This is an archive copy of wikilivres.ca as of 18 February 2017 (from the WikiTeam dump). The original site is closed.

The Albatross: Difference between revisions

Free texts and images.
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Yann
|translator= A. S. Kline
imported>Eclecticology
Test section no longer needed
 
(6 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{poem
{{TextQuality|75%}}{{poem
|title= [[The Flowers of Evil]]
|title= [[The Flowers of Evil]]
|author= Charles Baudelaire
|author= Charles Baudelaire
|translator= A. S. Kline
|translator= Roy Campbell
|section= The Albatross
|section= The Albatross
|previous=
|previous=
|next=
|next=
|notes= [[fr.ws:L’Albatros (Baudelaire)|L’Albatros]].
|year= 1952
|notes= [[fr.ws:L’Albatros (Baudelaire)|L’Albatros]]. From ''Poems of Baudelaire'' (New York: Pantheon Books, 1952) as presented at http://fleursdumal.org
}}
}}


<div class="verse">
<div class="verse">
<poem>
<poem>
Often, for their amusement, bored sailors
Sometimes for sport the men of loafing crews
take albatrosses, vast sea-birds, that sleep
Snare the great albatrosses of the deep,
in the air, indolent fellow travellers,
The indolent companions of their cruise
following the ship skimming the deep.
As through the bitter vastitudes they sweep.


No sooner are they set down on the boards,
Scarce have they fished aboard these airy kings
than those kings of the azure, maladroit, shamefully
When helpless on such unaccustomed floors,
let their vast white wings, like oars,
They piteously droop their huge white wings
trail along their sides, piteously.
And trail them at their sides like drifting oars.


Winged traveller, gauche, gross, useless, laughable,
How comical, how ugly, and how meek
now, one of them, with a pipe stem, prods you,
Appears this soarer of celestial snows!
who, a moment ago, were beautiful:
One, with his pipe, teases the golden beak,
another, limping, mimics the cripple who flew.
One, limping, mocks the cripple as he goes.


The Poet bears a likeness to that prince of the air,
The Poet, like this monarch of the clouds,
who mocks at slingshots, and haunts the winds:
Despising archers, rides the storm elate.
on earth, an exile among the scornful, where
But, stranded on the earth to jeering crowds,
he is hampered, in walking, by his giant wings.
The great wings of the giant baulk his gait.
</poem>
</poem>
</div>
</div>
Line 36: Line 37:
[[Category:Poetry by Charles Baudelaire]]
[[Category:Poetry by Charles Baudelaire]]
[[Category:Works originally in French]]
[[Category:Works originally in French]]
{{CC-BY-NC}}
 
{{PD-pma|1957}}

Latest revision as of 21:41, 13 September 2012

The Flowers of Evil ~ The Albatross
written by Charles Baudelaire
translated by Roy Campbell
L’Albatros. From Poems of Baudelaire (New York: Pantheon Books, 1952) as presented at http://fleursdumal.org Link to further information



Sometimes for sport the men of loafing crews
Snare the great albatrosses of the deep,
The indolent companions of their cruise
As through the bitter vastitudes they sweep.

Scarce have they fished aboard these airy kings
When helpless on such unaccustomed floors,
They piteously droop their huge white wings
And trail them at their sides like drifting oars.

How comical, how ugly, and how meek
Appears this soarer of celestial snows!
One, with his pipe, teases the golden beak,
One, limping, mocks the cripple as he goes.

The Poet, like this monarch of the clouds,
Despising archers, rides the storm elate.
But, stranded on the earth to jeering crowds,
The great wings of the giant baulk his gait.


Works by this author are in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 68 years or less. cs | de | en | eo | es | fr | he | pl | ru | zh
  ▲ top