The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-11
AREsURRECTED UAGE.
some Of the Contributor. 30 the New Iitera
ture Of Provence.


leans appreciate the importance Of the intellec-
tual movement which has fairly electrified the
southern provinces OF France, which may be
said to have summoned a language from the
| grave, and created fresh and rscy literature2
| ATE they aware that very many universities, for
| example In Germany. In Sweden, even In Fin
land, have established chairs for the interpreta-
| tiop OF the restored Provencal tongue, and that
| the piddy heads Of Avlgnon do not hesitate to
| set their resuscitated mother speech above the
French1 Only few months ago Theodore Au-
| banel, who ranks after Mistraf and Roumsnille
among the chiefs Of Provencal poetry, found an
audience to applaud such words as these {;
From the ocean to the sea, from Alps to
Pyrenees, thirty departments speak our Ian
guaRe and know, Frencbmen, you shall more
easily check the Mistral when 1t blows or the
Durance In Its hour Of overflow, than our Pro-
vencl In its triumph. Know your northern
speech will long have passed away when the
Provenqal, ever young, shall still speak OF you
with pty." II may be worth while TO outline
the salient features OF this curious revival
which has gained such a swift, large and, TO the
eyes Of some patriotic Parisians, really formi-
dable development.
We can all remember when the troubadours
and their poetry were relegated to the profess
| sionai antiquary, or to half a dozen eccentric
dlettanti who affected reputation for fantastic
culture. We had read, of course, that the Pro-
venca language which linked the countries firing
ing the Mediterranean, from the Ebro to the Pc,
by the tie OF common speech, had come to
mirror In the twelfth aud thirteenth centuries
notable degree OF civilization, and In the hands
OF Sordello and others been rendered 80 supple
an Instrument OF thought that ID lnte hesitated
whether he ought not to prefer 1t to the Sicilian.
Dante's decision for the latter, however, Joined
to the growing ascendancy Of the Castilian. and
| the Laneue dOil of Norman trOurdres nad gradu-
Nlly expelled the Piovenca from II .erdture, ami
u was popuiarly supposed, uutii its recent re-
Juvene -cence. to be as dead a. the AnglO-SaxOn.
In reality II was only dormant. and was always
cherished AZ their native pit0S by many as
trcts south OF the Loire. In Provence especial
| " the humber grades OF the farming class can
| speak or read no other tongue, and had for CEN
turtles been cut on from any share In the pro-
| gressive movement OF ideas reflected g. French
newspapers ana books. A wish TO remedy this
depressing state OF things, and more particularly
| to amuse the evenings OF an aged mother,
| reused Joseph Roumanille, the son OF gardener
of Saint Remv, To attempt the rehabilitation OF
his rustic speech. HIS modest volume OF house
| hold lyrics, LII Mirearideto,' inscribed to the
people Of Provence, was hailed with positive en-
| thusiasnl, and called forth a swarm Of prose-
| lytes, poets and prose writers, eager 10 dignity
| Among the young writers awakened by Rou-
| manille's reveille was one OF peculiar promise.
| lie, toe. was a peasants son, but mad received a
| college education. The first essays. however, OF
| Frederic Mistrll were In "A homely sylvan vein,
and he seems To have begun by aiming To write
| the Georges OF his country. HIS " Harvest
| Beauty" Amuran,' and other short con riou-
| lions to the volume edited by Roumanlile In
| loj2, commanded the attention OF Pdrisian
| critics, and were thought to combine, with =
graceful refinement Of diction, natural, perhaps,
| to "A PrOvencal writer, peculiarly hardy imagin-
| alton and punsent SAVIOR OF the soil. Still,
there was a trace OF patronage In their approval
which gave way To astonlshinent aud respect,
| when the poet printed Mircllle' and "Calen-
dal," the former OF which Is Doubtless familiar
- you, as 1t has been translated into most
| "Mireille," winch yentured to claim superior
| itv tor the restored tongue TO the idtom OF RIA
cine and Voltaire, was suppressed after the first
| edition. but the sentiment Of distinct anu ex-
| allied nationality, dislvowed by Nistra himself.
| struck deep root, as we have seen, among his
From the date Of the publication OF " Mlreille,"
the expulsion Of the new literature became as
| sured and systematic. In all Of those pie isant
cities which embellish Languedoc aud tho
| Rhone valley, ia Toulouse, Montpeller, Mines,
| NarJ onne. Aries, Avgnon and AK, horal games
| and lyceums were established, prizes founded,
and literary institutions Of various sorts created
| with the aim OF guild ny the studies and the ef-
| forts OF those fresh recruits whose number
| seemed to swell with every wear.
| Naturally the same movement was commun
Gated to Catalonia, where IN TACT the Provenc Il,
| iostered ny the court of Arragon had maintained
| itse,f up GO a late epoch Of the middle axes. ln
| 1887 silver beAker Of exquisite workmanship
| was forwarded by the Catalan bards to their
confreres of the lihone, as a SYMBOL of the po-
| etc alliance binding the two countries. In the
| spring VI 1855 Barcelona celeUrate her nOra
games ana all tbs iiegem 81 of the new literature
|
| In tue autumn OF tue same year SAINT Remy, tho
| birthplace of the FrOvencal rendiss iuce re
| ceNed tue representatives OF Catalonia. Both
| OCCASIONS were marked with the utmost en-
| thusias,n, and tue Latter reveis were prolonged
| almost a iuOn.h, U,iuR continued with SPECIAL
| eClat al Aries ana ANlgnon.
1t WAS at tnis True that Mistral read his poem,
" lhe Drummer oil ArcOla,' now included IN ms
| last volume. 4" he Golden Islands" which APP
| peared "a few months axe. II 1 could succeed
| la conveying to your readers a tOierable notion
| OF thus nttle masterpiece, they would readily
ll-tlI e.
| by sucn critics ~ ,aint-ReIe iaiianuier. l Will
| try. at all events, TO give summary oi It's suo-
| stance.
a legend cherished throughout the south OF
| France supplies the nucleus OF the poem. Panic
| struck by tue awful Austrian cInnOudde, tnu
| soldiers Of tue republic falter IN Jment before
| the bridge oi Arcul In VAIN BOndpdrte, sword
m one "eH ns 1I'9rcr III ,e "h1r b su 6r Oh
| hesitate. ltut mark, the drum-tnetc Is no quaNeT
| tnere! You can near, but YOU can scarcely see
| it,lor the drummer mere cnlld, hds'uun@ MIN
| self into the jaws Of death. From this point
| MstrIls style smells Of powder, anu every
strophe sounds charge:
| Wild vita nope druuk vita gee loud.bcaunS the re-
cal recall tue ooy leaps 10 the trolt by his q N
IT'S but sp without strength voice, but his terri
| Die drum speak for TIN, speaNs Of hbeuy, con
In fuy speses OF thcr at home OF sons OF father
lahd ulst"noied. III tue hair n tnd- On every mead
| - cran gloans aoars,ly IN his beard
| AL army bound, hurls H. lAGaehes At, conyulset
Straight iai the sonhre cloud that numbered athwar,
| The priage the luIna plunged Win gaping ranks
| out forward stlll,
Amid Tue sOAe Ot blood, gasps, shrek, aud the death
| ralLe lnrougi pUAucr scattering name and II
| NnlflNiud OF death
To the song OF The M4rsciaisc 20 the G. ant of nation
| freed Dy the arms at France the bridge wa, won.
The Young hero docs not mis- his share OF
recompense receiving from The Generals nand
IN prcscncs Of The whole army, pair Of druIl
sticks wrought of ivory and gold bat other VIC
tories succeed ArrOla, and he is presently for
gotten. His soldier cOmIades DIE, OF are pro
NOTED, new recruits gradually transform thu
regiment, while the drumm.r .. ows old in IN,
ranks. Covered with scaTs. disabled and white
haired, lie 10 -aiutern- one day over Paris, trtc
INK OtCk N fancy his wasted lite, his marches
battles, triumph5 the day of Arcola, ana tn,
dram tnat gave his country a voice. then IN,
years OF oblivion aud disappointment, the Tit
| tcrncss and the resignation II old age. Nua
has glory Ueen worth to hlmf How much bet
ter to nave remained 10y the DurauCe, peacefully
tiliiug tue earth, and cOmfoued by wiic an,
| children! Musing thus, he reaches the .nthe-
on where DaVld's ireIe had Lately been uncoN
cred. Look, drummer!' cries a stranger, al
the little fellow up yOnder Did you ever Sc,
him Dsforef" lha Old man hits lis eyes ant
sees sculptured the boy drummer, sounding tn,
charge 10y mis- Generals side. " IheTeupon
urdnk once more with the old madness. behold
ING himself ni1h Ia fun relief aboNc the years
Above the clouds aud storms in the glory o
ne.Nsn's azure and sunlight, he feels his near