La mélancolie marotique. Sur une rime du Psaume 137

Abstract

Marot’s Psalm paraphrases have been widely hailed as a major poetic achievement in French Renaissance poetry. Although Marot wants to stay as close as possible to his biblical source, his rendering of Ps. 137 stands out due to some of its metrical features and tone, as shaped by the initial rime aquatiques-melancoliques, which is totally absent from earlier translations. Far from being ornamental, such an innovative move imparts a new reading to the text, reworking some of its features while thoroughly rephrasing the expression of loss that pervades the entire poem. Engaging in a close exegetical reading of the text, the article aims at showing how Marot achieves to convey a deeper poetic meaning in addressing one of the most violent, excruciating songs of the Psalter, thus turning its bitter harshness into a meditative piece of sorts and a genuine masterpiece, testifying to both his spiritual commitment and his aesthetic position.