Joan of Arc, by Jane Blanchard

Joan of Arc, by Charles-Amable Lenoir (France) 1860-1926 exact date unknown

Joan of Arc
 
Led by angelic voices to defend
the former Dauphin’s interests in France,
she struggled first and foremost to befriend
those who would hear and heed her, take a chance
on such a maiden’s claim to apprehend
the will of God. Too many looked askance
at this strange girl—until she could transcend
all peasant and provincial happenstance
with victory at Orléans, attend
in Reims a coronation, then advance
the kingdom. How she managed to offend
her foes! Their vengefulness served to enhance
her righteous calling through the fiery end
of martyrdom—so far beyond romance.

Jane Blanchard

This sonnet, first published in The French Literary Review, is the work of Jane Blanchard, who lives and writes in Georgia (USA).  Jane’s latest collection is Never Enough Already (2021). Amazon.com: Never Enough Already