He recovered his spirits and began to compose again, writing the first of his five Mélodies de Venise, to words by Verlaine, whose poetry he continued to admire despite the operatic debacle.
Recuperou o ánimo e comezou a compoñer de novo, escribindo a primeira das súas cinco Mélodies de Venise, con letra de Verlaine, cuxa poesía seguía admirando a pesar do fracaso da ópera.