165. CHANSON DE FORTUNIO. From _le Chandelier_ ( 1836), where it is
sung by a character named Fortunio. 25. MA MIE, instead of _m'amie_;
this is a remnant of what was the regular practice in the earliest
period of French, the use of the feminine forms, ma, ta, sa, with
elision of the vowel, before nouns beginning with a vowel; the
substitution of the masculine forms in such cases begins in the
twelfth century.
166. 167. TRISTESSE. June 14, 1840. "RAPPELLE-TOI." 1842. SOUVENIR.
February, 1841. This poem is of the same order of thought as _le Lac_
of Lamartine and the _Tristesse d'Olympia_ of Victor Hugo; see note on
the latter poem.
169. 17. DANTE, POURQUOI DIS-TU; the passage referred to is in the
_Inferno_, canto v, 1. 121 ; Francesca da Rimini (in French Françoise)
begins the short and immortal story of her love for Paolo with these
words :
"There is no greater sorrow
Than to be mindful of the happy time
In misery."
170. 24. PIÉ, an old spelling of _pied_, used here to satisfy the
rules of rhyme. Cf. following page, 1. 26.
172.17. MA SEULE AMIE. George Sand. The latest revelations from the
correspondence of George Sand and Musset give us a more favorable view
of her part in their unhappy affair and fail to justify the terms in
which he refers to her here. See the volume of Vicomte de Spoelberch
de Lovenjoul cited among the works for reference.
174. SUR UNE MORTE. October, 1842; the lady referred to was the
Princess Belgiojoso (1808-1871), who after the unsuccessful movement
for Italian liberty in 1831 left Italy and resided in Paris, where
Musset came often to her salon, i. LA NUIT, one of the famous
allegorical statues made by Michaelangelo for the tombs of Giuliano
and Lorenzo de Medici.