that was not the case when the poem was first published, as more recent scholars are starting to realize. Jean Braybrook, for one, notes that until recently "critics have tended simply to see the epic as a failure" but that "in so doing, they have overlooked the interest with which it was originally received [...] and the imitations it prompted". Jean-Claude Ternaux, too, has written that it is "historically incorrect" to state that the poem was not a success at the time. When Ronsard died, in fact, the poet Jacques du Perron's funeral speech called Ronsard a "genius" and an "oracle" specifically because of the Franciad. Recent scholarship is indeed pointing towards a changing of the tide, as the poem's political, historical, and poetic value is evaluated in new ways. Literary context François Rigolot has stated that Ronsard wanted to "give birth to France" by writing the Franciad, another way of saying that writing an epic in Renaissance France was a kind of national project. Fellow Pléiade poet Joachim Du Bellay had indeed written in his Defense and illustration of the French Tongue, that writing a French epic was of utmost importance and that it would allow the French language to "hold its head high". English translation The Franciad has been available in English since 2010. The English version by Phillip John Usher begins: Muse atop the summits of Parnassus, Steer my speech and sing for me that race Of French kings descended from Francion, Hector’s son and of Trojan stock, Who in his tender childhood was called Astyanax or by the name Scamandrius. Tell me of this Trojan’s misfortunes, Of the wars he fought, of his mission, And tell me how many times on the seas (Despite Neptune and Juno) he overcame Fortune And how many times on solid ground he escaped From danger, before going on to build the walls of Paris. The English translation has been well received by critics: Kathleen Wine called it "a vibrant and highly readable translation," adding that "Usher manages both to make the poem accessible to readers […] while nonetheless endowing it with a vigorous rhythm that lends itself to reading aloud," and summarizing that the translation is "[a] work of scholarship and a labor of love." The edition, published by AMS Press, also includes an extensive introduction to the poem's style, historical context, use of mythology, and other issues. References 1572