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Les Contes Drolatiques, or Droll Stories
The Fair Imperia, and The Fair Imperia Married
Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) was a nineteenth-century French novelist and playwright. His Magnum Opus was a sequence of almost 100 novels and plays collectively entitled La Comedie Humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. Due to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters; even his lesser characters are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. Inanimate objects are imbued with character as well; the city of Paris, a backdrop for much of his writing, takes on many human qualities. His writing influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Emile Zola, Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Marie Corelli, Henry James and Jack Kerouac, as well as important philosophers such as Friedrich Engels. Many of Balzac's works have been made into films, and they continue to inspire other writers. His works also include: Jean-Louis (1822), Clotilde de Lusignan (1822) and Wann-Chlore (1826).
- GenresFiction
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1837
9 people want to read
About the author
Honoré de Balzac
9,590 books4,411 followersFrench writer Honoré de Balzac (born Honoré Balzac), a founder of the realist school of fiction, portrayed the panorama of society in a body of works, known collectively as
La comédie humaine
.
Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.
Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.
An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.
Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.
Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.
Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.
An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.
Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 25, 2022
"The Fair Imperia" is the first short story from Volume 1 of Balzac's "The Droll Stories". First published in 1832 and Balzac's French version of Boccaccio "The Decameron" like and extremely bawdy and with unscrupulous clergymen.
Story in short- A young priest has decided to go the way of fulfilling his humanly desires but there are obstacles.
"The Fair Imperia Marrried" is the last of the Volume 3 of Balzac's "The Droll Stories".
Bawdy but to a lesser degree because of her marriage.
Story in short- Imperia is still desired though she is quite matured and falls in love with a young man in his early twenties who has come to Italy on government business and has a loved mistress at home.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
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Philippe de Mala, as he was called, resolved to behave well and worthily to serve his protector, but he saw in this mysterious Council many men leading a dissolute life and yet not making less, nay — gaining more indulgences, gold crowns and benefices than all the other virtuous and well-behaved ones. Now during one night — dangerous to his virtue — the devil whispered into his ear that he should live more luxuriously, since every one sucked the breasts of our Holy Mother Church and yet they were not drained, a miracle which proved beyond doubt the existence of God. And the priest of Touraine did not disappoint the devil. He promised to feast himself, to eat his bellyful of roast meats and other German delicacies, when he could do so without paying for them as he was poor. As
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199902
he remained quite continent (in which he followed the example of the poor old archbishop who sinned no longer because he was unable to, and passed for a saint,) he had to suffer from intolerable desires followed by fits of melancholy, since there were so many sweet courtesans, well developed, but cold to the poor people, who inhabited Constance, to enlighten the understanding of the Fathers of the Council. He was savage that he did not know how to make up to these gallant sirens, who snubbed cardinals,
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abbots, councillors, legates, bishops, princes and margraves just as if they have been penniless clerks. And in the evening, after prayers, he would practice speaking to them, teaching himself the breviary of love. He taught himself to answer all possible questions, but on the morrow if by chance he met one of the aforesaid princesses dressed out, seated in a litter and escorted by her proud and well-armed pages, he remained open-mouthed, like a dog in the act of catching flies, at the sight of sweet countenance that so
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much inflamed him. The secretary of a Monseigneur, a gentleman of Perigord, having clearly explained to him that the Fathers, procureurs, and auditors of the Rota bought by certain presents, not relics or indulgences, but jewels and gold, the favour of being familiar with the best of these pampered cats who lived under the protection of the lords of the Council; the poor Touranian, all simpleton and innocent as he was, treasured up under his mattress the money given him by the good archbishop for writings and copying —
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hoping one day to have enough just to see a cardinal’s lady-love, and trusting to God for the rest.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Philippe de Mala, a young priest decides that he will go the way of the devil and sin. He finds a house that many men of God and the government visit for pleasure and decides to see the beauty. Imperia, the temptress sees the eager young priest and tells him to come tomorrow. Philippe wonders what he can do with such limited funds, his desires overcome all and finds an eager Imperia but they are disturbed by the Bishop of Coire who tells him to leave. When another man, Cardinal of Ragusa looks for the lady and sees the Bishop. Philippe tells the Cardinal that if you tell him that you came from a plagued area, the Bishop is sure to leave which happens as predicted and the Cardinal bribes Philippe to leave with some money and property, he is sure he will gain back. Imperia disappointed in her young lover preferring money to her is sulky and hearing about the disease from the Cardinal refuses him the night. She is upset about Phillips but soon finds her lover has not left but hid himself, they rejoice.
Imperia who had come to Rome to grieve her young daughter who wanted to live in the convent but a priest's advances causes her to kill herself. Imperia decides to give herself to the church but all the men cannot have her do this for the pleasures she gives. She then meets the young Frenchman, the envoy of the King of France, who was a cadet of the house of l’Ile Adam who she loves and lures him to her bedroom and he soon forgets all but his new love. When she meet him she renounced all but him. They marry and all goes well back in the countryside of France until 45 year old Imperia is not able to give her husband an heir. All is well but this sadness which would be the last in line for his family name. Imperia decides to have her husband's young mistress stay unmarried so that she can marry her beloved and that he would tell his new wife the secret of their love in the bedroom. Imperia kills herself with poison but only the doctor knows, until after seven years of marriage his new wife informs him what his Imperia had done for his sake. He dies of grief of missing his Imperia who knew how to love that his young wife could never please like Imperia could.
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but prompted by his desires he wandered in the evenings through the streets of Constance, careless of his life, and, at the risk of having his body halberded by the soldiers, he peeped at the cardinals entering the houses of their sweethearts. Then he saw the wax-candles lighted in the houses and suddenly the doors and the windows closed. Then he heard the blessed abbots or others jumping about, drinking, enjoying themselves, love-making, singing Alleluia and applauding the music with which they were being regaled.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199922
To return, however to our sweet little Philippe, not unfrequently did he receive many a thump and hard blow, but the devil sustained him, inciting him to believe that sooner or later it would come to his turn to play the cardinal to some lovely
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dame. This ardent desire gave him the boldness of a stag in autumn, so much so that one evening he quietly tripped up the steps and into one of the first houses in Constance where often he had seen officers, seneschals, valets, and pages waiting with torches for their masters, dukes, kings, cardinals and archbishops. “Ah!” said he, “she must be very beautiful and amiable, this one.” A soldier well armed allowed him to pass, believing him to belong to the suite of the Elector of Bavaria,
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who had just left, and that he was going to deliver a message on behalf of the above-mentioned nobleman. Philippe de Mala mounted the stairs as lightly as a greyhound in love, and was guided by delectable odour of perfume to certain chamber where, surrounded by her handmaidens, the lady of the house was divesting herself of her attire. He stood quite dumbfounded like a thief surprised by sergeants. The lady was without petticoat or head-dress. The chambermaid and the servants, busy taking off her stockings and undressing her, so quickly and dextrously had her stripped, that the priest, overcome, gave vent to a long Ah! which had the flavour of love about it. “What want you, little one?” said the lady to him. “To yield my soul to you,” said he, flashing his eyes upon her. “You can come again to-morrow,” said she, in order to be rid of him. To which Philippe replied, blushing, “I will not fail.” Then she burst out laughing. Philippe, struck motionless, stood
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quite at his ease, letting wander over her his eyes that glowed and sparkled with the flame of love. What lovely thick hair hung upon her ivory white back, showing sweet white places, fair and shining between the many tresses! She had upon her snow-white brow a ruby circlet, less fertile in rays of fire than her black eyes, still moist with tears from her hearty laugh. She even threw her slipper at a statue gilded like a shrine, twisting herself about from very ribaldry and allowed her bare foot, smaller than a swan’s bill,
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to be seen. This evening she was in a good humour, otherwise she would have had the little shaven-crop put out by the window without more ado than her first bishop. “He has fine eyes, Madame,” said one of her handmaids. “Where does he comes from?” asked another. “Poor child!” cried Madame, “his mother must be looking for him. Show him his way home.” The Touranian, still sensible, gave a movement of delight at the sight of the brocaded bed where
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199943
the sweet form was about to repose. This glance, full of amorous intelligence, awoke the lady’s fantasy, who, half laughing and half smitten, repeated “To-morrow,” and dismissed him with a gesture which the Pope Jehan himself would have obeyed, especially as he was like a snail without a shell, since the Council had just deprived him of the holy keys. “Ah! Madame, there is another vow of chastity changed into an amorous desire,” said one of her
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women; and the chuckles commenced again thick as hail. Philippe went his way, bumping his head against a wall like a hooded rook as he was. So giddy had he become at the sight of this creature, even more enticing than a siren rising from the water. He noticed the animals carved over the door and returned to the house of the archbishop with his head full of diabolical longings and his entrails sophisticated. Once in his little room he counted his coins all night long, but could
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make no more than four of them; and as that was all his treasure, he counted upon satisfying the fair one by giving her all he had in the world. “What is it ails you?” said the good archbishop, uneasy at the groans and “oh! ohs!” of his clerk. “Ah! my Lord,” answered the poor priest, “I am wondering how it is that so light and sweet a woman can weigh so heavily upon my heart.” “Which one?” said the archbishop, putting down his breviary
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which he was reading for others — the good man. “Oh! Mother of God! You will scold me, I know, my good master, my protector, because I have seen the lady of a cardinal at the least, and I am weeping because I lack more than one crown to enable me to convert her.” The archbishop, knitting the circumflex accent that he had above his nose, said not a word. Then the very humble priest trembled in his skin to have confessed so much to his superior. But the holy man directly said to him, “She must be very dear then — ” “Ah!” said he, “she has swallowed many a mitre and stolen many a cross.” “Well, Philippe, if thou will renounce her, I will present thee with thirty angels from the poor-box.” “Ah! my lord, I should be losing too much,” replied the lad, emboldened by the treat he promised himself. “Ah! Philippe,” said the good prelate, “thou wilt then go to the devil and displease God, like all our cardinals,” and the master, with sorrow, began to pray St. Gatien, the patron saint of Innocents, to save his servant. He made him kneel down beside him, telling him to recommend himself also to St. Philippe, but the wretched priest implored the saint beneath his breath to prevent him from failing if on the morrow that the lady should receive him kindly and mercifully; and the good archbishop, observing the fervour of his servant, cried out him, “Courage little one, and Heaven will exorcise thee.”
Story in short- A young priest has decided to go the way of fulfilling his humanly desires but there are obstacles.
"The Fair Imperia Marrried" is the last of the Volume 3 of Balzac's "The Droll Stories".
Bawdy but to a lesser degree because of her marriage.
Story in short- Imperia is still desired though she is quite matured and falls in love with a young man in his early twenties who has come to Italy on government business and has a loved mistress at home.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199897
Philippe de Mala, as he was called, resolved to behave well and worthily to serve his protector, but he saw in this mysterious Council many men leading a dissolute life and yet not making less, nay — gaining more indulgences, gold crowns and benefices than all the other virtuous and well-behaved ones. Now during one night — dangerous to his virtue — the devil whispered into his ear that he should live more luxuriously, since every one sucked the breasts of our Holy Mother Church and yet they were not drained, a miracle which proved beyond doubt the existence of God. And the priest of Touraine did not disappoint the devil. He promised to feast himself, to eat his bellyful of roast meats and other German delicacies, when he could do so without paying for them as he was poor. As
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199902
he remained quite continent (in which he followed the example of the poor old archbishop who sinned no longer because he was unable to, and passed for a saint,) he had to suffer from intolerable desires followed by fits of melancholy, since there were so many sweet courtesans, well developed, but cold to the poor people, who inhabited Constance, to enlighten the understanding of the Fathers of the Council. He was savage that he did not know how to make up to these gallant sirens, who snubbed cardinals,
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199906
abbots, councillors, legates, bishops, princes and margraves just as if they have been penniless clerks. And in the evening, after prayers, he would practice speaking to them, teaching himself the breviary of love. He taught himself to answer all possible questions, but on the morrow if by chance he met one of the aforesaid princesses dressed out, seated in a litter and escorted by her proud and well-armed pages, he remained open-mouthed, like a dog in the act of catching flies, at the sight of sweet countenance that so
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199909
much inflamed him. The secretary of a Monseigneur, a gentleman of Perigord, having clearly explained to him that the Fathers, procureurs, and auditors of the Rota bought by certain presents, not relics or indulgences, but jewels and gold, the favour of being familiar with the best of these pampered cats who lived under the protection of the lords of the Council; the poor Touranian, all simpleton and innocent as he was, treasured up under his mattress the money given him by the good archbishop for writings and copying —
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199913
hoping one day to have enough just to see a cardinal’s lady-love, and trusting to God for the rest.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert
Philippe de Mala, a young priest decides that he will go the way of the devil and sin. He finds a house that many men of God and the government visit for pleasure and decides to see the beauty. Imperia, the temptress sees the eager young priest and tells him to come tomorrow. Philippe wonders what he can do with such limited funds, his desires overcome all and finds an eager Imperia but they are disturbed by the Bishop of Coire who tells him to leave. When another man, Cardinal of Ragusa looks for the lady and sees the Bishop. Philippe tells the Cardinal that if you tell him that you came from a plagued area, the Bishop is sure to leave which happens as predicted and the Cardinal bribes Philippe to leave with some money and property, he is sure he will gain back. Imperia disappointed in her young lover preferring money to her is sulky and hearing about the disease from the Cardinal refuses him the night. She is upset about Phillips but soon finds her lover has not left but hid himself, they rejoice.
Imperia who had come to Rome to grieve her young daughter who wanted to live in the convent but a priest's advances causes her to kill herself. Imperia decides to give herself to the church but all the men cannot have her do this for the pleasures she gives. She then meets the young Frenchman, the envoy of the King of France, who was a cadet of the house of l’Ile Adam who she loves and lures him to her bedroom and he soon forgets all but his new love. When she meet him she renounced all but him. They marry and all goes well back in the countryside of France until 45 year old Imperia is not able to give her husband an heir. All is well but this sadness which would be the last in line for his family name. Imperia decides to have her husband's young mistress stay unmarried so that she can marry her beloved and that he would tell his new wife the secret of their love in the bedroom. Imperia kills herself with poison but only the doctor knows, until after seven years of marriage his new wife informs him what his Imperia had done for his sake. He dies of grief of missing his Imperia who knew how to love that his young wife could never please like Imperia could.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199914
but prompted by his desires he wandered in the evenings through the streets of Constance, careless of his life, and, at the risk of having his body halberded by the soldiers, he peeped at the cardinals entering the houses of their sweethearts. Then he saw the wax-candles lighted in the houses and suddenly the doors and the windows closed. Then he heard the blessed abbots or others jumping about, drinking, enjoying themselves, love-making, singing Alleluia and applauding the music with which they were being regaled.
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199922
To return, however to our sweet little Philippe, not unfrequently did he receive many a thump and hard blow, but the devil sustained him, inciting him to believe that sooner or later it would come to his turn to play the cardinal to some lovely
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199924
dame. This ardent desire gave him the boldness of a stag in autumn, so much so that one evening he quietly tripped up the steps and into one of the first houses in Constance where often he had seen officers, seneschals, valets, and pages waiting with torches for their masters, dukes, kings, cardinals and archbishops. “Ah!” said he, “she must be very beautiful and amiable, this one.” A soldier well armed allowed him to pass, believing him to belong to the suite of the Elector of Bavaria,
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199927
who had just left, and that he was going to deliver a message on behalf of the above-mentioned nobleman. Philippe de Mala mounted the stairs as lightly as a greyhound in love, and was guided by delectable odour of perfume to certain chamber where, surrounded by her handmaidens, the lady of the house was divesting herself of her attire. He stood quite dumbfounded like a thief surprised by sergeants. The lady was without petticoat or head-dress. The chambermaid and the servants, busy taking off her stockings and undressing her, so quickly and dextrously had her stripped, that the priest, overcome, gave vent to a long Ah! which had the flavour of love about it. “What want you, little one?” said the lady to him. “To yield my soul to you,” said he, flashing his eyes upon her. “You can come again to-morrow,” said she, in order to be rid of him. To which Philippe replied, blushing, “I will not fail.” Then she burst out laughing. Philippe, struck motionless, stood
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199936
quite at his ease, letting wander over her his eyes that glowed and sparkled with the flame of love. What lovely thick hair hung upon her ivory white back, showing sweet white places, fair and shining between the many tresses! She had upon her snow-white brow a ruby circlet, less fertile in rays of fire than her black eyes, still moist with tears from her hearty laugh. She even threw her slipper at a statue gilded like a shrine, twisting herself about from very ribaldry and allowed her bare foot, smaller than a swan’s bill,
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199939
to be seen. This evening she was in a good humour, otherwise she would have had the little shaven-crop put out by the window without more ado than her first bishop. “He has fine eyes, Madame,” said one of her handmaids. “Where does he comes from?” asked another. “Poor child!” cried Madame, “his mother must be looking for him. Show him his way home.” The Touranian, still sensible, gave a movement of delight at the sight of the brocaded bed where
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199943
the sweet form was about to repose. This glance, full of amorous intelligence, awoke the lady’s fantasy, who, half laughing and half smitten, repeated “To-morrow,” and dismissed him with a gesture which the Pope Jehan himself would have obeyed, especially as he was like a snail without a shell, since the Council had just deprived him of the holy keys. “Ah! Madame, there is another vow of chastity changed into an amorous desire,” said one of her
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199947
women; and the chuckles commenced again thick as hail. Philippe went his way, bumping his head against a wall like a hooded rook as he was. So giddy had he become at the sight of this creature, even more enticing than a siren rising from the water. He noticed the animals carved over the door and returned to the house of the archbishop with his head full of diabolical longings and his entrails sophisticated. Once in his little room he counted his coins all night long, but could
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199951
make no more than four of them; and as that was all his treasure, he counted upon satisfying the fair one by giving her all he had in the world. “What is it ails you?” said the good archbishop, uneasy at the groans and “oh! ohs!” of his clerk. “Ah! my Lord,” answered the poor priest, “I am wondering how it is that so light and sweet a woman can weigh so heavily upon my heart.” “Which one?” said the archbishop, putting down his breviary
Highlight (Yellow) | Location 199955
which he was reading for others — the good man. “Oh! Mother of God! You will scold me, I know, my good master, my protector, because I have seen the lady of a cardinal at the least, and I am weeping because I lack more than one crown to enable me to convert her.” The archbishop, knitting the circumflex accent that he had above his nose, said not a word. Then the very humble priest trembled in his skin to have confessed so much to his superior. But the holy man directly said to him, “She must be very dear then — ” “Ah!” said he, “she has swallowed many a mitre and stolen many a cross.” “Well, Philippe, if thou will renounce her, I will present thee with thirty angels from the poor-box.” “Ah! my lord, I should be losing too much,” replied the lad, emboldened by the treat he promised himself. “Ah! Philippe,” said the good prelate, “thou wilt then go to the devil and displease God, like all our cardinals,” and the master, with sorrow, began to pray St. Gatien, the patron saint of Innocents, to save his servant. He made him kneel down beside him, telling him to recommend himself also to St. Philippe, but the wretched priest implored the saint beneath his breath to prevent him from failing if on the morrow that the lady should receive him kindly and mercifully; and the good archbishop, observing the fervour of his servant, cried out him, “Courage little one, and Heaven will exorcise thee.”
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