André Chénier

The Poet Behind the Legend

Next, he traveled to the French Embassy in London as a secretary. He felt that he worked so little that only at the insistence of the French Ambassador did he accept his salary. During this period, he read much English Literature and came to admire Milton and Shakespeare. In one of his later poems, he imitated Ophelia's song from Hamlet. He found English society too exclusive and reserved. In this foreign country, he felt himself to be in exile, so in 1790, he returned to Paris.

He enthusiastically welcomed the Revolution as necessary but quickly became disgusted with its excesses. He wrote against the Jacobin party in his Le Jeu de Paume in 1790. (2) He wrote of the dangers faced by the cause of true liberty and a young constitution. He quickly learned that his first hopes for the Revolution were not feasible as true change does not come over night. He was not alone as many involved in the revolution came to share his disillusionment.

Gradually, Chénier became more open in his feelings against the Jacobin leaders. He wrote many articles in the Moniteur (which is French for The Monitor) attacking them by name. (3) The first of these articles later became the cause of his fall and subsequent punishment. The article was entitled, Hymne sur l'entrèe triomphale les Suisses rèvoltès. It seems a regiment had mutinied and stolen their regimental chest. Everyone involved had been sentenced to the gallows. Suddenly amnesty was granted to them and it was proposed that they should be honored with a triumphal march into Paris. The article he wrote strigently protested the proposal and was used in the final accusation made against him.

In 1792, he assisted Chrétien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes (1721 - 1794) in the defense of Louis XVI. (4) Modern historians believe Louis XVI to have been a victim of circumstances rather than a despot. He was weak and incapable as a king and not overly intelligent. He spent more time in recreational activities rather than the affairs of the state. Even though Louis had sworn obedience to the new French Constituion in 1791, he continued to secretly work against the Revolution. It was in 1792 that Louis was tried as a traitor and condemned to death. He was guillotined on January 21, 1793 at the Place de la Révolution in Paris.

The other occasion on which Chénier satisfied his political sentiments was the assassination of Jean Paul Marat (1743 - 1793). In September 1789, Marat started a newspaper called L'ami du Peuple (The Friend of the People). This was destined to become France's most influential radical journal. He openly attacked political moderates as traitors and called for violence against them. When the Monarchy fell in August of 1792, he contributed to the massacre of political prisoners in Paris the following month. On July 13, 1793, Marat was killed by the young aristocrat, Charlotte Corday. She had spent her early years in a convent and was a sympathizer of the Girondists. She personally held Marat solely responsible for the Reign of Terror. She entered his house on the pretense of disclosing names of Girondists in the city of Caen and stabbed him to death while he was in his bathtub. She was guillotined on July 17, 1793. Chénier took this opportunity to write the famous Ode á Marie-Anne-Charlotte Corday.

In 1793, the Moderate party was defeated and Chénier retired. He spent most of this year at Rouen and Versailles writing verses and studying various subjects. While at Versailles, he met Madame Le Coulteux who became the "Fanny" of his poems. Chénier would work all day on his poetry and take the verses to her at night. Her friendship and family were a source of great joy for Chénier.

On March 7, 1794, Chénier was arrested at a party held by Mme. Pastoret at Passy. The arrest was actually aimed at the absent host. Instead of going back empty handed however, Chénier was taken into custody and placed in the St. Lazare Prison. Prison was difficult for Chénier. Only years before in his mother's salon he had rubbed shoulders with many of the members of that brilliant society now incarcerated. Chénier spent 141 days here. He wrote poetry which he sneaked out with his laundry. It was here that he met Anne Françoise-Aimée de Franquetot de Coigny who became his muse. It was during this that he wrote his Iambes.

His final poem, La Jeune Captive was also written here as well. On his way to the guillotine, Chénier handed it to de Coigny who passed it along to a friend. Regardless the feelings Chénier felt for de Coigny, she neglected to even mention his name in her memoirs. When she died however, she felt that she would owe her immortality to her diaries. She did not even consider Chénier or Umberto Giordano. The Young Captive, is a heartbreaking piece written in the voice of a naive, beautiful girl. Chénier sees her before him begging Death to save her so that she can have a chance at life and love. The poem reflects the desperate yearnings of the condemned poet.

After much debate, Chénier and his brother Marie Joseph decided to keep his name quiet in hopes that the Tribunal would forget about him. His father however, called attention to his case and demanded his immediate release. Chénier was brought before the Tribunal on July 7, 1794 and executed the next day. Legend has it that on his way to the guillotine, Chénier told a friend: "I leave nothing for posterity; and yet," he added, touching his forehead, "I had something there." On July 26, 1794, Maximilien de Robespierre fell and the reign of terror was over.

During Chénier's lifetime, very little of his poetic work was published. His family collected his works and in 1819, published the first edition of his works. Finally Chénier was realized for the genius in maturing he was. Perhaps if he had realized his full potential, his name would stand among those whose work he had come to admire and respect so much. As hard times and periods of conflict can produce heroes so too can it destroy them.

Footnotes

1. Anthology in Greek means flower gathering.
2. Translated: The Oath of the Tennis Court
3. The Moniteur was one of the leading French Revolution newspapers.
4. Malesherbes was Louis XVI's Interior Minister.

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André Chénier Biography: Stephen L. Parker
2 May 1996

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