On page 170 of Pale Fire, there is a tiny, seemingly offhand reference to "an old bearded bum, . . . who stood like a statue of Verlaine". I was interested in that single word, Verlaine, and took to the internet hoping to find some statue or impressive sculpture to feed my artistic appetite. What I did find surprised me.
Verlaine refers to the French poet, Paul Verlaine of the late 1800s. His short biography (linked above) states that his first wife was named Mathilde Mauté. A little research revealed that over time, the name Mathilda which means powerful in battle, was shortened to form the name Maude. Here we see the specter of Aunt Maude coming back to us once again from her literary grave. After Verlaine's love affair with Mathilde burned out, he eventually fell in love with his student, Lucien. Lucien means, in Latin and in Greek, "light".
Verlaine was a "Symbolist leader" through his many poetic works. After sifting through some of his many beautiful pieces, I stumbled upon La Bonne Chanson. La Bonne Chanson is a collection of poems Verlaine originally dedicated to Mathilde. In several of these poems I found COUNTLESS references to pale and to fire, even to shade. I have copied one I found to contain the most references; it is titled "Since Shade Relents". I have italicized the words that, to my eyes, harken back to Shade, Hazel, and Pale Fire.
Since shade relents, since ‘tis indeed the day,
Since hope I long had deemed forever flown,
Wings back to me that call on her and pray,
Since so much joy consents to be my own, —
The dark designs all I relinquish here,
And all the evil dreams. Ah, done am I
Above all with the narrowed lips, the sneer,
The heartless wit that laughed where one should sigh.
Away, clenched fist and bosom’s angry swell,
That knave and fool at every turn abound.
Away, hard unforgivingness! Farewell,
Oblivion in a hated brewage found!
For I mean, now a Being of the Morn
Has shed across my night excelling rays
Of love at once immortal and newborn, —
By favor of her smile, her glance, her grace,
I mean by you upheld, O gentle hand,
Wherein mine trembles,--led, sweet eyes, by you
To walk straight, lie the path o’er mossy land
Or barren waste that rocks and pebbles strew.
Yes, calm I mean to walk through life, and straight,
Patient of all, unanxious of the goal,
Void of all envy, violence, or hate
It shall be duty done with cheerful soul.
And as I may to lighten the long way,
Go singing airs ingenuous and brave,
She’ll listen to me graciously, I say, —
And, verily, no other heaven I crave.
Since hope I long had deemed forever flown,
Wings back to me that call on her and pray,
Since so much joy consents to be my own, —
The dark designs all I relinquish here,
And all the evil dreams. Ah, done am I
Above all with the narrowed lips, the sneer,
The heartless wit that laughed where one should sigh.
Away, clenched fist and bosom’s angry swell,
That knave and fool at every turn abound.
Away, hard unforgivingness! Farewell,
Oblivion in a hated brewage found!
For I mean, now a Being of the Morn
Has shed across my night excelling rays
Of love at once immortal and newborn, —
By favor of her smile, her glance, her grace,
I mean by you upheld, O gentle hand,
Wherein mine trembles,--led, sweet eyes, by you
To walk straight, lie the path o’er mossy land
Or barren waste that rocks and pebbles strew.
Yes, calm I mean to walk through life, and straight,
Patient of all, unanxious of the goal,
Void of all envy, violence, or hate
It shall be duty done with cheerful soul.
And as I may to lighten the long way,
Go singing airs ingenuous and brave,
She’ll listen to me graciously, I say, —
And, verily, no other heaven I crave.
The piece is filled with references to light and dark, to immortality, even to imagined enemies rising up "knave and fool at every turn". I encourage my reader to consult the hyperlink to La Bonne Chanson to find more poems, many of which reference shade. In "Before Your Light Quite Fail", Verlaine speaks of a "paling star." One stanza starts " Turn on the poet’s eyes/
That love makes overrun—" Shade is our poet, crying over his departed Hazel. In this same poem, further lines read, "Your glance, that presently / Must drown in the blue morn;". Not only does Hazel drown, but also remember, the sea drowns the moon and her ghostly fire.
That love makes overrun—" Shade is our poet, crying over his departed Hazel. In this same poem, further lines read, "Your glance, that presently / Must drown in the blue morn;". Not only does Hazel drown, but also remember, the sea drowns the moon and her ghostly fire.
Another famous French artist, this time a singer called Charles Trénet, formed a tribute to Verlaine's "Chanson d'Automne" (song of autumn) in his song entitled Verlaine or Le Chanson d'Automne.
After looking up the lyrics for this song and putting them into a free translation website, I found this crude, but accurate, translation of the French lyrics:
"Les sanglots longs Des violons De l’automne Blessent mon coeur D’une langueur monotone Tout suffocant Et blême, quand Sonne l’heure Je me souviens Des jours anciens et je pleure Et je m’en vais Au vent mauvais Qui m’emporte Deçà, delà Pareil à la feuille morte "
"The long sobs Of The violins Of the fall Injure my heart OF a monotonous languor All suffocating And pale one,when Rings the hour I remember old days and I cry And I leave For The bad wind That takes me on this side,beyond Similar to the dead leaf"
In this piece as well, we find references to a "pale one" and also to death.
After following this thread, I was shocked to find that so brief a reference lost in the midst of so many grander and perhaps more "important" references, could contain so much meaning. ... Or perhaps I have been led down yet another false trail and have now become thoroughly deceived, deceiving my reader in the process. I leave any verdict on the matter... up to you.
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