The Flowers of Evil

By Charles Baudelaire

Baudelaire's poetry, hugely popular before it was collected in The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du Mal), recognised as important poetical work reflecting on changing nature of beauty in Paris during rapid commercialisation and industrialisation cycle, and inspiring many generations of young poets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Interactive Media
• Release date: Sep 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781787360549

Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) was a French poet. Born in Paris, Baudelaire lost his father at a young age. Raised by his mother, he was sent to boarding school in Lyon and completed his education at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, where he gained a reputation for frivolous spending and likely contracted several sexually transmitted diseases through his frequent contact with prostitutes. After journeying by sea to Calcutta, India at the behest of his stepfather, Baudelaire returned to Paris and began working on the lyric poems that would eventually become The Flowers of Evil (1857), his most famous work. Around this time, his family placed a hold on his inheritance, hoping to protect Baudelaire from his worst impulses. His mistress Jeanne Duval, a woman of mixed French and African ancestry, was rejected by the poet’s mother, likely leading to Baudelaire’s first known suicide attempt. During the Revolutions of 1848, Baudelaire worked as a journalist for a revolutionary newspaper, but soon abandoned his political interests to focus on his poetry and translations of the works of Thomas De Quincey and Edgar Allan Poe. As an arts critic, he promoted the works of Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix, composer Richard Wagner, poet Théophile Gautier, and painter Édouard Manet. Recognized for his pioneering philosophical and aesthetic views, Baudelaire has earned praise from such artists as Arthur Rimbaud, Stéphane Mallarmé, Marcel Proust, and T. S. Eliot. An embittered recorder of modern decay, Baudelaire was an essential force in revolutionizing poetry, shaping the outlook that would drive the next generation of artists away from Romanticism towards Symbolism, and beyond. Paris Spleen (1869), a posthumous collection of prose poems, is considered one of the nineteenth century’s greatest works of literature.

Book preview

EVIL

BENEDICTION

When by the changeless Power of a Supreme Decree

The poet issues forth upon this sorry sphere,

His mother, horrified, and full of blasphemy,

Uplifts her voice to God, who takes compassion on her.

"Ah, why did I not bear a serpent’s nest entire,

Instead of bringing forth this hideous Child of Doom!

Oh cursèd be that transient night of vain desire

When I conceived my expiation in my womb!"

"Yet since among all women thou hast chosen me

To be the degradation of my jaded mate,

And since I cannot like a love-leaf wantonly

Consign this stunted monster to the glowing grate,"

"I’ll cause thine overwhelming hatred to rebound

Upon the cursèd tool of thy most wicked spite.

Forsooth, the branches of this wretched tree I’ll wound

And rob its pestilential blossoms of their might!"

So thus, she giveth vent unto her foaming ire,

And knowing not the changeless statutes of all times,

Herself, amid the flames of hell, prepares the pyre;

The consecrated penance of maternal crimes.

Yet ‘neath th’ invisible shelter of an Angel’s wing

This sunlight-loving infant disinherited,

Exhales from all he eats and drinks, and everything

The ever sweet ambrosia and the nectar red.

He trifles with the winds and with the clouds that glide,

About the way unto the Cross, he loves to sing,

The spirit on his pilgrimage; that faithful guide,

Oft weeps to see him joyful like a bird of Spring.

All those that he would cherish shrink from him with fear,

And some that waxen bold by his tranquility,

Endeavour hard some grievance from his heart to tear,

And make on him the trial of their ferocity.

Within the bread and wine outspread for his repast

To mingle dust and dirty spittle they essay,

And everything he touches, forth they slyly cast,

Or scourge themselves, if e’er their feet betrod his way.

His wife goes round proclaiming in the crowded quads—

"Since he can find my body beauteous to behold,

Why not perform the office of those ancient gods

And like unto them, redeck myself with shining gold?"

"I’ll bathe myself with incense, spikenard and myrrh,

With genuflexions, delicate viandes and wine,

To see, in jest, if from a heart, that loves me dear,

I cannot filch away the hommages divine."

"And when of these impious jokes at length I tire,

My frail but mighty

Reviews for The Flowers of Evil

[ironicqueery · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know French, so unfortunately am unable to ascertain how true to the original this translation is. Thus, based purely on the English half of this book, I was a bit disappointed that the poetry did not speak to me as much as it once had. The words and messages seem fairly simplistic. Baudelaire has his moments, but they were way too infrequent. His subject matter was also simplistic, which tended to result in rather course poems, instead of uplifting common language to a higher plain. The Parisian Scenes and Death sections were the highlights and do have some interesting ideas worth exploring. Overall, this was a book worth reading (and re-reading), but I don't think the potential of some of Baudelaire's ideas were fully realized.

[poetontheone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The epitome of decadence and one of the greatest volumes of modern poetry. Dark, sometimes gruesome, images of sex and death are presented in beautiful language completely opposite to its subject. It is no wonder why this volume fought constant censorship in France from its initial publication in 1857 all the way up to sixty years ago. If you enjoy poetry, you have to read this. If you don't enjoy poetry, you have to read this. I read the MacGowan translation, which seems to preserve the cadence very well. Perfect for a cold morning with a cup of hot tea.

[john.tidball · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a completely new translation of this seminal work. Each poem is translated into rhyming verse, preserving both the rhyme scheme and metre of the original. A must-read for all non-francophone poetry lovers.

[jonfaith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When my eyes, to this cat I love
Drawn as by a magnet's force,
Turn tamely back upon that appeal,
And when I look within myself,

I notice with astonishment
The fire of his opal eyes,
Clear beacons glowing, living jewels,
Taking my measure, steadily.

My (initial) amateur assessment is that the translation is to blame for my absence of astonishment. There's no way this could be the same genius who gave us Paris Spleen. Maybe I am but confused. Maybe the threads which shriek decay and ennui were of inadequate weight. Maybe my own disposition suffers from dread and I was left with a meh?

Perhaps I am inadequate. Perhaps I should pursue other editions and translators. I loved the allusion of street sweeps herding their storms. I love the self-deprecation. I just wanted more. Not the Absolute but more--on which to chew.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Not my cup of tea

[littlepiece · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The poetry does not grip me.

[lyingawakeanddreamin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written classic.

[noonaut · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A rather mediocre translation which does not keep the rhyme of the original.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zeer veelvormige stukjes over allerhande thema's, sommige ontluisterend, andere prikkelend, over schoonheid en over de zelfkant van de maatschappij. Poëzie en proza door elkaar. Opvallende rol geuren en zintuiglijke indrukken. Diverse gelijkenissen met Poe.

[lamotamant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Baudelaire's Les Fleurs is a piqued sensorium; it's the silken petal gliding over flesh, guided by fingers that captivate. It's sensual and Baudelaire's emphasis on modern alienation serves to make it even more so. Whether because the theme of modern alienation speaks so loudly to our day to day or because it's laid so bare by Baudelaire's personal context, I'm not sure. I felt pulled by both during the read and this edition has become a favorite as a result.

Baudelaire speaks to the senses the way Whitman speaks to word lovers, the way a spoken word piece sinks into its audience. His verses have a lasting presence.

I would definitely recommend this edition to first time readers of Baudelaire. I enjoyed reading in French but it was interesting to have the English versions as well to see if there was a trade-off in meaning or overall feel.

[georgematt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't usually read poetry but I found this collection of 'decadent' poems were both beautiful and nightmarish.

[the_terrible_trivium · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book that convinced me that there might actually be something to this thing called "poetry" after all. Picked it off the library shelf in spite of my prejudices against the form (probably due to nothing more than its admittedly awesome title) and then sat in my bed that evening, put on some Nick Cave and started reading the book. And man, it moved me! I felt it deep in my blood and it was taking me along with it! Whilst previously poetry had always just sat there on the page as I read it, this poetry brought me down into the page and shook me up before deigning to let me go. Then immediately went back to the library and got out some Rimbaud and didn't like it. But man, Baudelaire! There's a dude if there ever was one!

[raventudor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the few books of poetry that I can stand, and the one I enjoy most.

[prufrock21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seminal work of poetry by the French symbolist poet inspired by the work of Edgar Allen Poe.

[unknown_zoso05 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simply powerful and moving. Baudelaire really knows how to throw a reader in to an abyss. While the poems have a tendency to be grim, the language that he uses makes them lovely in their very own way. I haven't read all the poems in French but some things get lost in translation in the English versions. I recommend reading them in French as well.

[michael5rimmer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't the pit of debauchery I'd half expected from its reputation. Which isn't to say there aren't some shocking images ("The Carcass" comes to mind), but times have moved on.It's an interesting reflection that poems explicitly about necrophilia weren't banned upon publication, but those about, or even hinting at, lesbianism were. A man's pleasures were seemingly more acceptable, however depraved.It's not all about sex though (ok, a lot of it is!), and Baudelaire also tackles art and artists, love and romance, depression and, well, more depression, the inequalities of society, and the lives of the poor and wretched inhabitants of Paris's deprived urban landscapes away from the bright lights of the cafes and salons of the bourgeoisie.A slightly unsettling 5/5 ?