Poets, Peace, the Passion, and the Prince: Eustache Deschamps' 'Ballade to Chaucer'

Published: R. Barton Palmer, ed. Chaucer's French Contemporaries: The Poetry/Poetics of Self and Tradition (New York: AMS Press, 1999), pp. 187-215

Description: Deschamps's "Ballade" dates from Sir Lewis Clifford's diplomatic mission to the French court in 1391, when France and England were closer to peace than they had been in almost a decade. Both Chaucer and Deschamps were associated with the Order of the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was dedicated to the restoration of peace among Christian rulers in the West. The poem indicates that, at the very least, "Deschamps was encouraging a poetic dialogue with Geoffrey Chaucer."

Alternative Title: Chaucer's French Contemporaries: The Poetry/Poetics of Self and Tradition.

Chaucer Subjects: Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations.; Chaucer's Life.