The Muse of the Violets: Poems

by Renée Vivien, Margaret Porter (Translator)

Writing in a rigid French verse form (including sonnets, hendecasyllabic verse, and prose poetry), Vivien was virtually unknown in the US prior to Naiad’s translations of her works into English. Comprising eighteen poems inspired largely her tempestuous relationship with fellow lesbian poet Natalie Barney, as well as her unrequited passion for her childhood friend, Violet Shillito, who would remain a fixture in her work until her premature death at the age of 32. Founded by Barbara Grier, Naiad’s focus was preserving out-of-print lesbian classics and publishing the work of iconic lesbian feminist writers. Translated by Margaret Porter and Catherine Kroger, with an introduction by French writer Louise Faure-Favier, excerpted from her biography of Vivien.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, France, Gay

79 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1982

About the author

Renée Vivien, born Pauline Mary Tarn, was a British poet who wrote in the French language. She took to heart all the mannerisms of Symbolism, as one of the last poets to claim allegiance to the school. Her compositions include sonnets, hendecasyllabic verse, and prose poetry.

Renée's poetry and novels show several sources of inspiration: Natalie Barney, Violet Shilleto, Pierre Louys, and Sappho. Natalie inspired retellings of their relationship through prose and poem. Violet Shilleto, Renée's childhood friend and love who died in 1901, appears in Renée's work through repeated images of violets and the color purple. Pierre Louys's sensual "Songs of Bilitis" and Sappho's evocative poems about women-love influenced Renée's poetic style. Sappho, in particular, became an icon for Renée--she translated the work of Sappho into modern French, and even traveled with Natalie to Lesbos in an attempt to revive a women's artist colony on the island.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sappho calls love sweet and bitter and one who gives sorrow
Sappho, inspire us.

[Eavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little selection of Vivien's work. I particularly loved "Words to a Lover", "You for Whom I Wrote", and "The Touch". This publication has two translators (occasionally including the same poems), with the first have carried by Margaret Porter and the latter by Catherine Kroger. Both have very different styles of translations, with Porter creating an English rhyme scheme to mimic Vivien's, while Kroger adhering more to a literal one. I'll illustrate with "You for Whom I Wrote:

Songerez-vous, parmi le désordre charmant
De vos cheveux épars, de vos robes défaites :
« Cette femme, à travers les sanglots et les fêtes,
A porté ses regards et ses lèvres d’amant. » (original)

Will you sit dreaming, amid the charming disarray
Of disheveled hair, open robes, of hers you never discover
Wherever you look: "Whether on day of mourning or festival day,
This woman wore always her glance, her lips of a lover." (Porter)

Will you dream, amongst the charming disorder
Of your scattered hair, and your undone robes:
"This woman, through tears and joy
Maintained her gaze and her lover's lips." (Kroger)

I really loved Catherine Kroger's translations—conservative while still enamoring, all while keeping Vivien's original French flavor we've all come to love (though I must forworn I am a literalist when it comes to translations). And just in case you're not reading with translation difficulties in mind or want to show a friend a poem that's probably more readable than Kroger's, Porter is still there to savor and pin-up without looking like a tasteless academic freak.

I recommend for people interested in Vivien's work to check out A Crown of Violets first, especially the new 2017 edition as it contains so many poems with the advantage of the dual French-English format for reference (and because I know how hard it is to get a copy of this if you don't want to pay an exorbitant sum). Very lovely little gem of queer female history I am so proud to own and enjoy!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been out-yearned and I admit my defeat gracefully because one can never win when your rival is a horny French.

[npc gr(an)dm(a) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es que este tenía que ser mi último libro del año, no podia ser otro.

Reneé, hace más de un siglo escribiste que las mujeres jóvenes del futuro dirían de tí: "¡Que lastima que ella no esté viva! ¡Ella me habría amado!". Y tenías razón.

No contenta con eso, intentaste suicidarte mientras cogías en el pecho un ramo de violetas (girllllllllll)

Además en tu lecho de muerte abandonaste la religión y dicen que solo susurraste el nombre de Lorelay, a quien tanto habías amado.

Tía... I see you.

Je te promets de ne jamais t'oublierai

[Vasha7 · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Renée Vivien wrote her first poems, she was way too much under the influence of Baudelaire's "femmes damnées". Remembering the perfumed embraces of your cold white arms, I burn to drink the bitter poison of your impure kiss! However, she did get better. There's a few interesting items here; "To the Unknown Divinity", "You for Whom I Wrote", "Let a Wave Take It..." There's a series of expansions on fragments of Sappho, which don't fare well next to the (apparent) simplicity of the originals. Some of the later poems actually express happy, satisfied love.

There are two translators here, and sometimes they both did a version of one poem. Sadly, Catharine Kroger's translations are lumpishly literal, and sometimes awkward to the point of unintelligibility. Margaret Porter fares much better at achieving a decent poem in English, in appropriately lavish style, though at the price of having to diverge far from the French text.

[emma johnsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

See, I am more than yours, I am you.
You have no cares that aren’t mine also…
And what could you love that I don’t also?
And what could you think that I don’t also?

lesbian poetry!!!!!!! renee is a phenomenal poet and i wish she had some more mainstream appreciation. i really loved the interpretations of the sappho fragments

7.5/10 or 4/5 & e-book

[s. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me: favored, fitful sleep under the skies
Where die the Pleiades; and the grave cadences.
The winter of your voice, the cold rhyme of your eyes.
Your pale silences.

[andreea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

[zoe (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful writing! This is definitely a book that I personally feel the need to read again in order for me to fully appreciate its beauty. Nevertheless I still give it 4.5 stars.

The last few pages made me gasp because the title and content of one of the poem happened to be somewhat similar to a recent favorite song that I had just listened to prior to reading the poem. This poem became an instant favorite mainly because I feel like the world is trying to tell me something... I'm not quite sure what yet, but I'll write about this on my journal so I hope I find out soon <3.

The poem title: Birds in the Night
The song title: Bird of Night by Kang Taehyun


BIRDS IN THE NIGHT
Last night, birds sang in my heart...
A good ending for all my past bitterness.
I heard those birds singing in my heart.

In my heartbreak, night was merciful
And as tender as a lover could be.
It's a rare night that shows itself merciful.

In its shadow, I heard the bird song And finally slept...My dreams were beautiful For having heard the bird song..

[Chloe Heaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renée’s poetry is honestly outstanding, it shocks you and, of course, inspires you - I lost count of how many times I teared up during reading this. Would recommend!

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how erotic many of these are. They are very blatantly lesbian, as well as sensual, romantic, and adoring. They are written beautifully. I only wish I could own a copy, instead of having to have read the library book version, and that I had a copy of more of her translated works, but it seems the only collection of Vivien's collected works (instead of a small, 75-ish page collection of some of them) is in French.
Read it!

[bibia · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the type of poetry i particularly enjoy, it has a profound sense of musicality that isn’t entirely comfortable for me to read in prose– demanding more attention, but it is beautiful. “i do not anymore wish to see the world except through the veil of your hair” is an example of one of my favorite lines, simple but directly aimed at my heartstrings. might tattoo it.

[B.]

Reading translated works is always an interesting time, you have to wonder, especially with poetry how much remains of the author versus how much is the translator.
Either way this was an absolutely stunning collection of poems.

[pau ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautifully written ❤️‍🩹

[via · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love lesbians

[Rneeee_lrnk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This world needs more lesbian Renées.

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is really gay, and poetry itself is already gay regardless of any sexuality, so this is really saying something. again, as i say nothing of importance. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[LIA · Rating 5 out of 5]

words to a lover and epitaph on a tombstone you'll always be famous

[Marcelline · Rating 4 out of 5]

God bless lesbians and sapphics

[Laura Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastatingly beautiful cross section of her life's work, and her work's life.