Chanson d'automne
Encyclopedia
"Chanson d'automne" is a poem by Paul Verlaine
, one of the best known in the French language
. It is included in Verlaine's first collection, Poèmes saturniens
, published in 1866 (see 1866 in poetry
). The poem forms part of the "Paysages tristes" ("Sad landscapes") section of the collection.
In preparation for Operation Overlord
, the BBC
had signaled to the French Resistance
that the opening lines of the 1866 Verlaine poem "Chanson d'Automne" were to indicate the start of D-Day operations. The first three lines of the poem, "Les sanglots longs / des violons / de l'automne" ("Long sobs of autumn violins"), meant that Operation Overlord was to start within two weeks. These lines were broadcast on 1 June 1944. The next set of lines, "Blessent mon coeur / d'une langueur / monotone" ("wound my heart with a monotonous languor"), meant that it would start within 48 hours and that the resistance should begin sabotage operations especially on the French railroad system; these lines were broadcast on 5 June at 23:15.
This stanza is often erroneously cited with the line "bercent mon cœur" (lull my heart). Charles Trenet
notably produced a song from this poem in which he chose to use "bercent mon cœur", presumably to make the text more agreeable. Georges Brassens
, in recording his version of Trenet's song, returned it to the original stanza. This was also that choice of Leo Ferré
in his adaptation of the same poem.
The rest of the poem consists of the following two stanzas:
and is in many ways typical of Verlaine, in that it employs sound techniques such as consonance (the repetition of "n" and "r" sounds) that also creates an onomatopoeic effect, sounding both monotonous and like a violin. In the second verse, the stop consonant
and pause after the word suffocant reflect the meaning of the word. The sound of the words Deçà, delà, in the third verse evoke the image of a dead leaf falling. Verlaine uses the symbolism of Autumn in the poem to describe a sad view of growing old.
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, one of the best known in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. It is included in Verlaine's first collection, Poèmes saturniens
Poèmes saturniens
Poèmes saturniens is the first collection of poetry by Paul Verlaine, first published in 1866.Verlaine was linked with the Parnassien movement in French poetry. He published his first poem in their journal, Revue du Progrès moral, littéraire, scientifique et artistique, in August 1863...
, published in 1866 (see 1866 in poetry
1866 in poetry
* John Greenleaf Whittier:** Snow-Bound, United States** "Abraham Davenport", poem published in The Atlantic Monthly in May , about an incident involving Abraham Davenport-France:* Théodore de Banville, Les Exilés...
). The poem forms part of the "Paysages tristes" ("Sad landscapes") section of the collection.
| Les sanglots longs | The long sobs | |
| Des violons | Of the violins | |
| De l’automne | Of Autumn | |
| Blessent mon cœur | Wound my heart | |
| D’une langueur | With a monotonous | |
| Monotone. | Languor. |
In preparation for Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
had signaled to the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
that the opening lines of the 1866 Verlaine poem "Chanson d'Automne" were to indicate the start of D-Day operations. The first three lines of the poem, "Les sanglots longs / des violons / de l'automne" ("Long sobs of autumn violins"), meant that Operation Overlord was to start within two weeks. These lines were broadcast on 1 June 1944. The next set of lines, "Blessent mon coeur / d'une langueur / monotone" ("wound my heart with a monotonous languor"), meant that it would start within 48 hours and that the resistance should begin sabotage operations especially on the French railroad system; these lines were broadcast on 5 June at 23:15.
This stanza is often erroneously cited with the line "bercent mon cœur" (lull my heart). Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
notably produced a song from this poem in which he chose to use "bercent mon cœur", presumably to make the text more agreeable. Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens , 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier...
, in recording his version of Trenet's song, returned it to the original stanza. This was also that choice of Leo Ferré
Léo Ferré
Léo Ferré was a Franco-Monegasque poet, composer, singer and musician.Born in Monaco, Ferré mixed love and melancholy with moral anarchy, lyricism with slang, rhyming verse with prose monologues...
in his adaptation of the same poem.
The rest of the poem consists of the following two stanzas:
| Tout suffocant | All choked | |
| Et blême, quand | And pale, when | |
| Sonne l'heure, | The hour chimes, | |
| Je me souviens | I remember | |
| Des jours anciens | Days of old | |
| Et je pleure | And I cry | |
| Et je m'en vais | And I'm going | |
| Au vent mauvais | On an ill wind | |
| Qui m'emporte | That carries me | |
| Deçà, delà, | Here and there, | |
| Pareil à la | As if a | |
| Feuille morte. | Dead leaf. |
Critical analysis
The poem uses several stylistic devicesStylistic device
In literature and writing, Stylistic Elements are the use of any of a variety of techniques to give an auxiliary meaning, idea, or feeling to the literal or written.- Figurative language :...
and is in many ways typical of Verlaine, in that it employs sound techniques such as consonance (the repetition of "n" and "r" sounds) that also creates an onomatopoeic effect, sounding both monotonous and like a violin. In the second verse, the stop consonant
Stop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &...
and pause after the word suffocant reflect the meaning of the word. The sound of the words Deçà, delà, in the third verse evoke the image of a dead leaf falling. Verlaine uses the symbolism of Autumn in the poem to describe a sad view of growing old.
External links
- Translating Verlaine at textetc.com
- "Chanson d'automne", text of the poem, and reading by Jean-Claude PascalJean-Claude PascalJean-Claude Pascal was a French comedian and singer.After surviving the Second World War in Straßburg, Pascal first studied at the Sorbonne-university and then turned to fashion-designing for Christian Dior...