Ruins of any kind fascinated the Romantics, and in his poem, Victor Hugo juxtaposed a young, newly married couple and the ruins of an abbey, two near-opposites. Faure's setting, the first song of his Opus 2, is unsophisticated, and perhaps does not take the same advantage of this juxtaposition as he might have later, but the tune is as light as the mood of the newlyweds the song depicts, with a simple accompaniment.

The second song, Les matelots, is equally simple, over a rather standard rippling accompaniment suggesting the movement of a boat, and a hearty, strophic melody in the vocal line (rather of the kind that Gilbert and Sullivan parodied in H.M.S. Pinafore). Faure would become more of an impressionist in his later songs, but here he was content to convey an unsophisticated sentiment ("sailors are happy and see the world") in a pleasant, engaging melody.



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