Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-25

Translation in Boston Transcript From Paris La
Revue.
The renaissance of Breton literature
began with the twentieth century, after
a period that will always be remembered
with sorrow. The popular language of
singers and priests had been corrupted
with French expressions, songs and SER
mons seeming about as wretched as they
could he. AS for cultivated writers of
pure Breton blood and pure Breton utter
ance, whom could the Breton masses
name? They We're compilers and philolo-
gists SO far as cultivated writer's existed.
and they wrote for erudites. To these
you might have added a few bards, but
most Of their poems were published at a
distance from Brittany and frequently
in volumes that would sandwich them in
between Sanskrit works and Indian songs.
So Renan could write to Quellien in the
preface of "Annaik:'' The poets and
philologfstS seem TO me the embalmers OF
languages. Their approach presages Il
mortuary ceremony, but they preserve
them forever.
Death was cruel indeed to those Bre-
tonizinS writer's, for ii cut them off ere
they could realize that they were the
precursors of a renaissance and not the
last singers of a dying race. They passed
away without hearing the cry of the
young generation, Marc? Piou a lavar
ec'h co marc az C'helt?" dead? Who
says the Celt is dead?l For Brittany had
been so thickIy overlaid with absurd
legends that the Rretons themselves could
scarce discover 1t, and its awakening
seemed as mysterious as resurrection.
Their Hearts Language.
Yet the people of Brittany had not
changed. Their souls had remained true;
liz. iy,
business. Breton was still the language
of their hearts. Political spell binders
had always to speak Breton And when
ENJOYS of kings and cmperors, function
aries of the republic and prelates of
Rome undertook the Denomination of
Brittany the people yielded only In APP
pearance. Beneath their acquiesccnce
lay profound resentment.
AS If still dlstrustinS a blessing that
had SO long seemed impossible. they were
bit slow to respond when writer's adj
dressed them with the thoughts and lam
suage OF their ancestors. Many Bretons.
corrupted by the cities, thought II fine
to ape the Parisians' and were amazed
to see educated people" praise the ira
ditions of their race. Many others failed
to support the new movement because
they couldn't read Bretoi. To surmount
this difficulty. the young authors were
persuaded TO address the people i'm songs
plays and lectures Success from the start
In 1902 a performance of En- Eutru
keriolet' was given at Array before sew
eral thousand Breton workmen. peasants
and shopkeepers, all eager to BretoniZe
Brittany. That was a response to the
appeal of 1898. the Bretons showed that
the Ploujean play. the publication Of AN
HirVOudou and the founding of the
Union Regionaliste Bretonne had marked
the beginning of new era in Breton lit
erature.
The Celtic Renaissance.
Coming from all parts of Brittany. of
divers ideas and opinion. young men of all
ranks and all degrees of culture, the
neo- Breton writer's are as different from
the old illiterate popular bards as from
the learned bards who write only for
their own satisfaction. They are de-
scendants of both types; they sing for
the people and they desire to polish Bre-
ton poesy: but the burden of their song
is the racial and social renaissance of the
modern Celts. Men of tradition, they
look toward the future
Poetry is still the favorite form Of the
Bretonizing authors. 1t seems easier to
the popular bands. who compose orally.
following d tune AS for Breton literary
craftsmen as the reading of Breton will
not be general, they use the verse form
because it facilitates the oral repetition of
their works. The characteristic thing
about these bards is their pure Breton
inspiration. unspoiled by foreign influence
expressed in works ranging from the
wild songs of the "BaraZ Taldtr' to the
mystic tenderness attained by other poets
Such songs become popular, thanks to the