Description
Lithograph from the limited edition book Poèmes de Charles d’Orléans, which was entirely handwritten and illustrated by Henri Matisse. Matisse began designing the pages as early as 1943, but the final portfolio was not published until 1950.
Poem:
Las ! Mort, qui t’a fait si hardie,
De prendre la noble Princesse
Qui estoit mon confort, ma vie,
Mon bien, mon plaisir, ma richesse !
Puis que tu as prins ma maistresse,
Prens moy aussi son serviteur,
Car j’ayme mieulx prouchainement
Mourir que languir en tourment,
En paine, soussi et doleur.
Las ! de tous biens estoit garnie
Et en droite fleur de jeunesse !
Je pry à Dieu qu’il te maudie,
Faulse Mort, plaine de rudesse !
Se prise l’eusses en vieillesse,
Ce ne fust pas si grant rigueur ;
Mais prise l’as hastivement,
Et m’as laissié piteusement
En paine, soussi et doleur.
Las ! je suis seul, sans compaignie !
Adieu ma Dame, ma liesse !
Or est nostre amour departie,
Non pourtant, je vous fais promesse
Que de prieres, à largesse,
Morte vous serviray de cueur,
Sans oublier aucunement ;
Et vous regretteray souvent
En paine, soussi et doleur.
Envoi
Dieu, sur tout souverain Seigneur,
Ordonnez, par grâce et doulceur,
De l’ame d’elle, tellement
Qu’elle ne soit pas longuement
En paine, soussi et doleur.
Translation:
Alas! Death, who made thee so bold,
To take the noble Princess
Who was my comfort, my life,
My good, my pleasure, my wealth!
Since thou hast taken my mistress,
Take me also, her servant,
For I would rather die soon
Than languish in torment,
In pain, anxiety, and sorrow.
Alas! she was filled with all goodness
And in the very flower of her youth!
I pray to God that He curse thee,
False Death, full of harshness!
If thou hadst taken her in old age,
It would not have been such great rigor;
But thou hast taken her hastily,
And hast left me piteously
In pain, anxiety, and sorrow.
Alas! I am alone, without company!
Farewell my Lady, my joy!
Now is our love departed,
Nevertheless, I make you a promise
That with prayers, in abundance,
Though dead, I will serve you with my heart,
Without forgetting you in any way;
And I will regret you often
In pain, anxiety, and sorrow.
Envoi
God, above all sovereign Lord,
Ordain, by grace and sweetness,
For the soul of her, in such a way
That she may not be for long
In pain, anxiety, and sorrow
Historical Significance
Matisse began working on this project in 1943 while recovering from surgery in Nazi-occupied France. He identified deeply with Charles d’Orléans, a French prince who was also a “prisoner” of the English for 25 years during the Hundred Years’ War. For Matisse, illustrating these poems was a subtle form of cultural resistance—celebrating French history and national identity during a time of crisis
The Edition: The book was published by Tériade in a limited edition of 1,200 copies.
