Dichterin und Schriftstellerin (1786-1859) Autograph letter with signature. O. O. 1½ SS. 8vo.
$ 1,286 / 1.200 €
(90462/BN60210)
An emotional, almost poetic letter of thanks to a Monsieur referring to Desbordes', petition on behalf of a certain Madame Thuilot. Thuilot is a most upstanding and honest woman, tormented by a passionate regret that makes her an object of interest for everyone, even for those who understand nothing of her pain. Desbordes counts herself, indeed, among this number, and claims to share in Madame Thuilot's pain precisely because it has gripped the sufferer so deeply and seriously. The addressee would be blessed by Thuilot's poor sick heart and also by Desbordes': "Vous répondez avec bien de la grace et da la bonté à ma prière pour Madame Thuilot et je vous en fais mon vif remerciement.
Il est vrai qu'il n'y a pas monde une meilleure et plus honnête femme, ni plus tourmentée d'un regret passionné qui tient à bon entrailler, et la rend intéressante même pour ceux qui n'y comprennent rien. Je suis de ce nombre et je compatis à Sa peine uniquement parce que je la vois sincère et profonde [...] lumières en éclairent la source et vous sera béni de ce pauvre cœur malade. Du mien aussi, Monsieur, qui soulève un abattement douloureux. Pour vous saluer de ma gratitude et de mon estime particulière [...]" (You have answered my prayers for Madame Thuilot with great grace and kindness, and I thank you very much for it. It is true that there is no better and more honest woman in the world, nor one more tormented by a passionate regret which holds her fast in its grip, and makes her interesting even to those who understand nothing about her. I am one of them and I sympathise with her pain only because I see it as sincere and deep [...] lights illuminate its source and you will be blessed by this poor sick heart. By mine too, Sir, which causes me painful dejection. Sending you my gratitude and special esteem [...]. - Desbordes-Valmore achieved the great success with her poems on themes such as motherhood, love, friendship, childhood, God and social injustice. She processed the numerous strokes of fate in her life through poetry, earning her the nickname "Notre-Dame-des-Pleurs" ("Our Lady of Tears"). - Lightly yellow-stained..
French poet and author (1786-1859). Autograph manuscript. N. p. 8vo. 2 pp.
$ 1,286 / 1.200 €
(91562/BN60883)
Unpublished obituary for the famous actress Mademoiselle Mars, apparently commissioned by the French general Baron Pierre Paul Denniée (1781-1848). Mlle. Mars died on 20 March 1847, aged 68, and Marcel Desbordes-Valmore was among the close friends and family members present at her deathbed. The short obituary beautifully describes Mars's "youth in an advanced age", her firm and humble character, her "strong and sincere faith" with "the candour of a child", the performance of the last rites, and Mars's utterance of the sentence, "I am a weak woman", followed by a final "à Dieu".
Some original passages: "Elle est morte jeune dans un Age avancée. Jeune par la grâce, par l'étonnante justesse et l'indulgence de son esprit. Jeune par sa beauté touchante jusque dans la mort [...] - Le mal auquel elle devait succomber ayant fait les plus rapides progrès, ses amis s'en émurent, et ils comprirent qu'un caractère aussi ferme qu'était le sien, qu'on cœur aussi élevé, aussi bienfaisant, et nous pouvons l'affirmer, aussi humble, pouvait recevoir et comprendre les consolations de la religion [...] - Cependant, l'heure suprême étant devenue imminente. Elle reçut avec calme et une admirable sérénité les derniers secours de la religion, entouré d'un petit nombre de parens [!] et d'amis les plus intimes [...] - Bientôt, retirant sa main quelle avait abandonnée à l'un d'eux, elle dit bien bas, montrant le ciel : 'Je suis une faible femme.' - Enfin, réunissant ses forces éteintes et laissant couler une larme, elle essaya d'élever ses mains vers ses lèvres, d'où s'échappa faiblement ce dernier mot : À dieu !". - An autograph line above the obituary identifies Denniée as having commissioned the text: "Lignes confiées par Mr. le B. D.e sur les derniers momens de notre bien aimée amie Mademoiselle Mars". The relationship between Denniée and Mars or Desbordes-Valmore remains unclear. Marceline Desbordes-Valmore was an intimate friend of the actress, to which the beautiful text bears testimony. - Stronger browning and minimal tears. With collector's notes in ink..
French poet and author (1786-1859). Autograph letter signed. [Paris?]. 8to. 2 pp. With autograph address panel.
$ 911 / 850 €
(91645/BN60966)
Beautiful, comprehensive letter to her close friend Léon Boitel, in which Desbordes-Valmore laments a grave disappointment, probably in connection with her departure from Lyon. Although Desbordes-Valmore reprimands a Monsieur Perlet for leaving without communicating with Boitel, the ultimate cause of her "heartbreak", "terrible bitterness", and "infinite sadness" remains obscure. She announces that she will follow her husband, who "worries too much" about his "beginnings", to his new engagement in Brussels and join him with their daughters after the upcoming conscription of their son Hippolyte.
The letter was probably written from Paris, as she expresses her disdain for the city: "I no longer want Paris". - In the second part of the letter, Desbordes-Valmore mentions negotiations with two different publishers over a children's book of hers. In a short postscript she affirms that the disappointment has only strengthened her faith: "It is impossible that there is not a great Good hidden beneath such disappointment. I believe in God" (trans.). - The actor Prosper Valmore (1793-1881) was based in Lyon between 1833 and 1839. There, Marceline Desbordes-Valmore met the graphic artist and publisher Léon Boitel (1806-55), who would remain a close friend until his untimely death. The children's book mentioned in the letter is "Contes en vers pour les enfants", published in 1840 by Léon Boitel himself. - Minor tears and some browning..