comme dit si bien Verlaine, "au vent mauvais"
In preparation for Operation Overlord, the BBC had signaled
to the French Resistance that the opening lines of the 1866
Verlaine poem "Chanson d'Automne" were to indicate the start
of D-Day operations. The first three lines of the poem, "Les
sanglots longs / des violons / de l'automne" ("Long sobs of
autumn violins"), meant that Operation Overlord was to start
within two weeks. These lines were broadcast on 1 June 1944.
The next set of lines, "Blessent mon coeur / d'une langueur
/ monotone" ("wound my heart with a monotonous languor"),
meant that it would start within 48 hours and that the
resistance should begin sabotage operations especially on the
French railroad system; these lines were broadcast on 5
June at 23:15.