In the French "mélodie" the poet’s feelings are often suggested or hinted at rather than stated in an obvious way. There is a very close relationship between the text (words) and the melody. To sing "mélodie" really well a singer must know the French language very well and understand a lot about French poetry. The rules about singing in the French language can be quite complicated. It is important to know when to let the last sound of a word run into the next word (elision). Several books have been written about this.