Poème autographe de Jean Cocteau "Versailles dont on a tant dit" comportant une variante avec le poème contenu dans le Prince Frivole

Autograph quatrain and tercet from Jean Cocteau's youth, comprising fourteen stanzas penned in black ink across 15 lines on grey paper bearing the poet’s silver monogram in the upper left corner.
Two pencil corrections in the poet’s hand.
This poem presents a variant of the version published in the collection "Le prince frivole," released by Mercure de France in 1910, Cocteau’s second published work; “Versailles dont on a tant dit” (appearing as “Le vieux parc dont on a tant dit” in the printed edition).



 

This manuscript of *Le Prince frivole* was long thought lost: “Le manuscrit original de la main de Cocteau manque” (*Œuvres poétiques complètes*, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, p. 1842).
The work, praised by Marcel Proust who hailed Jean Cocteau as a “Banville de vingt ans qu'attendent de plus hautes destinées,” would later be renounced by its author, who went so far as to forbid its republication.
"Le jardin (crossed out and replaced by) Versailles dont on a tant dit
(Fragonard pâle qu’un La Touche
Avec un peu de roux retouche)
Sommeille sans rien d’inédit...
...
Et les cheveux teints au henné
Le calme (crossed out and replaced by) pâle automne offre à ses peintres
Un héliotrope fané."