Versailles (a beauty)

Oh Versailles,

my memory stirs

The leaves flutter

and it all comes back to me:-

A summer breeze or a nightly feast,

the sound of distant music on the night breezes,

the wonder of the night.

The beauty gliding along your beautiful canal

on a windswept night;

these memories can never be erased:

Looking from a distance and seeing

your beautiful chateau lit up by night;

The beauty of the ponds and the lights

illuminated in the water;

The echo of laughter,

the lovely dresses and costumes

the masques, balls and delightful nights;

you who were never vain

but only always created beauty

in all of your imaginings;

the king,

of course;

the orange trees, fruit and flowers,

tulips of every day

breath-taking chestnuts

and hornbeam;

Oh, it was all exquisite

as in a dream;

now your days resound

to a different beat;

your history is never forgotten

your pleasures and beauty

give way to a new retreat;

the tourists delight

in every new treat:

music, a flower display

as people go on their way,

beautiful baroque

echoed all along in the day

as in a pantomime play;

the world created gave of its best

never for a day at rest;

there was always work to do

even though the people were few

and on and on this beautiful place was created

fountains and gardens were generated

As Angelique believed in Road to Versailles

she was close to Heaven on earth;

this from ever the day of her birth;

So beautiful, so wonderful,

a land of human endeavour

creating beauty

which lasts forever.

You, a prince of the line bourbon

shared a vision which goes on and on;

Did it come from Old Babylon?

The stories, the magic,

the gift goes on:

Louis, the king!

you created a stir,

Invited the nobles

and lives to bestir;

as beauty abounds

in all its surrounds;

hedges, greenery

enchanting scenery

and trees of fir;

the king was checked

the costs of the day

the amounts to pay

the king held sway

Colbert gave way:

Le Notre, Le Vau

who came from Vaux

with much to bestow

gave of themselves

a fine tableau;

with much to do

perspective and view

statues and yew,

menagerie, orangerie

and stable;

Versailles is your magic

with flowers bedecked

an enchanting effect

of rose, bay leaf

and maple;

As a Tower of Babel

on terrain sable

embellished by

a Fontaine fable;

and

topiary relief,

to enhance

by chance

as writ on a script

in ancient Sanskrit

or from Old Egypt:

a verdant

flowering

sand table;

glanced off the stage

peppered by age

did you not know?

This was the show:

Curtain came down

At the sun-down

and turn of a page;

come to this place

and never forget

the wonder and pageant

which the place would beget;

Now it is the end of the story,

don't forget the beauty-

chapel created in glory

songs of wonder

never cease;

beautiful Marly, the Tuileries

Louvre,

all of these places in the heart

ever from,

it was from the start;

Louis never took from the story,

he only added his theme.

And now with a different generation of folk

living their lives under a different yoke

who seek out the renewing green oak

travel a long and endurance path

this we know

as we go along

the time has come to sing a new song

the times of beauty and wonder

we admire from the past

as our spirits tread in a spirit of lightness

and now hope for a brightness

not ever dimm'd

but to last over yonder

and forever held fast

seeking beauty

wherever it may be

this we hope to always see.

A Moon Princess (or a goddess) and a Sun King

"View of Grand Canal" by Nicholas Perelle,

engraving of 1680,

from wikipedia:

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles at each end of the mirrored hallway

did have a salle (a room “Salon”) for peace and a salle (a room “Salon”) for wars

almost similarly as

Louis XIV's reign was of peace and war. At one time there was an

extended peace of nearly twenty years which considering the state of nations at the time

and the occurrence of wars this was no mean feat.

The Peace

of Versailles was signed at the end of World War I on 11 November

1918, Armistice Day. An auspicious occasion and also a memorable

one.

Also, that today as I write this post it is 71 years since the Battle of

Britain in which the free world was saved.

In the Book of Micah is mention that one day nations would not go to

war and instead would turn their swords to plough shares and their

spears to pruning hooks and would sit under their fig trees and vines.

Perhaps a symbol of a peaceful time.

Poem

A Moon Princess (or a goddess) and a Sun King

We danced and skipped

across the roof tops of time

You and I

across the sky;

Of purple dawns and hazy dew

These were things I always knew:-

I once did rise in an afternoon sky

so clear and blue,

And you were there, gleaming true,

Dispirited to see you leave so soon

But this was long past the noon-

In open skies

and morning dew

I saw these marvellous things of you-

Apollo's chariot riding high

and all the Moons could give a sigh:-

I glimpsed you once at old Versailles

There you were in your grand style

Where sun-swept shadows crossed the mile;

For was it not at the courts of dukes and kings

and miraculous things

that the emblem of the Sun rode high?

And who would emulate a-while

as a Pharaoh of the Nile

Challenge the Sun King's style?

Surely, no-one in his guile!

Moonlight glided gracefully

over the land,

through distant valleys and mountain tops

watched over vineyards, countryside, cities

and lakes;

Glimpsed dolphins frolick in the deep

Lit by moonlight,

the fields of sheep:

and found its way to the King's Domain:

The moonlight was a beckoning show

It found its way in an all-time glow;

Swaying tree-tops in the breeze

Gilded splendour gleamed the leaves

Where shadows dancing inter-weave;

A splendid scene

A coloured beam

Reflecting to the fountain stream;

And all the colours would unite

A glorious play into the night:

I thought those days would never end

And the Sun gleamed golden:-

it seemed a trend.

From a platform out on top

Could see the fruit and ready crop:

Seeming almost as a play

where the workers toiled away:

La Quintinie,­

With a wonderful “Bon Chretien” pear:

And for the needy

he would care;

With glass walls and a bell jar

He captured sun-light from afar;

Visitors viewed the “potager” display

Would eat the fruit along the way;

And weren't these your happiest days

When you set your trails a-blaze?

La Valliere, sincerity,

La Montespan, vivacity

did impress;

though I must confess

would cause distress

that you married your governess:

when had been

your royal queen

a previous princess;

With enchantments and

a School of St Cyr

Madame de Montespan had much to fear!

You were never the same

Not quite so tame

La Mancini could not take your name

A cause for suffering-

perhaps also of wandering;

“Louis, Louis”

You knew the score

Could hold forth at the Temple Door

Knew the stories of old folk-lore

Louis the Tenth and Four:

You knew of realms long before

And Atlantis on the ocean floor:

The power of words which were never said,

Of the people long since dead,

Of Akhenaten and the sphinx-like dread;

Mysteries and wisdom inscribed

of temple walls and mirrored halls

These were things which you ascribed;

And where to

Marly,

from before:

Design so fine

Palace divine

A flowing picture-

pavilions, terrace-

Palissades and shades

of beech and elm

evoked tranquillity, peace and calm

imagining a fairy glade

of crystal rock pools made of jade;

Allees and bosquets cleverly made

To designs geometrically laid;

Your garden was equal to none

You, Louis, were the One

With your symbol of the Sun.

You lived your life as a glittering flame-

And danced on the steps of audacity and fame;

Oh, and how moonlight becomes you,

suited your plane;

the softening glow of an amber show

And the moon would wane:

Silent patterns at your window pane

As though seeking answers as they came;

Of heady scents,

Perfumed flowers

in the magic Versailles hours

This truly was your game:

Ah, to sit with you a-day

And all the things which we could say:

And revolution's flame-

Who was to blame?

Wasn't that a mighty shame?

You who brought down city walls

Made Versailles free for all:

I look and I look;

And what do I see?

A Thousand Years of Monarchy:

And Romans, Visigoths and Teutonic Knights-

You always had put up your fights;

You who would prune your Chestnuts by hand

Sit under fig trees of the land;

Share your bounty of the earth

Great imaginings of worth!

Beauty and sprituality

flow together indelibly

And you gave Le Notre a wide berth:

With topiary and broderie

A spark of ingenuity

As shimmerings of emboidery

In the Versailles nursery:

Diamond patterns all on show

As in a glass-house after-glow;

Gleaming lanterns with lights down low;

Three Notes:

1.

La Valliere,

became a Duchess but

left Versailles and entered

a convent.

2.

La Montespan

was dismissed from her apartment

at Versailles by her son.

3.

There was an expectation that Louis XIV would marry a princess in seventeenth century France.

Marie Mancini was the Cardinal's niece.

The Reign of the Sun King

I thought it was time for a few more posts about Louis XIV and Versailles:

The Reign of the Sun King:

The sun set its golden shadows over distant hills

and the reign of the Sun King ceased to be;-

A reign spectacular for its magnificence and splendour:-

All this time the Sun King seemed to live his life upon a stage:-

a court revolving round a golden age;

the Grand Siecle;

Philippe d'Orleans,

son of Monsieur and the second Madame, Liselotte, a princess of the Palatinate,

governed as the Regent from 1715.

He is reputed to have introduced champagne to the royal court.

Louis XIV,

a king so young who came to the throne,

who made the court of Versailles his home;

So much drama in his young life,

The Fronde,

Fleeing palaces in stealth by night

Seeking safety in his flight;

An arranged wedding-

Infanta Marie Therese,

his wife:

Glinting in that golden sun

bedecked upon a glittering horse

And all of Paris seemed to shine

On that spring day of June summer time;

A new beginning from the old

And all the crowds cheered so bold:

“Louis, Louis”

A magnificent king,

the crowds seemed to sing

And were wont to say

Looking at the king that day;

So caring, kind, colourful and good,

A king, sometimes not always understood.

He strove for excellence and all good things

In dance, music, art and décor;

A king and court from before

Gives grace and understanding

Now, for history and the arts-

A model-

which echoes still in time.

Thinking of a glorious past

herein are treasures which do last.

Conceived on a night of a storm;-

the day Louis XIV was born

the fountains of Paris

flowed free with wine

People looking forward to a better time

Three days to spread the good news

to the south

With all good wishes for his health;

At St Jean de Luz

A wedding so fine;

Celebrations

and decorations-

Ostentations

the reasons why

occasioned by

the birth of a son,-

Louis's only royal one:

Quadrilles of horses trotted in time

Spectators formed in illustrious line

in the magnificent June springtime;

Tuileries and Louvre arena surrounds

and the stories do abound;

A roundabout of a Carousel

as later on the Bourbons fell

Imagining a lost Dingle Dell

Looking for dreams

in a Wishing Well:

For, as in an old-time nursery rhyme

the king, as Emperor

was dressed to shine,-

Looking back,

perhaps a sign
In a glimpse of time;

Pageantry-

wonderful to see

A spectacle-

remembered still:

And as the people went back to work

Recalling a Prince dressed as a Turk

rebel prince in his surrender

Holding aloft the Moon in Splendour
Gracing his presence
 displaying its crescent
in the shadow of the sun
Louis XIV's Apollo had won-

The Sultan- Prince of Conde;

And as the people went upon their way

prone merrily to say:

“What a wonderful display!”

Remembered for ever a day:

For later on,

a consul,- general

Napoleon

Did throw his hat into the ring

The status of Emperor did bring

With Josephine as his queen-

could this ever be foreseen?

Napoleon's army,
Had this ever been rehearsed
A dance across the universe?
Not until Waterloo reversed;

And I cannot forget

As a montage of images

from a film set

The Sun, The Moon

and the distant Stars

Reflecting a Universe

Saturn to Mars-

Did shine upon this princely court

Imagery which astronomy taught;

Themes which had always been

now could often be seen-

At Marly, a beautiful place

Versailles- The Sun's ace

Sun shadows and arrows

Sun-flowers bright yellow

Hornbeam which seemed

In nature so green

and mythical garden scenes:

“Le Roi Soleil” danced to music on a make-believe stage

Lived his life on a gilded stage

Created his world a golden age;

And now his life is reflected in song

A make-believe stage of a real age

This seventeenth century stage;

People turn the pages of time

Splendours and wonders achieved so fine

Passion in art and beauty sublime:

Brought up on stories of Alexander the Great,

Looked back to a time past

Of the Greeks and Romans

As though seeking truths and answers from stories

of long ago.

It is believed that Louis XIV did not allow himself to

be influenced in his decision making by women as regards

the governing of the country. However, the gardens may have

been a different matter at various times, depending upon who

was in favour and who the king was in love with. The gardens of Versailles

were designed with Louise de la Valliere as an inspiration for the king.

His priests may have influenced him in later years regarding the revocation

of the Treaty of Nantes, which reversed the freedom of religion which had

been put in place by Louis XIV's grandfather, Henri IV, which granted freedom

to the Huguenots. As a consequence many talented artisans did leave the country

which may have affected the economy.

Louis XIV's reign was a triumph in many respects with industry, arts and culture,

the tapestries of the Gobelins, the gardens and fountains of Versailles,

fashion, etiquette, manners (Louis XIV always dressed well, which befitted his royal role and acted with dignity and decorum)

engineering, science and technology.

He may have become a little subdued in later years and a little more religious

minded as he became older. He attended chapel services every day.

It was sad when his reign was nearing its end.

He was aware of speculation in the foreign press.

He did a great deal for the country and ruled at a time when it was not an unusual

occurrence for countries to be at war with one another.

A life of wonder,

full of joy,

He created beauty at Versailles.

The early years of the reign of the Sun King are recalled as the happiest times with the fetes

and celebrations, the gardens his joy.

In later years, with sorrow and sadness, the court of Versailles was not the happy place of

earlier times.

When Princess Marie-Adelaide of Savoy came on the scene the court of Versailles reflected some of its earlier gaiety and merriment of previous times with the many balls whch were given in honour of the new princess, who would eventually marry the king's grandson, the Duke of Bourgogne.

I wonder whether the king reflected upon the golden age of Elizabeth I of England.

He did enquire once of the plays of Shakespeare, however, Princess Henriette was not informed or did not seem to be aware of the great

playwright at the time. This was after one of her visits to England.

Louis XIV wrote his own madrigal or motet once though through of lack of encouragement from

a friend, he threw it away. This is described in Louis XIV by Vincent Cronin, a recommended

book, which details the achievements of his reign with a view to the arts, beauty and architecture.

There is a reference in the introduction of “The Sun King's Garden” by Ian Thompson that the gardener, Le Notre,

has been likened to Shakespeare. Very little known about him but his works well known. The gardens of seventeenth century Versailles were a show piece of the Sun King's domain and

remain a beautiful show piece even still today. The Sun King and his gardener, Le Notre, became friends and shared a wonderful vision for the gardens of Versailles which became a reality with the beautiful gardens and fountains which were created.

The Land of Colour

Picture of Orangerie at gardens of Versailles from wikipedia:

Louis XIV was a king who loved the outdoors and the land.

He created beauty with his landscape designer, Le Notre, over the

years at the gardens at Versailles with their magnificent designs,

fountains, parterres and flower displays.

He was also inclined to sometimes work in his gardens when time

permitted and befriend his gardeners and workers. The Marquis of

Dangeau often reported on the activites of the king and would make

note of these occasions, e.g. one year at Christmas the king set about

planting in his gardens and pruning his Indian Chestnut trees at the Trianon

in the New Year and working industriously for most of the

day. These are rare glimpses of the king which have been recorded

in the book “The Sun King's Garden” by Ian Thompson. (A wonderful

and favourite book for the magnificent pictures and illustrated colour plates.)

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles was built to face west and capture the beauty of

the setting sun and the magnificent colours which would have been

reflected over the landscape:

The magnificent 17^th century is called “Le Grand Siecle”

described as “The Splendid Century” in the title of the book by W H Lewis,

who was a brother of C E Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia:

The Land of Colour

The land of colour

A man of the earth

• a mystery be:

As the king was wont to be;-

I want to dance with the fishes in a golden sea

Sing with the angels in the land of the free

Visit Giverny in the Spring,

The colours, paintings of Claude Monet

Seeing life in a different way;

The light and laughter of a thousand years

Walk in the spaces of the kings and their peers;

A spiritual love not always seen

Louise de la Valliere and her king;

Reims Cathedral in its golden light

An inspiration for those who see

And Joan of Arc who brought them

to their knees;

To march through life to a golden beat;

Mont St Michel and its gleaming sea

Beauty, spirituality, majesty be-

And the bubbles in a crystal glass overflow for me;

Imagination/inspiration

The land for me;

A place I always would like to be;

I want to dance to the magic of a different beat;

See life and its images from a different street;

Seek goodness and mercy for the days of my life

Finding life fullsome in God's given sight;

A wonderful earth in its glory and might;

Wandering around Paris

on a sunny afternoon

Seeking out the places

where the flowers do bloom

Coloured little awnings

and my heart does yearn:

Chasing rainbows from a different shore:

Searching for answers of a life before:

Green leaves fluttering by the River Seine

Swirling and twisting,

Once a King's Domain

A sign that some things stay the same;

I call out to the Parisian gods upon their throne

“Why was there a revolution in your home?”

Beauty in statues, costumes,

architecture too;

A masked ball in a Marble Hall

visit the sights at Les Halles:

some things always do last

glimpsed through a prism of the past:

The colours of the landscape never dim with time

Paintings and musings by the river bank

The Sun and the Moon will always glance back;

shining forth light, energy,

serenity

and beauty sublime; -

on wonderful Paris in May Spring-time;

A stream of many colours sweeps a distant vine

glorious crimson colours in a sunset chime

indigo, yellow, gold and crimson wine

Enhanced by chestnut trees and the fragrant pine;

A ray of sunshine beckons from a distant time;

A song of love and hope plays across the fields

Patterned by the moon light of a thousand yields:

I heard it through the grape-vine of a thousand years

Echoes in the distance for all to hear

Lifted ever so sweetly which the breezes bear;

Through the mists of Carcassonne and the early morning dew

never so firmly planted and the life we knew

Down through the valleys and mountains too

the beauties of nature sing life anew:

the wonders of nature all day through-

A song of the sparrows in a sun blessed land;

And sea-birds wheel and cry as they take flight,

gliding so gracefully over sea-shore and sand:

Winging their messages of joy in a sky blue refrain:

Romans set their standards, planted vines

In the beautiful countryside, its contours and lines,

Built their houses, settled in old time Gaul

land of colour, beauteous wonder for the soul,

the earth, the soil and all to behold

land of people, the Franks and their gold;s

and the people came “par-ici”

“By this way”

Came to say: “Parisi!”

A Land of Many Colours,

Thy Destiny: