The Poetry Woodland Series: "On The Fly-Leaf Of Erckmann-Chatrian's Novel Entitled "Madame Thérèse.""

Public domain poetry readings & analysis. Vol. 3 | Toru Dutt's poems 🪐

On The Fly-Leaf Of Erckmann-Chatrian's Novel Entitled "Madame Thérèse."*

by Toru Dutt

    Wavered the foremost soldiers,—then fell back.
    Fallen was their leader, and loomed right before
    The sullen Prussian cannon, grim and black,
    With lighted matches waving. Now, once more,
    Patriots and veterans!—Ah! 'Tis in vain!
    Back they recoil, though bravest of the brave;
    No human troops may stand that murderous rain;
    But who is this—that rushes to a grave?

    It is a woman,—slender, tall, and brown!
    She snatches up the standard as it falls,—
    In her hot haste tumbles her dark hair down,
    And to the drummer-boy aloud she calls
    To beat the charge; then forwards on the pont
    They dash together;—who could bear to see
    A woman and a child, thus Death confront,
    Nor burn to follow them to victory?

    I read the story and my heart beats fast!
    Well might all Europe quail before thee, France,
    Battling against oppression! Years have past,
    Yet of that time men speak with moistened glance.
    Va-nu-pieds! When rose high your Marseillaise
    Man knew his rights to earth's remotest bound,
    And tyrants trembled. Yours alone the praise!
    Ah, had a Washington but then been found!

*This poem is in the public domain!

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Toru Dutt (Tarulatta Datta - Bengali: তরু দত্ত) was born on March 4, 1856, in Kolkata, India. She was an Indian Bengali poet, translator, and essayist, who wrote in English and French from British-occupied India. She is one of the founding figures of Indo-Anglian literature, alongside Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–1831), Manmohan Ghose (1869–1924), and Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949). Dutt wrote several volumes of poetry in English and a novel—the first written by an Indian writer in French. Her writing explores themes of longing, loneliness, nostalgia, and patriotism. She died of tuberculosis on August 30, 1877, at age 21. Please read more about her life and work here.

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When I first read this poem I was a bit disoriented, and needed to research a few things! Here are a few notes/reflections that I found generative. :)

• A ‘fly-leaf’ is a blank page at the beginning or end of a book—I find this fascinating, wondering what might be written there in secret ink. Perhaps it reads differently to each person who unveils it. To me, this is the dynamic Dutt crafted in her poem. It’s an interesting addition to “reading between the lines,” relegated to before or after the original writing.

• “Va-nu-pieds” roughly translates to “go barefoot” in French. This made me think about where we’re barefoot—as infants & young children, showering, at the beach/pool, and in many sports (gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, martial arts, etc.). These are moments of cleansing, mindful movement, rebirth, and growth, which makes “va-nu-pieds” a subtly beautiful line to include in a poem about the French Revolution. Other thoughts:

  • This could also be read as an acknowledgement of moving forward after so much loss & inflicted poverty.

  • I wonder if Dutt is nodding to her Indian heritage, where not wearing shoes is preferred & normalized in many more instances relative to Americanized culture.

• La Marseeillaise is the national anthem of France.

• I believe Madame Thérèse, as a title & topic, is reminiscent of Mother Teresa, but in the novel, Thérèse is a cantinière (women who travelled with military regiments as canteen keepers). In the middle stanza of the poem, it’s Thérèse & her twelve-year-old brother, Jean, who are referenced.

• The line, “She snatches up the standard as it falls” does so much work capturing the role of women in revolutions (past & present—I love how this line is in present tense). From what I’ve read, the novel personifies a moral victory of the French Republican cause (social justice, fairness, friendship, equality) through Thérèse’s kindness, goodness, and character. Dutt is instead placing her in the action (in the fly-leaf), rather than tokenizing her. Though I haven’t read the book, to me, the final stanza reads sarcastic, pointing to how our remembrance of social movements often erases the instances where women contributed as main/frontline characters (instead of just inspiration for men).