Bartas, Guillaume Salluste du

BARTAS, GUILLAUME SALLUSTE DU. - French poet, b. at Montfort near Auch in 1544, d. at Paris in 1590. A not intolerant Huguenot, he served Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV, on several diplomatic missions.

In his principal work La première semaine, which has as its theme the creation of the world, departing almost entirely from classical inspiration, he sought originality of poetry in the biblical lyricism that he develops following in the footsteps of all those in France who had attempted scientific poetry before him, from Ronsard to Scève, to La Boderie, to Peletier. In the Seconde semaine (1608), which remained incomplete, and in which he concerns himself more particularly with humanity, he specifies and broadens the scientific assertions of the Première. Animated by sincere religious enthusiasm, he subordinates poetry to the demonstration of divine truths, and science to morality. Generally pedantic and prolix (there is no lack, however, of fine passages), magniloquent and verbose, du B.'s work, which received commentaries from Catholic and non-Catholic theologians, was very soon forgotten in France, but in compensation in the Protestant countries it was popular and admired by the greatest writers, from Milton to Byron to Goethe, who exalted it enthusiastically.

A recent edition has appeared, edited by U. T. Holmes, The Work of G. de S. sieur du B. (The University of North Carolina Press 1935), who had it preceded by a critical study.

Jole Scudieri Ruggeri