chamber of deputies drew up a list of names, among which was his own, for the formation of a provisional government. During the first days of utter anarchy which followed upon the triumph of the popular cause, Lamartine displayed most admirable energy and endurance, both physically and morally. Put face to face with the anarchical demagogues of the street, the author of the History of the Girondins once more became a Conservative. The day on which he had the courage to refuse the Red flag which thousands of infuriated and armed roughs had carried to the Hotel de Ville, there to thrust it on the provisional government, whose only weapon was Lamartine's eloquence, that day was perhaps the most glorious of his life. He did his utmost to prevent the immediate proclamation of the Republic; and though he failed and was obliged to yield to popular pressure, he did not shrink from telling the armed multitudes who forced it upon him, that by so doing they robbed thirty-four millions of Frenchmen of their rights. The popularity which Lamartine earned by this courageous conduct was immense; the middle classes especially saw in him their last and only safeguard against utter anarchy and the tyranny of the masses, and at the elections he was returned by twelve departments at once. But his success as a politician was as short as his rise was sudden. As a member of the executive committee, within which he had to combat Ledru - Rollin, the leader of the Mountain, he was driven from office together with his colleagues by the Communist insurrection in June, which none of them had either foreseen or taken any measures to put down. Under the dictatorship of General Cavaignac, Lamartine only played a very secondary part, and when Louis - Napoleon was elected president of the Republic, which was already tired of its own existence, he sank into utter insignificance. Already at the elections of 1849 Lamartine was unable to find a single department, which would accept or support him as a candid ate for the Legislative Assembly, and the coup d'état of December 2nd 1851 put an end to his political career. Then began the third and the saddest period of his life, that which, in opposition to the literary and political, we might call the industrial period. The illustrious poet, whom his expensive habits and luxurious life had loaded with enormous debts, found himself reduced to trade on the celebrity of his name, by writing to order for the booksellers. In the productions of this period we still occasionally meet with some eloquent pages, for instance in the Confidences and in Raphaël, but nothing in them is worthy of being compared to the creations of his prime. After keeping up a long and painful struggle against what to him was absolute poverty, after subscriptions had been raised for his benefit which were never sufficient for his wants, he was at last placed beyond the reach of necessity by being presented in 1867 with the life interest of a considerable capital, voted to him as a national reward. Thus he was enabled to give up his book-selling speculations and to take some rest, which his health greatly needed. He lived, sickly and enfeebled, for another two years and died on March 1st 1869. I. MÉDITATIONS POÉTIQUES. 1. L'ISOLEMENT. (Première Méditation.) Souvent sur la montagne, à l'ombre du vieux chêne, Ici gronde le fleuve aux vagues écumantes; Au sommet de ces monts couronnés de bois sombres, Cependant, s'élançant de la flèche gothique, Que me font ces vallons, ces palais, ces chaumières, Un être seul vous manque et tout est dépeuplé! Quand le tour du soleil ou commence ou s'achève, Quand je pourrais le suivre en sa vaste carrière, Mais peut-être au-delà des bornes de sa sphère, Là, je m'enivrerais à la source où j'aspire; Que ne puis-je, porté sur le char de l'Aurore, Quand la feuille des bois tombe dans la prairie, 2. LE LAC. (XIVe Méditation.) Ainsi, toujours poussés vers de nouveaux rivages, O lac! l'année à peine a fini sa carrière, Tu mugissais ainsi sous ces roches profondes; Sur ses pieds adorés. Un soir, t'en souvient-il? nous voguions en silence; Tout à coup des accents inconnus à la terre »O temps, suspends ton vol! et vous, heures propices, Laissez-nous savourer les rapides délices Des plus beaux de nos jours! >>Assez de malheureux ici-bas vous implorent: Prenez avec leurs jours les soins qui les dévorent; 1 Soins in the sense of soucis cares, sorrows. E. Platz, Manual of French Literature. 32 32 >Mais je demande en vain quelques moments encore, Je dis à cette nuit: »Sois plus lente;« et l'aurore >>Aimons done, aimons donc! de l'heure fugitive, Hâtons-nous, jouissons! L'homme n'a point de port, le temps n'a point de rive; Temps jaloux, se peut-il que ces moments d'ivresse Que les jours de malheur! Eh quoi! n'en pourrons-nous fixer au moins la trace? Éternité, néant, passé, sombres abîmes, Que faites-vous des jours que vous engloutissez? O lac! rochers muets! grottes! forêt obscure! Au moins le souvenir! Qu'il soit dans ton repos, qu'il soit dans tes orages, Qu'il soit dans le zéphyr qui frémit et qui passe, Que le vent qui gémit, le roseau qui soupire, II. HARMONIES POÉTIQUES ET RELIGIEUSES. LE CRI DE L'AME. Quand le souffle divin qui flotte sur le monde Quand mon regard se plonge au rayonnant abîme Quand d'un ciel de printemps l'aurore qui ruisselle Que chaque atome d'air roule son étincelle. Et que tout sous mes pas devient lumière ou fleur; Quand tout chante ou gazouille, ou roucoule ou bourdonne, Et que l'homme, ébloui de cet air qui rayonne, Que je roule en mon sein mille pensers sublimes, Quand, dans le ciel d'amour où mon âme est ravie, Quand je sens qu'un soupir de mon âme oppressée Jéhovah! Jéhovah! ton nom seul me soulage, Tu ne dors pas souvent dans mon sein, nom sublime! |