Rosemonde Gérard (1871–1953)

Louise-Rose-Étiennette Gérard, known as Rosemonde Gérard, was born in Paris, a granddaughter of Étienne Maurice Gérard, Marshal and Prime Minister of France. In 1890, she married Edmond Rostand, the playwright, with whom she had two sons. Rosemonde Gérard is most famous for a poem called "L'éternelle chanson" -- also called "Les vieux" -- which was included in the collection Les Pipeaux (The Reed Pipes) in 1889. It contains the celebrated line, "Aujourd’hui plus qu’hier et bien moins que demain" ("I love you more today than yesterday but less than tomorrow"). The poem became popular about 17 years after its first publication when a French jeweler made a medallion with that line engraved on it. The medallions led to the production of earrings, matchboxes and many other pieces. These items frequently shortcut the verse with the words "plus" and "moins" replaced by the mathematical signs + and − respectively. Among Rosemonde Gérard's many other works were several plays co-written with her son Maurice, also a playwright, including Un bon petit Diable (A Good Little Devil, 1913), which was made into a film starring Mary Pickford. In later years, Rosemonde Gérard and Maurice Rostand became part of an intellectual circle that included Jean-Paul Sartre.