The Role of Platonic Symbols in the Poetry of Pontus de Tyard Author(s): Eva Kushner Reviewed work(s): Source: Yale

French Studies, No. 47, Image and Symbol in the Renaissance (1972), pp. 124-144 Published by: Yale University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2929406 . Accessed: 25/02/2013 16:11
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Eva Kushner The roleofPlatonic in of symbols thepoetry Pontus Tyard de

been written Much has already and Neoplatonic aboutthe Platonic of of The purpose thisarticle of sources theworks Pontus Tyard. de of is to contribute the knowledge the nature his Platonism, to of not andconsequently hisworld of sources view, merely tracing by and influences mainly showing placeofcertain but by the Platonic symbols within structure hispoetry. result thisanalysis tend of will of The the in vein to showthatevenif "writing a Platonistic was a fashionable 1 exercise morefrequently the markof a vocation," Platonism than of is at thevery de rootof thethought Pontus Tyardbetween 1549 and 1555. His Platonicsymbols situated a deeperlevel of are at he than structure expression thePetrarchan imagery uses,so that they in the poems in whichtheyappear.By theirinterrelationshipsa to books coherent worldview,theyalso givepoeticunity thethree ofErreurs as amoureuses, wellas to histwoearliest dialogues. This approach maycontribute solving problem which to the to Robert Merrill drawn V. has attention, namely, Tyarddoes not that seemequally in committed all hispoemsto a world viewinspired by Plato.In regard theWorldSoul doctrine, example, to for Tyardap2 nor pearsto offer only"scattered reminiscences"; does he drawthe parallelsone would expect"between structure the universe the of andthat hisownbeing". Therefore, of 3 Merrill concludes Tyard that cares less about cosmological Platonism thanhe does about other aspects.Merrill's view restson a methodand assumption which are widespread historians thePleiadeschoolofpoetry. among of His method consists bringing the principal of out of patterns Platonic
1 Robert V. Merrillwith Robert J. Clements, Platonismin French RenaissancePoetry(New York, 1957), p. 32. 2 Ibid., p. 17. 3 Ibid., p. 17.

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Eva Kushner concepts Pleiade poetry, in and in classifying poets as to the the faithfulnesstheir of loyalty these to concepts. assumption His appears to be that "cosmological Platonism" has to be explicitly present. Whendiscussing Pontusde Tyard(or anyof thePleiadepoets), it wouldbe beneficial takeintoaccount to variations theyears over in regard Platonism. the case of Ronsard, might to In this pointto a strong someofhis thoughts Platonic impulse 1552-53;yetlater, in is are somewhat opposed Plato.The case of Tyard, to however, very different. entire The six-year periodduring which wrote three he the booksofErreurs amoureuses be regarded a periodof intense can as also and rather exclusive to attachment Plato. The two Solitaires, of written during thisperiod,bear thisout withthe solid weight condoctrine. This means,among other things, the assumption that cerning relative the absenceof cosmological Platonism to be has in questioned, perhaps the following terms, borrowed from Merrill 4 himself: "is Pontusde Tyarda Platonist, is he a Platonizer or on the sole subject love?" Whilethisquestion of cannotbe answered in one essential thoroughly the space of an article, aspectcan be treated: Pontusde Tyard'sPlatonicimagery is merelya surface phenomenon whatmight called the metaphorical (at be level) providing specific poemsof his canzonierewithidealistic comparisons the In wouldprovide withwhich praisePasithee? thatcase, they to which also is complement counterpart thePetrarchan and of imagery woven hissongs. arethey, a deeper into Or at level, partofa network with of symbols pertaining Plato'sworldviewand interconnected to own?I wouldsuggest latter be thecase, on thebasis the to Tyard's of of analyses Platonicsymbols within structure the poems the of wherethey occur. Tyard had multiple opportunitiesreadtheworks Plato;and to of the fashion theday,he had personal of apartfrom Platonist reasons - but thisis to pattern himself after famous the philosopher-poet a matter historical record. Circumstances of favorable thegrowth to ofa Platonic him thinker surrounded in Lyon, center hisintellectual of Between1530 and 1540, manyLatin translations and friendships.
4 Ibid., p. 32.

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Yale FrenchStudies Among thesewere:Proclus' commentaries Plato werepublished. on 1530); texts timesafter commentary the Timaeus(editedseveral on Poliziano's oftheTimaeus Latin(1530) and Greek(1532); Angelo in of (1533); a complete edition Ficino's translation the Charmides of of translation; Ficino'stranslation thePhaedo (1536); a Latintransof lationof theLaws (1538); a Greekedition theApology (1539); of and fragments the Timaeusin 1540. of But it was after1540 that translations Plato into French of underthe sponsorship Mar(often becomeeven morefrequent the des de guerite Navarre).Bonaventure Perierstranslated Lysis, du a of and theprinting it was supervised Antoine Moulin, close by then of of friend Pontus de Tyard's.The propagation Platonism one more in proceeded, according Lefranc, two main streams: to more with and literary philosophical Dolet,Ramus, Le Roy;theother that withSainte-Marthe Heroet.We shallbe able to ascertain and work. in Pontus Tyard de reunites thesetwocurrents his In theSolitaire and the integration form docof Premier, perfect trine found:thedialogue a wellstructured is is example thePlaof and whichis its subject. tonicapproach love,knowledge poetry to of But thisintegration thought form seen to manifest is itself and
also in the Erreurs amoureuses-if our analysis goes beyond the

misleading distinction between philosophical superficial sometimes and In thecase of Tyard, separation into the doctrine poeticfancy. and and implanted Scevolede Sainteby philosopher poetwas,of course, Marthe clearly defined stages hislife, to whose in and whosaw three mindthepassagefrom poetry philosophy to conventionally religious and from to embodied spiritual a progression: philosophy theology
Pontus de Tyard suivitdans ses etudes l'ordre que la naturememe semble aux charmantes prescrire... Des sa plus tendre jeunesseil appliqua son esprit douceurs de la poesie... Quand il eut atteintla'ge d'homme,il s'adonna aux et de serieusement mathematiques a toutesles autresparties la philosophic; et sur sa viejilesse,ayant courageusement renonce a toutes ces etudes, it des s'appliqua touta fait'a la contemplation choses celesteset a la meditation continuelle des sacres mysteres notrereligion.5 de
5 Quoted by Jeandet, Etude sur le seizieme si'cle. France et Bourgogne. Pontusde Tyard,p. 79.

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Eva Kushner here appears to be ignoring What Scevole de Sainte-Marthe the during of in is the continuity, factthe unity, Tyard'sthought in published discourses years 1549-55. For the two philosophical
SolitairePremier,devoted to the nature of poetry,and 1552 -Le Le SolitaireSecond, devoted to the nature and theoryof music-

with have directlines of correspondence those Platonicconcepts and isolate whichit is our purposeto uncover in Tyard'spoetry by meansof symbols. it As to Pontus Tyardhimself, is quiteclearthatthepursuit de tend,in his view of the 1549-55period, and of poetry philosophy of the towards samelofty end: theascent thesoultowards Good. the is depuisce corpsjusquesaux Cieux The aim of poetry to "eslever 6 dedans ce corps." This is a l'ame qui des Cieux est descendue the viewofpoetry. is after It and philosophical, of coursea Platonic with year 1555, starting the Discoursdu Temps,thatthe Platonic -will be gradually itself poetry pointof view and not merely in approachto philosophy; abandoned favorof a more inductive when at appearsto be hinting thischangein attitude Tyardhimself he saysin Mantice:
J'ai cru jusqu'a cette heure que de la profondesomme de philosophieen laquelle a l'imitationdes Anciens nous nettoyonset polissons nos enen et par tendements qui met en besognenotrepartieraisonnable, discourant nous puisonsla connaissance certaine la nature de dispute diversarguments, et de des choses qui nous fait nous eleverjusques 'a 'admiration la diviniteen de contemplation laquelle nos mceurssont meilleursau choix des vertuset des vices.7

look he that Fromthispointon, however, requires all disciplines to powers; of of as philosophy an example theutilization man'srational the Hall, froma and thismay imply change,shownby Kathleen exmorecontemplative ethically-orienteda morescientific and to Hall has called whatKathleen erciseof reason.But thiswas after to and by the crisisof 1556; and it contributes showing contrast
6 Pontus de Tyard, Le Solitaire Premier, edition critiquepar Silvio F. Baridon (Geneva, 1950), p. 10. 7 Pontus de Tyard, Mantice. In Discours philosophiques(Paris, 1587), p. 137.

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Yale FrenchStudies in retrospect unity Tyard'sPlatonicworldviewuntil1555. the of Thus,thereare manyreasons whyduring periodunderconsidthe eration, from pointof view of biography well as of intelthe as lectual history, Tyardcould,with someautonomy regard other in to poetsand writers his time(and specifically other of the members of thePleiade), cling a world to vision hisown, of steeped hispersonal in graspof Platonism. Nor does the extent his borrowings of from Ficino and Leo Hebraeus,amongothers, the Solitaire in Premier, preclude thatTyardsensesand grasps, his own, the Platonic on symbols whichare alwaysricher, and more polyvalent, than any philosophical doctrine built upon them. For example, there no doubtthattheimageof thesun could is constitute Petrarchan a conceitexpressing lightand warmth the and perfection from radiating Pasithee. One could go further and say thatTyardreaches theimageof thesun whenever needs for he to suggest thatis beautiful, all good, and truein Pasithee:earthly embodiment beauty, of goodness and truth. is evenpossible It that Tyardmerely reachesfor a figure speech and findsa symbol of which thereafter continues work thepoem- andin themind to in of the reader relating all its other to elements untiltheverynature ofloveis touched upon.Thisis suggested sonnet in VIII of thePremierlivrewherethe first of glimpse the lady's countenance and moreparticularly compassionate her smilecall forth comparison a withthesun; in fact, verb"cuiday"suggests thepoet was the that consciously seeking term comparison, thatnothing a of and short of Plato'schief symbol wouldbe worthy his eyesof describing in Pasithee's smile:"Lors que je veisun souriz, colorer Et de douceur, / et de pitiesa face,/ Qui en leurbeau toutes beautezefface, Je / 8 la cuyday Soleil comparer." The question au now ariseswhether the Platonic is symbol beingbrought downto the level of a timid lover'smetaphor, whether, the contrary, choice of the or on the imagewill permeate poem and add to the dimension encothe of mium thatof a search theeternity love.The nexttwolines for of
8 Pontus de Tyard,cEuvres poetiques completes, editioncritiquepar John C. Lapp (Paris, 1966), p. 14.

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Eva Kushner remainat the level of a rather clumsymetaphorical expression, tracing parallelbetween consuming a the heat of the sun and the consuming love whichdevoursthe poet. This is, however, transcendedin the last fourlines of the poem; first, the boldness by withwhichTyardcompares universal the presence the sun to of the no less universal renown thelady.If thiswerethe end,we of wouldsimply raisean eyebrow theextent the "grossissement"; at of butlines13 and 14 forcefully confirm whatis at stakeis indeed that the questforthe eternity truth becomesthe of and love. Eternity withthe sun, in attribute the lady'ssoul and presence, contrast of is which takenin its physical sense,as partof theworldof nature, and withnature boundfor eventual destruction: "Mais, eclipsant, 9 sa clart6 le / Jamais nomd'elle n'eclipsera." This means cessera, in effect thatthe sun as an imageis in the end foundimperfect, but forreasonsboundup withthe sun as symbol. thatpoint, At thesoulof Pasithee be divorced can from term its comparison the in
visible word-the sun -just

takenas symbolic representation the idea of good, without of the symbolization sanctioning material the world through one of its bodies.In the analogy, Plato explains heavenly to thatthe sun is to human sight theworld thevisible in of whattheidea of thegood is to man'ssoul in the invisible, spiritual world the sourceof all "And the soul is like the eye: when resting knowledge: upon that on whichtruthand being shine, the soul perceivessand towards understands is radiant and with but turned intelligence; when thetwilight becoming perishing, she has opinion of and then only, and goes blinking about,and is first one opinionand thenof of "and another, seemsto haveno intelligence?" To understand role of the sun in thisfamousanalogy, the it 12 bothanalogies be must linked with analogy thedivided the of line; in conjunction each other with initiate intothenature Plato's us of
10 Republic IV/508.

as in Platonic thoughtthe sun is

9 Ibid., p. 14.

11 The Dialogues of Plato, translated into English by B. Jowett(New York, 1937),vol. I, p. 770. 12 Republic VI/510.

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Yale FrenchStudies alongthedivided symbolic thought. visible The worldis, of course, the through line,linkedwithbecoming and withmereknowledge the In senses,by opinionalone without certainty. thisrespect sun is and world, as a physical phenomenon boundup withthe visible of light thus the very symbol visibility well as the source of as the in thatworld.It is thisexaltedrole whichdesignates sun as in the worldof the the signthatgivesbothknowledge being and invisible. by to Plato liftsup the former, the power of poetry, our eyes to the latter. Far from beingmerely pedagogical a open becomea mode of disdevice,thismodeof thought may at times coveryof the unknown whenlogic fails:
de Ce Grec epris de beaute a un si profondsentiment la naturequ'il voit une formeplastique. On sait et les abstractions, leur donne spontanement Mais qu'il tenait le monde sensiblepour une copie du monde intelligible. cette parentedes deux mondes,il ne se borne pas a la concevoiravec sa raison: il l'imagine, saisit commeune realite,si bien que le materielest la entre constante a la lettre symboledu spirituel. le D'o' cettecorrespondance l'&me et le corps, entreles idees et la nature... 13

The Renaissance poet, (if he is indeed steeped in Platonic and in devicesof the canzothought not merely the metaphorical to nieri) would relatethis methodof symbolization the idea of than the love. When Tyard says thatPasitheeis more enduring an sun itself, becausethe sun may suffer eclipse,but her renown in willneverfail,he may,of course, once morebe engaging overof (and her praise.But as soon as the eternity a woman'svirtue is is we virtue the innerbasis of her renown) mentioned, know the lies beliefin virtue the as thatunderneath compliment a firm markof eternity soul. Pasithee's beauty stems from uponthelover's in turn in Ficinian thisinner which stems, terms, from the harmony of world, goodness God. That thisis the real sun of the invisible fromthe radiating upon the humanlover,can easilybe inferred published seven following passageofLa Parfaycte Amyeby Herodt,
years before Tyard's Erreurs amoureuses:
13 Perceval Frutiger, Les mythesde Platon, etude philosophiqueet litteraire(Paris, 1930), p. 276.

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Eva Kushner
II me souvientluy avoir ouy dire Que la beaulte que nous voyonsreluyre Es corps humainsn'estoitqu'une estincelle De ceste la qu'il nommoit immortelle; Que ceste cy, bien qu'elle fustsortie De la celeste et d'elle une partie, Si toustefois entrenous perissoit, Si s'augmentoit, s'elle decroissoit, ou 14 Que l'aultreestoit entiereet immobile.

It wouldbe quiteinexact assertthatthe sun,in every to poem of Erreurs amoureuses, thusa symbolical is pointof encounter for all on earth 15 thataspires towards good.A poemlike "Sextine," the is strictly it although the organized around imageofthesun,remains thoroughly un-Platonic its use of thisimage.This is due to the in factthatthe sun appearsin thispoem at a metaphorical rather than a symbolical level, and is linkedto the Petrarchan system of expression rather thanto a Platonicview of love.16 Far from beingmutually exclusive, twolevelscoexist many the in poems;the Platonic symbolism underlies Petrarchan the phraseology subtle and linksariseamongthoseprivileged poems,which form Platonic the substratum the whole of the Erreursamoureuses. is quite of It possibleto establish classification all the poemsin the three a of books according whatmight called their"teneur platoto be en 17 nisme." Such a classification must,perforce, includean intermediate the category, poemsof whichare neither strongly Petrarchan nor strongly but combine Platonic, the two strains their in structure. thefirst In book of theErreurs least,it might said at be thatthe torment the Petrarchan of loverservesas introduction, or "propedeutique," thecontemplative to attitude thePlatonic of lover. It can also be observed that the first book contains the largest number themoreexclusively of Petrarchan poems.Here ourcontent
14 Antoine HeroEt, La parfaycte Amye, in (Euvres poe'tiques,edition critiquepar FerdinandGohin (Paris, 1943), 875-884,p. 42. 15 Pontusde Tyard,(Euvrespoetiquescompletes, 37-38. p. 16 For a more detailed discussionsee "Le systemesymboliquedans la po6tiquede Pontusde Tyard,"in Actesdu XllIe congresinternational d'e'tudes humanistes: l'expression symboliquea la Renaissance(in press). 17 This was done in preparation for the paper mentioned note 16. in

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Yale FrenchStudies
18 JohnLapp's previousfindings, conanalysisonly underscores and the occursbetween first thesecond which the cerning evolution to In of book. The influence Sceve has diminished. his relation of sighsreminiscent Pethe beloved,Tyardabandonsthe doleful of and Serafino, Tebaldeo.The relationship lover and betrarch, because the poet too can bring loved becomesmore equitable, of is of in which unique: the gift poetry the service the something in book, Furthermore, thesecondand third of appreciation beauty. as type we findthe "intermediate" of poem more frequent, the poem becomes less frequent;and Petrarchan characteristically in Platonism leans towards poem, quite often, the "intermediate" be Platonic.It might said being exclusively without its imagery finds syna of Tyardgradually thatin the development his poetry, is thissynthesis nourished by thesis his own,and thatin depth, of Platonicsymbols. return "Sextine" to is which an example Let us fora moment type Petrarchan of poem.Here, the imageof of the predominantly stands theeye of theladywithits inflammatory for thesun merely effect uponthelover'semotions:

du on Mais,comme voitles rayons Soleil tout ainsi Eschauffer gT-bas, tonceil sur Rouant moyde plusen plusm'enflame.19

also function, driesthe downpour The sun, in thismeteorological and an Furthermore, of tearsnaturally brings end to all tempests. It of for an it provides antithesis thedarkness torment. is no wonder favorable of thatthe poet wishesfor the weather love to remain to him:
en Plustost soitresoult Elemens ne Ce corps, l'ameau Ciel surle Soleil ny Puissesaillir, douxne me soitN'ceil, que et en Le quelm'enflame,metient tourmens.20
19 Pontus de Tyard, UEuvres p. poetiques completes, 38.
18 Pontus de

pp. poetiquescompletes, xxxii-xxxiii. Tyard,cEuvres

20 Ibid., p.

39.

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Eva Kushner SonnetLII of the Premier Livre is also quitetypical those of whichuse the image of the sun in a Petrarchan spiritand at a of extreme thecapricious metaphorical level.It represents other the weather whichdominates lifeof the obedient the lover;if the sun of thelady'sfavour shinesupon him,he is ecstatic:
De mon soleil! o Soleil gracieux, Saint, et luisantplus que celuy des cieux! Digne de luire en tout le firmament.21

0 Jourheureuxesclairciclerement,

The difference between use ofthesunin thelasttwopoems, the in and that whichwe saw exemplified I/VIII, is that here the relation betweenthe lover and the belovedremains a purely at psychological - one of utterdependence the lover upon level of the beloved and that the use of the image is metaphorical, without real reference anyother any to levelof reality. the PlaIn tonic and symbolical sense, the relationship betweenlover and belovedis one of harmony disharmony) can be seen in the (or as 22 poem "Disgrace." At any rate,their relationship, whileit occurs at thepersonal levelof reality, echoesand corresponding overhas tonesat other souls levelsof reality: theone hand,theindividual on of loverand beloved, and on the other hand,the cosmosat large. of Tyard is consciousof the superficiality deceptiveness and whattodaywe call the pathetic sonnet it fallacy; is obviousfrom I/XXXVII, where expresses of he doubtaboutthesympathy nature of fortheplight theunrewarded lover:
De quoy me sert,quand la douleurme presse, Blasmerainsi mon destin,et les Dieux: Dire tout Astre,et la Terre, et les Cieux 23 Estre inclineza ma grievetristesse?

The cosmos does notdeviate from setcourse consolea human its to heart; and the only sun whose smile or frowncan changethe
21 23

22 Ibid., p. 19.

Ibid., p. 60.
Ibid., p. 49.

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Yale FrenchStudies destiny the poet is thatwhichshinesin his lady's eyes. This of metaphorical simply meansthatTyardis consciousof the purely function the imageof the sun,in thosecases wherethe reader of words, thathe himself in it metaphorical; other can identify as being of the distinguishes between sun as a figure speechand consciously all is of thesun as sourceand symbol good among that - including humanlove. and A mostfruitful the between metaphorical Pecomparison and trarchan of theimageofthesunand itssymbolical Platonic use of I/XXXV, the use within widerview,arisesfrom study sonnet a sonnet Petrarch's at Petrarch, leastinitially. in which Tyardimitates of it, XXXIX blesses, afterpinpointing the juncture the stars, and whichmade possiblethe lovers'meeting, the wholearsenalof felt. The of that instruments torture love uses to makeits presence it for suffering entire is sonnet an act of thanksgiving love,whatever as being reason thatsucha perfect for maybring, theone andglorius to and thatthe poet is permitted viewher: thebelovedexists,
Benedettosia'l giorno,e'l mese, e l'anno E la stagione,e'l tempo,e l'hora, e'l punto, E'l bel paese, e'l loco, ov'io fui giunto Da duo belli occhi, che legato m'hanno. E benedetto primo dolce affanno il Ch'i hebbi ad esser con amor congiunto; E l'arco, e le saette,ond'fuipunto; al E le piaghe,ch'infin cor mi vanno. le Benedette voci tante,ch'io Chiamandoil nome di mia donna ho sparte; e'l E i sospiri, le lagrime, desio: e sian tuttele charte, E benedette mio Ov'io fama l'acquisto: e'l pensier 24 Ch'e sol di lei, si, ch'altradon v'ha parte.

The imageof thesunin thelastlineseemsto suggest light and that of warmth from lady; and the thought her is indeed the emanate the onlysourceof warmth light. is obviousthatthe entire and It meeting of aroundthe themeof the fortunate poem is structured
24 Petrarch, Rime,ed. Leopardi,Edoardo Sonzogno,editore(Milano, 1893), p. 77.

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Eva Kushner the two lovers,for whichthe lover -in typical Petrarchan fashion-is eternally indebted the exact workings fate: this to of attitude betrays the customary bondageof the poet to the lady. The wholepoemis a sigh, marvellously constructed upon a dosage of happiness and suffering. Can Pontusde Tyard, I/XXXV, be said to have "imitated" in thissonnet Petrarch's? mustanalyzethe degreeof freedom of We him he took withhis model,and see whether freedom this brings closerto a Platonic graspof the sun symbol.
Heureuxle mois,heureusela journee, le Heureuse1'heure, heureux moment, et Heureux le siecle,heureuxle Firmament, fut Souz qui ma Dame heureusement nee. Heureusesoit 1'heureuse destinde De I'Astre heureux,qui feit heureusement Ce jour heureuxson heureuxmouvement, Sur touteestoilleen bon aspecttournee. Heureux ce monde auquel elle sejourne, Et le Soleil, qui autour d'elle tourne, En s'eclipsanta l'objet de sa veue. Moy mal'heureux mon affection, en Qui n'esjouisma triste passion, de La connoissant si grandheur pourveue.25

The first two lines are the same in both sonnets:blessedare the circumstances the encounterblessedis even the suffering of of love since thereis no love without suffering. even at the But episodic levelPetrarch insists moreon the "love at first sight" motif and its accompanying thandoes Tyard.At themetaphorical images level,Petrarch's poemis builtupon the turmoil the lover'ssoul of sincetheloveris totally dependent upon thewill of a haughty and independent lady. What sets the mood of Tyard'spoem is the of "heureux"and of the adverb"heureurepetition the adjective whichare the leitmotiv onlyof the lines describing not sement," the exactpointin timeand space of the lovers'meeting, also but of theharmonious relationship loversensesbetween beauty the the
25 Pontus de

Tyard, (Euvres poetiques completes, 48. p.

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Yale FrenchStudies of theladyand theharmony theuniverse. of This could,of course, be viewedas a hyperbole praise,but evenso the emphasis in has changed from stateof upheavalof the Petrarchan the loverto the senseof wonder Platonic the poetfinds a world in which encompasses thelady,as symbolized the sun'sturning by aroundher.There is, in fact,no inconsistency between hyperbolic the expression and thesenseof wonder which catches the holdof thepoetas he grasps of in The hyperbolic centrality beauty the universe. expression (in whichonce again the sun as a material objectis eclipsedby the spiritual beautyof the lady) leads, in fact,to the metaphorical interplay the sun, the lady, and the cosmos.That the poet is of thisvisionof unable,in the last threelines,to drawsolace from a happily from factthatthere the worlddoes not detract ordered is a worldorder.In thismanner, metaphorical the level,withits sun which smiles withanthropomorphic upon human favour beauty, leads us to the deeperlevel whereall symbols interconnect and where is of beauty merely incentive love notits objects, the just as thematerial only sun the of elevates spirit towards source all good. the of The question whether Pontus Tyardhimself conscious de was of thesevariouslevels of poeticexpression amonghis poems,or as in the case just analyzed, a only within singlepoem. In this livre226 sonnet XXXVII of the Premier regard, appearsalmostas to withits an antidote sonnetXXXV whichwe just contrasted its Platonic Here Tyard Petrarchan model,showing inner tendency. that mockshis own, man-centered view of natureand confesses and to involve cosmosand its elements the description exin the is planation one's misfortunes to deceiveoneself; of natureis un"Whatis the use," he asks, "of blaming sympathetic. fate,and to do so bypretending theearth all theheavenly that and bodiespartake in man'splight. The powerwhichis in heaven,"Tyardcontinues, "does notdescend earth on sorrow a human to just to bring being; sorrow be brought by one human can only beinguponanother, and the two sunswhich burnt poet's soul are but his lady'seyes." the On the surface might it appearthatthe imageof the sun is used
26 See note 24.

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Eva Kushner herein a metaphorical Petrarchan and sense,all themoresincethe pluralrequired twoeyestakesawayfrom loftiness thesun by the of in Platonic sense.But are we to think Tyard that symbol itsultimate is suddenly denying harmony, and individual universal? unless Not is theexistence suchharmony to be confused of withthenaiveanThe factthat, thropomorphism first ofthe stanza. the following usual canzoniere situation, human one being brings suffering subjection and does notmeantheend or thenonexistence universal of uponanother the that It harmony. wouldappear,on the contrary, Tyardasserts thatit does not stability orderliness the cosmosby saying and of as yieldto humanimpulses. Anthropomorphisma poetic attitude it nor doesnotdeny universal harmony; can it,however, bring about or destroy In this sonnetTyard appearsparticularly it. aware of thedoublefactof harmony theuniverse, disharmony the in in and lifeof thedistressed lover.ThusthePetrarchan situation love serves to express a negative in manner, and drawattention the ideal to, in its situation which there wouldbe no needforheavento change thejoy becauseby courseto participate man'ssorrow, in appointed in found love,manwouldbe attuned heaven. to We find, then,thatthe metaphorical Petrarchan and level not onlycoexists withthe Platonicand symbolic level in the structure ofthepoem,butthat former constant the has reference thelatter. to In certain poems,as we have stated, Petrarchan the situation and phraseology predominate; others, in theylead in a more or less obvious wayto thedeeper, symbolical level.It is easyto find the in Erreurs amoureuses poems in support Merrill's of consistent view of Pontus Tyardas a "Platonizer"rather a "Platonist": de than that is, a poet whoseimagery tendsto be subjected theneedsof the to conventional canzoniere situation, thatevenwhere imageis of so an Platonic it origin, has lost or appearsto have lost its philosophical rootsand overtones; has been reduced, it through seriesof Neoa Platonictransmissions, a figure speechin the service the to of of Petrarchan situation. love thisto be truein thecase of the sun,let us now Havingfound in turn other to to Merrill's did assertions images order testwhether 137

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Yale FrenchStudies not address themselves a surface to phenomenon rather thanto the totalstructure Tyard'spoeticthought. of "Tyardis so thoroughly Petrarchized, says Merrill, thatthe innumerable references his in verseto torches, flames burning and must on thewholeprudently be excluded from Platonistic the canon."27 However, statement this is made following quotation a from poem of theLivrede versUria ques, "Ode 1111.de ses affections," whichrepresents, least in at the introductory stanzas, a notable exceptionto this generalization. image thesteeds that thetorches according The of and of has, to Merrill, Ficinian a origin:
Au plus haut de 1'humainchef Sied l'Ame de la raison, Tentant voller derechef En 1'eternelle maison, D'oth jadis le Cheval noir, (Cheval rebour)le feit choir, Malgre l'autre aux blanchesaesles. donc son cours Renouvellant S'empenne par ses discours De maintesplumes nouvelles. Elle apporte,en trebuchant, Deux brandonspernicieux, Qu'elle allume en approchant Le cinquiesme, tiers des cieux.. .28 et

These two torches Mars and Venus,and man can see themin are theskyas a "coupleadultere," ill-assorted of planets an pair reprethe senting equally ill-assorted emotions love andhatethat of struggle fordomination within man'ssoul. In regard thefirst to stanzaand to theimageof thesteeds, can be of courseadmitted Ficino it that inspires and thatthedichotomy morethana psychological it is one, the representing admixture thecelestial theterrestrial man. of and in But evenassuming Ficinian this is a transmission, moredirect contact with himself Plato excluded cannot or twomeanings, once again,be said to coexistin the poem? In order to answerthis question
27 Robert V. 28 Pontus de

Merrill,op. cit., p. 96. Tyard,cEuvrespoe'tiquescompletes, 175. p.

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Eva Kushner adequately is necessary situate symbol thewinged it to the of horses within Phaedrus. willbe remembered thefirst of the the It that part makesa distinction dialogue between loversand nonlovers, that and both LysiasandSocrates, speaking from rather a pragmatically ethical thatthe nonlover superior is and social pointof view,conclude to the loverbecause of the former's disinterestedness, his ability and to to let his friend without growand be himself, attempting possess him.This part of the dialogueis specifically relatedto a society to in whichhomosexuality widely was accepted; had, therefore, it to be reinterpreted the Renaissance reader.Whether readerof for the theRenaissance Antiquity, does,however, or it convey message, of or at leastopen thesubject, thedual nature man.It provides of Socrates, furthermore, a springboard his seconddiscourse, with for as desirebut as thatin whichlove is no longer conceived merely one of theforms frenzy of which raiseman abovehimself; can parbecomessuperior the adoxically, lover(in the truly inspired sense) of to thenonlover hisrelationship thebeloved. thenature But in with between love has thento be redefined, from simplistic a dichotomy harin for spirit flesh the direction a difficult and of striving inner mony, with another human being(no longer considered an object, as but as an equal) within context universal the of harmony. This Socrates describes soul: the
. .. Let her figurebe composite-a pair of wingedhorses and a charioteer. Now the wingedhorsesand the charioteer the gods are all of themnoble of and of noble descent,but those of other races are mixed; the human charioteer drives in a pair; and one of themis noble and of noble breed, his and the otheris ignoble and of ignoblebreed; and the driving them of of necessity gives a great deal of troubleto him... The soul in her totality has the care of inanimate being everywhere, traverses whole heaven and the in diverseformsappearing;whenperfect and fullywingedshe soars upward, and ordersthe whole world; whereasthe imperfect soul, losingher wingsand drooping in her flightat last settles on the solid ground-there,finding a home, she receivesan earthly framewhich appears to be self-moved, but is really moved by her power; and this composition soul and body is of called a livingand mortalcreature.29
29

translation vol. I, pp. 250-51. Phaedrus,251, Jowett

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Yale FrenchStudies There no doubt, is then, in themind Platothecoexistence that of of the lighthorse and the dark horse in the soul, thoughboth principles inhabit also diviner beings than man,only creates problems forman,to theextent becoming chief of the problem his ethical of life. conducting "self-moving," In his "unbegotten," "immortal" soul, manfinds difficult dominate steedof a less noblerace.The it to the wholediscussion set,in thispartof thedialogue, a muchwider is in setting thanin the first, forthatmatter manyof the endless or in discussions love so characteristic the Renaissance. whose of on He "chariot," thatof thegods,soarsupward like becausethe smoothly unruly steedhas beentriumphantly into the brought pace with noble steed,can sharewiththe gods the banquetof "beholding reality" life where there abides at thatlevelof universal (including humans) the "thevery trueknowledge concerned; colouris beingwith which less,formless, the intangible essence, visible onlyto themind, pilot 30 The problem quality lifeis viewed of of of the soul." as partof discourses as thatof universal the truth; truth Plato sees it in other of aboutthenature theuniverse, theknowledge suchtruth of and by contemplation. But to return love: thePhaedrus to proclaims divine its nature to the extent thatit is livedas the contemplation beauty, of which 31 Ficino, Socrates sees "shining company thecelestial in with forms." on theother hand,subdivides nature beauty, consequently the of and also thatof love,so as to givea farmoredualistic of interpretation of which therelationship thetwo"steeds". Love is thecreative force to the of transmits theUniverse perfection God.
Quemquamodum in deum mensilla statim vero nata et informis amore convertiturformatur, et mundi et sic animain mentem deumque illinc genita se reflectit, cumprimoinformis et chaos,amorein mentem et sit directa, ab acceptis ea formis mundus. fit Non aliter mundi et huiusmateria, cum principio formarum sine ornamenta informe chaos iaceret, illicoamoresibi in ingenito animam direxit se sequeilli obedientem prebuit, atquehoc amore ab conciliante, anima formarum omnium que in mundovidentur, nacta
ornamentum mundusex chaos effectaest.32
30 Ibid., p. 252. 31 Ibid., p. 254. 32 Commentarium in

conviviumPlatonis, Oratio prima, caput III, ed. RaymondMarcel,Commentaire le Banquetde Platon (Paris, 1956),p. 141. sur

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Eva Kushner howFicinobendsthePlatonic It can be observed herein passing idea towards moreChristian a conception theorigin theworld of of and its of creation: chaos,by love, aspiresto receive form its the this pre-existed "mens" beingfromGod. But God, beingeternal, its but which received from notonly substance also itsaspiration him But whenit comesto therole of love in to be made intoa world. of Ficinorestricts to thecontemplation it thelifeof human beings, in turn from love is thedesire emanates beauty (whoseessence God); gratia quedamest,que ut plurimum forbeauty:"Pulchritudo autem 33 in concinnitate maximenascitur." But Ficino makes it plurium of veryclear thatthe enjoyment thisbeautybelongsonlyto the forms To and hearing. other mind,and amongthe senses,to sight of desire attaches derogatory namesof "libido"and "rabies." he the in exists Plato's metaphysics Thus,the dualism whichundoubtedly in from Ficino ethicalcorollaries whichthe dark steedis receives desires. indeedidentified physical with But in the ode wherePontusde Tyardshowsthe soul of man is disputed between lightand the darksteed,the emphasis not the on the ravageswrought the lover'ssoul by the dark steed.In in the of descripiton man'ssoulin general; fact, ode begins with poetic a whileit is reminiscent Convito II, VIII, 46, whereFicino once of it sensual desire, goesfarbeyond againidentifies darksteedwith the the individual lover'spersonalstruggles, towardstheir universal in his wholeness. to Tyard meaning man'sendeavour regain spiritual with of in has reunited, thisimageof theupward impetus thechariot doctrine reminiscence theChristian of and itstwosteeds, Platonic the of doctrine theFall tempered thehope of salvation. by the vision does notrepresent Furthermore, darksteedin Tyard's of sideof love; it also symbolizes emotion hate, the onlythesensual thesting ambition, the desireof riches; of and indeed,all thatunit balancesthe soul by firing withfalse hopes of happiness. This of does indeed description the soul, its hopes,and its vicissitudes lead to thesituation thePetrarchan of lover;butnotin themanner in the suggested Merrill, whoseeyesthestanzasconcerning soul by
33 Ibid., p. 142.

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Yale FrenchStudies appearto be a mere horsd'oeuvre yetanother to poemon thelover's plight. there at thesymbolic Yet is, level,a relationship between the the beginning thepoemand thatwhich of follows: poet'sapplication to himself, to his entire and life,thatwhichhe has learnedfrom Plato aboutthesoul; and thisleads,not onlyto thechoiceof love of The Petrarchan as thecentre his life,but also to thatof poetry. and lover'ssituation indeedbeen partof the poet's condition, has he has acceptedit and expressed withthe imagessanctioned by Petrarch theQuattrocentists: and
Depuys j'ay tousjourschante La rare perfection D'une Angeliquebeaute: J'ay chantdma passion constamment Inconstante En glace, en feu, en tourment . me Qui 1'esprit mineet me ronge . . 34

But he goeson to identify attitude thisstyle writing this and of with he of self-deception;also discovers thepower poetry that compensates forthe lady'spoweroverhim; and finally, can be said thatin it the wide autobiographical context this poem the introductory of stanzasdevotedto the steedsand the torches are not incidental touches Platonism, they on thecontrary, of but linked are, organically of in withits overall purpose:the analysis love and poetry Tyard's ownlife. is No poemof Tyard's perhaps coherent expression the as an of and whichmay seize the lifeof discord, disharmony, imperfection 35 human as beings thepoem"Disgrace" with network Platonic its of symbols tightly organized to amongthemselves show,through disfor order,a need and aspiration order.At the episodiclevel, a between poet and Pasithee the suffices explainthe to disagreement of disorder. But the symbolic poet's searchfor images tissueof in and thepoemsucceeds holding recalling levelofreality every with which is concerned, whatharmony there couldexist Tyard showing
34 Pontus de

35 Ibid., pp. 19-20.

Tyard, cEuvrespoe'tiquescompletes, 178. p.

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Eva Kushner within soul itself, the between souls of loverand beloved,as the well as in the universe a whole.Thus we have farmorein this as poem than a Quattrocentist "disperata":rather, starting fromthe lovers'quarrel, see arising, we withits manifestations conseand In of quencesrigorously portrayed, threat disharmony. thismanthe linked its ner,"Disgrace"becomes, through use of symbols, closely substiwiththe ode which has justbeen examined; "Chimere" the the becomes mirage, light a tuted theidea,thesolidwholewhich to to the turning darkness, musicof thespheres to changed a grinding a of noise: all theserepresent, the interplay symbols, worldin in which "darksteed"woulddominate all levels. the at Hall has shown Kathleen howprecise orderly and Tyard's picture of disorder it simply is: reverses picture worldorderacthe of 36 ceptableto an intelligent man of Tyard'sgeneration. Aristotelianism and Platonism take their place within thisvision, because, Greekthought him only foreshadows revelation for the (though it poetically tends, times, replace Biblicalcosmology at to it!) welds the vision.The orderfollowed the terze rime of together entire by "Disgrace," Kathleen as Hall has demonstrated, sameas many is the scientific textbooks the Renaissance: proceeds of it from origin the of theworldand its spheres, God and his relationship man. to with of Christianity Platonism and mergein the thought Tyard in a pessimistic vision theworld matter of man of (including as a material being)abandoned itself. to Each stanzacontributes suggestion a of doomsymbolically parallel that to suggested theadjacent by stanzas: whether is cosmic it reversal to "trepidation"; thedestruction due or of themusicof the spheres, painful thepoet'sinner to hearing; or the "obliqueness" the raysof the sun,whichcannotstray of from itsaccustomed butshows disfavour no longer path its its by imparting - all pointto the essential lightdirectly whichis the soul of the poet's soul, whose presencebringsharmony, whose absence and brings disharmony.
36 KathleenHall, "Pontus de Tyard and his 'Disgrace' L'Esprit createur, ", vol. V, Summer1965, pp. 102-110.

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Yale FrenchStudies used of a beneath veneer commonly All thistends showthat, to historians in associated the eyes of literary of figures speechoften has of the withthe nameof Petrarch, structure Tyard'spoetry an the rejoinsPlato in contemplating in innerdirection whichTyard serve as a of end of life.The symbol the prisonmight ultimate of example.The tradition medieval finaland' perhapsconclusive speaksof the tradition, as poetry, well as the Quattrocentist lyrical to loyalty his lady. the poet's exclusive prisonof love to describe fromthisuse, as for examplein Pontusde Tyardis not exempt
III/VII:
Quel joug, quel 'faiz, quelles forces estranges, esclave? Rendroient ailleurs ma servitude . Ne crainspoint,non qu'autreprisonm'enclave . . 37

or meaning the goes Yet his preference to the deeperPlatonic which Socrates speaksof whenhe saysin thePhaesymbol, prison in in drus that "we are imprisoned the body like an oyster his 38 or again thatwhich in the Republicin the is described shell," human a of whichat times, privileged allegory the cave, and from knowledge. be led towards sun and towards the beingescapes to thatthe love prisonis but the first Certain criesof Tyardsuggest las of in theexploration theprison life: "Mon esprit, d'estre of step en et 3 au en prison / mortelle, Cherche Enfers, Terre Ciel,secours." jusFor Plato, and forTyardas well, thismay be the common of and tification poetry love.

39

37 Pontutsde Tyard, cEuvrespoetiques completes, p. 38 Phaedrus,250, Jowett translation vol. I, p. 254.

133.

Pontus de Tyard, cEuvrespoe'tiquescompltes, p. 71.

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