Albert Victor Samain (3 April 185818 August 1900) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

poet and writer of the

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

school.

Life and works

Born in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

, his family were

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

and had long lived in the town or its suburbs. At the time of the poet's birth, his father, Jean-Baptiste Samain, and his mother, Elisa-Henriette Mouquet, conducted a business in "wines and spirits" at 75 rue de Paris.Six French Poets: Studies in Contemporary Literature. Amy Lowell. New York: Macmillan Company, 1915. Samain's father died when he was quite young; it was necessary for him to leave school and seek a trade. He moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in around 1880, where his poetry won him a following and he began mixing with

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

, and began publicly reciting his poems at ''

Le Chat Noir Le Chat Noir (; French for "The Black Cat") was a nineteenth-century entertainment establishment, in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by the impresario Rodolphe Salis, ...

''. His poems were strongly influenced by those of

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

, and began to strike a somewhat morbid and

elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...

tone. He also was influenced by

Verlaine Verlaine (; wa, Verlinne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density Population d ...

; his works disclose a taste for indecisive, vague imagery. Samain helped found the ''

Mercure de France The was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group. The gazette was published ...

'', and also worked on the ''

Revue des Deux Mondes The ''Revue des deux Mondes'' (, ''Review of the Two Worlds'') is a monthly French-language literary, cultural and current affairs magazine that has been published in Paris since 1829. According to its website, "it is today the place for debates a ...

''. Samain published three volumes of verse: ''Au Jardin de l'Infante'' (1893), which made him famous; ''Aux flancs du vase'' (1898) and ''Le Chariot d'or'' (1901). His poetic drama '' Polyphème'' was set to music by Jean Cras. Samain died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

Musical settings

Many composers set Samain's poetry to music, including Lili Boulanger,

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

Alfredo Casella Alfredo Casella (25 July 18835 March 1947) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career Casella was born in Turin, the son of Maria (née Bordino) and Carlo Casella. His family included many musicians: his grandfather, a fr ...

, Édouard Devernay,

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei. Biogr ...

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

Swan Hennessy Edward Swan Hennessy (24 November 1866 – 26 October 1929) was an Irish-American composer and pianist who lived much of his life in Paris. In his pre-War piano music, he excelled as a miniaturist in descriptive, programmatic music. After joining ...

Charles Koechlin Charles-Louis-Eugène Koechlin (; 27 November 186731 December 1950), commonly known as Charles Koechlin, was a French composer, teacher and musicologist. He was a political radical all his life and a passionate enthusiast for such diverse things ...

Jacques Leguerney Jacques Leguerney (19 November 1906 – 10 September 1997) was a French composer especially noted for his art songs. Biography Jacques Leguerney was born in Le Havre. He has been referred to as "the latest – perhaps the last – great exponent ...

Adela Maddison Katharine Mary Adela Maddison, née Tindal (15 December 1862 – 12 June 1929), usually known as Adela Maddison, was a British composer of operas, ballets, instrumental music and songs. She was also a concert producer. She composed a number of ...

Georges Migot Georges Elbert Migot (27 February 1891 – 5 January 1976) was a prolific French composer. Though primarily known as a composer, he was also a poet, often integrating his poetry into his compositions, and an accomplished painter. He won the 1921 ...

Paul Paray Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray () (24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor, organist and composer. He was the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1952 until 1963. Early life and education Paul Paray was ...

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral su ...

Adrien Rougier Adrien Rougier (23 June 1892 – 1 July 1984) was a French organist, organ builder, conductor and composer. Life Born in Vernaison, from a family of silk merchants in Lyon, Rougier studied the piano and then the organ with Édouard Commett ...

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, Alice Sauvrezis,

Marcelle Soulage Marcelle Fanny Henriette Soulage (12 December 1894 – 17 December 1970) (sometimes published under the name of Marc Sauval) was a French Piano, pianist, music critic and composer. Career Marcelle Soulage was born in Lima, Peru, to French parents. ...

, and others.

Quotation

:Je rêve de vers doux et d'intimes ramages, :De vers à frôler l'âme ainsi que des plumages, :De vers blonds où le sens fluide se délie :Comme sous l'eau la chevelure d'Ophélie, :De vers silencieux, et sans rythme et sans trame :Où la rime sans bruit glisse comme une rame, :De vers d'une ancienne étoffe, exténuée, :Impalpable comme le son et la nuée, :De vers de soir d'automne ensorcelant les heures :Au rite féminin des syllabes mineures. :De vers de soirs d'amour énervés de verveine, :Où l'âme sente, exquise, une caresse à peine... :Je rêve de vers doux mourant comme des roses. :::::--''Au Jardin de l'Infante''

References

External links

*
Poems by Albert Samain
English translations of Samain's poetry * Poems by Albert Samain (in French): https://web.archive.org/web/20030219105826/http://poesie.webnet.fr/auteurs/samain.html
SAMAIN Genealogy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samain, Albert 1858 births 1900 deaths Writers from Lille 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis French poets Symbolist poets French male poets 19th-century poets 19th-century French male writers Tuberculosis deaths in France