Charles Baudelaire: Poetry in a Time of Dislocation

9 June 2020 by Fern Nesson    1094  
Charles Baudelaire: Poetry in a Time of Dislocation
Fern Nesson
By Fern Nesson
Les Fleurs du mal, Baudelaire, 1920 edition. Photo: Fern Nesson In this time of pandemic and great social and economic dislocation and pain, the place for art is critical. Art can soothe us but, more importantly, it can remind us that the love of ideas and beauty and the persistence of a humane spirit still matter. In fact, they may save us. This month, I have been reading some of the great French poets and I propose to share them with you. In this series, I will choose one poem from each of my favorite poets and translate it for you. These poems will be illustrated with some of my fine art photography. I hope they bring you peace and joy. Firstly, I offer a poem by Charles Baudelaire, perhaps the best known and most loved French poet. Baudelaire’s most famous book, Les Fleurs du mal, was published in 1857. So many of Baudelaire’ poems are wonderful but my favorite is “La Mort des Amants” . (As you will see from the text of the poem, “la mort” is used metaphorically in the title. It refers to sex, not literally to death.) “La Mort des Amants” Nous aurons des lits pleins d’odeurs légères, Des divans profonds comme des tombeaux, Et d’étranges fleurs sur des étagères, Ecloses pour nous sous des cieux plus beaux. Usant à l’envi leurs chaleurs dernières, Nos deux coeurs seront deux vastes flambeaux Qui réfléchiront leurs doubles lumières Dans nos deux esprits, ces miroirs jumeaux. Un soir fait de rose et de bleu mystique, Nous échangerons un éclair unique, Comme un long sanglot, tout chargé d’adieux. Et plus tard un Ange, entr’ouvrant les portes, Viendra ranimer, fidèle et joyeux, Les miroirs ternis et les flammes morte. My Translation We shall be surrounded by lovely scents lying on our couch deep as a tomb. Exotic flowers placed on pedestals will bloom for us under the most beautiful sky. Burning with heat, our two hearts will create a bonfire doubling our light and fusing our two spirits into mirror images. In that one mystical evening of blue and rose a bolt of lightning will unite us and we will cry out as if we were saying our final farewells. Later, an angel will enter through the door to revive us, joyous and still entwined. She will polish our tarnished mirrors and relight our extinguished flames.
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Lead photo credit : Les Fleurs du mal, Baudelaire, 1920 edition. Photo: Fern Nesson

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By Fern Nesson

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fern Nesson is a fine art photographer with an MFA in photography. She visits Paris regularly where she captures interior scenes. Her work is abstract, and brings fresh perspective to lovers of Paris, while also illuminating interesting museum exhibitions and cultural events taking place in the City of Light.

Comments

  • Janine Cortell
    2020-06-11 17:29:00
    Janine Cortell
    Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful poem.

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