"In this eclectic selection of forty-eight classic French poems - which includes works by Villon, Voltaire, Baudelaire, Musset, Nerval, and Hugo, as well as lesser-known poets such as d'Orleans, DuBellay, Prudhomme, Heredia, Coppee and Rollinat - translator Kendall Lappin puts theory to the test: dispensing with rhyme in favor of strict adherence to metrics and diction, Lappin's translations strive for and achieve remarkable semantic faithfulness without sacrificing the musicality of the verse. Readers with a sound knowledge of French will find particular delight in comparing the translator's versions to the originals, printed here on facing pages."--BOOK JACKET.