We believe that after Mazarin2 and Monsieur the Commander of the thirteenth Corps3 nobody has occasioned as much lampooning as the author of "Corbeaux"4. The artistic and
literary review is all too grateful to him for the verses that he sends it almost every week not to thank Monsieurs his detractors for the commotion they make about his
name. It would gladly publish their incessant rantings if they were signed. But our correspondents habitually entrench themselves behind high sounding pseudonyms. We are
duty bound to say in any case that in the deluge of letters with which we are overrun every day, there are to be found more that are favourable than are hostile. For the most
part Monsieurs our correspondents disapprove of the introduction into the review of political elements. They have great admiration for "Les Foins"5 and "L'Amour Antique"6. The
"Halte Romaine"7 has occasioned for one of them an indescribable terror. One sees in it "the efforts of an exaggerated naturalism". For another it is nothing more than
"a poorly understood imitation of Gustave Flaubert". Etc. etc. But the piece that has caused most ink to flow is assuredly the piece entitled "Aux Corbeaux". Monsieurs our
corresponents engage themselves in genuine literary criticism over this piece. As for ourselves who have great admiration for it, we do however declare that we find one of the criticisms
made against "Corbeaux" to be perfectly valid. It is this. Monsieurs our correspondents deem this verse fallacious:
"I love your lugubrious cries, oh my faithful crows"
We might object that M. François Coppé (of the Académie française - before M. Leconte de Lisle -) composed many verses of the sort where the mute "e" is elided despite the
consonant that follows it. We prefer to speak truthfully to our readers. Because the audaciousness does not come from the author but the copyist.
The field of literary criticism has not been wide enough to contain the literary frolics of the readers of "Corbeaux". Parody has succeeded literary criticism and verse succeeded prose.
We will see in the first verse of one of our parodies the kind of reproaches which Monsieurs our correspondents address to "Corbeaux". Thus:
"Crows, crows, crows, crows, crows!"
The epithet of the pinks applied to hills tinged by the dawn (in "Les Foins") has also shocked one of our lampooners where the name of a colour is attached to almost every
substantive in the piece. Here we find "the yellow hay" etc. etc.
In our case, we have thought it our duty to point out this literary and poetical flight and indicate some of the features that might distinguish this shining pleiad. The several
examples that I have quoted show above all those of political adherence, dread of naturalism and in general antipathy for all the audacity with which it indulges in metaphors, elisions and
repetitions. I believe I am being fair by not adding another trait: the explicit "Not" in all of the letters for example!
1. Le Lundi, no. 4. The handwriting appears to be by Proust. Even though his youthful handwriting varied considerably this is very similar to eg NAF 16611, 18r from c. March 1886. This piece was not included in Essais, Plèiade, 2022: "However, we rule out a second anonymous article, mentioned in the same catalogue [Drouot, 12 Dec 1985] "Critiques en prose et Parodies en vers" whose attribution to Proust remains hypothetical."
2. Presumably a reference to Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661).
3. In 1887 General Georges Boulanger was appointed commander of the 13th Corps.
4. The poem "Aux Corbeaux" (To the Crows) by Abel Desjardins appeared in Le Lundi, no. 1, 21 November 1887.
5. The poem "Les Foins" (The Hay) by Abel Desjardins appeared in Le Lundi, no. 3, 5 December 1887(?) and no. 4, 1 March 1888.
6. The poem "L'Amour antique" (Ancient Love) appeared, unsigned, in Le Lundi, no. 3, 5 December 1887(?).
7. "Halte Romaine", unsigned piece appeared in Le Lundi, no. 1, 21 November 1887.
Created 13.12.25