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|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 Balcony
|section = The Balcony
|previous =
|previous =
|next =
|next =
|notes = [[fr.ws:Le Balcon|Le Balcon]].
|notes = [[fr.ws:Le Balcon|Le Balcon]]. From ''Poems of Baudelaire'' (New York: Pantheon Books, 1952), as presented at http://fleursdumal.org
}}
}}


<div class="verse">
<div class="verse">
<poem>
<poem>
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses,
Mother of memories, queen of paramours,
O you, all my pleasures ! O you, all my learning !
Yourself are all my pleasure, all my duty;
You will remember the joy of caresses,
You will recall caresses that were yours
the sweetness of home and the beauty of evening,
And fireside evenings in their warmth and beauty.
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses !
Mother of memories, queen of paramours.


On evenings lit by the glow of the ashes
On eves illumined by the light of coal,
and on the balcony, veiled, rose-coloured, misted,
The balcony beneath a rose-veiled sky,
how gentle your breast was, how good your heart to me !
Your breast how soft! Your heart how good and whole!
We have said things meant for eternity,
We spoke eternal things that cannot die —
on evenings lit by the glow of the ashes.
On eves illumined by the light of coal!


How lovely the light is on sultry evenings !
How splendid sets the sun of a warm evening!
How deep the void grows ! How powerful the heart is !
How deep is space! the heart how full of power!
As I leaned towards you, queen of adored ones
When, queen of the adored, towards you leaning,
I thought I breathed perfume from your blood’s kiss.
I breathed the perfume of your blood in flower.
How lovely the light is on sultry evenings !
How splendid sets the sun of a warm evening!


The night it was thickening and closing around us,
The evening like an alcove seemed to thicken,
and my eyes in the dark were divining your glance,
And as my eyes astrologised your own,
and I drank your nectar. Oh sweetness ! Oh poison !
Drinking your breath, I felt sweet poisons quicken,
your feet held, here, in these fraternal hands.
And in my hands your feet slept still as stone.
The night it was thickening and closing around us.
The evening like an alcove seemed to thicken.


I know how to summon up happiest moments,
I know how to resuscitate dead minutes.
and relive my past, there, curled, touching your knees.
I see my past, its face hid in your knees.
What good to search for your languorous beauties
How can I seek your languorous charm save in its
but in your dear body, and your heart so sweet ?
Own source, your heart and body formed to please.
I know how to summon up happiest moments !
I know how to resuscitate dead minutes.


Those vows, those perfumes, those infinite kisses,
These vows, these perfumes, and these countless kisses,
will they be reborn, from gulfs beyond soundings,
Reborn from gulfs that we could never sound,
as the suns that are young again climb in the sky,
Will they, like suns, once bathed in those abysses,
after they’ve passed through the deepest of drownings ?
Rejuvenated from the deep, rebound —
-O vows ! O perfumes ! O infinite kisses !
These vows, these perfumes, and these countless kisses?
</poem>
</poem>
</div>
</div>


[[Category:Works originally in French]]
[[Category:Works originally in French]]
[[Category:Poetry by Charles Baudelaire]]
{{PD-pma|1957}}
{{CC-BY-NC}}

Revision as of 08:00, 21 May 2012

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



Mother of memories, queen of paramours,
Yourself are all my pleasure, all my duty;
You will recall caresses that were yours
And fireside evenings in their warmth and beauty.
Mother of memories, queen of paramours.

On eves illumined by the light of coal,
The balcony beneath a rose-veiled sky,
Your breast how soft! Your heart how good and whole!
We spoke eternal things that cannot die —
On eves illumined by the light of coal!

How splendid sets the sun of a warm evening!
How deep is space! the heart how full of power!
When, queen of the adored, towards you leaning,
I breathed the perfume of your blood in flower.
How splendid sets the sun of a warm evening!

The evening like an alcove seemed to thicken,
And as my eyes astrologised your own,
Drinking your breath, I felt sweet poisons quicken,
And in my hands your feet slept still as stone.
The evening like an alcove seemed to thicken.

I know how to resuscitate dead minutes.
I see my past, its face hid in your knees.
How can I seek your languorous charm save in its
Own source, your heart and body formed to please.
I know how to resuscitate dead minutes.

These vows, these perfumes, and these countless kisses,
Reborn from gulfs that we could never sound,
Will they, like suns, once bathed in those abysses,
Rejuvenated from the deep, rebound —
These vows, these perfumes, and these countless kisses?

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
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