B[e] stars. I. HD 51585 (=OY Gem).

We analyse CCD spectroscopic material obtained at the Haute Provence Observatory between 1990 and 1993, covering the wavelength region 3800-11000 A. 320 emission lines were measured and identified. Of these about 40% correspond to permitted or forbidden lines of ionized iron. Many forbidden lines (20% of the total) are present, including many classic nebular lines. We also provide a comparison of our results with those of other authors. The equivalent width measurements permit to follow in detail the variations of the lines of several elements over the three years and to compare them to variations reported by other authors. On our material the largest variations correspond to helium, which varied by a factor of two and are not in phase with the variations of hydrogen. Many helium lines exhibit P Cyg type profiles, indicating strong outflow of matter from the star. The lines of other elements follow either the variations of the helium or of the hydrogen lines. The radial velocity varies over the years, with an amplitude of more than 60km/s.