From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: Two regular four-line stanzas, rhyming alternately.
In a letter offered for sale by Messrs. Maggs Bros., London, in 1920, Dumas definitely states that he took these lines from a volume entitled "Solitudes" by Mme. Manoury, wife of the Comte Manoury-Lacour, a great landed proprietor of Normandy.
On the other hand, the lines, with the following letter, both in Dumas' handwriting, are to be read in a copy of the original edition of "L'Orestie," the tragedy he published this year.
"Mon Cher Amour, je t'envoie cette petite gaîté qui ne sera pas déplacée, je crois, parmi les autres. J'ai déjà reçu une lettre de Méry, cy-jointe. Je verrai Charlieu aujourd'hui selon toute probabilité. Cy-jointe aussi une lettre de Geoffroy St. Hilaire relative à la Goutte. Je t'écris quelques mots seulement parce que je finis une longue machine antique pour faire le pendant de la Fiancée de Corinthe.—Je t'aime!" ("My Dear Love, I send you this little trifle which will not he out of place. I think, among the others. I have already received a letter from Méry—attached to this. In all probability I shall see Charlieu to-day. Herewith is also a letter from Geoffrey St. Hilaire concerning the Drop. I write you only a few words because I am finishing a lengthy work to form a pendant to 'The Bride of Corinth.'—I love you! ")
These verses also appeared in "Le Monte-Cristo" in the number for November 19th, 18.57.
Dumas used them in "Madame de Chamblay," Chapter XXXI. of the romance, and Act IV., Scene i. of the drama.
