Léopoldine Hugo
Encyclopedia
Léopoldine Cécile Marie-Pierre Catherine Hugo, born in Paris
28 August 1824 and died in Villequier
on 4 September 1843, was the daughter of novelist, poet
and dramatist Victor Hugo
and his wife, Adèle Foucher.
She married Charles Vacquerie
at Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
on 15 February 1843 but they both drowned together only a few months later, when their boat capsized on the Seine
in Villequier on 4 September 1843. This had a great impact on the work and personality of her father Victor Hugo. He dedicated numerous poems to the memory of his daughter, notably Demain dès l'aube and À Villequier in Pauca Meae, the fourth book of Les Contemplations. Demain des l'aube (shown below) is a poem about Victor Hugo's experience traveling from his house to his daughter's grave.
Demain, dès l'aube
Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends.
J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps.
Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,
Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,
Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,
Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit.
Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe,
Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur,
Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe
Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur.
Tomorrow, beginning at dawn, at the time when the countryside pales,
I will leave. You see, I know that you are waiting for me.
I will go through the forest, I will go through the mountain.
I cannot remain far from you any longer.
I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,
seeing nothing else, hearing no noise,
alone, unknown, my back hunched over, my hands crossed,
sad, and the day for me will be like night.
I will not see the gold of the evening falling,
nor the sails in the distance going down toward Harfleur
,
and when I arrive, I will lay on your tomb
a bouquet of green holly and of heather in bloom.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
28 August 1824 and died in Villequier
Villequier
Villequier is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A village of farming and forestry situated by the banks of the river Seine in the Pays de Caux, some west of Rouen near the junction of the D281 with the D81...
on 4 September 1843, was the daughter of novelist, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and dramatist Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
and his wife, Adèle Foucher.
She married Charles Vacquerie
Charles Vacquerie
Charles Vacquerie was a notable figure in the circle of Victor Hugo, his father-in-law.-Life:...
at Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis
Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is a church on rue Saint-Antoine in the Marais quarter of Paris. The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641 by the Jesuit architects Étienne Martellange and François Derand, on the orders of Louis XIII of France. Next door to it is the Lycée Charlemagne, also...
on 15 February 1843 but they both drowned together only a few months later, when their boat capsized on the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
in Villequier on 4 September 1843. This had a great impact on the work and personality of her father Victor Hugo. He dedicated numerous poems to the memory of his daughter, notably Demain dès l'aube and À Villequier in Pauca Meae, the fourth book of Les Contemplations. Demain des l'aube (shown below) is a poem about Victor Hugo's experience traveling from his house to his daughter's grave.
Demain, dès l'aube
Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends.
J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps.
Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,
Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,
Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,
Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit.
Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe,
Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur,
Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe
Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur.
Tomorrow, beginning at dawn, at the time when the countryside pales,
I will leave. You see, I know that you are waiting for me.
I will go through the forest, I will go through the mountain.
I cannot remain far from you any longer.
I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,
seeing nothing else, hearing no noise,
alone, unknown, my back hunched over, my hands crossed,
sad, and the day for me will be like night.
I will not see the gold of the evening falling,
nor the sails in the distance going down toward Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
,
and when I arrive, I will lay on your tomb
a bouquet of green holly and of heather in bloom.
External links
Complete text of Contemplations, on Wikisource. The Maison Vacquerie, in Villequier, houses the departemental Museum of Victor Hugo- Reely's Poetry Pages Hear "Demain, des l'aube"
- Léopoldine - Série NoireSérie noireSérie noire is a French publishing imprint, founded in 1945 by Marcel Duhamel. It has released a collection of crime fiction of the hardboiled detective thrillers variety published by Gallimard....
(swiss popband)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MNtRZAyddE, musical version of the poem "Demain, dès l'aube", written by Léopoldines father Victor HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
.