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Musset Devant L'œuvre De Victor Hugo In: Cahiers De L'association Internationale Des Études Francaises, 1987, N°39

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Musset Devant L'œuvre De Victor Hugo In: Cahiers De L'association Internationale Des Études Francaises, 1987, N°39 Simon Jeune Musset devant l'œuvre de Victor Hugo In: Cahiers de l'Association internationale des études francaises, 1987, N°39. pp. 251-267. Citer ce document / Cite this document : Jeune Simon. Musset devant l'œuvre de Victor Hugo. In: Cahiers de l'Association internationale des études francaises, 1987, N°39. pp. 251-267. doi : 10.3406/caief.1987.2438 http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/caief_0571-5865_1987_num_39_1_2438 MUSSET DEVANT L'ŒUVRE DE VICTOR HUGO Communication de M. Simon JEUNE (Bordeaux) au XXXVIIIe Congrès de l'Association, le 24 juillet 1986 Stendhal, au verso d'une lettre du 10 mars 1830 que Musset lui envoyait en remerciement de son appréciation flatteuse des Contes d'Espagne et d'Italie, inscrit une de ces notes dont il a l'habitude : « M. de Musset, 12 mars. On le dit machiavélique à l'égard du grand Hugo » (1). A plus de trente ans de distance (1862), Sainte-Beuve présidait, à son habitude, ce dîner d'hommes de lettres qu'on appelle dîner Magny et Taine disait son admiration pour le naturel et la sincérité passionnée de Musset, le plus grand poète de son temps selon lui. Son aîné se livre alors à une sévère mise au point : Musset a commencé par l'affectation, il n'est devenu naturel que lorsque la force lui manquait et quand son talent s'en allait. Du reste, mauvais coucheur, désagréable et brutal avec Hugo (2). Même si on peut supposer quelque exagération maligne de la part de ce Nestor qui pouvait prendre plaisir à démyt hifier le héros de Taine, il apparaît que les relations n'étaient pas ce qu'elles auraient pu être entre les deux poètes et que la responsabilité en incomberait essentielle- (1) Correspondance d'Alfred de Musset, P.U.F., 1985, t. 1, 1826-1839, p. 38. (2) H. Taine, sa vie et sa correspondance, t. 2, p. 241. 252 SIMON JEUNE ment à Musset. C'est le témoignage de Musset que nous nous proposons d'interroger à ce sujet, soit qu'il vise de façon explicite Hugo et son œuvre, soit qu'il ait recours à des procédés plus neutres, plus obliques ou plus allusifs, donc d'interprétation plus délicate et plus aléatoire. Notons pour commencer que Musset ne nomme que très rarement Hugo, même s'il est relativement facile d'identifier au passage les idées du poète et, à plus forte raison, ses œuvres. Rappelons d'abord rapidement les raisons qui ne facili taient pas la pleine entente entre le gamin et le jeune olympien. Neuf ans de différence d'âge : trop pour la camar aderie égalitaire, pas assez pour le respect dû à l'ancien ; la noblesse (même peu fortunée) de Musset en face de l'or igine populaire des Hugo, bourgeoise des Trébuchet. Bien plus importantes : les différences idéologiques et politiques. Hugo jeune est ultra, catholique et de mœurs austères. Musset a été élevé par un père libéral et anticlérical dans le culte du xvnie siècle et de Rousseau (les Odes de Hugo n'auront aucune prise sur Musset) (3). Egalement précoces, les deux poètes prennent dans la vie des orientations opposées. L'un, homme de devoir, marié à vingt ans, père de famille nombreuse à vingt-six, gestionnaire avisé et rigou reux de ressources à l'origine très modestes, est animé de la volonté passionnée d'être reconnu comme le plus grand poète ; l'autre, déjà buveur, joueur et dissipé, refuse de se prendre au sérieux et se moque de ce mélange d'ambition et d'esprit petit-bourgeois du « grand poète » : Heureux l'homme innocent qui ripaille et qui fume Lorsque Victor Hugo fait sonner dans la brume Les quatre pieds fourchus du cheval éreinté Qui le porte en famille à l'immortalité (4). (3) Réserve fai^e pour quelques odes tardives d'inspiration fantaisiste ou médiévale. (4) « Revue romantique » [1833], poème satirique dans lequel Musset ne s'épargne pas lui-même (A. de Musset, Poésies complètes, Biblioth. de la Pléiade, p. 522). MUSSET DEVANT l'(EUVRE DE VICTOR HUGO 253 De nature indépendante et frondeuse, Musset n'acceptait pas de faire acte d'allégeance, de devenir le féal, l'homme lige. Il refuse l'enrégimentement, mais moins par amour- propre que par respect de sa propre individualité et crainte d'étouffer ces virtualités qui font le créateur. C'est le thème même des Secrètes pensées de Rafaël (juillet 1830). On en retrouve une expression particulièrement nette dans un article sur Hoffmann où il définit l'homme de génie : * qu'onII est voit seul aujourd'huide son bord entrer ; bien en différent bataille deune ces ode camps à la entiers main et répéter une idée sous la forme de soixante personnes (5). Introduit très jeune dans le salon des Hugo par son cama rade et confident Paul Foucher, beau-frère de Victor, Alfred est naturellement sensible à l'extraordinaire renouveau du langage poétique dont témoignent les Ballades (1826-1828), Cromwell (1827), Les Orientales (1829). Aussi est-ce par des ballades au rythme très marqué et contrasté, d'inspira tionfantastique (La Nuit, Un Rêve), troubadour (les Stances), pittoresque et erotique (Venise) que Musset inau gure sa production poétique (6). L'imitation de Hugo y est patente. Elle est même proclamée dans un texte liminaire (anonyme, mais auquel le poète n'est probablement pas étranger) (7) qui présente Un Rêve, premier imprimé de (5) Le Temps, 1er décembre 1830. Cf. S. Jeune, « Une étude inconnue de Musset sur Hoffmann •», Revue de Littérature comparée, 1965, n° 3, p. 422-427. Cet article présente d'autres idées importantes que reprendra la dédicace de La coupe et les lèvres (1833) : « Je ne sais quelle est la première médiocrité à qui nous devons le proverbe qu'un grand homme est l'expression de son siècle. Un grand homme est l'expression de lui-même et se soucie fort peu de son siècle (en littérature s'entend). [...] L'homme politique est toujours dans le flot, l'homme littéraire jamais. Les poètes sont les oisifs de ce monde ; ils regardent aller les choses comme les badauds du Pont-Neuf regardent l'eau couler ». Même au temps de ses poésies pittoresques ou intimistes (1826-1831), Hugo se sentait-il « oisif » ou « badaud » ? (6) La Nuit, posthume (Je sais tout, juin 1905), Un Rêve (Le Provincial, 31 août 1828), Venise et les Stances (Contes d'Espagne et d'Italie). (7) Ce préambule a toute chance d'être de Paul Foucher, collaborateur de ce journal. Il paraissait donc avec l'aveu de Musset qui peut très bien y avoir mis la main. 254 SIMON JEUNE Musset inséré dans un petit journal dijonnais, Le Provinc ial: « [...] c'est une étude rythmique d'après Cromw ell» (8). Notons toutefois que la structure métrique utilisée ici n'apparaît nulle part chez Hugo (9). Cela est également vrai de toutes les autres ballades hétérométriques de Musset écrites entre 1827 et 1830, à l'exception d'une seule, La Nuit, posthume et probablement la plus ancienne, qui repro duit la structure de La Chanson du fou, publiée en épi graphe à la Ballade X, A un passant (1826), avant d'être chantée par Elespuru dans Cromwell (IV, 1) (10). Cette indépendance affirmée par rapport à Hugo se double évidem mentd'une provocation avec la fameuse « Ballade à la lune » d'un grotesque grinçant et allègrement inconve nant(11). Ainsi, dès le début, Musset, sensible à la puissance et à la fantaisie hugoliennes, cherche à préserver son original ité: « Mon verre n'est pas grand, mais je bois dans mon verre » (Dédicace de La coupe et les lèvres). A cette origi nalité, les vrais poètes sont condamnés : « Tous les raiso nnements du monde ne pourraient faire sortir du gosier d'un merle la chanson du sansonnet» (12). Ses sympathies littéraires le portent alors vers Sainte-Beuve, poète mod este et critique aigu, vers l'aristocrate Vigny qui, plus que Hugo, est alors le poète de la volupté et de la passion tragique, et surtout vers Mérimée au « réalisme » provo cateur et mystificateur, un Mérimée totalement étranger au Cénacle hugolien. Essayons maintenant de préciser les réactions de Musset (8) Les fous de Cromwell chantent des ballades de ce genre. (9) Strophe de six vers : deux hexasyllabes et un dissyllable répétés, le vers court rimant en écho avec le vers qui précède. (10) Strophe de six vers : deux pentasyllabes et un dissyllabe répétés, les vers courts rimant entre eux. (11) Les neuf dernières strophes (la nuit de noces du bourgeois) n'avaient pu être imprimées dans cette première édition des Contes d'Espagne. (12) A Paul de Musset [4 août 1831], Correspondance, t. 1, p. 48. MUSSET DEVANT L'ŒUVRE DE VICTOR HUGO 255 à l'égard de l'œuvre même de Hugo. Si la couleur locale est beaucoup moins élaborée dans les Contes d'Espagne que dans les Orientales (quelques touches de lumière et (surtout) d'ombre, quelques placages de couleurs, de rares et sommaires architectures), on ne peut omettre de noter un emprunt littéral, non pas plagiat ou dérision, mais plutôt citation en hommage. Hugo, à Paris, rêve et souhaite qu'une ville mauresque vienne [...] s'éteignant en rumeurs étouffées, Avec les mille tours de ses palais de fées, Brumeuse, denteler l'horizon violet (Rêverie). Cette ville imaginaire devient Madrid dans Don Paez de Musset : On croirait que, féconde en rumeurs étouffées, La ville s'est changée en un palais de fées, Et que tous ces granits dentelant les clochers Sont aux cimes des toits des follets accrochés (13). Mais trois ans plus tard, le poète de Namouna se livre à une satire enlevée du pittoresque des Orientales : Si d'un coup de pinceau je vous avais bâti Quelque ville aux toits bleus, quelque blanche mosquée, Quelque tirade en vers d'or et d'argent plaquée, Quelque description de minarets flanquée Avec l'horizon rouge et le ciel assorti, M'auriez-vous répondu : « Vous en avez menti ? » (str.
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