Composed when Messiaen was only twenty-two, Trois Mélodies are a musical memorial to his mother, who had died in 1927. The second song is his only setting of a poem by his mother, and he wrote the texts of the first and third songs himself. In “Pourquoi?”, the poet wonders why the beauty of nature no longer moves him; “Le Sourire” likens the effect of a single word uttered by a loved one to being kissed on the soul, which brings forth a trembling smile. “La fiancée perdue” opens as the bride evokes images of angels, sunny afternoons and the wind blowing through the flowers; the mood soon changes, however, as we realise the bride has been lost and the poet asks Jesus to grant her peace.