HERMANN A MES COTES ME PARAISSAIT UNE OMBRE

The description of the perfume: Who goes beside you to the forest on the darkest night? In a poem by Victor Hugo, "What the knights thought in the forest," the narrator says, "Beside me, Hermann seemed like a shadow." We all have shadows, even at night in the dark forest. You can call you by another name: your invisible friend. Your conscience, your spirit, and perhaps even your complementary self. Your shadow can have a name, like Hermann. Or your shadow can be your perfume. That is your companion. You can argue with your companion, you can challenge your companion, you can test the limits of your own attitudes. You can discuss the subtle points of existence. But you can never lose this companion. This is your alternate self. When you move through life and contemplate its meaning, you ask questions that cannot be answered. When doubts overwhelm you, look at your shadow. Maybe you will get an answer. Maybe not. But at least you will have an interesting conversation. The night was pitch black and the forest very dark. Beside me, Hermann seemed like a shadow. Our horses were running. Guards of God! The clouds in the sky looked like marble. The stars flew across the branches of the trees like a flock of fiery birds. I am full of regret. Hermann's deep spirit, broken by suffering, is hopeless. I am full of regret. Oh my loved ones, sleep! Yet, during my journey through the green solitude, Hermann says to me: "I think of half-open graves." And I tell him: "I think of closed graves." He looks ahead: I look back, our horses run through the clearing; the wind from afar brings us the sound of the angelic bell; he says: "I think of those afflicted by existence, of the living, of the alive." I tell him: "I, think of those who are no longer present!" The fountains sing. What do the springs say? The oak grumbles. What do the oak trees grumble? The shrubs whisper like old friends. Hermann tells me: "The living never sleep. At this moment, some eyes cry, and other eyes are awake." And I tell him: "Alas! Other eyes are sleeping!" Then Hermann continues. "Unfortunately, this is life. The dead no longer suffer. They are happy! I envy their graves where grass grows and where trees shed their leaves. Because the night caresses them with a gentle fire; because the sky radiates peace over their souls all at once in all the graves!" And I tell him: "Be silent! Respect the black mystery! The dead lie on the ground beneath our feet. The dead, these are the hearts I loved once, this is your expired angel! This is your father and mother! Do not frighten them with bitter sarcasm. As in a dream, they hear our voices." The components: Perfume opening: black pepper, galbanum, blackcurrant. Heart: incense, jasmine, absolute rose. Base: vetiver, patchouli, ambroxan. Top notes: Quentin Bisch. Country: France.