From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: Three regular four-line stanzas, rhyming a, b, a, b.
This piece of verse is the serenade from Dumas' play, "Don Juan de Marana," Act II., Tab. II., Scene i. The drama was both performed and printed in 1836, which we may take as the date. The music for this piece was by Piccini.
As "L'Échange" it was set to music by Henri Reber, and sung by François Wartel. In this form it was dedicated to Amaury Duval. With a design by F. Sorrein, it was published by the firm of Richault, No. 26 Boulevard Poissonnière, and printed by Kaeppelin.
The words are stated to have been imitated from a Neapolitan song.
M. Glinel has indicated seven variants between the two printings of this short piece.
Apparently, when "Alexandre Dumas et Son Œuvre" was published in 1884, M. Glinel was unaware that this piece of verse was borrowed from the play, since, on page 465, where he prints it, he treats it as a new item of late composition.
The first verse of this pretty poem was inserted, in autograph and signed, by Reber, in the album of Mlle. Marie Maxime David, where it bears the date of February 12th, 1867. The album in question is now in the possession of the Library of Laon.
English Translation :—
This poem was translated by John Payne, and included in his "Flowers of France,—Romantic Period," Vol. II., pp. 66-67. He gives it the title of "Don Juan's Song."
