Pierre de Ronsard. Les Quatre premiers livres des Odes (1550)
Les Quatre premiers livres des odes de Pierre de Ronsard, Vandomois; Ensemble son Bocage.
Paris : G. Cavellat, 1550.
With this first major collection of poems, Pierre de Ronsard hoped to become celebrated and influential at the court of Henri II. He also intended to be recognized as the leader of a new generation of poets, known as the “Brigade” (eventually becoming the “Pléïade”), seeking to transform French verse into a very humanistic poetry in themes and style. Other poets in this group included Joachim Du Bellay and Jean-Antoine de Baïf.
The 1550 volume by Ronsard represents the most accomplished example of the antique and lyrical ode written in the vernacular. Three texts of introduction precede the five sections of poems (4 “books” or “Livres” of regular odes with an appendix of more irregular ones, the “Bocage”): first, the preface, “Au Lecteur,” then an “Avertissement au Lecteur,” and finally, in some copies of the edition, the “Suravertissement au Lecteur.” In each of them, and particularly in the first two, Ronsard developed his conception of the sublime in the lyrical genre and his “theology” of poetry. In the third one, he defended himself against criticism made by his opponents at the court. This short defense indicates that Ronsard was under attack, which is no surprise when we note the astonishingly aggressive tone he used in the preface, “Au Lecteur,” to describe his poetic enterprise.
The copy of the 1550 edition of the Odes in the Gordon Collection does not have the third introductory text, which seems to indicate that this copy belongs to the first state or “family” of the editio princeps (see J.-P. Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, p.20-22.)
Originally from the Henri Burton, Abel Lefranc and Lardanchet Collections, this copy is elegantly bound and bears the bookplate of Douglas Gordon.
See also the html transcription of this edition of Ronsard's Odes (1550), available on the Epistemon site of the of the Centre des Etudes Supérieures de la Renaissance and the Bibliothèques Virtuelles Humanistes.
Pierre de Ronsard. Le Bocage
Le bocage de P. de Ronsard Vandomoys, dedié a P. de Paschal, du bas païs de Languedoc.
Paris : Veuve Maurice de La Porte, 1554.
After the success of his first volumes of poetry (the Odes in 1550, the Amours in 1552-1553), Ronsard changed his style and explored the classical genre of the silva in French. Le Bocage, published in November of 1554, is a mosaic composed of different poetic genres (odes, vota, epitaphs, elegies, sonnets) adapted from Antiquity and imitated from Italian poems. The new tonality of his poetry shows Ronsard’s intent to celebrate his community of friends and all the characteristics of his sensitivity.
The Gordon copy of this book, the first of six items bound together, comes from the libraries of Hector de Backer and Jérôme Pichon.
Bibliography: Jean Paul Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 14; N. Ducimetière, Mignonne, allons voir... Fleurons de la bibliothèque poétique Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, Paris-Genève, Hazan-Musée Barbier-Mueller, 2007, n° 6; François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 70.
Pierre de Ronsard. Les Quatre premiers livres des Odes (1555)
Les Quatre premiers livres des Odes de P. de Ronsard Vendomois, Dediés au Roy.
Paris : Veuve Maurice de La Porte, 1555.
Ronsard’s book of Odes was first published in 1550 by Cavellat in Paris. A second edition issue was published in 1553. But in 1555, Ronsard decided to publish a new and augmented version of his Odes. For the first time, the volume was dedicated to the king Henri II. It was also augmented by 21 new poems of which 9 were addressed to the royal family. At that time, in early 1555, Ronsard was hoping to be charged by Henri II to write La Franciade –the epic history of Francus- and for some official recognition of his services such as an abbey. The new physiognomy of the Odes, in 1555, reflects the impatience of the young poet.
The Gordon copy of this book is the second of six items bound together which come from the libraries of Hector de Backer and Jérôme Pichon.
Bibliography: Jean Paul Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 17 and 18; François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 77.
Pierre de Ronsard. Le Cinqieme des Odes augmenté
Le Cinqieme des Odes augmenté, Ensemble la harangue que fît monseigneur le Duc de Guise aus soudars de Mez [...]
Paris : Veuve Maurice de La Porte, 1553.
Ronsard had published his Cinquiesme livre des Odes with the first edition of the Amours in 1552. One year later, he chose to publish it again, augmented by nine poems and with the Harangue in honor of the Duc de Guise who had been victorious at the battle of Metz against Charles V’s troops.
This edition of 1553 is known in four different states. The Gordon copy is identical to the J. P. Barbier first copy—state d—(Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie : Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 12). It is bound in a volume containing five other books by Ronsard from the collections of H. de Backer and J. Pichon.
Bibliography: Jean Paul Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 12 and 13; François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 66.
Pierre de Ronsard. Les Amours nouvellement ...
Les Amours nouvellement augmentées et commentées par Marc-Antoine de Muret, Plus quelques odes […]
Paris : Veuve Maurice de La Porte, 1553.
This is the first issue of the second edition of the Amours. The first one was published in 1552. Having been criticized for his obscurity, Ronsard took advantage of its success to publish his book again, but augmented with new odes—among them, the famous ode to Cassandre, "Mignonne, allon voir si la rose"—and of a detailed commentary provided by his friend, the humanist Marc-Antoine de Muret. The 1553 edition was successful and was issued again the same year, the corrections listed in the 'errata' having been made to the poems.
The Gordon copy of this book is the fourth of six items bound together which come from the libraries of Hector de Backer and Jérôme Pichon.
Bibliography: Jean Paul Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 10 and 11; N. Ducimetière, Mignonne, allons voir... Fleurons de la bibliothèque poétique Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, Paris-Genève, Hazan-Musée Barbier-Mueller, 2007, n° 5; François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 67.
Pierre de Ronsard. Les Meslanges
Les Meslanges de P. de Ronsard dediés à Jan Brinon. Seconde edition.
Paris : Gilles Corrozet, 1555.
At the beginning of 1555, a few days after the publication of Le Bocage, Ronsard had produced a book of silvae in honor of one of his patrons, Jean Brinon. After Brinon’s death, Ronsard published a second edition, augmented by 2 poems to celebrate his admirer. Like Le Bocage, Les Meslanges are composed of various poems adapted from Anacreon, many other poets of the Greek Anthology, and from Neo-Latin Italian poets.
The Gordon copy is bound with five other books published by Ronsard between 1553 and 1555 and collected by H. de Backer and J. Pichon.
Bibliography: Jean Paul Barbier, Ma Bibliothèque poétique, Deuxième partie: Ronsard, Genève, Droz, 1990, n° 16; François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 76.
Pierre de Ronsard. Continuation des Amours
Continuation des Amours de P. de Ronsard Vandomois.
Paris : Pour Vincent Certenas, 1555.
First edition of this collection of love poems in which Ronsard celebrates Marie. The poet develops a new and more familiar style to tell his love story for a young Angevine girl named Marie Dupin. In 1556, Ronsard produced his Nouvelle Continuation des Amours to augment and complete his love poems series which had been successfully received. The two books were eventually published together in a single volume for Vincent Sertenas in 1557, and by unscrupulous publishers who issued pirated editions of the book the same year.
Copies of the 1555 original edition are extremely scarce. The Gordon copy is bound with five other Ronsard’s books which belonged to H. de Backer and J. Pichon.
Bibliography : François Rouget, Pierre de Ronsard, Bibliographie des Écrivains Français, Paris-Rome, Memini, 2005, n° 72.