"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 . The poem forms part of the "Paysages tristes" section of the collection.In World War II lines from the poem were used to send messages from Special Operations Executive to the French Resistance about the timing of the forthcoming Invasion of Normandy.
“And so I leave
On cruel winds
Squalling
And gusting me
Like a dead leaf
Falling.”
Paul Verlaine Chanson d'automne
Et je m'en vais
Au vent mauvais
Qui m'emporte
Deçà, delà,
Pareil à la
Feuille morte.
"Chanson d'automne", line 13, from Poèmes saturniens (1866); Sorrell p. 27
“The long sobs of
The violins
Of autumn
Lay waste my heart
With monotones
Of boredom.”
Paul Verlaine Chanson d'automne
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l'automne
Blessent mon cœur
D'une langueur
Monotone.
"Chanson d'automne", line 1, from Poèmes saturniens (1866); Sorrell p. 24
