Beautiful Fontainebleau Palace

Beautiful Fontainebleau

What a splendour!

Fontainebleau is a beautiful palace set in the Fontainebleau forest.

The setting in the forest, the little town of Fontainebleau and the palace

make for a magical and enchanting setting.

Inside the palace are wonderful treasures and inspiring pieces of art and beauty.

A visit to this magnificent palace of Fontainebleau is inspirational.

The name Fontainebleau derives from the legend of a dog named Bleu

who became lost during a hunt in the forest. This was the king's favourite

hunting dog and the king's men were sent into the forest to find the dog. Eventually

Bleu was found with a nymph and a stag at a stream in what must

have been a beautiful setting at the time. To this day there is a Nymph of

Fontainebleu which can be seen at the Louvre in Paris. The gates of the palace

were also decorated with a statue of the Nymph.

I enjoyed reading the book of “The Serpent and The Moon” by Princess Michael

of Kent as it gave fascinating detail of earlier times and the story of Diane de Poitiers

and Henri II, the son of Francis I, who was responsible for building the palace of

Fontainebleau during the renaissance era. The legend of the nymph of Fontainebleau

is mentioned in this book.

Art and decorative themes from earlier

times are on display.

Furniture and decorations enhance the rooms, colourful with candles, tapestries, pictures, chandeliers, mirrors and bedroom furniture. Statues and winged angels are sometimes depicted in the corners of ceilings and as wall features.

A throne room, queen's apartments, ballroom (which Francis I had started and which was

completed by Francis I's son, Henri II), Napoleon's library

and a gallery are impressive and beautiful.

 

 

Looking out from the windows can be seen views

of gardens and lake.

 

Resplendent candlelabra atop mirrors and beside open window frames

evoke an era of romance and elegance of a by-gone era.

The royal family often lived at this palace in earlier times as also did Napoleon and Josephine in a later era. It was sad and poignant to learn that a bedroom had been beautifully decorated for

Marie Antoinette but the unfortunate queen never stayed in this room because of the revolution. However, Josephine in later years stayed in the room. The furnishings were quite exquisite.

Reds, blues and greens seem to have been predominant themes in many of the rooms and the green would have reflected

the Emperor's colours of Napoleon which were quite beautiful. The style was befitting an Emperor of France and sufficiently reflected the grandeur of his position.

I can imagine Josephine sitting at her boudoir in a softening light reflecting on the furrniture writing a letter or preparing for a grand occasion of music and entertainment in the ballroom.

 

The theme of Fontainebleau, a quiet and serene palace seems quite different from any other

palace.

The palace grounds are peaceful and beautiful with a water fountain of

Diana, the huntress with her stag and dogs from which streaming water pours into the fountain.

Looking up at the palace is a balcony at the side of the palace which I noticed. It is quite unique as it stands out and I wondered who may have looked out on the gardens from this balcony. Lovely

statues also adorn the outside of the buildings in this area of the gardens.

 

 

Walking back to the main entrance gate and following the path through the gardens I noticed a sombre

sad looking tree which did have an unusual name of a hanging tree. This tree seemed to be sad

as though it reflected the troubled times which the royalty of previous times had endured and

was now no longer there enjoying the splendours and wonders of beautiful Fontainebleau. This was a most unusual tree.

 

In the book of “Louise de la Valliere” by Alexandre Dumas there is a scene noted where there was also a Royal Oak at Fontainbleau which was quite a famous tree. This “venerable oak” was a feature of the park in the time of Henri II and Diana of Poitiers and Henry IV and Gabrielle d'Estrees.

“...In this manner they reached the royal oak, the venerable relic of an oak which in its earlier days

had listened to the sighs of Henry II for the beautiful Diana of Poitiers, and later still to those of

Henry IV for the lovely Gabrielle d'Estrees.” (page 178 of the Alexandre Dumas novel which has as

a setting the wonderful palace of Fontainebleau.)

During the time of Louis XIV Fontainebleau would have been a lively and wonderful place with

entertainments. The park, lake and gardens would have provided a magical setting.

The book of “Royal Flush” by Margaret Irwin gives wonderful detail of this era of the court which gives a fascinating account of the story of Princess Henriette, known as “Madame” the Duchess of Orleans who married the brother of Louis XIV.

Katherine de Medici, one time queen of France, also held magnificent pageants at Fontainebleau and these entertainments are depicted in a series of tapestries.

Fontainebleau certainly is a historic place with the surrender of the Germans at the end of the Second World War being signed in one of the rooms.

Also, the famous staircase from where Napoleon said good-bye to his soldiers before leaving to go

into exile is a prominent feature. This staircase is quite magnificent. A poignant reminder of all that has gone before in this place of memories, pageantry and beauty.

 

 

More on favourite characters of the French Court

While looking at blogs in my spare time I have noted

that there is a blog of “I wish I were living in France”

and “I wish I was living at Versailles.” I have not clicked

on to this later blog yet as I am often pressed for time on

the internet.

However, this question, I have often asked myself: “Would I

be happy to live at Versailles?” I believe that the answer to this

all empowering question is “No.” Life could not be the same

living there without the enduring presence of the king. Perhaps

if Louis XIV was to be there life would be different. The reign of

the Sun King is believed to have been the best of times. I love

wandering through the magnificent chateau and viewing the places

where Louis XIV lived with his court. The atmosphere of warmth

can be felt in the king's bedroom and it must have been a beautiful

place at one time in which to live. The galleries and paintings,

furnishings, art works and chapel can easily take a day's viewing

leaving little time to view the beautiful gardens.

Versailles and the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna can also be remembered

as happy places for the last queen, Marie Antoinette.

It is interesting that recently a new hotel is being established to

overlook the Orangerie. It is difficult to contemplate thelP reaction

of Louis XIV to this concept as the mass tourist market would

not have existed during his time. However, people always did travel,

but most likely in those times, they may have been diplomats,

pilgrims or members

of the aristocracy and later in the century perhaps people involved in trade.

Of my favourite characters of the seventeenth century court of France, Louis XIV

comes first, closely followed by the beautiful and elegant Louise

de la Valliere, a popular favourite of the court.

The wife of the Duc de Saint-Simon was also noted as being very nice,

friendly and popular and was often invited by the king to attend Trianon or

Marly with a few select friends.

The Palatinate Princess, Liselotte, as mentioned in a previous post, called a spade

a spade, but at the same time there was a special quality about Liselotte, which

brought people to her and she was admired and was popular at court.

She was the second Duchess of Orleans, after the misfortune of the first Duchess

d'Orleans, Princess Henriette

of England, dying at a young age. She seemed to be more in control in her marriage

to the King's brother. This had not been the case with Princess Henriette's marriage

to the Duc d'Orleans. This may have been as Liselotte was older by this time. Her son

became the Regent following the demise of the king, Louis XIV in 1715. This would

have been a source of pride for Liselotte.

Princess Henriette was beautiful, waif-like, sister of Charles II of England. She had

been sent with her servant to the court of France at a young age. Her mother, Queen

Maria of England may have wished for a marriage for Princess Henriette with

Louis XIV. As Henriette was young at the time she arrived at the court, Louis XIV never noticed her until

after she was married to his brother, Philippe d'Orleans. Princess Henriette would have danced

in many of the ballets in the earlier years at the court.

At the time of her marriage

Princess Henriette was sister to a king of England without a throne and who was living

his life in dire poverty travelling in Europe. Princess Henriette may not have been seen

as a suitable candidate for the prospective bride of Louis XIV. For reasons beyond the control of Louis XIV

at the time, as he was still young and Cardinal Mazarin and his mother, Anne of Austria, were in control, Charles II found that his time at the French Court was limited and he had to move on.

He eventually made his way to

The Netherlands and fathered a child with Lucy Walters, the Duke of Monmouth. In the book “Mad Madge: The extrordinary life of Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle: The First Woman to live by her Pen” ( a story of the second Duchess

of Newcastle) by Katie Whitaker, it is

mentioned that the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle requested a loan from Charles II while in exile. They had

followed the king into exile along with many of his royalist supporters. However the king

said that they were probably better off than he was but that he hoped that one day he might be

able to help them. Even though Charles II did not have children to succeed him on the throne

of England, from his mistress Louise de la Kerouaille, (who had been in the retinue of Princess Henriette of England) Princess Diana is a descendant from the son with Louise de la Keroualle, the Duke of Richmond.

A favourable account has been given of the Duke de Gramont who was a friend of Louis XIV.

This account is given in the book “Louis XIV” by historian, Vincent Cronin. He was very upset and retired to his room in tears when it was believed that the king would not survive his last illness.

Louis XIV also made friends with creative and talented people and his court would have been very lively at times with the flourishing arts, music and literature.

The Grande Mademoiselle, Duchess of Montpensier, was also likeable and popular at the court. Unfortunately,

she may have been vulnerable at times, falling in love with the
Duc de Lauzun, whom she subsequently married after many disappointments and let -downs

by people she believed she could trust. The Duc de Lauzun, who had spent many years in

prison until the Duchess de Montpensier eventually bought him his freedom.

More favourite characters of the court to follow at a later stage.

My best wishes

Versailles- The dream and the court (continued)

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles:

Versailles - the Dream and the Court (continued)

Wandering around the great chateau and the Hall of Mirrors -

to relive and imagine the experiences of the

courtiers and people who once lived there.

The king, Louise de la Valliere, Madame de Montespan, Princess Henriette;

There in a long chamber before coming out of the chateau into the gardens

there is a long gallery of statuary of characters from earlier centuries -

generals, poets, soldiers, writers. I found this display of statues of characters

from another time fascinating.

To visit the gardens in all of their splendour, so much

magnificence and beauty all in one place!

Some writers have the talent to bring another place and time alive.

I particularly enjoyed reading Sandra Gulland's evocative novel of Louise de la

Valliere, “Mistress of the Sun.”

Louise, the love of the king's early years; a beautiful story to read.

The story of Louise is different. She found grace and beauty in a convent and wrote

religious writings after her time at Versalles.

Louise, who was young and innocent fell in love with the wordly king. Louise, who came from a provincial town of the Loire seemed out of place at Versailles, and yet, she was a magnificent horse woman. Also, a dancer. She got on well with the king in his early years. His love for Louise was and inspiration when the gardens at Versailles were created.

The book follows Louise's love and also her suffering during her time at the court of the king. It is a wonderful book to read. It was uncanny that the author could depict the life of Louise and her love for the king so graphically and describe her world and her feelings of love, so authentically,

from the little towns of the Loire valley, the places of Paris of the seventeenth century and the

magnificence of the court of Versailles in all of its splendour.

A difficult situation for the long suffering Queen Marie Therese of Spain who came as a young bride to marry Louis XIV. This wedding was supposed to act as a peace settlement between the two countries, which in a way it did. Subsequently, the king's second grand-son, the Duc d'Anjou

became King of Spain.

The king never did receive the dowry received in full which was promised at the time of the

marriage negotiations. This may have been a pre-text for one of his earlier campaigns. In his later

years it has been noted that he did regret some of his earlier campaigns.

The book reflects the purity of the love and innocence of Louise against a background of wantoness which does later seem to become apparent at the court when Madame de Montespan, a rival for the king's affections, also becomes a mistress of the king.

Being an idealistic person, Louise was not

happy with this situation; three queens in a coach as was once described of one of the king's journeys when Madame de Montespan, Louise de la Valliere and the queen, Marie Therese, were escorting the king during one of his campaigns in his early days.

It does seem unfortunate that Louise was not chaperoned at the court.

Being a lady of honour on

Princess Henriette's retinue it may have been appropriate for Louise to have been chaperoned. Being young and impressionable at the time that a position was found for her at court perhaps her

mother should have arranged this.

Louise later found her calling in a religious life and entered a convent,

subsequently writing religious works. Her children remained at court and Louise turned her back on a worldly existence as she then perceived the court of Versailles. Louise is one of the more appealing characters at the royal court from the time of the Sun-King.

Louise was a popular person at court and people did speak to her about her decision to enter a convent.

The beauty of the love of Louise and the king has been mentioned in previous books regarding the king's early years at Versailles and was described as beautiful in the book “Princesss of Versailles” by Charles Elliott, which told the story of Princess Marie-Adelaide of Savoy, who came to live at the court of Versailles in the king's later years and married his grand-son, the Duke of Bourgogne.

This book also was a fascinating tale giving wonderful descriptions of the royal court and insights into the life of the king.  The Duke and Duchess of Bourgogne sold their jewellery in times of hardship.

At one time there was silver furniture placed in the Hall of Mirrors which would have been quite beautiful.  Louis XIV had this silver melted down in later years to pay for the soldiers' wages.

The Court of Versailles

The Court of Versailles

Who are the favourite characters of the court of Versailles besides the king?

I would like to wander around the gardens and chateau of Versailles imagining

their real lives and what it must have been like to live there. The town of Versailles

increased after the king moved his court there in 1682.

There was tree planting in the town and many innovations.

In 1683 the king is believed to have had a secret marriage with Madame de Maintenon.

I often wonder about all of the people who lived at the court during the seventeenth century.

It was a very real time for them, even though now the ancien regime may often be dismissed

as being irrelevant.

Louis XIV achieved success and created wonders with his beautiful gardens

and chateau. He encouraged arts, literature, plays, theatre, music, dance (he was a great dancer himself for many years) and architecture.

The people of the court would have enjoyed the entertainments of the king, sometimes held in an

outdoor setting of the gardens, which would have been very beautiful and decorative for the festive occasion.

A brief synopsis of the characters of the court:

To my mind both Louise de la Valliere in the seventeenth century and Marie Antoinette in the eighteenth century stand tall:

Louise de la Valliere – beautiful, serene, her love for the king shone through.

She understood that

material values had no place in a spiritual love;

Marie Antoinette: naïve, innocent, impulsive, her inner beauty also shone through;

Princess Henriette from the seventeenth century:

a younger sister of Charles II of England

who was married to the king's brother at an early age known as Madame, Duchess of Orleans, often referred to as “Minette”: vibrant personality, friendly and popular, who

unfortunately died at a young age;

Madame de Montespan: vivacious, daring, innovative, challenging;

A great personality and rival for the king's affections;

Lisa Hilton has written a comprehensive book about Athenais de Montespan:

“Athenais, the Real Queen of France.” I enjoyed reading this book.

Great books to read:

“Farewell, My Queen” by Chantal Thomas, which gave a unique perspective of Marie Antoinette from the Queen's reader, an old lady who was subsequently based in Vienna and wrote in her letters of the reverential respect the servants had for Marie Antoinette.

“Antoinette” the play by Kathy Davis;

Antonia Fraser's book of “Marie Antoinette” is written from a sympathetic view point and gives a detailed account of the unfortunate queen's life;

“Royal Flush” by Margaret Irwin who gives a riveting account of the life of Princess Henriette of England which depicts the court of Louis XIV in all of its magnificent splendour.

I will return to this post at a later time as there are many fascinating characters

who lived at the court of Versailles and many great books written.

As was mentioned in “Royal Flush” Princess Henriette belived that it was one of the best times to be at the court i.e. during the time of Louis XIV's court in the seventeenth century.

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:

Magical Enchantments - poem three

Today I have a Magical Enchantments poem about Louise de la Valliere.

Alexandre Dumas has written a book about Louise. Sandra Gulland has written a book
"Mistress of the Sun"
which I enjoyed reading which was a story based on the life of Louise
and gives a wonderful description of her life and also of the times
in which she lived evoking a distant past with descriptions of the countryside
and villages.

Magical Enchantments – Poem Three

Within the shades
and water and glades
The King enjoyed Charades
and Tirades,
also a Masquerade:-
At another time,
An Enchanted Ball
which was to enthrall,
the Princess of the Land.
A Mirrored Hall
of Sparkling Dreams.
The Sunbeams of a Thousand Dreams
glittered upon the Stage.

The game of life
was a springboard of hope
played in games of chance
Seasoned knights got on with
the show;
And in an old fashioned way
As into this Play,
As the Music did ring,
and the bells did chime,
The hopes and dreams of Destiny
were swingng wildly in Time.

The ups and downs of the Merry-go-Round,
La Valliere and La Montespan
seemed to turn around;
Life's treasures,
how are they measured
in a glimpse of time?
In the world of give and take,
and the lives which it does shake
A clearer vision of the world takes shape;
Within the realms of bitter-sweet,
Louise's life was in retreat,
Devoted to solemnity
and religiosity.

Through the days and
through the time,
As the Hour glass
spins in time
And fates and fortunes
turn around
Seeking favours all around
And the round-a-bout
goes round and round,
Where was Love not sound?
In the twists of destiny found
of Louise in her surround,
This was not as she had planned,
occasioned by La Montespan.

The King had been so true and near
The beauty and flowers which were so dear
Were inspired by his love for La Valliere;
The magical settings and plays on the stage
Pastel and pastoral of the age,
Lost allure with love upstaged;

As a Swan glides on in gilded time
Flaps its wings over a bell clock chime
In the pearls and twirls of time
As the Seasons do entwine
And for ourselves, do see a sign,
seeking a love which was divine:

For once in a lifetime beauty doth shine
As autmn leaves upon a vine
dappled leaves of grape and lime
reflecting sun glints of the time
sprinkled with a scent of thyme;
peach and apricot, plum and pine
fir, willow, yew and elm combine
with orange trees in straight line;
As sunlight glimmers on the wine
And of love which would be thine
Pure and simple, beautiful, kind;
Starlight lovers matched in time
Pictured within a flower clock frame
a rose flower bower and leaves of plane;
Shimmering leaves,
golden colours interweaved;
In a green, in a dell
where the apple blossom dwells;

A mirrored image, reflections grew
Life patterns were found a-new,
Glimpsed within a Looking Glass Through:

Two butterflies swirl about
Darting in and out
As it was from the start
With Hope's Promise not to part;
Heaven's Raindrops glistening
From a shower of early spring
Fluttering daily on the wing
And, oh, how they could sing!

The Song of the Universe
echoes still;
Throughout the Day,
Throughout the Night
In the Starlight Dew and Light;

Do we see ourselves
In the Playing Cards
Fashioned by the Day
All in glittering array
Or in the leaves of an old tea cup
And from the seeds when earth began
Sprinkled in a Starlight Land
Within a band of Hope – a ray
Reflections in the Sand?

La Valliere,
So Sincere,
A Maid of Honour to
Princess Henriette of Angleterre
Came from the Valley of the Loire
Met the King
At a town called Blois,
Again at the Court in a game of bluff;
The Court Jester,
Frolicking and rousing about,
Made the Court all laugh-
Wild antics and affront,
and he seemed to be so blunt;
And noted of a Love held fast,
Love before it was all cast;
Danced in a ballet at the Court,
Appeared as “Diana” of the Hunt;
and rode with
the hounds at the front;

Dreaming, believing
of a Love Paramount;

Was it really Cupid's Arrow she had seen,
or was it only in her Dream?
Was this how her love had been,
As a dart to her heart
Echoing softly from the start?

A beam in floating Leaves of Time
Swirling in a Universe Rhyme
Magically falling to the ground
In a love which she had found;

Fancies' whims and fancies' loves
Fairies and goblins come out to play
Were they dancing for their Pay?
Was this the theme of yesterday?
Where was love from above
In the chivalry of the day?
Caught in the intrigue of the play
Lost on the swings
in a round-about way;
Found peace in Scriptures
and a ring,
Surely, this was a glorious thing;-

A Shower of Starlight over earth
A cloud burst rain drop gives new birth
Matched a tear drop of her heart,
Raining forever in her heart;

What of her life worth now
reflecting upon life's golden hour
Entertainments and courtly games,
Life would never be the same;

“Into a dance, a ballet true,
All I give it was to you.”

A new life for Louise would start;
A pearl, not many, and numbered few
Now was time for her cue
took to praying at her pew;

Fairy dust sparkled a magical glint
Horse's shoes sparked a fiery flint
Throughout a most enchanting night;
As moonlight shone its misty light
Night creatures in their mystery
seemed to be in sympathy
with Louise and her despondency;
But now, as Louise rode spritely on
Upon the dew drops of the grass
In a brand new day
She halted her dray,
Upon her way;
A Song of a bird
could be heard
echoing in a
musical
roundelay;

Trilling clearly as a crystal glass
In the morning mists which passed;
And in the light of the early morn
Saw Heaven's Splendour in the Dawn
Of all the Colours of a Spectrum Drawn;
New beginnings would take form.
Travelled on horseback throughout the night-
Searching for her guiding Light.

The landscape turned a vibrant green
Newly polished from a shower of rain
The Sun did glisten its brilliant rays
filtering its light across the plain;

Glittering Versailles called no more
Touched by a Light
of the Ever-More
Louise entered Sanctuary
Sister Louise of Mercy be;

Another time,
another place,
In the Story of the Play
In the Land of Not-Forgot
Love may have been divine
The King and Louise
could be free,
Celebrate their love in ecstasy;
but at this moment of her timidity
A dancing nymph was set free;
A solitary star
glistening in a milky sea
awash in Versailles complexity;

Her love for the King,
was her light and joy,
A flower strewn in the wind,
Became to see her life as sin,
In all of life's perplexity;

Fortune's losses, Fortune's gained
The court of Versailles was no longer claimed,
The King once wished Louise to stay,
But this was not her way;
Three queens in a coach
was her reproach:
And from all the despair and the tears,
now would come the Montespan years;
The dancing years, the sparkling years,
they were all a wonder and joy.

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