Autographed letter signed to the poet Francis Vielé-Griffin.
A moving letter from the poet calling for help from Vielé-Griffin, whom he met at Stéphane Mallarmé's house.
» "For having met you one evening at Stéphane Mallarmé's, I may be taking a bold step..."
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Paterne BERRICHON (1855.1922).
Autographed letter signed to the poet Francis Vielé-Griffin.
Three octavo pages. No place or date. Slight marginal browning.
A moving letter from the poet calling for help from Vielé-Griffin, whom he met at Stéphane Mallarmé's house.
“Sir and dear Poet, I may be presumptuous in this approach , having met you one evening at Stéphane Mallarmé’s, but I am so encouraged by your praise for your solidarity! So, let me be direct and straightforward: Would you, if you can, help me out of this terrible predicament? My companion, a woman of exceptional talent, a musician and writer herself, is homeless, evicted, along with me, from the garret that sheltered us. Without any immediate resources, what will become of us? I can manage. But she is too dignified to succumb to the common temptations of vice, a witness to such female misery, too sickly to endure the privations of vagrancy! She has resigned herself to being arrested on a bench, to imprisonment. But can I accept this? And what can I do?” This cry for help to you, my dear colleague, I utter in desperation , in a state of agitation, I repeat, at the urging of some of your admirers, your friends, whom I have not authorized to name. Twenty-five francs to retrieve our belongings that are being held, fifty francs for a month's rent in advance, a few small debts to the laundress who refuses to return our linens without payment; roughly one hundred francs in total, that is what we would need to get ourselves out of this predicament. But would you advance them? I understand that you might find this money, in me, practically a stranger, a bit of a risky venture, or rather, no! a simple act of charity—but, upon Poetry, our mother, I swear to you the most enthusiastic of gratitude and to repay you, if necessary, for this forever blessed service. With anguish, your Paterne Berrichon. Oh, rereading this letter, how repugnant this question of money has become to me, and how painful it is to be forced to resort to it! I bring you this letter, filled with remorse for it, even though it concerns the very life of my dear friend. If I don't meet you, will you please reply to me promptly at 28 rue des Lyonnais? The concierge is still holding my correspondence there. 28 rue des Lyonnais, I say. Thank you, thank you. PB
Francis Vielé-Griffin (1864-1937) was a French symbolist poet. A close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, with whom he maintained almost filial relations, he was a founding member and President of the Académie Mallarmé.