VERLAINE PAUL: (1844-1896) French poet. A.L.S., P Verlaine, one page, 8vo, n.p., 16th ...

VERLAINE PAUL: (1844-1896) French poet. A.L.S., P Verlaine, one page, 8vo, n.p., 16th January 1889, to [Leon] Deschamps, in French. Verlain writes, in part, ´J´espere que vos "raisons" ne sont pas aussi graves que vous vous les imaginez. En tous cas les miennes sont trop reelles a verite. Soignez-vous donc un peu..Je compte vous faire visiter vers lundi au plus tard. Tachez d´avoir quelques ors contre des vers si beaux!.....Je trouve que Cazals n´est pas aimable en ceci comme en la publication dans un livre d´un portrait que je ne l´ai pas autorise a publier; prend-il donc ma figure pour un gagnepain? D´ailleurs serez vous assez aimable pour donner (pour moi) le livre en question Congres des Paroles a Mme. Sacher. Vous continuez toujours n´est-ce pas? A vous occuper de ma pension? Je crois qu´il faut battre le fer´ (Translation: ´I hope that your ‘reasons’ are not as serious as you imagine them to be. In any case, mine are too real to be true. I intend to show you around on Monday at the latest. Try to get some gold for such beautiful verses! ..... I find Cazals unkind in this as in the publication in a book of a portrait that I did not authorise him to publish; does he take my face for a livelihood? Besides, will you be kind enough to give (for me) the book in question Congres des Paroles to Mme. Sacher. You are still going on, aren't you? Looking after my pension? I think we need to strike a blow for it´ ). A couple of small, neat tears at the edges of the central horizontal fold, otherwise VG

Leon Deschamps (1864-1899) French novelist and poet, notable as the founder of the La Plume literary review.