Paul VERLAINE - Signed autograph poem, from his collection Sagesse.

Paul Verlaine (1844.1896)

Autograph poem signed – Saint Thérèse.

A page in-8° Slnd (Vincennes. June 1887)

On the back, full-page autograph fragment of Verlaine crossed out.

Magnificent sonnet from the poet present in the second edition of his collection Sagesse .

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Saint Thérèse wants Poverty to be
the queen of this world, and literally!
She says few words about this government
and does not stop at details;

But the Point, in her sense, the one that we must see
and believe, is this on which she compliments:
Free will weighs, argues and parleys.
Then the poor-hearted person decides and follows his path.

Who will stop him?
He has no more wishes than to one day be among the elect,
Almighty servant, almighty sovereign,

Prodigal and disdainful, over all, of things known,
But accumulator of only things known.
Of what such a proud subject, and free, what a queen!

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First published in Le Décadent from July 1-15 ^, 1888 under the title Sonnet , the poem would take its place the following year in the second edition of Sagesse (room XIX). Verlaine wrote at the top: “ VIII ” and, on the right, “ Bonheur ”.

On the back, Verlaine's autograph page completely crossed out: Fragment of a piece in which Lieutenant Harris, Mr O'Keene, Tom Burnett... Vicar VII, 992; Montel, pp. 22-26; Van Bever & Monda, pp. 20-21; Carteret Romantique II, pp. 420-422; Verlaine, Complete poetic works , Pléiade, p. 219.

Laminated on a sheet revealing the back.