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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
reflective
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Not sure if I love this translation, but I love the concepts here and clearly Baudelaire was an extremely accomplished poet, with clear vision and talent
Got a bit monotonous to read in large chunks, so I spread it along more time than expected. But that's fine. Funny, macabre, ruminative poems. Iconically melodramatic. Too many love poems for my taste, but when you can have a quasi-love poem like "A Carcass," sign me up. Baudelaire is living with decadence, excesses, libido, and a deep-set ennui that constantly has him both wanting to have sex with one of his lovers, stab them, or stab himself. Or all of the above, so he can go to hell and dance with Satan. Fun read.
Hymn to Beauty
O Beauty! dost thou generate from Heaven or from Hell?
Within thy glance, so diabolic and divine,
Confusedly both wickedness and goodness dwell,
And hence one might compare thee unto sparkling wine.
Thy look containeth both the dawn and sunset stars,
Thy perfumes, as upon a sultry night exhale,
Thy kiss a philter, and thy mouth a Grecian vase,
That renders heroes cowardly and infants hale.
Yea, art thou from the planets, or the fiery womb?
The demon follows in thy train, with magic fraught,
Thou scatter'st seeds haphazardly of joy and doom,
Thou govern'st everything, but answer'st unto nought.
O Loveliness! thou spurnest corpses with delight,
Among thy jewels, Horror hath such charms for thee,
And Murder 'mid thy mostly cherished trinklets bright,
Upon thy massive bosom dances amorously.
The blinded, fluttering moth towards the candle flies,
Then frizzles, falls, and falters—"Blessings unto thee"—
The panting swain that o'er his beauteous mistress sighs,
Seems like the Sick, that stroke their gravestones lovingly.
What matter, if thou comest from the Heavens or Hell,
O Beauty, frightful ghoul, ingenuous and obscure!
So long thine eyes, thy smile, to me the way can tell
Towards that Infinite I love, but never saw.
From God or Satan? Angel, Mermaid, Proserpine?
What matter if thou makest—blithe, voluptuous sprite—
With rhythms, perfumes, visions—O mine only queen!—
The universe less hideous and the hours less trite.
O Beauty! dost thou generate from Heaven or from Hell?
Within thy glance, so diabolic and divine,
Confusedly both wickedness and goodness dwell,
And hence one might compare thee unto sparkling wine.
Thy look containeth both the dawn and sunset stars,
Thy perfumes, as upon a sultry night exhale,
Thy kiss a philter, and thy mouth a Grecian vase,
That renders heroes cowardly and infants hale.
Yea, art thou from the planets, or the fiery womb?
The demon follows in thy train, with magic fraught,
Thou scatter'st seeds haphazardly of joy and doom,
Thou govern'st everything, but answer'st unto nought.
O Loveliness! thou spurnest corpses with delight,
Among thy jewels, Horror hath such charms for thee,
And Murder 'mid thy mostly cherished trinklets bright,
Upon thy massive bosom dances amorously.
The blinded, fluttering moth towards the candle flies,
Then frizzles, falls, and falters—"Blessings unto thee"—
The panting swain that o'er his beauteous mistress sighs,
Seems like the Sick, that stroke their gravestones lovingly.
What matter, if thou comest from the Heavens or Hell,
O Beauty, frightful ghoul, ingenuous and obscure!
So long thine eyes, thy smile, to me the way can tell
Towards that Infinite I love, but never saw.
From God or Satan? Angel, Mermaid, Proserpine?
What matter if thou makest—blithe, voluptuous sprite—
With rhythms, perfumes, visions—O mine only queen!—
The universe less hideous and the hours less trite.
Hace un tiempo tuve una discusión de borrachos donde quien sea el que tenía en frente dijo "No me gusta. No sé. Baudelaire está lleno de lugares comunes".
"No, gil de caucho. Los lugares comunes existen porque hace un siglo y medio que millones de personas que no conocen la palabra "originalidad" tratan de escribir como Baudellaire."
"Las Flores del Mal", según algunos la obra maestra de Charles Baudellaire, es una de las primeras (o al menos más notorias) quejas contra la modernidad que aparecieron. Mientras se inventaba la máquina de escribir (apenas un par de años después del fusil Remington, porque primero las balas, las letras que esperen su turno), se descubrían nuevas galaxias, se reducían las jornadas laborales británicas a 10 horas y Sudamérica acomodaba sus fronteras a codazos, Charles recorría las calles con el pelo verde, resaltando, entre otras cosas, el erotismo lésbico, la belleza de la melancolía y la presencia de viejitas, lisiados, prostitutas y alcohólicos.
"Este era medio romántico, ¿no?", me preguntó un amigo de mi viejo el otro día mientras señalaba el libro en mi mesita de luz.
Y... sí. Te parece.
"No, gil de caucho. Los lugares comunes existen porque hace un siglo y medio que millones de personas que no conocen la palabra "originalidad" tratan de escribir como Baudellaire."
"Las Flores del Mal", según algunos la obra maestra de Charles Baudellaire, es una de las primeras (o al menos más notorias) quejas contra la modernidad que aparecieron. Mientras se inventaba la máquina de escribir (apenas un par de años después del fusil Remington, porque primero las balas, las letras que esperen su turno), se descubrían nuevas galaxias, se reducían las jornadas laborales británicas a 10 horas y Sudamérica acomodaba sus fronteras a codazos, Charles recorría las calles con el pelo verde, resaltando, entre otras cosas, el erotismo lésbico, la belleza de la melancolía y la presencia de viejitas, lisiados, prostitutas y alcohólicos.
"Este era medio romántico, ¿no?", me preguntó un amigo de mi viejo el otro día mientras señalaba el libro en mi mesita de luz.
Y... sí. Te parece.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
have a healthy view of relationships with women challenge: level impossible
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A