Plain-chant

audiobook

Plain-chant

by Jean Cocteau

FR·~19 minutes·34 chapters

Chapters

34 total

I. J'AI, POUR TROMPER DU TEMPS

0:46

JE N'AI JAMAIS D'ARGENT

0:23

MON ANGE, LAISSEZ-MOI

0:35

CHAQUE FOIS QUE JE M'AMUSE

0:21

LORSQUE MES SUCCESSEURS

0:35

MON ANGE, VOIS, JE TE LOUE

0:27

II. JE VEUX TOUT OUBLIER

0:44

JE N'AIME PAS DORMIR

1:01

QUAND JE TE VOIS

0:35

MAUVAISE COMPAGNE

0:22

Description

A kaleidoscopic tapestry of verse unfolds, where each fragment feels like a whispered chant drifting through a timeless hallway. The poet’s language swings between stark declarations and dream‑like reveries, stitching together images of angels, sea, and fleeting love with an almost musical cadence. The opening pages introduce a chorus of paradoxes—richness without money, freedom tangled with longing—that set a tone both playful and haunting.

Listeners are invited into a world where ordinary moments are transformed into surreal rituals. Themes of memory, desire, and the elusive nature of self‑identity surface through recurring motifs of broken clocks, wandering angels, and the restless sea. As the poet wrestles with the urge to forget and the pull of an unseen muse, the verses create an intimate dialogue that feels both personal and universal. The experience is a gentle, enigmatic journey that lingers long after the final line fades.

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Details

Language

fr

Duration

~19 minutes (18K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust.)

Release date

2019-07-12

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau

1889–1963

A restless, inventive artist who moved easily between poetry, novels, theater, drawing, and film, he became one of the most distinctive voices in 20th-century French culture. His work often blends myth, dream, and modern life in ways that still feel fresh and surprising.

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