Marot, Clement, << ma ROH, klay MAHN >> (1496-1544), was a French poet who served in the households of King Francis I and Marguerite de Navarre. Marot composed light, elegant, witty verse that pleased the wealthy members of court society. But his poetry also reveals, with great artistry and devotion to truth, the social and intellectual realities of the time and an interest in the religious controversies of the Reformation. Shortly before his death, he published a significant translation of the Psalms. Some critics consider him an unimportant court poet. Others, especially modern critics, call him a genuine moralist who wrote with delicacy and discretion. Marot was born in Cahors. He died in Italy, exiled from Roman Catholic France because of his Protestant beliefs.
