Essays of Michel de Montaigne (Chap. 1.28)

Song Meaning

This passage introduces a collection of sonnets by Estienne de La Boétie, dedicated to Madame de Grammont. The editor's note immediately sets a tone of intense, almost overwhelming romantic turmoil. It highlights the sonnets as expressions of "amorous complaints," characterized by a "rough style" and a "restless passion." The dominant emotional landscape painted is one of extreme psychological distress within love. The passion is described as "overgorged" and filled with negative emotions like "jealousies, fears and suspicions." This suggests a love that is not only unrequited or troubled but actively destructive to the lover's peace of mind. The craft here lies in the editor's concise and evocative summary, which acts as a framing device. Phrases like "follies and outrages" and "overgorged" create vivid, almost visceral images of a love that has spiraled out of control, exceeding any reasonable bounds and leading to emotional excess. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these introductory notes stems from their ability to immediately signal the intense, raw, and perhaps even chaotic emotional content of the sonnets that follow. They prepare the reader for a deep dive into the darker, more tumultuous aspects of romantic obsession, promising a style that is as unrefined as the passion it describes.