Mirèio (Occitan pronunciation: [miˈrɛjɔ] ; Mirèlha in classical norm, pronounced [miˈrɛʎɔ,miˈrɛjɔ] ) is a poem in Occitan by French writer Frédéric Mistral. It was written in 1859, after eight years of effort. Mirèio, a long poem in Provençal consisting of twelve songs, tells of the thwarted love of Vincent and Mireille, two young Provençal people of different social backgrounds. The name Mireille (Mirèio in Provence) is a doublet of the word meraviho which means wonder.
Mistral used the poem to promote the language, Occitan the lingua franca of Southern France until the vergonha, as well as to share the culture of the Provença area. He tells among other tales, of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where according to legend the dragon, Tarasque, was driven out, and of the famous and ancient Venus of Arles. He prefaced the poem with a short notice about Provençal pronunciation. Mirèio was translated into some fifteen European languages, including into French by Mistral himself. In 1863, Charles Gounod made it into an opera, Mireille .
In Provence, Mirèio is the daughter of a rich farmer. She is in love with a modest basketmaker, Vincènt. Her father disapproves of the relationship and seeks other suitors. Mirèio, in despair, escapes from her house to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. There she prays to the saints that her father will accept her relationship with Vincènt. The way is hard and unbearably hot. At the end, the saints appear to Mirèio. They tell her of their happiness in Paradise, and Mirèio dies in peace.
Mistral dedicated his book to Alphonse de Lamartine, a French writer, poet and politician who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic and the continuation of the Tricolore as the flag of France, as follows:
"To Lamartine:
To you, I dedicate Mireille: It is my heart and my soul; It is the flower of my years; It is bunch of grapes from La Crau, leaves and all, a peasant's offering."
Lamartine wrote enthusiastically: "I will tell you good news today! A great epic poet is born ... A true Homeric poet in our time; ... Yes, your epic poem is a masterpiece; ... the perfume of your book will not evaporate in a thousand years."
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It largely corresponds with the modern administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and includes the departments of Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, as well as parts of Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse. The largest city of the region and its modern-day capital is Marseille.
Aioli, allioli, or aïoli is a cold sauce consisting of an emulsion of garlic and olive oil; it is found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean.
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist Lamartine became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Phillipe aligning more with the Republican Left and Social Catholicism.
Provençal is a variety of Occitan, spoken by people in Provence and parts of Drôme and Gard. The term Provençal used to refer to the entire Occitan language, but more recently it has referred only to the variety of Occitan spoken in Provence. However, it can still be found being used to refer to Occitan as a whole, e.g. Merriam-Webster states that it can be used to refer to general Occitan, though this is going out of use.
Mireille is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name Mirèio. It could be related to the Occitan verb mirar "to look, to admire" or to the given names Miriam "Myriam", Maria "Mary". It is uncommon in France, except in families originating from Provence and around the Mediterranean sea. Notable people with the name include:
Occitan literature is a body of texts written in Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature written in a Romance language and inspired the rise of vernacular literature throughout medieval Europe. Occitan literature's Golden Age was in the 12th century, when a rich and complex body of lyrical poetry was produced by troubadours writing in Old Occitan, which still survives to this day. Although Catalan is considered by some a variety of Occitan, this article will not deal with Catalan literature, which started diverging from its Southern French counterpart in the late 13th century.
The Félibrige is a literary and cultural association founded in 1854 by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote the Occitan language and literature. It is presided over by a capoulié. The name possibly derives from an apocryphal Provençal story of Christ disputing in the temple with the seven doctors [sét félibre] of law.
French poetry is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other languages of France.
Medieval French literature is, for the purpose of this article, Medieval literature written in Oïl languages during the period from the eleventh century to the end of the fifteenth century.
Sanary-sur-Mer, popularly known as Sanary, is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Southeastern France. Sanary-sur-Mer is located in coastal Provence on the Mediterranean Sea, 13 km (8.1 mi) west of Toulon and 49 km (30 mi) southeast of Marseille. It can be reached from Paris by TGV in less than four hours. In high season there are direct flights to nearby Toulon–Hyères Airport from London, Oslo, Brussels and Rotterdam.
Mireille is an 1864 opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mirèio. The vocal score is dedicated to George V of Hanover.
Félix Gras was a Provençal poet and novelist.
Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral was an Occitan writer and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist". Mistral was a founding member of the Félibrige and member of the Académie de Marseille.
La Coupo Santo, in full La Cansoun de la Coupo in original modern norm Provençal is considered the anthem of the Félibrige. It is sung in Provençal, one of six Occitan dialects.
Folco de Baroncelli-Javon, was a French writer and cattle farmer. As an influential gardian, he is an important figure in the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Camargue region of southern France.
Joseph Desanat (1796-1873) was a French Provençal poet and journal editor.
Anselme Mathieu was a French Provençal poet.
Jeanne de Flandreysy, born Jeanne Mellier was a French author and literary critic. She was the author of many books about Provence, and she promoted Franco-Italian cultural exchanges.
Alexandrine Élisabeth Brémond, known as Brémonde de Tarascon or Bremoundo de Tarascoun, was a well known poet from the south of France who wrote in the Occitan language. She was a member of the Félibrige, a society that tried to preserve the language and its literature.
The 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature was the fourth literary prize resulting from Alfred Nobel's will. It was equally divided between the French Provençal philologist Frédéric Mistral (1830–1914) "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist" and the Spanish engineer and dramatist José Echegaray Eizaguirre (1832–1916) "in recognition of the numerous and brilliant compositions which, in an individual and original manner, have revived the great traditions of the Spanish drama." The winners were announced in October 1904 by Carl David af Wirsén, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy.