[

, the major work of the Lyonnais poet Maurice Scève, is the first

to appear in French. It was first published by Sulpice Sabon and Antoine Constantin in Lyon in 1544 with a privilege issued on 30 October 1543. In 449 decasyllabic

(ten-line poems), the poet recounts his love affair with a young woman whom he calls Délie. At the beginning of the volume, the poet describes the birth of love for his mistress. The moment of Petrarchan

becomes the main theme of the collection to which Scève constantly returns throughout the text. The poetic narrative continues with a detailed account of the ups and downs of the poet’s relationships with his lady. In the final part of the work, Scève…

3129 words

Citation: Lyulekina, Elizaveta. "Délie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 March 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38835, accessed 22 November 2024.]