The Ballad of Dead Ladies (<hi rend="i">Francois Villon</hi>, 1450) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 1869
a4b4a4b4b 4c4b4c4 trochaic ballad
<author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnliterary> <citntranslationoriginal> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citntranslationoriginal> <citnpictorial> <title/> <artist/> <location/> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnpictorial> <citnmythic> <name/> <culture/> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnmythic> <citnhistorical> <event/> <place/> <date/> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnhistorical> <citnautobiographical> <name/> <place/> <date/> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnautobiographical> <citnscenic> <place/> <date/> <bibl> <title/> <author/> <city/> <publisher/> <date/> <pages/> </bibl> <note/> </citnscenic> </listcitn> </source> <commentaries> <head>Commentary</head> <section type="intro"> <head>Introduction</head> <p>This poem—one of DGR's <xref doc="a.49-1869.raw">three translations</xref> from Villon—opens the important last part of the opening section of the <xref doc="a.1-1870.raw">1870 volume</xref> This section of the book, titled simply <title level="wrk"> <xref doc="a.1-1870.1stedn.rad" workcode="1-1870"> <hi rend="i">Poems</hi> </xref> , establishes the centrality of the interrelated themes of love, death, and art. The final part of the opening section of the book contains a series of translations that are meant to underscore the transcultural foundation of DGR's poetic focus.

DGR's ballad is the best (and most celebrated) of his translations from Villon. Sharp praised it extravagantly ( <hi rend="i">DGR: A Record and a Study</hi> , 304-305 ), but Baum is more measured: “The difficulties of the ballade form obliged him to greater liberties [than in his translation of Villon's rondeau]. For the substitution of Hipparchia he cannot of course be blamed; but his omission of cousin german in l. 4 and his change of l. 3 of the envoi are less excusable; and his ‘yester-year’ is too poetical for antan ” ( Baum, <hi rend="i">Poems, Ballads and Sonnets</hi> , 177n ). See the general commentary for all three translations.

Textual History: Composition

According to WMR (1911) the translation was made in 1869; if so, it must have been executed by August, since it appears in the Penkill Proofs, the first of the prepublication texts DGR prepared for the eventual publication of his 1870 <xref doc="a.1-1870.1stedn.rad" workcode="38-1869"> <hi rend="i">Poems</hi> </xref> .

Textual History: Revision

Production History

Reception

Iconographic

Printing History

First printed in August 1869 in the Penkill Proofs, the first of the prepublication texts DGR prepared for the eventual publication of his 1870 <xref doc="a.1-1870.1stedn.rad" workcode="38-1869"> <hi rend="i">Poems</hi> </xref> . It appeared in the latter and was reprinted in his “New Edition” of 1881 and collected thereafter

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

DGR is translating Villon's <hi rend="i">Le Testament</hi> lines 329-356.

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

Sharp, <hi rend="i">DGR: A Record and a Study</hi> , 304-305. Gregory, “Life and Works of DGR” vol. 2 , 124. Baum, <hi rend="i">Poems, Ballads and Sonnets</hi> , 177. Lange, <xref doc="a.arcadia.001.rad" link="dead" workcode="38-1869" from="17" to="30">“Swinburne und Rossetti”</xref> .

1881 Poems first edition text Flora was a celebrated Roman courtesan. Hipparchia is DGR's substitution for “Archipiada”, i.e., Alcibiades, who was taken for a woman in the Middle Ages, though Villon was certainly aware that he was a man. DGR's elision is, needless to say, one that his friend Swinburne would not have approved. (Hipparchia is the name of an obscure 4th century BC Greek woman of wealthy family who was devoted to the Cynic philosopher Crates.) Thais: the famous Greek courtesan. Echo: see Ovid, <xref doc="a.ovid001.rad" link="dead"> <hi rend="i">Metamorphoses</hi> </xref> III. 339ff. The celebrated love of Heloise and Abelard is recounted by Jean de Meun in the <xref doc="a.demeun001.rad" link="dead"> <hi rend="i">Roman de la Rose</hi> </xref> V. 8729ff. Villon recalls a legend regarding the medieval philosopher Jean Buridan (fl. 1300-1372) and the Queen of Navarre. The identity of this queen is uncertain: perhaps Blanche of Castille; perhaps Blanche of Bourgogne, wife of Charles IV. All heroines in the medieval chanson de geste, <xref doc="a.anon005.rad" link="dead"> <hi rend="i">Hervis de Metz</hi> </xref> . Daughter of Count Helia, of Maine. Joan of Arc. 1881 Poems First Edition text Poems (1870): Proofs for first edition, British Library copy, (Ashley 1405) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 March 1-7 0 Poems (1870): Proofs for first edition, Fitzwilliam Museum (Copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 March 1 (and 22 March for additional material) 0 Poems (1870): Proofs for first edition, Princeton/Troxell Copy Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 March 1-7 0 Poems (1870): Mixed Proofs 1869-1870, Fitzwilliam Museum Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 October - 1970 March 0 Poems (1870): Mixed Proofs 1869-1870, 1881, Princeton/Troxell Copy Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November - 1870 March 0 Poems (1870): First Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 April 26 0 Poems (1870): Second Edition (DGR's corrected copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 May 0 Poems (1870): Second Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 May 0 Poems (1870): Third Edition (copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 June 0 Poems (1870): Third Edition (copy 2) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 June 0 Poems (1870): Fourth Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1870 July (or early August) 0 Poems (1870): Fifth Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1871 0 Poems (1870): Sixth Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1872 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): A Proof, Lasner Copy Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 September 13 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: the A2 Proofs, Fitzwilliam Museum Copy Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 September 20 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): A Proof (partial), Princeton/Troxell (copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 September 13 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): A Proof (partial), Princeton/Troxell (copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 September 13 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: Penkill Proofs, Princeton/Troxell (copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 August 18 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): Penkill Proofs, Princeton/Troxell (copy 2) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 August 18 0 Poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1873): the Tauchnitz Edition 1873 November 15 (late November or early December) 0 Poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1873): the Tauchnitz Edition, with author's corrections (Yale copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1873 November 15 (late November or early December) 0 Poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1873): the Tauchnitz Edition, page proofs with author's corrections Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1873 November (early November) 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: First Trial Book, British Library copy (Ashley 1393) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: First Trial Book (Fitzwilliam Museum copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.), First Trial Book (Huntington Library copy DGR 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: First Trial Book, Princeton/Troxell (Losh copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): First Trial Book (partial), Princeton/Troxell (copy 1) 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): First Trial Book (partial), Princeton/Troxell (copy 1) 1869 October 3 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): Second Trial Book, British Library, (Ashley 1400) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November 30 (25 November - 6 December) 0 Poems. (Privately Printed).: Second Trial Book (Fitzwilliam Museum copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November 25 0 Poems, Privately Printed: Second Trial Book, Alice Boyd/Lasner copy. Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November 25 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): Proofs for the Second Trial Book (partial), Princeton/Troxell. Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November 25-26 0 Poems. (Privately Printed.): Second Trial Book, Princeton/Troxell. Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869 November 25 0 Poems. A New Edition. (1881) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, first proof (author's copy)) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 16 (circa) 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, first proof (copy 2)) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 16 (circa) 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, first revise proof (uncorrected)) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 18 (circa) 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, first revise proof (copy 1)) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 18 (circa) 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, first revise proof (copy 2)) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 18 (circa) 0 Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature T (Delaware Museum, final proof) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 20 (circa) 0 The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, vol. 2 (1886) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1886 0 The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1911) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1911 0 Appreciations, with an Essay on Style Walter Pater 1889 0