Les dits des oiseaux
Marie-Dominique LECLERC
M.D. LECLERC, Les Dits des oiseaux (Tales of Birds).
Among all the medieval bestiaries that got printed, the short piece called Les Dits
des oiseaux stands out as a singular work. It is striking first and foremost because of
its longevity : two handwritten copies in the 15th century were followed by few
printed versions, but it lived on within a rather heterogeneous work known as the
ancestor of the almanac, Le Grand Calendrier et Compost des bergers (The Shepherds’ Great
Calendar and Compost). The present paper examines developments in the composition
of the work through its several editions from the 15th to the 18th century, then it
compares its contents to the traditional contents of bestiaries and more particularly
of volucraries.Keywords :
bestiaries, volucraries, birds, Shephers’ Calendars, « Bibliothèque bleue ».
• Une pièce anonyme parmi les bestiaires
• Évolution de la pièce au fil des éditions
• Symbolisme textuel et iconographique
• Conclusion : Pérennité des Dits des oiseaux
dans le Calendrier des bergers