 
 orated with emblems and festoons of flowers. Although 
 the great hall was of large dimensions, it could not con- 
 tain half the number of people who desired to be present 
 on this grand occasion. 
 
 An immense crowd assembled in the streets adjoining 
 the Seminary. Jasmin, on his arrival, was received with 
 a triple salvo of applause from the crowd without, and 
 next from the assembly within. On the platform were 
 the members of the Subscription Committee, the prefect, 
 the Bishop of Agen, the chiefs of the local government, 
 the general in command of the district, and a large num- 
 ber of officers and ecclesiastics. 
 
 Jasmin, when taking his place on the platform, saluted 
 the audience with one of his brilliant impromptus, and 
 proceeded to recite some of his favorite poems: "Char- 
 ity;" "The Doctor of the Poor;" "Town and Country;" 
 and, " The Week's Work of a Son." Then M. Noubel, 
 in his double capacity of deputy for the department and 
 member of the Subscription Committee, addressed Jasmin 
 in the following words : 
 
 "Poet, I appear here in the name of the people of 
 Agen to offer you the testimony of their admiration and 
 profound sympathy. I ask you to accept this crown! 
 It is given you by a loving and hearty friend, in the 
 name of your native town of Agen, which your poetry 
 has charmed, which rejoices in your present success, and 
 is proud of tlie glory of your genius. Agen welcomed 
 
210 Jasmin. 
 
 the first germs of your talent ; she has seen it growing, 
 and increasing your fame; she has entered with you into 
 the pahices of kings; she has associated herself with your 
 triumphs throughout; now the ho^ir of recognizing your 
 merits has arrived, and she honors herself in crowning 
 you. 
 
 "But it is not merely the poet whom we recognize 
 to-day ; you have a much greater claim to our homage. 
 In an age in which egoism and the eager thirst for riches 
 prevails, you have, in the nohle work which you have 
 performed, displayed the virtues of benevolence and self- 
 sacrifice. You yourself have put them into practice. 
 Ardent in the work of charity, you have gone wherever 
 misery and poverty had to be relieved, and all that you 
 yourself have received was merely the blessings of the 
 unfortunate. Each of your days has been celebrated for 
 its good works, and your whole life has been a hymn to 
 benevolence and charity. 
 
 " Accept, then, Jasmin, this crown ! Great poet, good 
 citizen, you have nobly earned it ! Give it an honored 
 place in that glorious museum of yours, which the towns 
 and cities of the South have enriched by their gifts. 
 May it remain there in testimony of your poetical tri- 
 umphs, and attest the welcome recognition of your merits 
 by your fellow-citizens. 
 
 *' For myself, I cannot but be proud of the mission 
 which has been intrusted to me. I only owe it, I know, 
 to the position of deputy in which you have placed me 
 by popular election. I am proud, nevertheless, of having 
 the honor of crowning you, and I shall ever regard this 
 event as the most glorious recollection of my life." 
 
 After this address, during which M. Noubel was greatly 
 moved, he took the crown of gold and placed it on the 
 head of the poet. It is impossible to describe the en- 
 
Croioned by Age^i. 211 
 
 thusiasm of the meeting at this supreme moment. The 
 people were ahnost beside themselves. Their exclama- 
 tions of sympathy and applause were almost frantic. Jas- 
 min wept with happiness. After the emotion liad sub- 
 sided, with his eyes full of tears he recited his piece of 
 poetry entitled : " The Crown of my Birthplace." * 
 
 In this poem Jasmin took occasion to recite the state 
 of poverty in which he was born, yet with the star of 
 poetry in his breast; his dear mother, and her anxieties 
 about his education and up-bringing; his growth; his 
 first efforts in poetical composition, and his final tri- 
 umph ; and at last his crown of gold conferred upon him 
 by the people of Agen — the crown of his birthi)lacc: 
 
 '• I feel that if ray birthplace crowns me, 
 In i)laco of siuging ... I should weep!" 
 
 After Jasmin had recited his touching poem, he affec- 
 tionately took leave of his friends, and the assembly dis- 
 persed. 
 
 * Perhaps this might be better rendered " The Crown of my 
 Infancy " (in Gascon, La Courouno del Bres). 
 
212 Jasmin, 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LAST POEMS. -MORE MISSIONS OF CHARITY. 
 
 This was the last occasion on wLicli Jasmin publicly 
 appeared before his fellow-townsmen ; and it conld not 
 perhaps have been more fitting and appropriate. He 
 still went on composing poetry — among other pieces 
 "La Vierge," dedicated to the Bishop of Algiers, who 
 aclcnowledged it in a complimentary letter. In his sixty- 
 second year, when his hair had become white, he com- 
 posed some "New Recollections" (Mous Nouhels Souhe- 
 nis), in which he again recalled the memories of his 
 youth. In his new " Souvenirs " he only gives a few fresh 
 stories relating to the period of his infancy and youth. 
 Indeed, they scarcely go beyond the period covered by 
 his original " Souvenirs." 
 
 In the midst of his various honors at Paris, Toulouse, 
 and Agen, he did not forget his true mission, the help 
 and relief of the afflicted. He went to Albi, and gave a 
 recitation which produced 2000 francs. The whole of 
 this sum went to the poor. There was nothing for him- 
 self but applause and showers of flowers thrown at his 
 feet by the ladies present. 
 
 It was considered quite unprecedented that so large a 
 sum should have been collected in so poor a district. 
 Tlie mayor, however, was prepared for the event. After 
 a touching address to the poet, he presented him with a 
 ring of honor, with the arms of the town, and the in- 
 scribed words : " Albi a Jasmin.'''' 
 
Last Poems. 213 
 
 He went for the same purpose to Castera in the Gers, 
 a decayed town, to recite liis poems, in the words of the 
 cure, for "our poor church." He was received as usual 
 witli great enthusiasm, and a present of silver was pre- 
 sented to him with the inscribed words: "Jl Jasmin^ 
 V Eglise du Castera reconnaissante T Jasmin answered 
 by reciting an impromptu he had composed for the oc- 
 casion. 
 
 At Bordeaux, one of his favorite cities, he was received 
 with more than the usual enthusiasm. There he made a 
 collection in aid of the Conference of Saint Vincent de 
 Paul. In the midst of the seance he appeared almost 
 inspired, and recited " La Charite dans Bordeaux " — the 
 grand piece of the evening. The assembly rose en masse, 
 and cheered the poet with frantic applause. The ladies 
 threw an avalanche of bouquets at the hero of the fete. 
 
 After quiet had been restored, the Society of Saint 
 Vincent de Paul cordially thanked Jasmin through the 
 mouth of their president, and presented him with a 
 magnificent golden circlet, with the inscription: '* Za 
 Caritat dins Bourdeau .'" 
 
 Among his other recitations towards the close of his 
 life, for the purpose of collecting money for the relief 
 of the poor, were those at Montignac in Perigord; at 
 Saint-Macaire; at Saint- x\ndre-de-Cubzar, and at Mon- 
 segur. Most of these were remote villages, far apart 
 from each other. He had disappointed his friends at 
 Arcachon several years before, when he failed to make 
 his appearance with the Abbe Masson, during their tour 
 on behalf of the church of Vergt, owing to the unpunct- 
 uality of the steamboat; but he promised to visit them 
 at some future period. 
 
 He now redeemed bis promise. The poor were in 
 need, and he went to their help. A large audience had 
 
214 Jasmin. 
 
 assembled to listen to his recitations, and a considerable 
 snrn of money was collected. The audience overwhelmed 
 him with praises, and the Mayor of Teste — the head de- 
 partment of the district — after thanking Jasmin for his 
 admirable assistance, presented him with a gold medal, 
 on which was inscribed: ''''Fete de Charite d' Arcachon : 
 A Jasmin.'''' These laurels and medals had become so 
 numerous that Jasmin had almost become tired of such 
 tributes to his benevolence. 
 
 He went to Bareges again, where Monseigneur the 
 Bishop of Tarbes had appealed to him for help in the 
 erection of a hospital. From that town he proceeded 
 to Saint-Emilion and Castel-Naudary, to aid the Society 
 of Mutual Help in these two towns. In fact, he was 
 never weary of well-doing. "This calamitous winter," 
 he wrote in January, 1854, "requires all my devotion. 
 I will obey my conscience and give myself to the help of 
 the famished and suffering, even to the extinction of my 
 personal health." 
 
 And so it was to the end. When his friends offered 
 him public entertainments he would say, "No, no! give 
 the money to the poor!" What gave Jasmin as much 
 pleasure as any of the laurels and crowns conferred upon 
 him was a beautifully-bound copy of the Imitation of 
 Christ, with the following inscription: "A testimony 
 from the Bishop of Saint-Flour, in acknowledgment of 
 the services which the great poet has rendered to the 
 poor of his diocese." 
 
 No poet had so many opportunities of making money 
 and of enriching himself by the contributions of the rich 
 as well as the poor. But such an idea never entered his 
 mind. He would have regarded it as a sacrilege to evoke 
 the enthusiasm of the people, and make money for his 
 own benefit, or to speculate upon the triumphs of his 
 
More Missions of Charity. 215 
 
 muse. Gold earned in this way, he said, would have 
 burned his fingers. He worked solely for the benefit of 
 those who could not help themselves. Ilis poetry was 
 to him like a sweet rose that delighted the soul and pro- 
 duced the fruits of charity. 
 
 His conduct has been called Quixotic. Would that 
 there were more Quixotes in the world ! After his read- 
 ings, which sometimes produced from two to three thou- 
 sand francs, the whole of the proceeds were handed over 
 to those for whose benefit they had been given, after de- 
 ducting, of course, the expenses of travelling, of which 
 he kept a most accurate account. 
 
 It is estimated that the amount of money collected by 
 Jasmin during his recitations for philanthropic objects 
 amounted to at least fifteen hundred thousand francs (equal 
 to sixty-two thousand five hundred pounds). Besides, 
 there were the labor of his journeys and the amount of 
 his correspondence, which were almost heroic. M. Ra- 
 bain* states that from 1825 to 1860 the number of let- 
 ters received by Jasmin was more than twelve thousand. 
 
 Mr. Dickens, in giving the readings from his works in 
 Great Britain, netted over thirty-five thousand pounds, 
 besides what he received for his readings in America. 
 This, of course, led quite reasonably to the enhancing of 
 his fortune. But all that Jasmin received from his read- 
 ings was given away — some say " thrown away " — to the 
 poor and the needy. It is not necessary to comment on 
 such facts ; one can only mention and admire them. 
 
 The editor of Le Pays says: "The journeys of Jas- 
 min in the South were like a triumphal march. No 
 prince ever received more brilliant ovations. Flowers 
 were strewn in his way ; the bells rang out on his ap- 
 
 * Jatmiriy sa Vie d sea (Euvres. Paris, 1867. 
 
216 Jasmin, 
 
 pearance; the houses were illuminated; the mayors ad- 
 dressed him in words of praise; the magistrates, the 
 clergy, followed him in procession. Bestowed upon a 
 man, and a poet, such honors might seem exaggerated ; 
 but Jasmin, under the circumstances, represented more 
 than poetry : he represented Charity. Each of his verses 
 transformed him into an alms-giver; and from the har- 
 vest of gold which he reaped from the people he pre- 
 served for himself only the flowers. His epics were for 
 the unfortunate. This was very noble; and the people 
 of Agen should be proud of their poet."* 
 
 The account which Jasmin records of his expenses 
 during a journey of fifty days, in which he collected 
 more than twenty thousand francs, is very remarkable. 
 It is given in the fourth volume of Les Papillotes, pub- 
 lished in 1863, the year before liis death, and is entitled, 
 " Note of my expenses of the journey, which I have de- 
 ducted from the receipts during my circuit of fifty days." 
 
 On certain occasions nothing whatever was charged, 
 but a carriage was probably placed at his disposal, or the 
 ticket for a railway or a diligence may have been paid 
 for by his friends. On many occasions he walked the 
 distance between the several places, and thus saved the 
 cost of his conveyance. But every item of expense was 
 sot forth in his *'Note" with the most scrupulous exact- 
 ness. 
 
 Here is the translation of Jasmin's record for his jour- 
 neys during these fifty days: ". . . At Foix, from M. De 
 Groussou, President of the Communion of Bienfaisance, 
 33 fr. 50 c. At Pamiers, nil. At Saint -Girons, from 
 the President of the Society of St.-Vincent de Paul, 16 
 fr. At Lavaur, from M. the Mayor, 22 fr. At Saint- 
 
 * Le Pai/x, February 14, l&o4. 
 
More Missions of Charity, 217 
 
 Siilpice, nil. At Toulouse, where I gave five special se- 
 ances, of which tlic two first, to Saiut-Vincent de Paul 
 and the Prefecture, produced more than sixteen hundred 
 francs, nil. My muse was sufficiently accounted for; it 
 was during my reception as Maitre-es-jeux. At Rodez, 
 from the President of the Conference of Saint- Vincent de 
 Paul, 29 fr. 50 c. At Saint-Geniez, nil. At Saint-Flour, 
 from M. Simon, vicar-general, 22 fr. 50 c. At Murat, 
 nil. At Mauriac, nil. At Aurillac, from M. Geneste, 
 mayor, for my return to Agen, 24 fr. Total, 147 fr. 50 
 centimes." 
 
 Thus, more than twenty thousand francs were collect- 
 ed for the poor. Jasmin having deducted 147 fr. 50 c. 
 for the cost of his journeys from place to place. It 
 must also be remembered that he travelled mostly in 
 winter, when the ground was covered with snow. In 
 February, 1854, M. Migneret, Prefect of Ilaute-Garonne, 
 addressed a letter to Jasmin, which is worthy of preser- 
 vation. " It is pleasant," he said, " after having enjoyed 
 at night the charms of your poetry, to begin the next 
 day by taking account of the misfortunes they relieve. 
 I owe you this double honor, and I thank you with the 
 greatest gratitude. ... As to our admiration of your tal- 
 ent, it yields to our esteem for your noble heart ; the 
 poet cannot be jealous of the good citizen."* 
 
 Notwithstanding the rigor of the season, and the snow 
 and wind, the like of which had not been known for 
 more than twenty years. Jasmin was welcomed by an 
 immense audience at Rodez. The recitation was ffiven 
 in the large hall of the Palais de Justice, and never had 
 so large a collection been made. The young people of 
 the town wished to give Jasmin a banquet, but he de- 
 
   L<u Papillotoa de Jasmin, iv. 66. 
 10 
 
2 1 8 Jasmin. 
 
 clined, as he had to hurry on to another place for a simi- 
 lar purpose. He left them, however, one of his poems, 
 prepared for the occasion. 
 
 He arrived at Saint-Flour exhausted by fatigue. His 
 voice began to fail, partly through the rigors of the cli- 
 mate, yet he continued to persevere. The bishop enter- 
 tained him in his palace, and introduced him personally 
 to the audience before which he was to give his recita- 
 tions. Over the entrance door was written the inscrip- 
 tion, "A Jasmin, le Poete des Pauvres, Saint- Flour re- 
 connaissante 1" Before Jasmin began to recite he was 
 serenaded by the audience. The collection was greater 
 than had ever been known. It was here that the bishop 
 presented Jasmin with that famous manual, The Imita- 
 tion of Christ, already referred to. 
 
 It was the same at Murat, Mauriac, and Aurillac. The 
 recitation at Aurillac was given in the theatre, and the 
 receipts were 1200 francs. Here, also, he was serenaded. 
 He departed from Aurillac covered with the poor peo- 
 ple's blessings and gratitude. 
 
 At Toulouse he gave another entertainment, at the in- 
 stance of the Conference of Saint Frangois Xavier. There 
 were about three thousand persons present, mostly of the 
 working classes. The seance was prolonged almost to 
 midnight. The audience, most of whom liad to rise 
 early in the morning, forgot their sleep, and wished the 
 poet to prolong his recitations ! 
 
 Although the poor machine of Jasmin's body was 
 often in need of rest, he still went about doing good. 
 He never ceased ministering to the poor until he was al- 
 together unable to go to their help. Even in the dis- 
 tressing cold, rain, and wind of winter — and it was in 
 winter more than in summer that he travelled, for it was 
 then that the poor were most distressed — he entirely dis- 
 
More Missions of Charity. 219 
 
 regarded his own comfort, and sometimes travelled at 
 much peril ; yet he went north and south, by highways 
 and by-ways, by rivers and railways, in any and every 
 direction, provided his services could be of use. 
 
 He sacrificed himself always, and was perfectly regard- 
 less of self, lie was overwhelmed with honors and 
 praises. He became weary of triumphs — of laurels, 
 flowers, and medals — he sometimes became weary of his 
 life ; yet he never could refuse any pressing solicitation 
 made to him for a new recital of his poems. 
 
 His trials, especially in winter-time, were often most 
 distressing. He would recite before a crowded audience, 
 in a heated room, and afterwards face the icy air out- 
 side, often without any covering for his throat and neck. 
 Hence his repeated bronchial attacks, the loss of his voice, 
 and other serious affections of his lungs. 
 
 The last meeting which Jasmin attended on behalf of 
 the poor was at the end of January, 1864, only three 
 months before his death. It was at Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 
 a town several miles north of Agen. He did not desire 
 to put the people to the expense of a conveyance, and 
 therefore he decided to walk. He was already prema- 
 turely old and stooping. 
 
 The disease which ended his life had already made 
 considerable progress. He should have been in bed ; 
 nevertheless, as the poor needed his help, the brave old 
 man determined to proceed to Villeneuve. He was helped 
 along the road by some of his friends ; and at last, wea- 
 ried and panting, lie arrived at his destination. The 
 meeting was held in the theatre, which was crowded to 
 suffocation. 
 
 No sooner had Jasmin reached the platform, amid the 
 usual triumphant cheering, than, after taking a short 
 rest, he sprang to his feet and began the recitation of his 
 
220 Jasmin, 
 
 poeras. Never had liis voice seemed more spirited and 
 entrancing. He delighted his audience, while he pleaded 
 most eloquently for the relief of the poor. 
 
 " I see him now," wrote one of his friends, " from be- 
 hind the side-scenes of the theatre, perspiring profuselv, 
 wet to the skin, with a carafe of water to allay the ardent 
 thirst occasioned by three hours of splendid declama- 
 tion." 
 
 In his then critical state the three hours' declamation 
 was enough to kill him. At all events, it was his last 
 recitation. It was the song of the dying swan. In the 
 midst of his triumphs he laid down his life for the poor, 
 like the soldier who dies with the sound of victory in his 
 ears. 
 
Death of Jasmin: His Character. 221 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 DEATH OF JASMIN: HIS CHARACTER. 
 
 After bis final recitation at Villeneiive, Jasmin, sick, 
 ill, and utterly exhausted, reached Agen with difficulty. 
 He could scarcely stand. It was not often that travel- 
 ling had so affected him ; but Nature now cried out and 
 rebelled. His wife was, of course, greatly alarmed. He 
 was at once carefully put to bed, and there he lay for fif- 
 teen days. 
 
 When he was at length able to rise he was placed in 
 his easy -chair, but he was still weak, wearied, and ex- 
 hausted. Mariette believed that he would yet recover his 
 strength; but the disease under which he labored had 
 taken a strong hold of him, and Jasmin felt that he was 
 gradually approaching the close of his life. 
 
 About this time Renan's Life of Jesus was published. 
 Jasmin was inexpressibly shocked by the appearance of 
 the book, for it seemed to him to strike at the founda- 
 tions of Christianity, and to be entirely opposed to the 
 teachings of the Church. He immediately began to com- 
 pose a poem, entitled " The Poet of the People to M. 
 Rcnan,"* in which he vindicated the Catholic faith, and 
 denounced the poisonous mischief contained in the new 
 attack upon Christianity. The poem was full of poetic 
 feeling, with many pathetic touches illustrative of the life 
 and trials of man while here below. 
 
 • "Lou Poeto del Puple k Moussu Reiian." 
 
222 Jasmin. 
 
 The composition of this poem occupied him for some 
 time. Although broken by grief and pain, he made every 
 haste to correct the proofs, feeling that it would proba- 
 bly be the last work that he should give to the world. 
 And it was his last. It was finished and printed on Au- 
 gust 24, 1864. He sent several copies to his more inti- 
 mate friends with a dedication ; and then he took finally 
 to his bed, never to rise again. " I am happy," he said, 
 *' to have terminated my career by an act of faith, and to 
 have consecrated my last work to the name of Jesus 
 Christ." He felt that it was his passport to eternity. 
 
 Jasmin's life was fast drawing to a close. He knew 
 that he must soon die ; yet never a word of fear escaped 
 his lips; nor was his serenity of mind disturbed. He 
 made his preparations for departure with as much tran- 
 quillity and happiness as on the days when he was about 
 to start on one of his philanthropic missions. 
 
 He desired that M. Saint-Hilaire, the vicar of the par- 
 ish, should be sent for. The priest was at once by the 
 bedside of his dying friend. Jasmin made his replies to 
 him in a clear and calm voice. His wife, his son, his 
 grandchildren, were present when he received the Viati- 
 cum — the last sacrament of the Church. After the cere- 
 mony he turned to his wife and family, and said, " In 
 my last communion I have prayed to God that He may 
 keep you all in the most affectionate peace and union, 
 and that He may ever reign in the hearts of those whom 
 I love so much and am about to leave behind me." Then 
 speaking to his wife, he said, "Now, Mariette — now I 
 can die peacefully." 
 
 He continued to live until the following morning. He 
 conversed occasionally with his wife, his son, and a few 
 attached friends. He talked, though with diflaculty, of 
 the future of the family, for whom he had made provi- 
 
Death of Jasmin: His Character. 223 
 
 sion. At last, liftin<r himself up by the aid of his son, 
 he looked towards his wife. The brightness of love 
 fijlowed in his eyes ; but in a moment he fell back sense- 
 less upon the pillow, and his spirit quietly passed away. 
 
 Jasmin departed this life on October 5, 1864, at the 
 age of sixty-five. He was not an old man ; but the 
 brightest jewels soonest wear their setting. When laid 
 in his coffin the poem to Rcnan, his last act of faith, was 
 placed on his breast, with his hands crossed over it. 
 
 The grief felt at his death was wide and universal. In 
 the South of France he was lamented as a personal friend, 
 and he was followed to the grave by an immense num- 
 ber of his towns-people. 
 
 The municipal administration took charge of the fu- 
 neral. At ten o'clock in the morning of October 8th the 
 procession started from Jasmin's house on the Prome- 
 nade du Gravier. On the coffin were placed the Crown 
 of Gold presented to him by his fellow-townsmen, the 
 cross of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and that of 
 Saint-Gregory the Great. A company of five men, and 
 a detachment of troops commanded by an officer, formed 
 the line. 
 
 The following gentlemen held the cords of the funeral 
 pall : M. Feart, Prefect of the Lot-et-Garonne ; M. Henri 
 Noubel, Deputy and Mayor of Agen ; General Ressayre, 
 Commander of the Military Division ; M. Bouet, Presi- 
 dent of the Imperial Court; M. de Laffore, engineer; and 
 M. Magen, Secretary of the Society of Agriculture, Sci- 
 ences, and Arts. A second funeral pall was held by six 
 coiffeurs of the corporation to which Jasmin had be- 
 longed. Behind the hearse were the Brothers of the 
 Christian Doctrine, the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul, 
 and the Little Sisters of the Poor. 
 
 The mourners were lieaded by the poet's son and the 
 
224 Jasmin. 
 
 other members of his family. The cortege was very nu- 
 merous, including the elite of the population. Among 
 them were the Procureur-general, the Procureur-imperial, 
 the Engineer-in-chief of the Department, the Director of 
 Taxes, many Councillors-general, all the members of the 
 Society of Agriculture, many officers of the army, many 
 ecclesiastics as well as ministers of the reformed worship. 
 Indeed, representatives of nearly the whole population 
 were present. 
 
 The procession first entered the church of Saint-Hilaire, 
 where the clergy of the four parishes had assembled. 
 High mass was performed by the full choir. The " Mise- 
 rere" of Beethoven was given, and some exquisite pieces 
 from Mozart. Deep emotion was produced by the intro- 
 duction, in the midst of tl|is beautiful music, of some 
 popular airs from the romance of " Franconnette " and 
 " Me Cal Mouri," Jasmin's first work. The entire cere- 
 mony was touching, and moved many to tears. 
 
 After the services had been finished the procession 
 moved off to the cemetery, passing through the principal 
 streets of the town, which were lined by crowds of mourn- 
 ful spectators. Large numbers of people had also assem- 
 bled at the cemetery. After the final prayer M. Noubel, 
 Deputy and Mayor of Agen, took the opportunity of 
 pronouncing an eulogium over the grave of the deceased. 
 His speech was most sympathetic and touching. We can 
 only give a few extracts from his address : 
 
 *' Dear and great poet," he said, " at the moment when 
 we commit to the earth thy mortal remains, I wish, in 
 the name of this town of Agen, where thou wert born 
 and which thou hast truly loved, to address to thee a last, 
 a supreme adieu. Alas ! What would'st thou have said 
 to me some years ago, when I placed upon thy forehead 
 the crown — decreed bv the love and admiration of thy 
 
Death of Jasmin: His Character. 225 
 
 compatriots — that I should so soon have been called 
 upon to fulfil a duty that now rends my heart. The 
 bright genius of thy countenance, the brilliant vigor in 
 thine eyes, which time, it seemed, would never tarnish, 
 indicated the fertile source of thy beautiful verses and 
 noble aspirations ! 
 
 "And yet thy days had been numbered, and you your- 
 self seemed to have cherished this presentiment; but, 
 faithful to thy double mission of poet and apostle of 
 benevolence, thou redoubled thy efforts to enrich with 
 new epics thy sheaf of poetry, and by thy bountiful gifts 
 and charity to allay the sorrows of the poor. Indefatiga- 
 ble worker! Thou hast dispensed most unselfishly thy 
 genius and thy powers ! Death alone has been able to 
 compel thee to repose ! 
 
 "But now our friend is departed forever ! That poet- 
 ical fire, that brilliant and vivid intelligence, that ardent 
 heart, have now ceased to strive for the good of all ; for 
 this great and generous soul has ascended to Him who 
 gave it birth. It has returned to the Giver of Good, 
 accompanied by our sorrows and our tears. It has as- 
 cended to heaven with the benedictions of all the dis- 
 tressed and unfortunate whom he has succored. It is 
 our hope and consolation that he may find the recom- 
 pense assured for those who have usefully and boldly ful- 
 filled their duty here below. 
 
 "This duty, O poet, thou hast well fulfilled. Those 
 faculties which God had so largely bestowed upon thee 
 have never been employed except for the service of just 
 and holy causes. Child of the people, thou hast shown 
 us how mind and heart enlarge with work; that the suf- 
 ferings and privations of thy youth enabled thee to retain 
 thy love of the poor and thy pity for the distressed. Thy 
 muse, sincerely Christian, was never used to inflame the 
 
 10* 
 
226 Jasmin. 
 
 passions, but always to instruct, to soothe, and to console. 
 Thy last song, the * Song of the Swan,' was an eloquent 
 and impassioned protest of the Christian, attacked in his 
 fervent belief and his faith. 
 
 "God has doubtless marked the term of your mission, 
 and thy deatli was not a matter of surprise. Thou hast 
 come and gone without fear; and religion, thy supreme 
 consoler, has calmed the suffering of thy later hours, as 
 it had cradled thee in thy earlier years. 
 
 " Thy body will disappear, but thy spirit, Jasmin, will 
 never be far from us. Inspire us with thy innocent 
 gayety and brotherly love. The town of Agen is never 
 ungrateful ; she counts thee among the most pure and 
 illustrious of her citizens. She will consecrate thy mem- 
 ory in the way most dignified to thee and to herself. 
 
 "The inhabitants of towns without number, where 
 thou hast exercised thy apostolate of charity, will asso- 
 ciate themselves with this work of affection and remem- 
 brance. But the most imperishable monument is that 
 which thou hast thyself founded with thine own head and 
 hands, and which will live in our hearts — the creation of 
 thy genius and the memory of thy philanthropy." 
 
 After the Mayor of Agen had taken leave of the mortal 
 remains of the poet, M. Capot, President of the Society 
 of Agriculture, Sciences, and Arts, gave another eloquent 
 address. He was followed by M. Magen, secretary of the 
 same society. The troops fired a salute over the grave, 
 and took leave of the poet's remains with military honors. 
 The immense crowd of mourners then slowly departed 
 from the cemetery. 
 
 Another public meeting took place on May 12, 18V0, 
 on the inauguration of the bronze statue of Jasmin, in 
 the Place Saint Antoine, now called the Place Jasmin. 
 The statue was erected by public subscription, and ex- 
 
Death of Jcmnin: His Character. 227 
 
 edited by the celebrated M. Vital Dabray. It stands 
 nearly opposite the house where Jasmin lived and carried 
 on his trade. Many of his old friends came from a con- 
 siderable distance to be present at the inauguration of the 
 statue. The Abbe Masson, of Veri^t, was there, whose 
 church Jasmin had helped to re-build. M. TAbbe Donis, 
 curate of Saint-Louis at Bordeaux, whom he had often 
 helped with his recitations; the able philologist Azais; 
 the young and illustrious ProvenQal poet Mistral ; and 
 many representatives of the Parisian and Southern press 
 were present on the occasion. The widow and son of 
 the poet, surrounded by their family, were on the plat- 
 form. When the statue was unveiled a salvo of artil- 
 lery was fired ; then the choir of the Brothers of the 
 Communal Christian School saluted the "glorious resur- 
 rection of Jasmin" with their magnificent music, which 
 was followed by enthusiastic cheers. 
 
 M. Henri Noubel, Deputy and Mayor of Agen, made 
 an eloquent speech on the unveiling of the statue. He 
 had already pronounced his eulogium of Jasmin at the 
 burial of the poet, but he was still full of the subject, 
 and brought to mind many charming recollections of the 
 sweetness of disposition and energetic labors of Jasmin 
 on behalf of the poor and afflicted. Ho again expressed 
 his heartfelt regret for the departure of the poet. 
 
 M. Noubel was followed by M. TAbbe Donis, of Bor- 
 deaux, who achieved a great success by his eulogy of the 
 life of Jasmin, whom he entitled "The Saint Vincent de 
 Paul of poetry." 
 
 He was followed by the Abb6 Capot, in the name of 
 the clergy, and by M. Magen, in tlie name of the Society 
 of Agriculture, Sciences, and Arts. They were followed 
 by MM. Azais and Pozzl, who recited some choice pieces 
 of poetry in tlic Gascon patois. M. Mistral came last — 
 
228 Jasmin. 
 
 the celebrated singer of " Mireio " — who, with his fal- 
 tering voice, recited a beautifal piece of poetry composed 
 for the occasion, which was enthusiastically applauded. 
 
 The day was wound up with a banquet in honor of M. 
 Dubray, the artist who had executed the bronze statue. 
 The Place Jasmin was brilliantly illuminated during the 
 evening, where an immense crowd assembled to view the 
 statue of the poet, whose face and attitude appeared in 
 splendid relief amid a blaze of light. 
 
 It is unnecessary further to describe the character of 
 Jasmin. It is sufficiently shown by his life and labors 
 — his genius and philanthropy. In the recollections of 
 his infancy and boyhood he truthfully describes the pleas- 
 ures and sorrows of his youth — his love for his mother, 
 his affection for his grandfather, who died in the hos- 
 pital, " where all the Jasmins die." He did not even 
 conceal the little tricks played by him in the academy, 
 from which he was expelled, nor the various troubles of 
 his apprenticeship. 
 
 This was one of the virtues of Jasmin — his love of 
 truth. He never pretended to be other than what he 
 was. He was even proud of being a barber, with liis 
 " hand of velvet." He was pleased to be entertained by 
 the coiffeurs of Agen, Paris, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. 
 He was a man of the people, and believed in the dignity 
 of labor. At the same time, but for his perseverance 
 and force of character, he never could have raised him- 
 self to the honor and power of the true poet. 
 
 He was born poor, and the feeling of inherited poverty 
 adhered to him through life, and inspired him with pro- 
 found love for the poor and the afflicted of his class. He 
 was always ready to help them, whether they lived near to 
 him or far from him. He was, in truth, *' The Saint 
 
Death of Jasmin: Ills Character. 229 
 
 Vincent dc Paul of poetry." His statue, said M. Noubel, 
 pointinf^ up to it, represented the glorification of genius 
 and virtue, the conquest of ignorance and misery. 
 
 M. Deydou said at Bordeaux, when delivering an ad- 
 dress upon the genius of Jasmin — his Eminence Cardinal 
 Donnet presiding — that poetry, when devoted to the 
 cause of charity, according to the poet himself, was "the 
 glory of the earth and the perfume of heaven." 
 
 Jasmin loved his dear town of Agen, and was«proud 
 of it. After his visit to the metropolis, he said, " If 
 Paris makes me proud, Agen makes me happy." " This 
 town," he said, on another occasion, '* has been my birth- 
 place ; soon it shall be my grave." lie loved his country, 
 too, and above all he loved his native language. It was 
 his mother-tongue ; and "though he was often expostu- 
 lated with for using it, he never forsook the Gascon. It 
 was the language of the home, of the fireside, of the 
 fields, of the workshop, of the people among whom he 
 lived, and he resolved ever to cherish and elevate the 
 Gascon dialect. 
 
 " Popular and purely natural poetry," said Montaigne 
 in the sixteenth century, "has a simplicity and graceful- 
 ness which surpass the beauty of poetry according to 
 art." Jasmin united the naive artlessness of poetry with 
 the perfection of art. He retained the simplicity of 
 youth throughout his career, and his domestic life was 
 the sanctuary of all the virtues. 
 
 In bis poems he vividly described filial love, conjugal 
 tenderness, and paternal affection, because no one felt 
 these graces of life more fervently than himself. He was 
 like the Italian painter who never went beyond his home 
 for a beautiful model 
 
 Victor Hugo says that a great man is like the sun — 
 most beautiful when he touches the earth, at his rising 
 
230 Jasmin, 
 
 and at his setting. Jasmin's rising was in the depths 
 of honest poverty, but his setting was glorious. God 
 crowned his fine life by a special act of favor; for the 
 last song of the poet was his "act of faith" — his address 
 to Rcnan. 
 
 Jasmin was loyal, single-minded, self-reliant, patient, 
 temperate, and utterly unselfish. He made all manner 
 of sacrifices during his efforts in the cause of charity. 
 Nothing was allowed to stand in the way of his missions 
 on behalf of the poor. In his journey of fifty days in 
 1854 he went from Orthez — the country of Gaston Phoe- 
 bus — to the mountains of Auvergne, in spite of the rigors 
 of the weather. During that journey he collected 20,000 
 francs. In aH, as we have said, he collected, during his 
 lifetime, more than a million and a half of francs, all of 
 which he devoted to the cause of philanthropy. 
 
 Two words were engraved on the pedestal of his statue, 
 " Poetry " and " Charity." Charity was the object and 
 purpose of his heroic programme. Yet, in his poetry he 
 always exhibited his tender-hearted gayety. Even when he 
 weeps you see the ray of sunlight in his tears. Though 
 simple as a child in ordinary life, he displayed in his 
 writings the pathos and satire of the ancient Troubadours, 
 with no small part of the shrewdness and wit attributed 
 to persons of his calling. 
 
 Although esteemed and praised by all ranks and classes 
 of people — by king, emperor, princes, and princesses; by 
 cardinals and bishops; by generals, magistrates, literary 
 men, and politicians — though the working people almost 
 worshipped him, and village girls strewed flowers along 
 his path-way — though the artisan quitted his workshop, 
 and the working-woman her washing-tub, to listen to his 
 marvellous recitations, yet Jasmin never lost his head or 
 was carried away by the enthusiastic cheers which accom- 
 
Death of Jasmin: His Character. 231 
 
 panied his efforts, but remained simple and unaffected to 
 the hist. 
 
 Another characteristic of him was that he never for- 
 sook his friends, however poor. His happiest moments 
 were those in which he encountered a companion of his 
 early youth. Many still survived who had accompanied 
 him while making up his bundle of fagots on the islands 
 of the Garonne. He was delighted to shake hands with 
 them, and to help, when necessary, these playmates of his 
 boyhood. 
 
 He would also meet with pleasure the working-women 
 of his acquaintance: those who had related to him the 
 stories of Loup Garou and the traditions of the neighbor- 
 hood, and encouraged the boy from his earliest youth. 
 Then, at a later period of his life, nothing could have 
 been more worthy of him than his affection for his old 
 benefactor, M. Baze, and his pleading with Napoleon HI., 
 through the Empress, for his return to France "through 
 the great gate of honor !" 
 
 Had Jasmin a fault? Yes, he had many, for no one 
 exists within the I'fmits of perfection. But he had one 
 in especial, which he himself confessed. He was vain and 
 loved applause; ifor did he conceal his love. 
 
 When at Toulouse, he said to some of his friends, " I 
 love to be applauded : it is my whim ; and I think it 
 would be difficult for a poet to free himself from the 
 excitement of applause." When at Paris, he said, " Ap- 
 plaud ! applaud ! The cheers you raise will be heard at 
 Agen." Who would not overlook a fault, if fault it be, 
 which is confessed in so naive a manner? 
 
 When complimented about reviving the traditions of 
 the Troubadours, Jasmin replied, "The Troubadours, 
 indeed! Why, I am a better poet than any of the 
 Troubadours! Not one of them could have composed 
 
232 Jasmin. 
 
 a long poem of sustained interest like my "Francon- 
 nette." 
 
 Any fault or weakness which Jasmin exhibited was 
 effaced by the good wishes and prayers of thousands 
 of the poor and afflicted whom he had relieved by his 
 charity and benevolence.. The reality of his life almost 
 touches the ideal. Indeed, it was a long apostolate. 
 
 Cardinal Donnet, Archbishop of Bordeaux, said of him 
 that " he was gifted with a rich nature, a loyal and un- 
 reserved character, and a genius as fertile as the soil of 
 his native country. The lyre of Jasmin," he said, " had 
 three chords, which summed up the harmonies of heaven 
 and earth — the true, the useful, and the beautiful." 
 
 Did not the members of the French Academy — the 
 highest literary institution in the world — strike a gold 
 medal in his honor, with the inscription : "Za medaille 
 du 2)oete moral et pojndai?^ ?" M. Sainte-Beuve, the most 
 distinguished of French critics, used a much stronger ex- 
 pression. He said, " If France had ten poets like Jasmin 
 — ten poets of the same power and influence — she need 
 no longer have any fear of revolutions." 
 
 Genius is as nothing in the sight of God ; but " who- 
 soever shall give a cup of water to drin\ in the name of 
 Christ, because they belong to Christ, shall not lose his 
 reward." M. Tron, Deputy and Mayor of Bagnere-du- 
 Luchon, enlarged upon this text in his eulogy of Jasmin. 
 
 "He was a man," he said, "as rich in his heart as in 
 his genius. He carried out that life of 'going about 
 doing good ' which Christ rehearsed for our instruc- 
 tion. He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, succored 
 the distressed, and consoled and sympathized with the 
 afflicted. Few men have accomplished more than he 
 has done. His existence was unique, not only in the 
 history of poets, but of philanthropists." 
 
Death of Jasmin: His Character. 233 
 
 A life so full of good could only end with a Christian 
 death. He departed with a lively faith and serene piety, 
 crowning by a peaceful death one of the strangest 
 and most diversified careers in the nineteenth century. 
 " Poetry " and " Charity," inscribed on the pedestal of 
 his statue in Agen, fairly sums up his noble life and 
 character. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 TKANSLATIONS FROM JASMIN'S POEMS. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 JASMIN'S DEFENCE OF THE GASCON DIALECT. 
 
 To M. Sylvain Dumon, Deputy - Minister, toho has condemned to 
 death our native language. 
 
 There's not a deeper grief to man 
 
 Than when onr mother, faint with years, 
 Decrepit, old, and weak, and wan, 
 
 Bej'ond the leech's art appears ; 
 When Vy lier conch her son may stay. 
 
 And press her hand, and watch her eyes. 
 And feel, thotigh she survives to-day. 
 
 Perchance his liope to-morrow dies. 
 
 It is not thus, believe me, sir. 
 
 With this enchantress — we will call 
 
 Onr second mother; Frenchmen err 
 
 Who, cent'ries since, proclaimed her fall ! 
 
 Our mother-tongue, all melody. 
 
 Yes! still she lives, her words still ring, 
 Her children yet her carols sing; 
 And thousand years may roll away 
 Before her magic notes decay. 
 
 The people love their ancient songs, and will 
 While yet a people, love and keep them still. 
 These lays are like their mother — they recall 
 Fond thoughts of brother^ sister, friends, and all 
 
238 Jasmin. 
 
 The many little tilings that please the beart — 
 Those dreams and hopes, from which we cannot part ; 
 These songs are as sweet waters, where we find 
 Health in the sparkling wave that nerves the mind. 
 In every home, at every cottage door. 
 By every fireside, when our toil is o'er. 
 These songs are round us, near our cradles sigh, 
 And to the grave attend us when we die. 
 
 Oh! think, cold critic! 'twill be late and long 
 Ere time shall sweep away this flood of song! 
 There are who hid this music sound no more, 
 And you can hear them, nor defend — deplore! 
 You, who were born w^here the first daisies grew, 
 Have fed upon its honey, sipp'd its dew^, 
 
 Slept in its arms, and wakened to its kiss, 
 Danced to its sounds, and warbled to its tone — 
 
 You can forsake it in an hour like this ! 
 Weary of age, you may renounce, disown. 
 And blame one minstrel who is true — alone ! 
 
 For me, truth to my eyes made all things plain ; 
 
 At Paris, the great fount, I did not find 
 The waters pure, and to my stream again 
 
 I come, with saddened and with sobered mind; 
 And now the spell is broken, and I rate 
 The little country far above the great. 
 
 For you, who seem her sorrow^s to deplore. 
 You, seated high in power, the first among, 
 
 Beware ! nor make her cause of grief the more ; 
 Believe her mis'ry, nor condemn her tongue. 
 
 Methinks you injure where you seek to heal, 
 
 If you deprive her of that only weal. 
 
 We love, alas! to sing in our distress; 
 For so the bitterness of woe seems less ; 
 But if we may not in our language mourn, 
 What will the polish'd give us in return ? 
 
Appendix. 239 
 
 Fiue sentences, bnt all for us nnnicet — 
 
 Words full of grace, even such as courtiers greet : 
 
 A deck'd out miss, too delicate and uico 
 
 To walk in fields; too tender and precise 
 
 To sing the chorus of the poor, or conic 
 
 When Labor lays him down fatigued at home. 
 
 To cover rags with gilded robes were vain — 
 The rents of poverty would show too plaiu. 
 
 How would this dainty dame, with haughty brow, 
 Shrink at a load, and shudder at a plough ! 
 Sulky, and piqued, and silent would she stand 
 
 As the tired peasant urged his team along : 
 No word of kind encouragement at hand. 
 
 For flocks no welcome, and for herds no song! 
 
 Yet wo will learn, and you shall teach — 
 Our people shall have double speech : 
 One to be homely, oue polite, 
 
 As you have robes for different wear ; 
 But this is all: — 'tis just and right. 
 
 And more our children will not bear. 
 Lest flocks of buzzards flit along, 
 Where nightingales once poured their song. 
 
 There may be some who, vain and proud. 
 May ape the manners of the crowd. 
 Lisp French, and maim it at each word, 
 And jest and gibe to all afford ; 
 But we, as in long ages past. 
 Will still be poets to the last!* 
 
 Hark ! and list the bridal song. 
 As they lead the bride along: 
 " Hear, gentle bride ! your mother's sighs, 
 And you would hence away ! 
 
 * Jasiuia here quotes several paloU songs, well known in the country. 
 
240 Jasmin. 
 
 Weep, weep, for tears become those eyes." 
 "I cannot weep — to-day." 
 
 Hark! the farmer in the mead 
 Bids the shepherd swain take heed: 
 " Come, your lambs together fokl, 
 
 Haste, my sous! yonr toil is o'er: 
 For the setting sun has told 
 
 That the ox should work no more." 
 
 Hark! the cooper in the shade 
 
 Sings to the sound his hammer made: 
 
 " Strike, comrades, strike ! prepare the cask, 
 
 'Tis lusty May that fills the flask: 
 
 Strike, comrades! summer suns that shine 
 
 Fill the cellars full of wine." 
 
 Verse is, with us, a charm divine, 
 Our people, loving verse, will still, 
 
 Unknowing of their art, intwine 
 Garlands of poesy at will. 
 
 Their simple language suits them best: 
 
 Then let them keep it and be blest. 
 
 Let the wise critics build a wall 
 
 Between the nurse's cherished Aoice, 
 And the fond ear her words inthrall, 
 
 And say their idol is her choice. 
 Yes! — let our fingers feel the rule, 
 The angry chiding of the school; 
 True to our nurse, in good or ill. 
 We are not French, but Gascon still. 
 
 'Tis said that age new feeling brings, 
 Our youth returns as we grow old; 
 
 And that we love again the things 
 
 Which in our memory had grown cold. 
 
 If this be true, the time will come 
 When to our ancient tongue, once more, 
 
Apiyendix. 241 
 
 You will return, as to a home, 
 
 Aud thank us that we kept the store. 
 
 Remember thou the tale they tell 
 
 Of Lacu6e and Lacep^de,* 
 Wlieu age crept on, who loved to dwell 
 
 On words that once their music made ; 
 And, in the midst of grandeur, hung. 
 Delighted, on their parent tongue. 
 
 This AY ill you do : and it may be. 
 
 When weary of the world's deceit, 
 Some summer-day we yet may see 
 
 Your coming in our meadows sweet; 
 Where, midst the flowers, the fiuch's lay 
 Shall welcome you with music gay; 
 While you sh.all bid our antique tongue 
 
 Some word devise, or air supply, 
 Like those that charm'd your youth so long, 
 
 And lent a spell to memory. 
 
 Bethink you how we stray 'd alone 
 IJoncath those elms in Agen grown. 
 That each an arch above us throws, 
 Like giants, hand in hand, in rows. 
 
 A storm once struck a ftiv'rito tree. 
 
 It trembled, shook, and bent its boughs, — 
 
 The vista is no longer free: 
 Our governor no pause allows; 
 
 " Bring hither hatchet, axe, and spade, 
 
 The tree must straight be prostrate laid!" 
 
 But vainly strength and art were tried, 
 
 The stately tree all force defied ; 
 
 Well might the elm resist and foil their might. 
 
 For though his branches were decay'd to sight, 
 
 * Both Gascons. 
 11 
 
242 Jasmin. 
 
 As many as his leaves the roots spread round, 
 And in the firm set earth they slept i)rofound. 
 
 Since then, more full, more green, more gay, 
 The crests amid the breezes play : 
 And birds of every note and hue 
 Come trooping to his shade in spring; 
 Each summer they their lays renew, 
 And while the years endure they sing. 
 
 And thus it is, believe me, sir, 
 
 With this enchantress — she we call 
 Onr second mother; Frenchmen err 
 Who, ceut'ries since, proclaimed her fall. 
 
 No ! she still lives, her words still ring, 
 Her children yet her carols slug ; 
 And thousand years may roll away 
 Before her magic notes decay. 
 
 September 2, 1837. 
 
 THE MASON'S SON.* 
 [la semmano d'ux fil.] 
 
 Riches, u'oublies pas un eeul petit moment 
 
 Que des panvres la grande couvee 
 Se reveille toujours le sonrire a la bouche 
 
 Quand elle s'eudort sans avoir faire ! 
 
 Riche et Pauvre. 
 
 I. 
 
 The swallows fly about, although the air is cold, 
 Onr once fair sun has shed his brightest gold. 
 
 The fields decay 
 
 On All-Saints day. 
 
 * Jasmin says, " the subject of this poem is historical, and re- 
 cently took place in our neighborhood." 
 
Appendix. 243 
 
 Grouud 's hard afoot, 
 
 The birds are mute; 
 The tree-tops shed their chill'd aud yellow leaves, 
 They dying fall, and whirl about iu sheaves. 
 
 One night, when leaving late a neighb'riug town, 
 
 Although the heavens were clear, 
 Two children paced along, with many a moan — 
 
 Brother and sister dear; 
 And when they readied the way-side cross 
 
 Upon their knees they fell quite close. 
 
 Abel and Jane, by the moon's light. 
 
 Were long time silent quite ; 
 
 As they before the altar bend, 
 
 With one accord their voices sweet ascend: 
 
 "Mother of God, Virgin compassionate! 
 
 Oh ! send thy angel to abate 
 
 The sickness of our father dear, 
 
 Tliat mother may no longer fear — 
 
 And for us both! Oh! Blessed Mother, 
 
 We love thee, more aud more, we two together !" 
 
 Tlio Virgin doubtless heard their prayer. 
 
 For, when they reached the cottage near, 
 
 The door before them opened wide. 
 
 And the dear mother, ere she turned aside. 
 
 Cried out; "My children brave, 
 
 The fever's gone — your father's life is safe! 
 
 Now come, my little lambs, and thank God for His grace." 
 
 Iu their small cot, forthwith the three, 
 To God iu prayer did bend the knee. 
 Mother and children iu their gladness weeping, 
 While on a sorry bed a man lay sleeping — 
 
 It was the father, good Ililaire ! 
 Not long ago, a soldier brave, 
 Bat now— a working mason's slave. 
 
244' Jasmin. 
 
 II. 
 
 <> 
 
 The dawn next day was clear and bright, 
 The glint of morning sunlight 
 Gleamed through the windows taper, 
 Although they only were patched up with paper. 
 
 When Abel noiseless entered, with his footfall slight, 
 
 He slipped along to the bedside; 
 He oped the little curtain, without stirring of the rings; 
 His father woke and smiled, with joy that pleasure brings. 
 
 " Abel," he said, " I longed for thee ; now listen thou to 
 
 me: 
 We're very poor indeed — I've nothing save my weekly fee ; 
 But Heaven has helped our lives to save — by curing me. 
 
 Dear boy, already thou art fifteen years — 
 
 You know to read, to write — then have no fears ; 
 Thou art alone, thou'rt sad, but dream no more. 
 Thou ought'st to work, for now thou hast the power! 
 I know thy pain and sorrow, and thy deep alarms ; 
 More good than strong — how could thy little arras 
 
 Ply hard the hammer on the stony blocks ? 
 But our hard master, though he likes good looks. 
 
 May find thee quite a youth ; 
 He says that thou hast spirit; and he means for thy be- 
 hoof. 
 
 Then do what gives thee pleasure. 
 Without vainglory, Abel ; and spend thy precious leisure 
 In Avriting or in working — each is a labor worthy, 
 Either with pen or hammer — they are the tools most lofty ; 
 Labor in mind or body, they do fatigue us ever — 
 But then, Abel my son, I hope that never 
 
 One blush upon you e'er will gather 
 
 To shame the honor of your father." 
 
 Abel's blue eyes were bright with bliss and joy — 
 Father rejoiced — four times embraced the boy; 
 
Appendix. 245 
 
 Mother and daughter mixed their tears and kisses, 
 Then Abel saw the master, to his happiness, 
 And afterwards four days did pass, 
 
 All full of joyfuluess. 
 But pleasure with the poor is always nnenduring. 
 A brutal order had been given on Sunday morning 
 That if next day the father did not show liis face. 
 
 Another workman, in that case, 
 
 Would bo employed to take his place! 
 
 A shot of cannon filled with grape 
 
 Could not have caused such grief. 
 
 As this most cruel order gives 
 
 To these four poor unfortunates. 
 
 " I'm cured !" Hilaire cried ; " let me rise and dress ;" 
 Ho tried — fell back ; and then ho must confess 
 Ho could not labor for another week! 
 Oh, wretched plight — 
 
 For him, his work was life ! 
 
 Should he keep sick, 'twas deatli! 
 All four sat mute ; sudden a ray of hope 
 Beamed in the soul of Abel. 
 Ho brushed the tear-drops from his een. 
 Assumed a manly mien. 
 
 Strength rushed into his little arras, 
 On his bright face the blushes came ; 
 He rose at once, and went to reason 
 With that cruel master-mason. 
 
 Abel returned, with spirits bright. 
 No longer trembling with affright; 
 
 At once ho gayly cries. 
 With laughing mouth and laughing eyes: — 
 
 "My father! take your rest; have faith and courage; 
 Take all the week, then thou shalt work apace; 
 Some one, who loves thee well, will take thy place, 
 Then thou may'st go again and show thy face." 
 
246 Jasmin. 
 
 III. 
 
 Saved by a friend, indeed! He yet had friends in store! 
 
 Oh! how I wish that in this life so lonely. . . . 
 
 But, all will be explained at work on Monday ; 
 
 There are good friends as yet — perhaps there's many more. 
 
 It was indeed our Abel took his father's place. 
 
 At office first he showed his face; 
 Then to the work-yard: thus his father he beguiled. 
 Spite of his slender mien, he worked and always smiled. 
 He was as deft as workmen twain ; he dressed 
 The stones, and in the mortar then he pressed 
 The heavy blocks; the workmen found him cheerful. 
 
 Mounting the ladder like a bird: 
 
 He skipped across the rafters fearful. 
 He smiled as he ascended, smiled as he descended— 
 The very masons trembled at his hardiness: 
 But he was working for his father — in his gladness, 
 
 His life was full of happiness ; 
 
 His brave companions loved the boy 
 
 Who filled their little life with joy. 
 They saw the sweat run down his brow, 
 And clapped their hands, though weary he was now. 
 
 What bliss of Abel, when the day's work 's o'er, 
 And the bright stars were shining : 
 Unto the office he must go, 
 And don his better clothing — 
 Thus his poor father to deceive, who thought he went 
 
 a-clerkiug. 
 He took his paper home and wrote, midst talk with Jane 
 
 so shyly, 
 And with a twinkling eye he answered mother's looks so slyly. 
 
 Three days thus passed, and the sick man arose, 
 Life now appeared to him a sweet repose. 
 
 On Thursday, tempting was the road ; 
 At mid-day, Friday, he must walk abroad. 
 
Appendix. 247 
 
 But, fatal Friday — God has made tbee for sorrow. 
 
 The father, warmed up by the sun's bright ray, 
 
 Hied to the work-yard, smiling by the way; 
 
 He wished to thank the friend who worked for him. 
 
 But saw him not — his eyes were dim — 
 Yet ho was near; and looking up, ho saw no people 
 
 working, 
 No dinner-bell had struck, no workmen sure were lurking. 
 Oh, God ! what's happened at the building yard ? 
 A crowd collected — master, mason — as on guard. 
 "What's this!'' the old man cried. "Alas! some man has 
 
 fallen !" 
 Perhaps it was his friend ! His soul with grief was burning. 
 Ho ran. Before him thronged the press of men, 
 
 They tried to thrust him back again ; 
 But no ; Hilaire pressed through the crowd of working men. 
 
 Oh, wretched father — man unfortunate; 
 The friend who saved thee was thy child— sad fate 
 Now he has fallen from the ladder's head. 
 And lies a bleeding mass, now nearly dead ! 
 
 Now Hilaire uttered a most fearful cry; 
 
 The child had given his life, now he might die. 
 
 Alas ! the bleeding youth 
 Was in his death-throes, he could scarcely breathe ; 
 "Master," ho said, " I've not fulGUed my task. 
 But, in the name of my poor mother dear, 
 For the day lost, take father on at last." 
 
 The father heard, o'er whelmed he was with terror and 
 
 with fear, 
 Abel now saw him, and ho felt that he was near. 
 Inclined his head upon his breast, and praying — 
 Hand held in hand, he smiled on him when dying. 
 
 For Hilaire, his placo was well preserved, 
 His wages might porhaps be doubled. 
 
248 Jasmin. 
 
 Too late ! too late ! one saddened morn 
 The sorrow of bis life was goue; 
 Aud the good ftither, with his pallid face, 
 Went now to take another place 
 Within the grave, beside bis loved son. 
 
 THE POOR MAN'S DOCTOR. 
 
 [lou mkdici des paures,] 
 
 Dedicated to M. Cany, Fhysician of Toulouse. 
 
 [With the permission of the Rev. Dr. J, Dmican Craig, of Glenagary, 
 Kingstou, Dublin, I adopt, with some alterations, his free translation of 
 Jasmin's poem.] 
 
 Sweet comes this April morning, its faint perfumes ex- 
 haling ; 
 Brilliant shines the sun, so crisp, so bright, so freshcn- 
 
 Pearl-like gleam and sparkle the dew-drops on the rose, 
 While gray and gnarled olives droop like giants in re- 
 pose. 
 
 Soundeth low, solemnly, the mid-day bell in th' air, 
 
 Glideth on sadl}'^ a maiden sick with care; 
 
 Her head is bent, and sobbing words she sheds with many 
 
 a tear, 
 But 'tween the chapel and the windmill another doth ix,\i- 
 
 pear. 
 
 She laughs and plucks the lovely flowers with many a. 
 
 joyous bound, 
 The other, pale and spiritless, looks upward from the 
 
 ground ; 
 " Where goest thou, sweet Marianne, this lovely April 
 
 day ?" 
 "Beneath the elms of Ageu — there lies my destined way. 
 
Appendix. 249 
 
 " I go to seek tbis very day the Doctor of the Poor.* 
 Did'st tliou not Lear how skilfully he did my mother 
 
 cure ? 
 Behold this silver in my hand, these violets so sweet, 
 The guerdon of his loving care — I'll lay them at his 
 
 feet. 
 
 "Now, dost thou not remember, my darling Marianne, 
 
 How in our lonely hut the typhus-fever ran ? 
 
 And wo were poor, without a friend, or e'en our daily 
 
 bread, 
 And sadly then, and sorrowful, dear mother bowed her 
 
 head. 
 
 " One day, the sun was shining low in lurid western sliy, 
 All, all, our little wealth was gone, and mother yearned 
 
 to die. 
 When sudden, at the open door, a shadow crossed the way, 
 And cheerfully a manly voice did words of comfort say : 
 
 "'Take courage, friends, your ills I know, your life I hope 
 
 to save.' 
 'Too late!' dear mother cried — 'too late! My home is in 
 
 the grave ; 
 Our things are x^lcdged, our med'cino gone, e'en bread we 
 
 cannot buy.' 
 The doctor shudder'd, then grew pale, but sadly still drew 
 
 nish. 
 
 * In the last edition of Jasmin's poems (4 vols. 8vo, edited by 
 Boyer d'Agen) it is stated (p. 40, 1st vol.) tliat " M. Duiand, phy- 
 sician, was one of those rare men whom Providence seems to have 
 provided to assuage the lot of the poorest classes. Ills career was 
 full of noble acts of devotion towards the sick whom he was called 
 upon to cure. lie died at the early age of thirty-five, of a stroke 
 of apoplexy. His remains were accompanied to the grave by near^ 
 ly all the poor of Agcn and the neighborhood." 
 11* 
 
250 Jasmin. 
 
 "No curtains had we on our bed : I marked bis pallid face ; 
 Five silver crowns now forth be drew witli melaucboly 
 
 grace — 
 'Poor woman, take these worthless coins, suppress your 
 
 bitter grief! 
 Don't blush; repay them when you can — these drops will 
 
 give relief/ 
 
 '•' He left the but, and went away ; soon sleep's refreshing 
 
 calm 
 Relieved the patient he bad helped — a wonder-working 
 
 balm ; 
 The world now seemed to smile again, like spring -tide 
 
 flowers so gay, 
 While mother, brothers, and myself, incessant worked away. 
 
 "Thus, like the swallows which return with spring unto 
 
 our shore, 
 The doctor brought rejoicing back unto our vine-wreathed 
 
 door ; 
 And we are happy, Isabel, and money too we'v^e made ; 
 Bat why dost weep, when I can laugh?" the gentle maiden 
 
 said. 
 
 "Alas! alas! dear Marianne, I weep and mourn to-day. 
 From your bouse to our cottage-home the fever made its waj' ; 
 My father lies with ghastly face, and many a raving cry — 
 Oh, would that Durand too might come, before the sick 
 man die!" 
 
 "Dear Isabel, haste on, haste on— we'll seek bis bouse 
 
 this hour ! 
 Come, let us run, and hasten on with all our utmost 
 
 power. 
 He'll leave the richest palace for the poor man's humble 
 
 roof — 
 He's far from rich, except in love— of that we've had full 
 
 proof!" 
 
Appendix. 261 
 
 The good God bless tlie noblo heart that caretli for the 
 
 poor ; 
 Aud forth the panting children speed to seek the sick 
 
 man's cure; 
 And as beneath our giant elius they pass with rapid tread, 
 They scarcely dare to look aronud, or lift their weary bead. 
 
 The town at last is reached, by the Pont-Long they enter, 
 Close by the Rne dcs Jacobins, near Diirand's house they 
 
 venture. 
 Around the portals of the door there throngs a mournful 
 
 crowd ; 
 They see the cross, they hear the priests the requiem 
 
 chant aloud. 
 
 The girls were troubled in their souls, their minds were 
 
 rent with grief; 
 One above all, young Marianne, was trembling like a leaf: 
 Anotlier death — oh, cruel thought! then of her father 
 
 <lving, 
 She quickly ran to Durand's door, and asked a neighbor, 
 
 crying: 
 
 "Where's the good doctor, sir, I pray? I seek him for 
 
 njy father !" 
 He soft replied, "The gracious God into His fold doth gather 
 The best of poor folks' doctors now, to his eternal rest ; 
 They bear the body forth, 'tis true : his spirit's with the 
 
 blest." 
 
 Bright on his corpse the candles shine around his narrow 
 
 bier. 
 Escorted by the crowds of poor with many a bitter tear ; 
 No more, alas! can ho the sad and anguish-laden cure — 
 Oh, wail I For Durand is no moi-o — the Doctor of the 
 
 Poor! 
 
252 Jasmin. 
 
 MY VINEYARD.* 
 
 [ma bigno.] 
 To Madame Louis Veill, de Paris. 
 
 Dear lady, it is true, that last mouth I have signed 
 A little scrap of parchment j now I find 
 Myself the master of a piece of ground 
 
 Withiu a small sweet hound — 
 Not, as you heard, a spacious English garden 
 Covered with flowers and trees, to shrine your hard in — 
 
 But of a tinj^ little vineyard. 
 
 Which I have baptized PapiIh6to!" 
 
 Where, for a chamber, I have but a grotto. 
 
 The vine-stocks hang about their boughs. 
 
 At other end a screen of hedge-rows. 
 
 So small they do not half unroll ; 
 
 A hundred would not make a mile; 
 
 Six sheets would cover the whole pile. 
 
 Well ! such as it is, of this I've dreamed for twenty years — 
 You laugh, madame, at my great happiness, 
 Perhaps you'll laugh still more, when it appears, 
 That when I bonght the place, I must confess 
 
 There were no fruits. 
 
 Though rich in roots ; 
 Nine cherry-trees — behold my wood! 
 Ten rows of vines — my promenade ! 
 A few peach-trees; the hazels too; 
 Of elms and fountains there are two. 
 
 * Jasmin purchased a little piece of ground, which he dedicated 
 to his Curl-papers {PapiUwto), on tlie road to Scah'ger's villa, and 
 addressed this poem to his lady-admirer in Paris, Madame Louis 
 Veill. 
 
Appendix. 263 
 
 How rich I am! My muse is grateful veryj 
 
 Oh! might I paiut * while I the i)ciicil try, 
 
 Our couutry loves the heavens so bright and merry. 
 
 Here, verdure starts up as we scratch the ground. 
 Who owns it, strips it into pieces round; 
 Beneath our sun there's nought hut gayest sound. 
 You tell me, true, that in your Paris hot-house, 
 You ripen two months sooner 'neath your glass, of course. 
 What is your fruit? Mostly of water clear. 
 The heat may redden what your tendrils hear. 
 But, lady dear, you cannot live on fruits alone Avhilo 
 here! 
 
 Now slip away your glossy glove 
 And pluck that ripened peach above, 
 Then place it in your i^early mouth 
 And suck it— how it 'lays your drouth — 
 Melts in your lips like honey of the South ! 
 
 Dear madame, in the North you liave great sights — 
 Of churches, castles, theatres of greatest heights ; 
 Your works of art are greater far than here. 
 
 But come and see, quite near 
 The banks of the Gtironne, on a sweet summer's day. 
 
 All works of God! and then you'll say 
 
 No place more beautiful and gay ! 
 You see the rocks in all their velvet greenery; 
 
 The plains are always gold ; and mossy very. 
 The valleys, where wo breathe the healthy air, 
 And where we walk on beds of flowers most fair! 
 
 The country round your Paris has its lovely flowers and 
 
 greensward, 
 But 'tis too grand a d;une for me, it is too dull and sad. 
 Here, thousand houses snjile along the river's stream ; 
 Our sky is bright, it laughs aloud from morn to e'en. 
 Since month of May, when brightest weather bounds 
 For six montlis, music through the air resounds — 
 
254 Jasmin. 
 
 A tliousaml uiglitingales the slieplierds' cars delight: 
 All sing of Love — Love which is new and bright. 
 Your Opera, surprised, w^ould sileut hearken, 
 When day for night has drawn aside its curtain, 
 Under our heaveus, which very soon comes glowing. 
 Listen, good God ! our concert is beginning ! 
 What notes! what raptures! Listen, shepherd-swains, 
 One chant is for the hill-side, the other's for the plains. 
 
 "Those lofty mountains 
 Far up above, 
 I cannot see 
 All that I love; 
 Move lower, mountains, 
 Plains, up-raove, 
 That I may see 
 All that I love." * 
 
 And thousand voices sound through heaven's alcove, 
 
 Coming across the skies so blue, 
 
 Making the angels smile above — 
 
 The earth embalms the songsters trne; 
 
 The nightingales, from tree to flower, 
 
 Sing louder, fuller, stronger. * 
 "Tis all so sweet, though no one beats the measure. 
 To hear it all while concerts last — such pleasure ! 
 
 Indeed my vineyard's but a seat of honor, 
 For, from my hillock, shadowed by my bower, 
 I look upon the fields of Agen, and the valley of Verone.t 
 How happy am I in my vineyard! Such pleasures there 
 
 are none. 
 For here I am the poet vine-dresser, working for the wines. 
 I only think of propping up my arbors and my vines; 
 
 Upon the road I pick the little stones — 
 And take them to my vineyard to set them up in cones, 
 
 * From a popular song by Gaston Phebus. 
 
 f Referring to Verona, the villa of Scaliger, the great scholar. 
 
Appendix, 265 
 
 And thus I raako a little house with but a sheltered door — 
 As each friend, in his turn, now helps to make the store. 
 And then there comes the vintage — the ground is firm 
 
 and fast. 
 With all my friends, whether with wallets or baskets cast. 
 We then proceed to gather up the fertile grapes at last. 
 
 Oh I my young vine, 
 
 The sun's bright shine 
 
 Hath ripened thee 
 
 All — all for me! 
 
 No drizzling showers 
 
 Have spoilt the hours. 
 
 My muse can't borrow ; 
 
 My friends, to-morrow 
 
 Cannot me lend ; 
 
 But thee, young friend. 
 
 Grapes nicely drest. 
 
 With figs the finest 
 
 And raisins gather j 
 
 Bind them together! 
 
 Th' abundant season 
 
 Will still us bring 
 
 A glorious harvesting; 
 
 Close up thy hands with bravery 
 
 Upon the luscious grapery ! 
 
 Now all push forth their tendrils ; I, though not past all 
 
 remedy. 
 At th' hour when I am here, my faithful memory 
 Comes crowding back; my oldest fiiends 
 Now make me young again — for x>lcasuro binds 
 
 Me to their hearts and minds. 
 But now the curtained night comes on again. 
 
 I see the meadows sweet around. 
 
 My little island, midst the varying ground. 
 
 Where I liave often laughed, and sometimes I have groaned. 
 
256 Jasrain. 
 
 I see far off the leafy \Yoodlaud, 
 
 Or near tlie fountain, where I've often dreamed; 
 
 Long time ago there was a famous niau* 
 
 Who gave its fame to Agen. 
 
 I who but write these verses slight 
 
 Midst thoughts of memory bright. 
 
 But I will tell you all — in front, to leffc, to right, 
 More than a hedge row thick that I have brought the light. 
 More than an apple-tree that I have trimmed. 
 More than an old vine-stalk that I have thinned 
 
 To ripen lovely Muscat. 
 Madame, you see that I look back upon my past, 
 
 Without a blush at last; 
 What would you ? That I gave my vineyard back — 
 
 And that with usury? Alack! 
 
 And yet unto my garden I've no door — 
 
 Two thorns are all my fence — no more! 
 When the marauders come, and through a hole I see their nose, 
 
 Instead of taking up a stick to give them blows, 
 I turn aside ; perhaps they never may return, the horde ! 
 He who young robs, when older lets himself be robbed ! 
 
 FRANCONNETTE. 
 
 Part First. 
 
 Blaise de Montluc. — Festival at Roquefort. — The Prettiest Maiden. 
 — The Soldier and the Shepherds. — Kissing and Panting. — Cour- 
 age of Pascal. — Fury of Marcel. — Terrible Contest. 
 
 'TwAS at the time when Blaise the murderous 
 Struck heavy blows by force of arms. 
 He hewed the Protestants to pieces, 
 And, in the name of God the Merciful, 
 
 Flooded the earth with sorrow, blood, and tears. 
 
 * Scaliger. 
 
Appendix. 25^ 
 
 Alas! 'twas pitiful— far worse beyond the liilla, 
 
 Where flashing gun and cnlveriu were lieaid ; 
 
 There the unhappy bore their heavy cross, 
 
 And suffered, more tlian elsewhere, agonizing pain, 
 
 Were killed and strangled, tumbled into wells ; 
 
 'Tweeu Penne and Fmnel the saddened earth was gorged. 
 
 Men, women, children, murdered everywhere. 
 
 The hangman even stopped for breath ; 
 While Blaise, with heart of steel, dismounted at the gate 
 
 Of his strong castle wall. 
 
 With triple bridge and triple fosse ; 
 Then kneeling, made his pious x^rayers, 
 
 Taking the Holy Sacrament, 
 His hands yet dripping with fraternal blood ! * 
 
 Now every shepherd, every shepherd lass, 
 
 At the word Huguenot shuddered with affright, 
 
 Even midst their laughing courtship. 
 
 And yet it came to pass 
 That in a hamlet, 'ncatli a castled height. 
 One Sunday, when a troop of sweethearts dauced 
 
 Upon the day of Roquefort fete. 
 
 And to a life the praises sang 
 
 * Blaise de Montluc, Marshal of France, was one of the bitterest 
 persecutors of the Iluguenots. Towards the end of the sixteenth 
 century Agen was a centre of Protestantism. The town was taken 
 again and again by the contending religious factions. When Mont- 
 luc retook tlve place, in 1562, from Truellc, the Huguenot captain, 
 he found that the inhabitants had fled, and there was no one to 
 butcher {Gascogne et Languedoc, par Paul Joanne, p. 95). Montluc 
 made up for his disappointment by laying waste the country be- 
 tween Fumel and Penne, towns to the north of Agen, and slaying 
 all the Iluguenots — men, women, and children — on whom he could 
 lay his hands. He then returned to his castle of Estillac, devoted 
 himself to religious exercises, and " took the sacrament," says Jas- 
 min," while his hands were dripping with fraternal blood." Montluc 
 died in 1577, and was buried in the garden of Estillac, where a mon- 
 ument, the ruins of which still exist, was erected over his remains. 
 
258 Jasmin. 
 
 Of Saint James and the August weather- 
 That bounteous month which year by year, 
 Through dew-fall of the evening bright, 
 And heat of autumn noons doth bring 
 Both grapes and figs to ripening. 
 
 It was the finest fete that eyes had ever seeu 
 Under the shadow of the leafy parasol 
 
 Where aye the country-folk convene. 
 O'erflowing were the spaces all, 
 From cliff, from dale, from every home 
 Of Montnguac and Sainte-Colombe, 
 
 Still they do come, 
 Too many far to number; 
 More and ever more, while flames the sunshine o'er, 
 There's room for all, their coming Avill not cumber. 
 The fields shall be their chamber, and the little hillocks 
 green 
 
 The couches of their slumber. 
 
 What pleasure ! what delight ! the sun now fills the air ; 
 The sweetest thing in life 
 Is the music of the fife 
 And the dancing of the fair. 
 You see their baskets emptying 
 
 Of waffles all home-made. 
 They quaff the nectar sparkling 
 
 Of freshest lemonade. 
 What crowds at Punchinello, 
 While the showman beats his cymbal! 
 Crowds everywhere ! 
 But who is this appears below ? 
 
 Ah ! 'tis the beauteous village queen ! 
 Yes, 'tis she; 'tis Franconnette ! 
 A fairer girl was never seen. 
 
 In the town as in the prairie, 
 You must know that every country 
 
Appendix. 259 
 
 Has its chosen pearl of love. 
 Ah, "well ! This was the one — 
 They named her in the canton, 
 The prettiest, sweetest dove. 
 
 But now, yon must not fancy, gentlemen, 
 
 That she was sad and sighing, 
 
 Her featnres pale as any lily, 
 That she had dying eyes, half-shut and blue. 
 And slender figure clothed with languishing, 
 Like to a weeping willow by a limpid lake. 
 
 Not so, my masters. Francounette 
 Had two keen flashing eyes, like two live stars ; 
 Her laughing cheeks were round, whereon a lover might 
 
 Gather in haudfuls roses bright ; 
 
 Brown locks and curly decked her head; 
 
 Her lips were as the cherry red. 
 
 Whiter than snow her teeth ; her feet 
 
 How softly moulded, small and fleet ; 
 
 How light her limbs! Ah, well-a-day ! 
 
 And of the whole at once I say, 
 
 She was the very beau-ideal 
 Of beauty in a woman's form, most fair and real. 
 
 Such loveliness, in every race. 
 
 May sudden start to light. 
 
 She fired the youths with ready love, 
 
 Each maiden with despair. 
 
 Poor youths, indeed! Oh! how they wished 
 
 To fall beneath her feet ! 
 
 They all admired her, and adored, 
 
 Just as the priest adores the cross — 
 'Twas as if there shono a star of light 
 The young girl's brow across! 
 
 Yet, something vexing in her soul begau to hover ; 
 The finest flower had failed her in this day of honor. 
 
 Pascal, whom all the world esteemed, 
 Pascal, the handsomest, whose voice with music beamed, 
 
260 Jasmin. 
 
 He sbnnned the maitl, cast ne'er a loving glance; 
 Despised! She felt hate growing in her heart, 
 
 And in her pretty vengeance 
 She seized the moment for a brilliant dart 
 
 Of her bright ejes to chaiu him. 
 What would you have? A girl so greatly envied, 
 
 She might become a flirt conceited; 
 Already had she seemed all this, 
 Self-glorious she was, I fear, 
 
 Coquettiug rarely comes amiss. 
 Though she might never love, with many lovers near! 
 Grandmother often said to her, ''Child, child!" with gen- 
 tle frown, 
 "A meadow's not a parlor, and the country's not a town, 
 And thou knowest well that we have promised thee lang syne 
 To the soldier-lad Marcel, who is lover true of thine. 
 
 So curb thy flights, thou giddy one. 
 The maid Avho covets all, in the end mayhap hath none." 
 " Nay, nay," replied the tricksy fay. 
 With swift caress and laughter gay, 
 "There is another saw well known, 
 Time enough, my granny dear, to love some later day! 
 
 * She wlio hath only one, hath none P " 
 
 Now, such a flighty course, you may divine. 
 Made hosts of melancholy swains, 
 Who sighed and suffered jealous pains, 
 Yet never sang reproachful strains. 
 Like learned lovers when they pine. 
 
 Who, as they go to die, their woes write carefully 
 On willow or on poplar-tree. 
 Good lack! thou couldst not shape a letter, 
 
 And the silly souls, though love-sick, to death did not incline, 
 Thinking to live and suffer on were better! 
 But tools were handled clumsily. 
 And vine-sprays blew abroad at will. 
 And trees were pruned exceeding ill, 
 And many a furrow drawn awry. 
 
Appendix. 261 
 
 Metliiiiks you know lier now, tliis fair and foolish girl; 
 Watch wliile she treads one measure, then see her dip antl 
 twirl! 
 
 Young Etioune holds her hand by chance, 
 
 'Tis the first rigadoou they dance; 
 
 With parted lips, right thirstily 
 
 Each rustic tracks them as they fly, 
 And the damsel sly 
 Feels every eye, 
 
 And lighter moves for each adoring glance. 
 Holy cross! what a sight! when the madcap rears aright 
 Her shining lizard's head ! her Spanish foot falls light, 
 
 Her wasp-like figure sways 
 And swims and whirls and sjirings again. 
 The wind with corner of her kerchief plays. 
 Those lovely cheeks whereon the youths now gaze. 
 They hunger to salute with kisses twain ! 
 
 And some one shall ; for hero the custom is, 
 Who tires his partner out, salutes her with a kiss; 
 The girls grow weary everywhere. 
 Wherefore already Jean and Paul, 
 Louis, Guillaunie, and strong Pierre, 
 Have breathless yielded up their place 
 Without the coveted embrace. 
 
 Another takes his place, Marcel the wight, 
 The soldier of Montluc, prodigious iu his height, 
 Arrayed in uniform, bearing his sword, 
 A cockade iu his cap, the emblem of his lord. 
 Straight as an I, though bold yet not well-bred, 
 His heart was soft, but thickish was his head. 
 He blustered much and boasted more and more, 
 Frolicked and vapored as ho took the floor ; 
 Indeed ho was a very horrid bore. 
 Marcel, most mad for Franconnetto, tortured the other girls, 
 Made her most jealous, yet she had no chance. 
 The swellcd-out coxcomb called ou her to dance. 
 
262 Jasmin, 
 
 Bnt Frauconnette was loath, and she must let him see it ; 
 He felt most madly jealous, yet was maladroit, 
 He boasted that he was beloved; perhaiis he did believe 
 it quite — 
 
 The other day, in such a place, 
 
 She shrank from his embrace! 
 
 The crowd now watched the dancing pair, 
 
 And marked the tricksy witching fair ; 
 
 They rush, they whirl ! But what's amiss ? 
 
 The bouncing soldier lad, I wis. 
 
 Can never snatcb disputed kiss! 
 The dancing maid at first smiles at her self-styled lover, 
 " Makes eyes " at him, but ne'er a word does utter ; 
 
 She only leaped the faster! 
 Marcel, piqued to the quick, longed to subdue this creature, 
 He wished to show before the crowd what love he bore 
 her; 
 
 One open kiss were sweeter far 
 
 Than twenty in a corner! 
 But, no! his legs began to fail, his head was in a trance. 
 He reeled, he almost fell, he could no longer dance ; 
 
 Now ho would give cockade, sabre, and silver lace. 
 
 Would it were gold indeed, for her embrace ! 
 
 Yet while the pair were still afoot, the girl looked very 
 
 gay- 
 Resolved never to give way ! 
 While headstrong Marcel, breathless, spent, and hot in face. 
 He reeled and all but fell; then to the next gave place! 
 Forth darted Pascal in the soldier's stead, 
 They make two steps, then change, and Frauconnette, 
 Weary at last, with laughing grace, 
 
 Her foot stayed and upraised her face ! 
 Tarried Pascal that kiss to set? 
 Not he, be sure ! and all the crowd 
 His vict'ry hailed with plaudits loud. 
 
Appendix. 263 
 
 The clapping of their palms like battledoor resounded, 
 While Pascal stood among them quite confouuded ! 
 
 Oil, wluit a picture for the soldier who so loved his 
 
 queen ! 
 Ilim the kiss maddened! Measuring Pascal with his een, 
 Ho thundered, "Peasant, you have filled my place most 
 
 sly; 
 
 Not so fast, churl !" — and brutally let fly 
 
 With aim unerring one fierce blow, 
 Straiglit ill the other's eyes, doubling the insult so. 
 
 Good God!* how stings the madd'niug pain, 
 His dearest happiness that blow must stain, 
 
 Kissing and boxing — glory, shame ! 
 Light, darkness ! Fire, ice ! Life, death ! Heaven, hell ! 
 All this was to our Pascal's soul the knell 
 Of hope! But to bo thus tormented 
 By flagrant insult, as the soldier meant it; 
 Now without fear he must resent it! 
 It does not need to be a soldier nor a ''Monsieur," 
 
 An outrage placidly to bear. 
 Now fiery Pascal let fly at his foe. 
 Before ho could turn round, a stunning blow ; 
 
 *Twas like a thunder peal. 
 
 And made the soldier reel; 
 
 Trying to draw his sabre, 
 
 But Pascal, seeming bigger, 
 Gripped Marcel by the waist, and sturdilj^ 
 
 Lifted him up, and threw his surly 
 Foe on the ground, breathless, and stunned severely. 
 
 "Now then!" while Pascal looked on the hound thrown 
 by him, 
 
   Jour de Dieu! 
 
264 Jasmin. 
 
 *'Tlie peasant grants thee chance of living!" 
 " Despatch him !" cried the surging crowd. 
 " Thou art all cover'd o'er with blood !" 
 
 But Pascal, in his angry fit of passion, 
 
 Had hurt his wrist and fist in a most serious fashion. 
 
 "No matter! All the same I i)ardou him! 
 You must have pity on the beaten hound !" 
 " No, finish him ! Into morsels cut him !" 
 The surging, violent crowd now cried around. 
 " Back, peasants, back ! Do him no harm !" 
 Sudden exclaimed a Monsieur, speakiug with alarm ; 
 The peasants moved aside, and then gave place 
 To Montluc, glittering with golden lace ; 
 It was the Baron of Roquefort ! 
 
 The frightened girls, like hunted hares. 
 
 At once dispers'd, flew here and there. 
 The shepherds, but a moment after. 
 With thrilling fife and beaming laughter, 
 The brave and good Pascal attended on his way. 
 Unto his humble home, as 'twere his nuptial day. 
 
 But Marcel, furious, mad with rage, exclaimed, 
 "Oh! could I stab and kill them! But I'm maimed!" 
 Only a gesture of his lord 
 Restrained him, hand upon his sword. 
 Then did he grind his teeth, as he lay battered, 
 And in a low and broken voice he muttered: 
 " They love each other, and despise my kindness, 
 She favors him, and she admires his fondness; 
 
 Ah, well ! by Marcel's patron, I'll not tarry 
 To make them smart, and Franconnette 
 No other husband than myself shall marry. 
 
Appendix. 265 
 
 Part Second. 
 
 The Enamored Blacksmith. — His Fretful Mother. — The Busking 
 Soiree. — Pascal's Song. — The Sorcerer of the Black Forest. — 
 Tlie Girl Sold to the Demon. 
 
 Since Roquefort fete, one, two, three months have fled; 
 The dancing frolic, Avith the harvest ended ; 
 
 The out-door sports are banished — 
 For winter comes* the air is sad and cold; it sighs 
 
 Under the vaulted, skies. 
 At fall of night, none risks to -walk across the fields, 
 
 For each one, sad and cheerless, beelds 
 
 Before the great fires blazing, 
 
 Or talks of wolfish fiends * amazing ; 
 And sorcerers — to make one shudder with affright — 
 
 That walk around the cots so wight, 
 Or 'ueatli the gloomy elms, and by farm-yards at night. 
 
 But now at last has Christmas come, 
 And little Jack, who beats the drum. 
 Cries round the hamlet, with his beaming face : 
 "Come, briskeu up, you maidens fair, 
 A merry busking t shall take i)lace 
 On Friday, first night of the year !" 
 
 * Wehr-wolves, wizard wolves — loup-garoii. Superstitions re- 
 specting tliem are known in Brittany and the South of France. 
 
 f Miss Harriet W. Preston, in her article on Jasmin's "Fran- 
 connette" in the Atlantic Monthly for February, 1876, says : "The 
 Ijtiscou, or busking, was a kind of bee, at which the young people 
 assembled, bringing the thread of their late spinning, which was 
 divided into skeins of the proper size by a broad thin plate of steel 
 or whalebone called a bnsc. The same thing, under precisely the 
 same name, figured in the toilets of our grandmothers, and hence, 
 probably, the Scotch use of the verb to busk, or attire." Jamieson 
 {Scottish Didionarii) says : " The term busk is employed in a beau- 
 tiful proverb whicii is very commonly used in Scotland, 'A bonny 
 bride is soon busked.' " 
 
266 Jasmin. 
 
 All ! now the liappy yoiitlis aud maidens fair 
 Proclaimed the drummer's words, so bright and rare. 
 The news was carried far and near 
 Light as a bird most fleet 
 With wings to carry thoughts so sweet. 
 The sun, with beaming rays, had scarcely shono 
 Ere everywhere the joyous news had flown ; 
 At every fireside they were known, 
 By every hearth, in converse keen, 
 The busking was the theme. 
 
 But when the Friday came, a frozen dew was raining, 
 And by a fireless forge a mother sat complaining : 
 And to her son, who sat thereby. 
 She spoke at last entreatiugly : 
 "Hast thou forgot the summer day, my boy, when thou 
 
 didst come 
 All bleeding from the furious fray, to the sound of music 
 home ? 
 
 How I have suffered for your sorrow. 
 And all that you have had to go through. 
 Long have I troubled for your arm ! For mercy's sake 
 Oh! go not forth to-night! I dreamt of flowers again, 
 And what means that, Pascal, but so much tears and 
 I)ain !" 
 
 '• Now art thou craven, mother ! and see'st that life's all 
 
 black, 
 But wherefore tremble, since Marcel has gone, and comes 
 
 not back !" 
 
 " Oh yet, my son, do you take heed, I pray ! 
 
 For the wizard of the Black Wood is roaming round 
 
 this way ; 
 The same who wrought such havoc, 'twas but a year 
 
 agone, 
 They tell me one was seen to come from 's cave at dawn 
 
Appetidix, 267 
 
 Bat two daj's past — it was a soldier; now 
 What if this were Marcel? Ob, my cliikl, do take caro! 
 Each mother gives her charms unto her son; do thou 
 Take miuo; but I beseech, go not forth anywhere!" 
 
 "Just for one little hour, mine eyes to set 
 
 On ray friend Thomjis, whom I'm bound to meet !" 
 
 "Thy friend, indeed! Nay, nay! Thou meanest Fraucon- 
 
 uette. 
 Whom thou loves dearly! I wish thou'd love some other 
 
 maid! 
 
 Oh yes! I read it iu thine eyes! 
 Though thou sing'st, art gay, thy secret bravely keep- 
 
 That I may not be sad, yet all alone thou'rt weeping — 
 
 My head aches for thy misery ; 
 Yet leave her, for thine own good, my dear Pascal ; 
 She would so greatly scorn a working smith like thee. 
 
 With mother old in penury; 
 
 For poor we are — thou knowest truly. 
 
 "How we have sold and sold until scarce a scythe 
 remains. 
 
 Oh, dark the days this house hast seen 
 Since, Pascal, thou so ill hast been ; 
 Now thou art well, arouse! do something for our gaius! 
 Or rest thee, if thou wilt; with suffering we can fight; 
 But, for God's love, oh ! go not forth to-night !" 
 
 And the poor mother, quite undone. 
 Cried, while thus pleading with her son, 
 Who, leaning on his blacksmith's forge 
 The stifling sob quelled in his gorge. 
 " 'Tis very true," he said, " that wo are poor, 
 But had I that forgot? ... I go to work, my mother, 
 now, bo sure!" 
 
20 8 Jasmin, 
 
 No sooner said than done; for in a blink 
 
 Was beard tbe anvil's clink, 
 Tbe sjiarks flew from tbe blacksmith's fire 
 
 Higher and still higher ! 
 Tbe forgeman struck tbe molten iron dead, 
 Hammer in hand, as if be had a hundred in hio head! 
 
 But now, the Busking was apace. 
 And soon, from every corner place 
 The girls came with the skein of their own making 
 To wind up at this sweethearts' merry meeting. 
 
 In tlie large chamber, where they sat and winded 
 
 The threads, all doubly garnished, 
 The girls, tbe lads, plied bard their fingers. 
 
 And swiftly "wound together 
 
 The clews of linfc so fair. 
 
 As fine as any hair. 
 
 The winding now was done ; and the white wine and 
 
 rbymsters 
 Came forth witb rippling glass and porringers, 
 
 And brought their vivid vapors 
 
 To brighten up their capers — 
 Ah ! if the prettiest were the best, with pride 
 
 I -would my Franconnette describe. 
 Though queen of games, she was the last, not worst. 
 It is not that she reigned at present, yet was first. 
 
 "Hold! bold!" she cried, the brown-haired maid. 
 Now she directed them from side to side — 
 
 Three women merged in one, they said — 
 She dances, speaks, sings, all bewitching. 
 By maiden's wiles she was so rich in; 
 
Appendix, .209 
 
 She sings Avitli soul of turtle-dove, 
 
 She speaks with grace angelic ; 
 She dances on the wings of love — 
 Sings, speaks, and dances, in a guise 
 More thau enough to turn the head most wise! 
 
 Her triumph is complete; all eyes are fixed upon her. 
 Though her adorers are hut peasants; 
 Her eyes are heamiug, 
 Blazing and sparkling. 
 And quite howitchiug ; 
 No wonder that the sweetheart lads are ravished with 
 her! 
 
 Theu Thomas rose and, on the coquette fixing 
 His ardent eyes, though hlushing, 
 In language full of neatness. 
 And tones of lute-like sweetness. 
 This song hegau to sing: 
 
 THE SIREN WITH A HEART OF ICK 
 
 " Oh, tell US, charming Siren, 
 
 With heart of ice unmoved, 
 When shall wo hear the sound 
 -Of hells that ring around, 
 
 To say that you have loved ? 
 Always so free and gay, 
 Those wings of dazzling ray. 
 Are spread to every air — 
 And all your favor share ; 
 Attracted hy their light 
 All follow in your flight. 
 But ah ! helieve me, 'tis not bliss, 
 
 Such triumphs do hut purchase pain ; 
 What is it to bo loved like this. 
 
 To lior who cannot love again? 
 
270 Jasmin. 
 
 " You've seen bow full of joy 
 
 We've marked the sun arise; 
 Even so each Sunday morn 
 
 When you, before our eyes, 
 
 Bring us such sweet surprise. 
 With us new life is horn : 
 We love your angel face, 
 
 Your step so debonnaire, 
 Your mien of maiden grace, 
 
 Your voice, your lips, your hair. 
 Your eyes of gentle fire, 
 All these we now admire ! 
 But ah! believe me, 'tis not bliss. 
 
 Such triumphs do but purchase pain: 
 What is it to be loved like this. 
 
 To her who cannot love again ? 
 
 "Alas! our groves are dull 
 
 When widowed of thy sight, 
 •And neither hedge nor field 
 Their i^erfume seem to yield; 
 
 The blue sky is not bright; 
 When you return once more, 
 
 All that was sad is gone, 
 All nature you restore. 
 
 We breathe in you alone ; 
 We could your rosy fingers cover 
 With kisses of delight all over! 
 But ah ! believe me, 'tis not bliss, 
 
 Such triumphs do but purchase pain ; 
 What is it to be loved like this, 
 
 To her who cannot love again ? 
 
 "The dove you lost of late, 
 
 Might warn you by her flight, 
 She sought in woods her mate, 
 And has forgot you quite; 
 
Appendix, 271 
 
 She has become more fair 
 Siuco love baa been her care. 
 'Tis love makes all things gay, 
 
 Oh, follow where she leads — 
 Wheu beauteous looks decay, 
 
 What dreary life succeeds! 
 And ah ! believe me, perfect bliss, 
 
 A joy, where peace and triumph reign, 
 Is when a maiden, loved like this, 
 
 Has learnt 'tis sweet to love again !" 
 
 The songster finished, and the ardent crowd 
 Of listeners clapx^ed their hands in praises loud. 
 
 "Oh ! what a lovely song!" they cried. " Wiio is the poet ?" 
 
 "'Tis Pascal," answered Thomas, "that lias made it!" 
 
 " Bravo ! Long live Pascal !" exclaimed the fervent crowd. 
 
 Nothing said Francounette; but she rejoiced— was proud — 
 At having so much love evoked. 
 And in a song so touching. 
 Before this crowd admiring. 
 
 Then she became more serious as she thought of Pascal ; 
 " How brave he is ! 'Tis all for him ; he has not got his 
 
 equal ! 
 How he paints love! All praise him without doubt; 
 And his sweet song — so touching!" for now by heart she 
 
 knows it. 
 " But if he loves at last, why docs ho hide away f" 
 Then turning suddenly, she says: 
 " Thomas, he is not here, away he stays ; 
 I would him compliment; can he not come?" 
 "Oh! now he cannot; but remains at home." 
 
 Then spoke the jealous Lawrence : " Pascal knows 
 He cannot any other songs compose; 
 
272 Jasmin. 
 
 Poor fellow! almost ruined quito he is; 
 His fiitlier's most iufirm — stretclied out, and cannot rise ; 
 Tlie baker will not give him bread, he is constrained to 
 
 debts." 
 
 Then Franconnette grew pale, and said: "And he so very 
 
 good ! 
 Poor lad ! how much he suffers ; and now ho wants his 
 
 food !" 
 
 "My faith!" said Lawrence, a heart of goodness aping, 
 
 "They say that now he goes a-begging!" 
 "You lie!" cried Thomas, "hold thy serpent's tongue! 
 Pascal, 'tis true, is Avorking, yet with harm, 
 Since, for this maiden, he has suffered in his arm ; 
 But he is cured; heed not this spiteful knave! 
 He works now all alone, for he is strong and brave." 
 If some one on the girl his eyes had set. 
 He would have seen tears on the cheeks of Franconnette. 
 
 "Let's 'Hunt the Slipper!'" cried the maids; 
 
 Round a wide ring they sat, the jades. 
 
 Slipper M'as hid by Franconnette, 
 But in a twinkle. Marionette — 
 
 "Lawrence, hast thou my slipper?" "No, demoiselle!" 
 
 "Eise then, and seek it now, ah, well!" 
 
 Lawrence, exulting in his features. 
 Said, " Franconnette, hast thou my slipper ?" 
 "No, sir!" "'Tis false!" It was beneath her 
 seat! 
 
 "Thou hast it! Rise! Now kiss me as the forfeit!" 
 
 A finch, just taken in a net. 
 First tries some gaj) to 11}^ at; 
 So Franconnette, just like a bird, escaped 
 With Lawrence, whom she hated ; 
 Incensed, he turned to kiss her; 
 
Appendix. 273 
 
 He swiftly ran, but in his pursuit wuini, 
 The momeut slie was caught he stumbled, 
 Slipped, fell, and sudden broke his arm. 
 
 The gloomy night was now far spent; 
 But in that fright of frights, quite in a breath. 
 The house-door creaked and ope'd ! Was it a wraith? 
 
 No ! but an old man bearded to the waist. 
 And now there stood before the throng the Black Wood Ghaist! 
 "Imprudent youths!" he cried; "I come from gloomy rocks 
 
 up yonder. 
 Your eyes to ope : I'm filled with wrath and wonder ! 
 
 You all admire this Frauconnette ; 
 
 Learn who she is, infatuate ! 
 
 " From very cradle she's all evil ; 
 
 Her wretched father, miserable. 
 Passed to the Huguenots and sold her to the Devil; 
 
 Her mother died of shame — 
 
 And thus the demon plays his game. 
 
 Now he has bought this woman base, 
 
 Ho tracks her in her hiding-place. 
 Y'ou see how ho has punished Pascal and Lawrence 
 
 Because they gave her light embrace ! 
 Bo warned ! For whoso dares this maid to wed. 
 Amid the brief delight of their first nuptial night. 
 
 Will sudden hear a thunder-peal o'er head ! 
 
 The demon cometh in his might 
 
 To snatch the bride away in fright. 
 
 And leave the ill-starred bridegroom dead !" 
 
 The Wizard said no more ; but angry, fiery rays, 
 From scars his visage bore, seemed suddenly to blaze. 
 
 Four times he turned his heel upon, 
 Then bade the door stand wide, or ero his foot he stayed; 
 With one long creak the door obeyed, 
 And lo! the boarded ghaist was gone! 
 12* 
 
274 Jasmin, 
 
 He left great horror in bis wake ! None stirred in all tlio 
 tbrong ; 
 
 They looked nor left nor right, when he away had 
 
 gone, 
 They seemed all changed to stone — 
 Only the stricken maid herself stood brave against her 
 
 wrong ; 
 And in the hope forlorn that all might pass for jest, 
 With tremnlous smile, half bright, half pleading, 
 She swept them with her eyes, and two steps forward 
 in-essed ; 
 
 But when she saw them all receding. 
 And heard them cry "Avaunt!" tlien did she know her 
 fate; 
 
 Then did her saddened eyes dilate 
 With speechless terror more and more. 
 The while her heart beat fast and loud, 
 Till with a cry her head she bowed 
 And sank in swoon upon the Hoor. 
 Such was the close of Busking night ; 
 Though it began so gay and bright ; 
 The morrow was the New-year's Day, 
 It should have been a time most gay ; 
 But now there went abroad a fearful rumor — 
 
 It was remembered long time after 
 In every house and cottage home throughout the land — 
 Though 'twas a fiction and a superstition — 
 It was, "The De'il's abroad! He's now a-roaming; 
 How dreadful! He is now for lost souls seeking!" 
 
 The folks were roused and each one called to mind 
 That some, in times of yore, had heard the sound 
 
 Of Devil's chains that clanked ; 
 
 How soon the father vanished. 
 
 The mother, bent in agony, 
 A maniac she died ! 
 
Appendix. 276 
 
 That then all smilod; they felt nor hurt nor harm, 
 They lived quite happy on their cottage farm, 
 And when the fields were spoiled with hail or rain, 
 Their ground was covered o'er with plums and grain. 
 
 It was enough ; the girls believed it all, 
 Grandmothers, mothers — thoughts did them appall — 
 
 Even iuftints trembled at the Demon's name; 
 And when the maiden hung her head in pain, 
 And went abroad, they scarce would give her passage ; 
 They called to her, " Away ! Avaunt! thou imp of evil, 
 
 Behold the crime of dcalinir ^ith the Devil!" 
 
 Part Tuiud. 
 
 The Maid at Estanquet. — A Bad Dream. — The Grandmother's 
 Advice. — Blessed Bread, — Satisfaction and Affection. — First 
 Thought of Love.— Sorrowfulness. — The Virgin. 
 
 Beside a cot at Estanquet, 
 Down by a leafy brooklet. 
 The limpid stream 
 Enshadowed sheen. 
 Lapped o'er the pebbles murmuring. 
 Last summer sat a maid, with gathered llowers. 
 She was engaged in setting. 
 Within her grassy bowers; 
 She sang in joy her notes so thrilling 
 As made the birds, their sweet songs trilling, 
 Most jealous. 
 
 Why does she siug no more ? midst fields and hedge-rows 
 verdant ; 
 
 The nightingales that came within her garden, 
 With their loud "jug! jug!" warbling, 
 And their sweet quavers singing; 
 
 Can she have left her cottage homo ? 
 
276 Jasmin. 
 
 No ! There's her pretty hat of straw 
 
 Laid on the bench ; but then they saw 
 There was no ribbon round it; 
 The garden all neglected: 
 
 The rake and wat'ring-pot were down 
 
 Among the jonquils overthrown ; 
 The broken-branched roses running riot ; 
 The dandelion, groundsell, all about; 
 And the nice walks, laid out with so much taste, 
 Now cover'd with neglected weeds and wanton waste. 
 
 Oh! what has happened here? Where is the lively nuiid? 
 
 The little birds now whispering said ; 
 
 Her home is sparkling there beyond, 
 
 With tufted branch of hazel round ; 
 
 Let's jnst peep in, the door is open. 
 
 We make no noise, but let us listen. 
 Ah ! there's grandmother, on her arm-chair, fast asleep I 
 
 And here, beside the casement deep, 
 The maid of Estanquet, in saddened pain and grief, 
 
 The tears down-falling on her pretty hand ; 
 To whom no joy nor hope can ever give relief! 
 
 Ah! yes, 'twas dark enough! for it is Franconnette, 
 Already you've divined it is our pet ! 
 
 And see her now, poor maiden, 
 Bending beneath the falsest blow, o'erladen ; 
 
 She sobs and Aveeps alternately — 
 
 Her heart is rent and empty. 
 Oft, to console herself, she rises, walks, and walks again ; 
 
 Alas ! her trouble is so full of pain — 
 Awake or sleeping — 
 
 She's only soothed by weeping. 
 
 Daughter of Huguenot accursed. 
 
 And banished from the Church ! 
 
 Sold to the Demon ; she's forever cursed ! 
 
Appendix. 211 
 
 GraDiluiother, waking, said, "Child, 'tis uot true; 
 
 It matters not ; 'tis but thy father fled, 
 No one can contradict that raving crew; 
 They know uot where he is, and conkl they see him, 
 They avouUI so frightened be, they'd not believe their 
 een !" 
 
 '* How changed things are," said Frauconnette, " before I 
 
 was so happy ; 
 Then I was village queen, all followed love in harmony; 
 
 And all the lads, to please me, 
 Would come barefooted, e'en through serpents' nests, to 
 bless me! 
 
 But now, to bo dcsx)ised and curst, 
 
 I, who was once the very first ! 
 And Pascal, too, whom once I thought the best. 
 In all my misery shuns me like a pest! 
 
 Now that he knows my very sad mishaps. 
 
 He ne'er consoles with me at all — perhaps — " 
 
 She did deceive herself. Her grief to-day was softened 
 By hearing that Pascal 'gainst slanders her defended ; 
 
 Such magic help, it was a balm 
 
 Her aching soul to calm; 
 
 And then, to sweeten all her ill. 
 She thought always of Pascal — did this softened girl. 
 
 What is that sound? A sudden shriek! 
 Grandmother dreamt — she was now wide awake; 
 The girl sprang to her; she said, "Isn't the house aflame? 
 Ah! 'twas a dream! Thank God!" her murmur came. 
 
 "Dear heart," the girl said, softly ; "what was this dream 
 
 of thine ?" 
 "Oh, love! 'twas night, and loud, ferocious men methought 
 Game lighting fires all round our little cot, 
 And thou did'st cry unto them, daughter mine. 
 
278 Jasmin, 
 
 To save me, but did'st vainly strive, 
 
 For here we too must burn alive! 
 The torment that I bore ! How shall I cure my fright ? 
 Come hither, darling, let me hold thee tight !" 
 
 Then the white-headed dame, in withered arms of love, 
 With yearning tenderness folded the brown -haired girl, 
 who strove. 
 
 By many a smile, and mute caress, 
 
 To hearten her, until at length 
 The aged one cried out, her love gave vital strength, 
 "Sold to the Demon, thou? It is a hideous lie! 
 Therefore, dear child, weep not so jjiteously ; 
 Take courage ! Be thou brave in heart once more, 
 
 Thou art more lovely than before — 
 
 Take granny's word for that ! Arise ! 
 
 Go forth; who hides from envious eyes 
 Makes wicked people spiteful; I've heard this, my pet; 
 I know full well there's one who loves thee yet — 
 
 Marcel would guard thee with his love; 
 
 Thou lik'st not him? Ah! could he move 
 
 Thy feelings, he Avould shield thee, dear, 
 And claim thee for his own. 
 
 But I am all too feeble grown ; 
 Yet stay, my darling, stay! To-morrow's Easter Djiy, 
 Go thou to mass, and pray as ne'er before ! 
 Then take the blessed bread, if so the good God may 
 The precious favor of his former smile restore. 
 
 And on thy sweet face, clear as day. 
 Own thou art numbered with his children evermore!" 
 
 Then such a gleam of hope lit the old face again, 
 
 Furrowed so deep with years and pain. 
 That, falling on her neck, the maiden promised well, 
 And once more on the white cot silence fell. 
 
 When, therefore, on the morrow, came the country-side, 
 To hear the hallelnjas in the cliurch of Saint Pierre; 
 
Appendix. 279 
 
 Great was the woiideniient of tLose that spied 
 The maiden, Franconnctto, silently kneeling there, 
 Telling her beads Avitli downcast eyes of i)rayer. 
 She ueeds, poor thing, Pleaven's mercy to implore, 
 
 For ne'er a woman's will she win ! 
 
 Bnt then, beholding her sweet mien, 
 Were Marcel and Pascal, eying her fondly o'er; 
 She saw them with her glances, dark as night, 
 Then shrinking back, they left her all alone, 
 Midway of a great circle, as they might 
 
 Some poor condemned one 
 liearing some stigma on her brow in sight. 
 
 This was not all, poor child! It was well known — 
 
 The warden, uncle to Marcel, 
 
 Carried the Blessed Bread ; 
 
 And like a councillor, did swell 
 
 In long-tailed coat, with pomi)ous tread : 
 But when the trembling maid, making a cross, essayed 
 To take a double portion, as her dear old grandame bade. 
 
 Right in the view of every eye. 
 The sacred basket he withdrew, and passed her wholly by ; 
 And so, denied her portion of the bread whereby wo live. 
 
 She, on glad Easter, doth receive 
 
 Dismissal from God's house for aye. 
 
 The maid, trembling Nvith fear, thought all was lost indeed ! 
 
 But no ! she hath a friend at need ; 
 
 'Twas Pascal, who had seen her all the while — 
 
 Pascal, whose young foot walked along the aisle ; 
 
 He made the quest, and nothing loth. 
 
 In view of uncle and of nephew both. 
 
 Doth quietly to her present, 
 Upon a silver plate, with flowers fair blossoming. 
 
 The crown-piece* of the Holy Sacrament — 
 And all the world beholds the pious offering. 
 
 * Miss Preston says this was a custom which prevailed in cer- 
 
280 Jasmin. 
 
 Oh ! raomeut full of joy ; her blood sprang iuto fleet uess ; 
 
 Warnitb "was in all lier frame, Ler senses tlirilled witb 
 sweetness ; 
 
 She saw the bread of God arisen 
 
 Out of its earthly prison, 
 
 Thus life unto ber own was given : 
 
 But w^herefore did ber brow quite blushing grow ? 
 
 Because the angel bright of love, I trow, 
 
 Did with ber glowing breath impart 
 
 Life to the flame long smouldering in ber heart. 
 
 It did become a something strange, and passing all desire 
 As honey sweet, and quick as tire 
 Did her sad soul illuminate 
 With a new being ; and, though late, 
 She knew the word for her delight, 
 The fair enigma she could guess. 
 
 People and priest all vanish'd from her sight. 
 
 She saw in all the church only one man aright — 
 
 He whom she loved at last, with utmost gratefulness. 
 
 Then from Saint Peter's church the throng widely dis- 
 persed, 
 And of the scandal they bad seen now eagerly conversed; 
 
 But lost not sight of her at all 
 Who bore the Bread of Honor to the ancient dame, ere this. 
 She sitteth now alone, shut in her chamber small, 
 While Franconnette beams brightly with ber new-found bliss. 
 
 On the parched earth, where falls the earliest dew, 
 As shines the suu's first rays, the winter flown — 
 
 So love's first spark awakes to life anew. 
 
 And fills the startled mind with joy unknown. 
 
 tain parts of France. It was carried by the French emigrants to 
 Canada, where it flourished in recent times. Tlie Sacramental 
 Bread was crowned by one or more frosted or otherwise ornamented 
 cakes, which were reserved for the family of the Seigneur, or other 
 communicants of distinction. 
 
Appendix, 281 
 
 The maiden yielded every tlionglit to this— 
 The trembling ccrtiiinty of real bliss; 
 The lightning of a joy before improved, 
 Flashed in her heart, and told her that she loved. 
 
 She fled from envy, and from curious eyes, 
 
 And dreamed, as all have done, their waking dreams, 
 
 Bidding in thought bright fairy fabrics rise 
 
 To shrine the loved one in their golden gleams. 
 
 Alas! the sage is right, 'tis the distrest 
 
 Who dream the fondest, and who love the best. 
 
 But when the saddened heart controls us quite, 
 
 It quickly turns to gall the sweets of our delight. 
 
 Then she remembered all ! The opening heaven turned gray, 
 
 Dread thought now smites her heavily. 
 
 Dreams she of love ? Why, what is she ? 
 Sweet love is not for her ! The dreaded sorcerer 
 Hath said she's foresold for a price — a murderer! 
 With heart of dev'lish wrath, which whoso dares to brave 
 To lie with her one night, therein shall find his grave. 
 
 She, to see Pascal perish at her side ! 
 
 "O God! have pity on me now!" she cried. 
 
 So, rent with cruel agonies. 
 And weeping very sore. 
 
 Fell the poor child upon her knees. 
 Her little shrine before. 
 
 "Oh, Holy Virgin!" — sighing — "on thee alone relyiug, 
 
 I come; I'm all astray! Father and mother too. 
 
 Are dead lang syne, and I accnrsed ! All tongues are cryiug 
 
 This hideous tale! Yet save me ift bo true; 
 
 If they have falsely sworn, be it on their souls borne 
 
 When I shall bring ray taper on the fete-day morn* 
 
 * At Notre Dame du Bon Encoiitre, a church in the suburbs of 
 Agen, celebrated for its legends, its miracles, and the numerous 
 pilgrimages, which are usually made to it in the month of May. 
 
282 Jasmin. 
 
 Oil! blessed Mother, let mo see 
 That I am not denied of thee !'' 
 
 Brief prayer, 
 Though 'tis sincere, 
 To Heaven mounts quickly, 
 Sure to have won a gracious ear; 
 The maid her purpose holds, and ponders momently, 
 And oftentimes grows sick, and cannot speak for fear, 
 But sometimes taketli heart, and sudden hope and strong 
 Shines in her soul, as brightest meteor gleams the sky along. 
 
 Part Fourth. 
 
 The Fete at Notre Dame. — OfiFering to the Virgin. — Thunderstroke 
 and Taper Extinguished. — The Storm at Roquefort. — Fire at 
 Estanquet. — Triumph of Pascal. — Fury of Marcel. — Power of a 
 Mother. — Bad Head and Good Heart. — Conclusion, 
 
 At last, behold the day she longed for, yet so fearfully, 
 
 But lo ! the sun rose cheerfully ; 
 And long, long Hues of white-robed village girls, 
 From all the country round, walked tow'rds the tiukling bells, 
 And soon proud Notre Dame appeared in sight. 
 
 As 'mid a cloud of perfume! 
 'Twas if the thirty hamlets in their might 
 
 Were piled together into one. 
 
 What priests! What candles ! Crucifixes! Garlands! 
 What Angels,* and what banners ! 
 
 You see there Artigues, Puymiral, Astafort, 
 Saint-Cirq, Cardonnet, Lusignau, Brax, Koquefort, 
 But this year, Roquefort first, o'erleapeth all. 
 What crowds there are of curious people, 
 
 * The Angels walked in processioji, and sang the "Angelas" at 
 the appropriate Hours. 
 
Appendix. 283 
 
 , To watch ibo girl sold to the Devil! 
 
 The news has travelled everywhere; 
 They knou- that she, in silent i^rayer, 
 Implores the Virgin to protect her there! 
 
 Her neighboi-s scoff, and her menace. 
 
 But saddened friends grieve at her sore disgrace, 
 
 Love, througli their heart, in fervor rills. 
 
 Each one respects this plaintivest of girls; 
 
 And many a pitying sonl a prayer said, 
 
 That some great miracle might yet be made 
 
 In favor of this poor and suppliant maid. 
 
 She saw, rejoiced, more hope with her abode; 
 
 Though voice of j)eoplo is the voice of God I 
 Oh! how her heart beat as the church she neared, 
 'Twas for the Virgin's indulgence she cared. 
 
 Mothers with heartaches; young unfortunates; 
 
 The orphan girls; the women without mates; 
 
 All knelt before, with tapers waxen, 
 
 The image of the Virgin ; 
 
 And there the aged priest, in surplice dressed, 
 Placed the crosses at their lips, and afterwards them blessed. 
 
 No sign of sorrow did on any suppliant fall, 
 
 But with their happy hearts, their ways went one and all, 
 
 So Frauconnetto grew happy, too, 
 And most because Pascal prayed fervent in her view; 
 She dared t' raise her eyes to the holy father's face, 
 It seemed to her that love, hymns, lights, and the incense 
 
 United, cried out, " Grace I" 
 ** Grace, grace divine," she sighed, ''and love! Let them 
 
 be mineT' 
 Then stretching out her taper lit, and followed to the 
 
 shrine. 
 Bearing a garland in her hand; and all about her strove 
 To give a place to her, and bade her forward move. 
 
284 Jasmin. 
 
 They fixed their eyes upon the sacred priest and her, 
 And scarce a breath was drawn, and not a soul did stir; 
 But when the priest, holding the image of redeeming love, 
 Had laid it on the orphan's lips; before her kiss was 
 
 given, 
 Burst a terrific thunder-peal, as if 'twould rend the heaven, 
 Blowing her taper out, and all the altar lights above. 
 
 Oh, what is this? The crashing thunder! 
 Her prayer denied, the lights put out ! 
 Good God ! she's sold indeed ! All, all is true, no doubt. 
 So a long murmur rose of horror and of wonder ; 
 
 For while the maiden breathlessly 
 Cowering like some lost soul, their shuddering glances 
 
 under. 
 Sudden crept forth, all shrunk away, and let her pass 
 them by. 
 
 Howbeit, that great peal was the opening blow 
 Of a wild storm and terrible. 
 That straightway ujion Roquefort fell. 
 The spire of Saint Pierre* lay in rnins low. 
 And, smitten by the sharp scourge of the hail. 
 In all the region round, men could but weep and wail. 
 
 The Angel bands who walked that day 
 
 In fair procession, hymns to sing. 
 Turned sorrowing, all save one, away, 
 " Ova pro nobis " chanting. 
 
 Yet, in those early times, though not as now, 
 
 The angry waves to clear. 
 To other jealous towns could Agen show 
 Great bridges three, as she a royal city were; 
 
 * The ancient parish church of Roquefort, whose ruins only now 
 remain. See text for the effects of the storm. 
 
Appendix. 285 
 
 Then sbe had only barges two, by poles propelled slow, 
 That waited for the minstrels, to bear them to Roque- 
 fort, 
 Whoso villagers heard rumors of the widespread woe; 
 Ere landing, they wero ranged for singing on the shore. 
 
 At first the tale but half they heed. 
 
 But soon they see in very deed. 
 Vineyards and happy fields with hopeless ruin smit; 
 
 Then each let fall his banner fair, 
 
 And lamentations infinite 
 
 Rent on all sides the evening air, 
 Till o'er the swelling throng rose deadly clear the cry, 
 
 "And still Ave spare this Francouuette !" Then 
 suddenly. 
 
 As match to powder laid, the words 
 " Set her on fire ! That daughter of the Huguenot, 
 Let's burn her up, and let her ashes rot." 
 
 Then violent cries -were heard. 
 Howls of " Aye, Aye, the wretch ! Now let her meet her 
 fate! 
 
 She is the cause of all, 'tis plain ! 
 
 Once she has made us desolate, 
 
 But she sliall never curse again !" 
 
 And now the crowd grew angrier, wilder too. 
 
 "Hunt her off face of earth !" one shouts anew; 
 
 "Hunt hef to death! 'Tis meet," a thousand tongues 
 repeat, 
 
 The tempest in the skies cannot with this compete. 
 Oh, then, to see them as they came, 
 With clinched fists and eyes aflame, 
 Hell did indeed its demons all unchain. 
 
 And while the storm recedes, the night is growing clear, 
 But poison shools through every vein 
 Of the possess'd madmen there. 
 
 Thus goaded they themselves to crime ; but where was she, 
 Unhappy Franconnetto f To her own cottage driven— 
 
286 Jasmin. 
 
 Worshippiug her one relic, sad and dreamily, 
 And whispered to the withered flowers Pascal had loving 
 given : 
 
 " Dear uosegaj^, when I saw thee first, 
 Methought thy sweetness was divine, 
 And I did drink it, heart athirst; 
 But now thou art not sweet as crsfc. 
 
 Because those wicked thoughts of mine 
 Have blighted all thy heauty rare; 
 I'm sold to powers of ill, for Heav'n hath spurned my 
 
 prayer ; 
 My love is deadly love! No hope on earth have I! 
 So, treasure of my heart, flowers of the meadow fair, 
 Because I hless the hand that gathered thee, good-bye ! 
 Pascal must not love such as I ! 
 
 He must th' accursed maid forswear, 
 Who yet to God for him doth cry! 
 
 In wanton merriment last year. 
 Even at love laughed Franconnette ; 
 
 Now is my condemnation clear, 
 Now Avhom I love, I must forget; 
 Sold to the demon at my birth ! 
 My God, how can it be ? Have I not faith in Thee ? 
 
 Oh ! blessed blossoms of the earth, 
 Let me drive with my cross the evil one from me ! 
 And thou, my mother, in the star-lit skies above. 
 And thou, my guardian, oh ! mother of our God, 
 Pity me: For I bless Pascal, but part fi'om him I love! 
 Pity the maid accursed, by the rod 
 Sore smitten, to the earth down-trod, 
 Help mo, thy Heart Divine to move!" 
 
 " Franconnette, little one, what means thy plaintive 
 
 moan ?" 
 So spake the hoary dame. "Didst thou not smiling say 
 Our Lady did receive thy offering to-day? 
 But sure, no happy heart should make so sad a groan. 
 
Appendix. 287 
 
 Thou bast deceived me? Some new ill/'slio said, 
 
 "Hath full'ii upon us!" "Nay, not so; be comforted. 
 
 I — I'm quite bappy !" " So my sweetest deary, 
 
 God graut that some good respite wo may have, 
 
 For your sad sorrow diggeth up my grave; 
 
 And this bath been a lonesome, fearsome day, and 
 
 weary; 
 That cruel dream of fire I bad some time ago, 
 Howe'er I strove, did alwaj's haunt me so! 
 And then, thou know'st tbo storm ; oh, I was terrified, 
 So that, to-night, my dear, I shudder in my fright!" 
 
 Wbat sudden noise is this outside? 
 
 "Fire! Fire! Let's burn them in their cot!" 
 FLimes shine tlirough all the shutters wide. 
 Then Franconnette springs to tbe door-way tremblingly, 
 And, gracious Heaven ! what doth she see ? 
 
 By light of Imrning reek, 
 
 An angry people huddled tbick; 
 She bears them shout, " Now, to your fate ! 
 
 Spare ne'er tbe young one, nor the old, 
 
 Both work us ruin manifold. 
 Sold to tbe Demon, wo must burn you straight !" 
 
 Tbo girl fell on her knees, before the face 
 
 Of that most furious populace. 
 
 She cried, "Grandmother will j-ou kill? Ob, pity! 
 
 grace !" 
 'Twas of no use ; tbe wretches, blind with fury. 
 In viewing her bareheaded, in tbeir hurry. 
 Saw but a cursed Icman, 
 Sold bodily to tbo Demon. 
 Tbe fiercest cried "Avaunt!" 
 While tbo more savage forward spring, 
 
 And on tho door tbeir feet they plant, 
 With fiery brand in their hand brandishing. 
 
288 Jasmin. 
 
 "Jlold, I implore you!" cried a voice before uubeard; 
 And sudden leapt before the crowd like lightning with 
 the word, 
 
 A man of stately strength and tall, 
 
 It was the noble, brave Pascal! 
 
 "Cowards!" he cried. "What — will you murder women 
 then, 
 And burn their cot ? Children of God ! Are you the ^ 
 same? 
 Tigers yon are, and cannot then be men ; 
 
 And after all that they have suffered ! Shame ! 
 Fall back ! Fall back, I say ; the walls are growing hot !" 
 
 "Then let her leave us quite, this wretched Huguenot, 
 For she was long since by the Devil bought; 
 God smites us 'cause we did not drive her forth before." 
 "Quick! quick!" cried Pascal, "living they will burn! 
 Ye dogs, who moved ye to this awful crime?" 
 "'Twas Marcel/' they replied. "See, iiow he comes in 
 time !" 
 
 " You lie !" the soldier thundered in his turn j 
 " I love her, boaster, more than thou !" 
 
 Said Pascal, " How wilt prove thy love, thou of the ten- 
 der heart?" 
 
 "I come," tlio other said, "to save her. I come to take 
 her part. 
 
 I come, if so she will, to wxd her, even now." 
 
 "And so am I," replied Pascal, and steadfastly 
 Before his rival's eyes, as bound hy some great spell. 
 Then to the orphan girl turned he, 
 With worship all unspeakable. 
 "Answer me, Franconnette, and speak the truth alone; 
 Tliou'st followed by the wicked with spite and scorn, my 
 own ; 
 
Appe7idix. 289 
 
 Kilt wc two love tlicc well, aiul ready are to bravo 
 Death ! Yes, or hell, thy precious life to save. 
 Choose whicli of us thou wilt!" "Nay," she lamented 
 sore, 
 
 "Dearest, mine is a love that slays! 
 Be happy, then, without me! Forget me ! Go thy ways!" 
 
 "Happy without thee, dear! That can I never more; 
 
 Nay ; were it true, as lying rumor says. 
 An evil spirit ruled you o'er, 
 
 I'd rather die with you than live bereaved days!" 
 
 When life is at its bitterest, 
 The voice of love aye rules us best. 
 Instantly rose the girl above her mortal dread. 
 And on the crowd advancing straight, 
 " Because I love Pascal, alone I'd meet my fate. 
 Ilowbeit his will is law," she said, 
 "Wherefore together let our souls be sped." 
 Then was Pascal in heav'n, and Marcel in the dust laid 
 
 low; 
 Then Pascal sought his gallant rival, saying, 
 "I am more blest than thou. Forgive. Thou'rt brave, I 
 
 know. 
 Some squire* should follow me to death ; then wilt thou 
 not 
 
 * Donnzel is the word used by Jasmin. Miss II. W. Preston 
 says of this passage: "There is something essentially knightly 
 in Pascal's cast of character, and it is singular that, at the su- 
 preme crisis of his fate, he assumes, as if unconsciously, the very 
 phraseology of chivalry. 'Some squire {dounzel) should follow 
 me to death,' etc., and we find it altogether natural and burning 
 in the high-hearted smith. There are many places where Jasmin 
 addresses his hearers directly as ' Messieurs,' where the context 
 also makes it evident that the word is emphatic, that he is distinct- 
 ly conscious of addressing those who arc above him in rank, and 
 that the proper translation is ' gentles,' or even ' masters ;* yet no 
 poet ever lived who was less of a sycophant." 
 13 
 
290 Jasmin. 
 
 Serve me? I have no otber friend!" Marcel seemed 
 
 dreaming; 
 And now lie scowled with wrath, and now his eyes were 
 
 kindling ; 
 Terrible was the battle in his mind; 
 Till his eye fell on Francounette, serene and beaming, 
 But with no word for liim; then pale, but smilingly, 
 "Because it is her will," he said, ''I follow thee." 
 
 Two weeks had passed away, and a strange nuptial train 
 Adown the verdant hill went slowly to the plaiu ; 
 First came the comely pair we know, in all their bloom. 
 While gathered far and wide, three deep on either side, 
 
 The ever-curious rustics hied, 
 
 Shudd'ring at heart o'er Pascal's doom. 
 Marcel conducts their march, but pleasure kindly true 
 Glows not upon th' unmoving face he lifts to view. 
 And something glances from his eye, 
 That makes men shudder as they pass him by ; 
 
 Yet verily his mien triumphant is, at least 
 
 Sole master is he of this feast. 
 
 And gives his rival, for bouquet, 
 
 A supper and a ball to-day. 
 
 But at the dance and at the board 
 
 Alike, scarce one essayed a word ; 
 
 None sung a song, none raised a jest. 
 
 For dark forebodings every one oppressed. 
 
 And the betrothed, by love's deep rapture fascinated, 
 Silent and sweet, though near the fate she sad awaited, 
 No sound their dream dispelled, yet hand in hand did 
 
 press, 
 Their eyes looked ever in a visioned happiness; 
 And so, at last, the evening fell. 
 
 But one affrighted woman straightway broke the spell; 
 She fell on Pascal's neck, and "Fly, my son!" she cried. 
 "I from the sorcerer come! Fly, fly from thy false bride! 
 
Appendix, 291 
 
 Tbo fatal sieve * hath turned ; thy death decree is spoken ! 
 There's sulphur furae in bridal room, and by the same 
 
 dread token, 
 Enter it not ; for if thou liv'st thou'rt lost/' she sadly 
 
 said ; 
 ''And what were life to mc, my son, if thou wert dead?'* 
 
 Then Pascal felt his eyes were wet. 
 And turned away, striving to hide his face ; whereon 
 The mother shrieked, "Ingrate! but I will save thee yet. 
 Thou wilt not dare!" — falling before her stricken son. 
 "Thou shalt now o'er my body pass, even as thou goest 
 
 forth ! 
 A wife, it seems, is all; and mother nothing worth! 
 Unhappy that I am!" The crowd, alas! their heavy tears 
 
 ran down! 
 
 " Marcel," the bridegroom said, " her grief is my despair ; 
 But love, thou knowest, 's stronger yet; indeed 'tis time 
 
 to go! 
 Only, should I perish, let my mother be thy care." 
 
 " I can no more," cried Marcel, ^' thy mother's conquered 
 
 here." 
 And then the valiant soldier from his eyelids brushed a 
 tear. 
 
 "Take courage, Pascal, friend of mine 
 Thy Franconnetto is good and pure. 
 
 That hideous tale was told, of dark design ; 
 But give thy mother thanks; but for her coming, sure 
 
 This night might yet have seen my death and thine." 
 "What say'st thouT" "Hush! uow I will tell thee all; 
 Thou knowest that I loved this maid, Pascal. 
 
 * IjOU sedan (the sieve) is made of ra^v silk, and is used for sift- 
 ing flour. It has also a singular use in necromancy. When one 
 desires to know the name of the doer of an act — a tiieft, for in- 
 stance — tlic sieve is made to revolve, but woe to him whose name 
 is Fpokcn just as tlie sieve stops ! 
 
292 Jasmin. 
 
 For lier, like thee, I would have shed my blood; 
 I dreamt that I was loved again ; she held me in her 
 thrall. 
 
 Albeit my prayer was aye withstood; 
 Her elders promised her to me ; 
 And so, when other suitors barr'd my way, in spite, 
 Saying, in love or war, one may use strategy, 
 
 I gave the Wizard gold, my rival to affright. 
 Therefore, my chance did everything, insomuch that I said, 
 
 My treasure is already won and made. 
 But when, in the same breath, we two our suit made 
 known. 
 
 And when I saw her, without turn of head. 
 Choose thee, to my despair, it was not to be borne. 
 And then I vow'd her death and thine, before the morrow 
 
 morn ! 
 I thought to lead you forth to the bridal bower ere long. 
 And then, the bed beside which I had mined with care. 
 That they might say no prince or power of th' air 
 Is here. That I might burn you for my wrong; 
 Aye, cross yourselves, thought I, for you shall surely die! 
 But thy mother, with her tears, has made my vengeauce 
 
 fly. 
 
 I thought of my own, Pascal, who died so long ago. 
 Care thou for thine! And now fear nought from me, I 
 
 trow, 
 Eden is coming down to earth for thee, no doubt, 
 But I, whom henceforth men can only hate and flout, 
 Will to the wars away! For in me something saith 
 
 I may recover from my rout, 
 Better than by a crime ! Aye, by a soldier's death !" 
 
 Thus saying, Marcel vanished, loudly cheered on every 
 
 side; 
 And then with deepening blushes the twain each other 
 
 eyed. 
 For now, the morning stars in the dark heavens shone; 
 
Appendix. 293 
 
 But now I lift my x^encil 8nddciily. 
 Colors for strife and pain have I, 
 But for such perfect rapture — none ! 
 
 And so the morning came, with softly-dawning light, 
 No sound, no stir as yet within the cottage white, 
 At Estanquet the people of the hamlets gathered were, 
 To wait the waking of the happy married pair. 
 Marcel had frankly told th' unhappy truth ; nathless, 
 
 The Devil had an awful i>ower. 
 
 And ignorance was still his dower. 
 Some feared for bride and bridegroom yet; and guess 
 At strange mischance. ** In the night cries were heard," 
 Others had seen some shadows oil the wall, in wondrous ways. 
 
 Lives Pascal yet? None dares to dress 
 The spicy broth,* to leave beside the nuptial door, 
 
 And so another hour goes o'er. 
 Then floats a lovely strain of music overhead, 
 
 A sweet refrain oft heard before, 
 'Tis the aoubadoi offered to the newly-wed. 
 
 So the door opes at last, and the young pair was seen, 
 She blushed before tbo folk, but friendly hand and mien, 
 
 The fragments of her garter gives, 
 
 And every woman two receives ; 
 Then winks and words of ruth from eye and lip are passed. 
 And luck of proud Pascal makes envious all at last, 
 For the poor lads, whose hearts are healed but slightly. 
 
 Of their first fervent pain. 
 When they see Franconnette, blossoming rose-light brightly, 
 
 All dewy fresh, so sweet and sightly. 
 They cry aloud, "We'll ne'er believe a Sorcerer again!" 
 
 *An ancient practice. Zow Ihurrin noubial^ a highly - spiced 
 onion soup, was carried by the wedding guests to the bridegroom at 
 a late liour of the night. 
 
 f The aoubado — a song of early morning, corresponding to tlie 
 serenade or evening song. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Academy, French, and Jasmin, 
 
 120, 192, 193. 
 Agen, description of, 1, 163; 
 
 fairs of, 8 ; bridges of, lOG ; 
 
 Jasmin crowned by, 208, 209, 
 
 229. 
 Agricultural Colonv, Veday, 153. 
 Albi, 212. 
 
 Ampere on Jasmin, 125. 
 Ancelo, and Academy, 194. 
 Angouleme, Jasmin at, 186. 
 Apollo and Jasmin, 29, 30. 
 Appendix of Translations, 235. 
 Arcachon, 190, 191,213. 
 Arkwright, barber, 22. 
 Arts and Literature, 153. 
 AthencBum on Jasmin, 131, 132. 
 Auch, Jasmin at, 154, 
 Augustin Thierry, and Jasmin, 
 
 121; Thierry's life, 121. 
 Aurillac, Jasmin at, 218. 
 
 Barber, importance of, 22. 
 Barbers and literature, 22. 
 Barbges, 214. 
 
 Barth^lemy, Marquise de, 195. 
 Basque language, 41. 
 BMze, M., 62, 200-202. 
 Boranger and Jasmin, 65. 
 Bergerac, 182. 
 Biarritz, 191. 
 
 "Bigno, Ma," 163-165, 174. 
 " Blind Girl of Castel-Cuilld," 67 ; 
 recited before Thierry, 124. 
 
 Boe, grandfather^ 4-6 ; death of, 
 
 11. 
 Boe, Sister, 12. 
 Boileau's " Lutrin," 49. 
 Bordeaux, visit to, 71 ; Fetes at, 
 
 74,150; Cr6cheat, 187,213. 
 Brittany, dialect of, 39, 41. 
 
 Carcassonne, Jasmin at, 149. 
 Carnival at Agen, 13. 
 Castera, 213. 
 Charivari, the, 4, 5, 48. 
 Chateaubriand, 129, 160. 
 Church of Vergt, 179, 180, 182- 
 
 185, 190, 191, 203. 
 " Cinderella " at Agen, 23. 
 Claret and Olives, Reach's, 140. 
 Comedians helped, 191, 192. 
 Composition, Jasmin's slowness 
 
 in, 166, 173. 
 Condon, Jasmin at, 171. 
 Costello, Miss, and Jasmin, 132- 
 
 137. 
 "Crown of my Birthplace," 211. 
 "Curl-Papers," Jasmin's, 49, 57, 
 
 163, 177, 196. 
 
 Dax, Jasmin at, 171. 
 De Mazade, 63, 127. 
 De Pontmartin, 64. 
 Deputations to Jasmin, 184. 
 Devonshire, Charivaris in, 6. 
 Dickens in England, 83. 
 Donis, Abbe, 227. 
 
290 
 
 Index. 
 
 Donnct, Cardinal, 232. 
 Dubray's Statue of Jasmin, 227. 
 Dumon, on Gascon, 90. 
 
 Emperor Napoleon III., 200. 
 English language, 89 ; Critics on 
 
 Jasmin, 131. 
 Estanquet, 96, 103. 
 Estellac, Montluc's Castle, 96. 
 Eugenie, Empress, 201. 
 
 Fagots, on the Garonne, T. 
 
 Famines in France, 82, 149 ; Jas- 
 min's last philanthrophic jour- 
 ney, 219. 
 
 Father, Jasmin's, 4, 5, 12, 115. 
 
 Florian's works, 20. 
 
 Foy, ode on General, 49. 
 
 Franciman, Lou, 42. 
 
 *' Franconnette," 95-9Y, 100 ; the 
 Buscou, 98; the Sorcerer, 102; 
 condemned to be burned alive, 
 107; delivery and marriage, 
 107 ; translation, 256-293. 
 
 Franks and Frankish language, 
 39, 40. 
 
 Fullerton, Lady G., translation of 
 "BlindGirl,"3, 67, 68. 
 
 Gaelic or Celtic, 39, 41, 
 Garonne, The, 1, 6, 7, 163. 
 Gasc, Mademoiselle, 114, 115. 
 Gascon dialect, 36-38, 44, 46, 48, 
 
 56 ; Jasmin's defence of ,92,237. 
 "Gascon poet. Shepherd and," 
 
 150,151. 
 Gauls or Galatians, 41-43. 
 Gers, Jasmin at, 171. 
 Godolin's poems, 54. 
 Gousset, Cardinal, 182. 
 Gravier, Promenade du, 4, 26, 34, 
 
 93, 167. 
 
 Hallam on Troubadours, 38. 
 Henry IV., 45, 46, 51. 
 Hermitage, Agen, 1, 163. 
 
 House-maid at Seminary, 13, 14. 
 Hugo, Victor, 188, 229. ' 
 Huguenots and Catholics, 95. 
 
 Instinct in poetry, 20, 21. 
 
 Janin, Jules, at Paris, 119. 
 
 Jasmin, Jacques, birth of, 3, 4 ; 
 birthplace, 4, 5 ; mother of, 
 4, 6, 16, 115; boyhood of, 
 7; playfellows, 8; school, 10; 
 education, 12; Seminary, Rue 
 Montesquieu, 13; naughty trick 
 on house-maid, 13, 14 ; impris- 
 oned, 14; expelled, 15; appren- 
 ticed to barber and hair-dress- 
 er, 19; his garret under the 
 tiles, 19; Florian's FaUes^ 20, 
 21 ; first rhyming efforts, 20 ; 
 barbers and poetry, 22 ; first 
 visit to theatre, 23 ; recites 
 verses, 24, 25 ; begins business 
 for himself, 25 ; marries Mari- 
 ette Barr5re, 28 ; Mariette and 
 rhyming, 30; visit of Charles 
 Nodier, 31 ; Jasmin's coup 
 d'etat^ 34; prosperity, 34, 35; 
 studies Gascon, 37, 44 ; Unedu- 
 cated Poets, 44 ; first poems in 
 Gascon, 46 ; publishes " Curl- 
 Papers," 49 ; " Third of May," 
 51,53,60; correspondence with 
 Beranger,55; "Souvenirs," 58; 
 truthfulness of, 58 ; publishes 
 second volume of "Curl -Pa- 
 pers," 62 ; visit of Paul de 
 Musset, 64; " Blind Girl of Cas- 
 tel-Cuille," 67 ; recited at Bor- 
 deaux, 73 ; Jasmin and his 
 wife, 76 ; his eloquence, 79 ; 
 as philanthropist, 81 ; mission 
 for relief of poor, 82 ; famine 
 in Lot- et- Garonne, 84; poem 
 on " Charity," 84 ; at Tonneins, 
 85, 86 ; Jasmin's reception, 87; 
 Jasmin's defence of Gascon, 
 
Index. 
 
 297 
 
 92 ; Jasmin and Dante, 94, 95 ; 
 " Franconnctte," 95, 96 ; dedi- 
 cated to Toulouse, 95; reci- 
 tation there, 109 ; reception, 
 111; his testimonial, 1 1 3, 1 14 ; 
 death of his mother,! 15; "Yes- 
 terday and To-day," 115 ; char- 
 itable missions, 115; visits 
 Paris, 117; banquets, 119; at 
 Augustin Thierry's, 121, 124; 
 at Louis Philippe's, Neuilly, 
 127; barbers of Paris, 128; 
 Chateaubriand, 129 ; Miss Cos- 
 tello's interview, 132, 133; re- 
 ceives a pension, 136, 167; 
 Angus B. Reach's interview, 
 140 ; Jasmin's conversation, 
 143 ; more charitable missions, 
 149; engagements, 152, 153; 
 Society of Arts and Literature, 
 153; shaves the Mayor of Auch, 
 155 ; the millionaire, 155, 156; 
 helps Mademoiselle Koaldes, 
 156, 157 ; Jasmin and Reboul, 
 159; buys a vineyard, 163; 
 second volume of "Curl -Pa- 
 pers," 166 ; made Chevalier of 
 Legion of llonor, 167; Clieva- 
 lier of St. Gregory the Great, 
 168; "Martha the Innocent," 
 168; Peyrottes's challenge de- 
 clined, 172 ; " La Semaine d'un 
 Fils," 174 ; letter from Laraar- 
 tine, 176; third volume of 
 "Curl -Papers," 177; helps to 
 rebuild a church, 180 its con- 
 secration, 182; philanthropic 
 missions, 185; declines to be 
 Deputy, 188, 189; at Arcachon, 
 190, 191, 213; the French 
 Academy, 192; prize of, 194; 
 another visit to Paris, 195; 
 fetes, 195 ; at Marquise de 
 Barthelemy, 195; at French 
 Academy, 198; visit to I^tiis 
 Napoleon, Emperor, 201 ; lib- 
 
 eration of M. Baze, 201, 202; 
 enrolled Maitre-^s-jeux, 205; 
 crowned by Agen, 209 ; last 
 mission of charity, Albi, Cas- 
 t6ra, Bordeaux, Bareges, Saint- 
 Flour, Toulouse, Villeneuve- 
 sur-Lot, 212-220 ; correspond- 
 ence of, 215; expenses of 
 journeys, 216; last mission at 
 Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 219; ill- 
 ness, 221; last poem to Kenan, 
 221 ; death of Jasmin, 223 ; 
 funeral, 223 ; bronze statue, 
 226 ; character of Jasmin, 227. 
 
 Lacepede, Count de, 2. 
 Lafarge, Madame, 160. 
 Lamartine to Jasmin, 176; depu- 
 ty, 188, 189. 
 Languages of Western Europe, 
 
 39. 
 Langue d'Oc and langue d'Oi'I, 
 
 38. 
 Laurcntie, Mr., on Jasmin, 199. 
 Lavei-gne on languages, 43, 44 ; 
 
 on " Franconnette," 112, 113; 
 
 on Jasmin, 139, 140. 
 Longfellow's translation of 
 
 "Blind Girl," 8,67,68. 
 Louis Philippe at Neuilly, 127; 
 
 fall of, 187. 
 Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, 187, 
 
 200. 
 
 "Ma Bigxo,"163, 164, 252. 
 
 Maitre-6s-jeux, Toulouse, 205. 
 
 Marcel, soldier (in " Francon- 
 nette"), 96, 107. 
 
 Mariette (Jasmin's wire),27; visit- 
 ed by Nodier, ol ; reconciled to 
 poetry, 34; Jasmin's descrip- 
 tion of, 76. 
 
 Marot, poet, 46, 51. 
 
 Marriage, Jasmin's, 28. 
 
 Marseilles, Jasmin at, 154, 158. 
 
 " Martha the Innocent," 168. 
 
298 
 
 Index. 
 
 "Mason's Son, the," (La Sem- 
 mano d'un Fil), 174, 242. 
 
 Masson, Abbe, 178, 185, 190, 203, 
 227. 
 
 Mazade, Charles de, 63, 127. 
 
 "MeCalMoun,"46, 133. 
 
 Mezzofanti on languages, 43. 
 
 Millionaire, Jasmin refuses to 
 shave the, 155, 156. 
 
 Minier, M., Bordeaux, 56. 
 
 xAIiraben, Abbe, 17. 
 
 Missions of philanthropy, 81, 115, 
 141, H9, 172, J 79, 'l80, 184, 
 185,212,217,219,220. 
 
 Mistral, Proven9al poet, 227. 
 
 Montignac, Jasmin at, 181, 213. 
 
 Montluc, Blaise de, 195, 196. 
 
 Montyon's prize, 193. 
 
 Mother, Jasmin's, 4, 6,16,114,115. 
 
 Musset, Paul de, visit to Jasmin, 
 64. 
 
 Narbonne, comedians at, 191. 
 
 Xeuilly, Jasmin at, 127. 
 
 Xodier, Charles, 31, 50, 60, 63, 64, 
 113,119. 
 
 Nontron, Jasmin at, 182. 
 
 Norsemen, The, 40. 
 
 Notre-Dame, Encontre, 105. 
 
 Noubel, M., on Jasmin, 209 ; at 
 Jasmin's funeral, 224 ; at Jas- 
 min's statue, 227. 
 
 Orleans, Duchess of, 120, 127, 
 
 136, 167. 
 Orphanage at Bordeaux, 150. 
 
 Palissy, Bernard, 2. 
 Fa^dllotos, 49,57, 163, 177. 
 Paris, Jasmin visits, 117, 130, 
 
 195,201. 
 Pascal (" Franconnette "), 96-99, 
 
 103-105, 107, 108, 256-293. 
 Pegasus and Jasmin, 29. 
 Pension to Jasmin, 136, 167. 
 Perigueux, Jasmin at, 180. 
 
 Peyrottes's Challenge, 172. 
 Philanthropist, Jasmin as, 81, 
 
 115, 141, 149, 172, 179, 180, 
 
 184, 185, 212, 217, 219, 220. 
 Platt-Deutscli, 39. 
 Poems in Gascon, 20, 46. 
 Poetry and Jasmin, 20, 44, 45. 
 Poets, Uneducated, 45. 
 Pontmartin, M. de, 63. 
 "Poor Man's Doctor," 248-251. 
 Priest Avithout a Church, 178, 
 
 183, 203. 
 Prize of French Academy, 194, 
 
 195. 
 Pyrenees, from Agcn, 1, 163. 
 
 Quixotism of Jasmin? 142, 215. 
 
 Reach, Angus B., on Jasmin, 
 
 140. 
 Reboul and Jasmin, 159, 188; 
 
 and Dumas, 159, 160; and 
 
 Chateaubriand, 160. 
 "Recollections, My "(Souvenirs), 
 
 56,57,61. 
 Remusat, Madame de, 126. 
 Revolution of 1848, 187. 
 Roaldes, Mdlle., 156. 
 Rodez, mission to, 217. 
 Ruined Church at Vergt, 179, 
 
 180, 182, 185, 203. 
 
 Saint-Aman, Boudon de, 2. 
 Sainte-Beuve on Jasmin, 46, 61, 
 
 63,71,112,118,171,172,232. 
 Saint-Flour, 214,218. 
 Saint -Leger, reconciliation at, 
 
 185. 
 Saintc-Pierre, church of, 106. 
 Saint-Vincent de Bory, 2. 
 Saint Vincent de Paul, 184, 207, 
 
 213, 227. 
 Salvandy, M. de, to Jasmin, 199. 
 Sarlat, Jasmin at, 181. 
 Scaliger, the Scholar, 2, 52, 163. 
 Serenades at Agen, 168. 
 
Index. 
 
 299 
 
 Shaving Shop,The, 19, 26, 81, 50, 
 
 59,64,05, 147,167. 
 "Shepherd and the Gascon 
 
 Poet," 150. 
 Sibour, Monseigneur, 195. 
 Sorcerer, The, 102, 108, 290, 293. 
 "Souvenirs, Mes," 3, 56, 61. 
 Spinning women, 9, 25, 231. 
 Sugden the Barber, 23. 
 "Siren with Heart of Ice," 99, 
 
 100, 269. 
 
 Tacitus on renown, 193. 
 Thackeray's readings, 83. 
 Theatre, Jasmin at, 23. 
 Thierry, A., Jasmin and, 121- 
 
 126 ; career of, 121. 
 "Third of May," 51. 
 Thomas at Buscou, 98, 99. 
 Translations from French toEtig- 
 
 lish, 3 ; of Jasmin's Poems, 
 
 237. 
 Toulouse, " Franconnette " first 
 
 recited at, 109; "Martha," 
 169, 170; banquets, 170; Jas- 
 min enrolled Maitre-^s-jeux, 
 205; last entertainment at, 
 218,219. 
 Truthfulness of Jasmin, 58. 
 
 Uneducated Poets, 44. 
 
 Vergt, ruined church at, 178; 
 consecration of new church, 
 182; again in ruins, 186; 
 church completed, 192; the 
 bells, 204. 
 
 Villemain, M., panegyric on Jas- 
 min, 193, 199. 
 
 Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Jasmin's last 
 recitation at, 219. 
 
 " Vineyard " of Jasmin, 163, 252. 
 
 Vintages at Agen, 8, 17. 
 
 Wkstminstkii Review 
 min, 137. 
 
 on Jas- 
 
 TIIE END. 
 
M41956 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY