Victor Hugo's house....

The Marais is my new favourite spot. I adore Place des Vosges, we ambled through the streets at the weekend and ended up in Victor Hugo's apartment. It was surprisingly dark and gloomy, but incredibly spacious for a Parisian flat. The view of the perfectly symmetrical, carré, aesthetically London-esque Place des Vosges seemed like the most apt setting for the family home of this French poet, writer and playwright, probably best known for Les Misérables.

This is my favourite Victor Hugo poem:

Demain, dès l'aube...

Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends.
J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps.

Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,
Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,
Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,
Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit.

Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe,
Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur,
Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe
Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur.

Tomorrow at Dawn

 
Tomorrow, at dawn, in the hour when the countryside becomes white,
I will leave. You see, I know that you are waiting for me.
I will go by the forest, I will go by the mountain.
I cannot stay far from you any longer.

I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,
Without seeing anything outside, nor hearing any noise,
Alone, unknown, my back curved, my hands crossed,
Sad, and the day for me will be like the night.

I will not look at the gold of the evening which falls,
Nor the faraway sails descending towards Harfleur.
And when I arrive, I will put on your tomb
A green bouquet of holly and flowering heather. 

Source: http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_116/1170013688zS89UP.jpg