This song opens with a series of nearly monotonic phrases over a sparse accompaniment providing more of a punctuation than an underpinning. In the second verse, both voice and piano become more lyrical, but still far from the full melodic expression of the third verse, and the song climaxes at the end with a repetition of the paean to the immortal spring and summer of the beloved in a powerful, high phrase. This extended recitative-like buildup to an aria-like melody is particularly appropriate, since the song is dedicated to soprano Sybil Sanderson, one of the many operatic leading ladies with whom Massenet was infatuated during his lifetime.

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