Poësies chrestiennes - Godeau, Antoine 1605-1672 (Paris Petit, 1660)
Antoine Godeau was a French bishop, poet and exegete.
Antoine Godeau (1605-1672) first published the Poësies Chrestiennes in 1633 in the context of the Catholic Reformation which encouraged spiritual revival. This lyric collection is emblematic of his comprehensive poetic and spiritual work. Godeau became the Bishop of Grasse in 1636 and devoted his poetic gifts to enlightening the readers. This new edition is the latest version of the Poësies Chrestiennes (1660), which is pastoral Catholic verse addressed to the socialites of the time. The versatile poet expressed himself in various forms, registers and topics to convey the Christian dogma and the Bible. The content and the purpose of the book fluctuated. The Poësies chrestiennes was thus a field for experimentation : it became Antoine Godeau's laboratory for all his pastoral and lyric work. The poet defined the principles of a poetry which was based on the conciliation of divine enthusiasm and reason, a poetry where grace and beauty met. The paraphrase of the Scriptures was an opportunity to explore the conciliation of Parnassus and Calvary, as well as the specificity of a classical poetic language in the making, endowing it with gentleness and clarity. Poetry appeared to be the ideal way to instill Christian truths in the heart of the faithful. The religious conversion of secular literary rhetoric prepared the layman to hear the poet-preacher’s vigorous speech. Antoine Godeau tempered his Augustinian anthropology by promoting a life both wordly and pious, in chime with the ideal of Christian “honnêteté”. The poet spiritualized profane aesthetics, which showed his unrelenting desire to adapt his conversion discourse to a public eager to be edified by the “delectare”.
Camille Venner, Édition critique des "Poësies chrestiennes" (1660) d'Antoine Godeau précédée d'une introduction sur la pastorale lyrique et catholique de cet auteur, These, Université de Lorraine, 2018https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-01752385
Nouvelle édition, revue et augmentée
Keywords: 17th Century (1601-1700); Religion; Poetry; France; Richelieu; hooglied; Lycidas_Leris