by Charles Baudelaire
English translation by Gilles d'Aymery
Poetry
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La pendule, sonnant minuit, Ironiquement nous engage À nous rappeler quel usage Nous fîmes du jour qui s'enfuit : — Aujourd'hui, date fatidique, Vendredi, treize, nous avons, Malgré tout ce que nous savons, Mené le train d'un hérétique. Nous avons blasphémé Jésus, Des Dieux le plus incontestable ! Comme un parasite à la table De quelque monstrueux Crésus, Nous avons, pour plaire à la brute, Digne vassale des Démons, Insulté ce que nous aimons Et flatté ce qui nous rebute ; Contristé, servile bourreau, Le faible qu'à tort on méprise ; Salué l'énorme Bêtise, La Bêtise au front de taureau ; Baisé la stupide Matière Avec grande dévotion, Et de la putréfaction Béni la blafarde lumière. Enfin, nous avons, pour noyer Le vertige dans le délire, Nous, prêtre orgueilleux de la Lyre, Dont la gloire est de déployer L'ivresse des choses funèbres, Bu sans soif et mangé sans faim !... — Vite soufflons la lampe, afin De nous cacher dans les ténèbres ! |
The clock, striking midnight, Ironically engages us To recall the use We made of the vanishing day: —Today, fateful date, Friday, the thirteenth, we have, In spite of everything we know, Lived the way of a heretic. We have blasphemed Jesus, The most incontestable of all Gods! Like a parasite at the table of some horrifying Croesus, We have, to please the thug, Worthy advocate of Demons, Insulted what we love And flattered what repels us; Saddened, servile executioner, The weak we improperly despise; Saluted the colossal Stupidity, The Stupidity like a bull's brow; Kissed the dull Matter With great devotion, And of the putrefaction Blessed the pallid light. Finally, we have, to drown The vertigo in delirium, We, arrogant priest of the Lyre, Whose glory is to instate The intoxication of lugubrious things, Drunk without thirst and eaten without hunger! — Let us quickly turn off the lamp, in order To hide in the darkness! |
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About the Author
Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) was an eminent French poet and critic (more about him on Wikipedia, in French or in English). This poem was first published in 1863 in the literary magazine Le Boulevard. It was incorporated in the third edition of Les fleurs du mal (poorly translated as "The Flowers of Evil") in 1868, after the death of the poet. One can read the work in its entirety at the Gutemberg Project. Another Web site worthy of interest is fleursdumal.org where one can find the various editions of Les fleurs du mal. In regard to this specific poem, fleursdumal.org offers several English translations by William Aggler, Roy Campbell, George Dillon, and Jacques LeClercq, which are all intriguing if not fully satisfying as no translation, including this one, can transpose or reflect the cultural signifier expressed in a single language and culture. (back)