Poèmes et contes - Deuxième Tome des Îles d'Or - Frédéric MISTRAL

Poèmes et contes - Deuxième Tome des Îles d'Or - Frédéric Mistral

(Poems and tales - Second Volume of the Golden Islands)

Translation Alain Viau

This new translation (2019) into French verse makes it possible to rediscover and appreciate the poems and tales of Frédéric Mistral, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904. This collection is the second volume of Les Îles d'Or. Two poems have as themes events showing the contribution of Provence to the History of France: "The drum of Arcole" tells the story of a young drummer, a Vaucluse from Cadenet, who enabled Bonaparte to win a decisive battle during the Italian campaign; "Princess Clemence" tells how the engagement of Marguerite d'Anjou, Princess of Provence, and Charles de Valois took place in 1290, who will have as descendants all the kings of France of the Valois dynasty. The third poem and the tales tell us about the life, worries and hopes of the peasants of Provence. "The End of the Harvester" recounts the accidental death of an old harvester. “The Three Councils”, “The Trouble Picker” and “The Providence” are lessons in common sense. “The rain” is a glorification of peasant life. "The Lice Seeker" is a comic tale about arguments between couples. All these stories take us back to the past of Provence.

Self-edition, bilingual French and Provençal.

The author :
Frédéric MISTRAL, born in Maillane in 1830 and died in Maillane in 1914, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904, is originally an immense work written in Provençal.

Translator : Alain VIAU