Young Men and Young Women
These generic subjects of "Innocents We" seem to refer to Verlaine's experience of adolescence. The young men are all consumed by watching the young women, hoping to glimpse some chance previously concealed bit of skin. For their part, the young women dressed the part but remained naive.
Ma Petite
In "Last Hope" the narrator pleads with his lost love to return. He addresses her with intimacy and affection, begging her to rekindle the dying flame of their love. She is gone, but her memory is very much alive in the narrator's imagination.
The Nightingale
This bird from "In Muted Tone" heralds the fall of night. He sings in the evenings, among the oak trees. His song is doleful, as if he is singing only to upset the lovers who must return home before nightfall.
The Lovers
"In Muted Tone" features two young lovers in the woods. The natural scene in which they choose to embrace serves as an exterior representation of their innocence and purity. Removed from society's pressures and expectations, the two lovers are following instinct. They choose beauty and intimacy for its own sake.
