Les Rayons et les Ombres
Encyclopedia
Les Rayons et les Ombres ("Beams and shadows", 1840) is a collection of forty-four poems by Victor Hugo
, the last collection to be published before his exile, and containing most of his poems from between 1837 and 1840.
One biographer (A. F. Davidson) noted that this book marks the first appearance of Hugo as "poet-prophet, whose function is to instruct kings and peoples about the problems of life." The critical success of Les Rayons may have brought about Hugo's election to the French Academy on 7 January 1841, when he took the seat of a deceased opponent.
The most famous poems are numbers 34 and 42, La Tristesse d'Olympio and Oceano Nox.
to revisit memories of an old love affair. The poem is linked to Victor Hugo's relationship with Juliette Drouet
, the manuscript bearing a dedication to her. Sainte-Beuve
disapprovingly compared it to Alphonse de Lamartine
's similar and similarly famous Le Lac.
, and this experience led him to write the poem. The title is from Virgil
's Aeneid
, Book II, line 250: Vertitur interea caelum, et ruit oceano nox. ("In the meantime, the sky revolves and night rushes from the ocean.") It is taken from Aeneas's description of the Trojans' misguided celebrations on the eve of their defeat.
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, the last collection to be published before his exile, and containing most of his poems from between 1837 and 1840.
One biographer (A. F. Davidson) noted that this book marks the first appearance of Hugo as "poet-prophet, whose function is to instruct kings and peoples about the problems of life." The critical success of Les Rayons may have brought about Hugo's election to the French Academy on 7 January 1841, when he took the seat of a deceased opponent.
The most famous poems are numbers 34 and 42, La Tristesse d'Olympio and Oceano Nox.
Fonction du poëte
Fonction du poëte ("Poet's Role", 1839) is the first in the collection, and represents a dialogue in which an argument for aloofness is presented, and then refuted.La Tristesse d'Olympio
La Tristesse d'Olympio ("The Sadness of Olympio", 1837) describes a man returning to Bièvres, EssonneBièvres, Essonne
Bièvres is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.Bièvre is the old French name for beaver...
to revisit memories of an old love affair. The poem is linked to Victor Hugo's relationship with Juliette Drouet
Juliette Drouet
Juliette Drouet, born Julienne Josephine Gauvain was a French actress. She abandoned her career on the stage after becoming the mistress of Victor Hugo, to whom she acted as a secretary and travelling companion...
, the manuscript bearing a dedication to her. Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history.-Early years:...
disapprovingly compared it to Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine was a French writer, poet and politician who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic.-Career:...
's similar and similarly famous Le Lac.
Oceano Nox
Oceano Nox ("Night on the Ocean", 1836) ponders the horror of death by drowning, particularly when the death is ambiguous or unnoticed and thus unmourned. On 16 July 1836 Hugo watched a storm off the coast of Saint-Valery-sur-SommeSaint-Valery-sur-Somme
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is a commune in the Somme department. The village is a popular tourist destination because of its medieval character and ramparts, Gothic church and long waterside boardwalk.-Geography:...
, and this experience led him to write the poem. The title is from Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
, Book II, line 250: Vertitur interea caelum, et ruit oceano nox. ("In the meantime, the sky revolves and night rushes from the ocean.") It is taken from Aeneas's description of the Trojans' misguided celebrations on the eve of their defeat.