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“Charles Baudelaire
by Daniel Handler
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A landmark translation,
of the book that launched
modern poetry.
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Spates aie
emery
rst published in 1857, che book that collected
these poems together, es Fleurs du mal was an
Instant sensation—earning Baudelaire plaudits
‘and, simultaneously, dsepute Only a year after
‘Gustave aber hd endured his own publ il
for published indecency (or Madame Bovery).
Prec cour delred Les Fer mal an offense
against public morals and six poems within
were immediatly suppressed a ruling eat would
not be reversed uni 1949, nearly a century after
‘Baudelaire untimely death Subsequent editions
popaieh oa vn ions esacing te BONS
that have since been recognized as Baudelare's
masterpieces producing body of work thar stands
asthe most consequential controversial, nd ini
ential book of poetry from the nineteenth century.
‘claimed transitor and poet Aaron Poochigian
tackles this evolusonary text with an ea tuned
‘to Baudelaire cal innorations—renderng hem
Jn “an assertive blend of fll and slant rhymes
“38
The
Flowers
oR sacs * | of Evil
|
CHARLES
a BAUDELAIRE
copies hyn
aon De
tomes by Dl Made
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ic ah thr che an ee
‘an eer tn eer rere ech
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CONTENTS
Introduction by Dana Gia
‘ANNateonthe Translation by Aaron Poochigian
‘The Flowers of Evil
‘TotheReader
SPLEEN AND THEIDEAL
1 Benediction
2 Thealbateoss
3 Elevation
4 Corretpondences
5 Tloverecllingthoseantgue, made times.
© TheBescons
8
°
‘Thesick Muse
‘TheMusefor Sle
‘The Bad Monk
10 TheFlend
ua BadLuck
12 ThePastLife
33 Traveling Gypsies
14 Manandthesea
3 DonJuanin Hell
26 Punishment for Pride
17 Beaty
a8 Theldeal
‘TheGiantess
ThEMase
Hymnto Beauty
Thetewels
BxotiFerfume
Her Hair
ove yous ove nocturnal skies
‘Adulterated woman, you would sere the whale
Sed non ati
When shea billow ofbejewsled thing
Serpent Dancing
Deprfundscamaot
‘TheVampire
Lethe
‘Once, sleeping withahorridJewisherone.
Postmortem Remorse
Thecar
Dade
‘The aleony
‘ThePossersed
‘APhantom
[dedicate thi poem to you sothat.
Sempercadem
AllTogether
‘What illyou sty tonight
TheLiTorch
‘To One Wha le Too Cheerful
Reversblsy
CContessian
“The Spiritual Dawn
The Harmony of Evening
‘ThePectume Bottle
Poison
Cloudy Sky
sesees
‘Thecat
‘The Beautiful ship
‘The Invitation othe Voyage
‘The ereparable
‘Atami Song
ToaMadonna
Songofthe Afternoon
Sisina
Fronccameaeendet
‘ToaGreoleLady
Most erabunds
‘TheRevenant
‘Autumn Sonnet
The Sorrows ofthe Moin
‘The cats
‘TheOwls
‘ThePipe
‘The Burial
AFantatial Engraving
The Happy Corpse
‘Thecaskottiate
TheCracked Bell,
spleen)
Spleen a)
Spleen IH)
Spleen (V)
Obsession
“TheTastefor Nothingness
‘The Alchesiy of Grief
Reflected Horror
Heaontimoroumenst
‘Thetrremedtable
‘TheClock
212 The Two Good Sisters »
PARISIAN SCENES 1S TheFountainof Blood 7
6 Landscapes 89 m4 Allegory a
87 TheSun % Ls The Beatrice as
88 ToaRed Haired Beggar itl 99 aS ‘TheMetamorphoses ofthe Vampire 36
89 Theswan os 116 AVoyagetocythera 7
90 TheSevenOld Men 9 217 Loveand the Skull 9
2 TheLitle OldLadies 9%
2 TheBlind ey
98 ToaWoman Passing 160 REVOLT
94 Skeleton Laborers eo 18 SalntPeter's Denial 1
95 light yen 19 Abelandcatn us
96 Gambling ey 20 TheLitantesof Satan us
97 Danse Macabre 04
98 TheLoveotLying or
99 Istillrcal the ite whitewashed lodging where 208 DEATH
109 Thinkofmy kind old nurse you once were fealous of 108 am TheLovers Death a
ot Misteand Raine 109 122 TheDeathofthe Foor a
ea ParislanDrear 109 123 TheDeathof Artists a2
103 Morning Twilight ma 124 TheEndofthe Day 12
125 TheDreamofanOdéMan 1»
126 Voyaging 154
WINE
104 TheSoulot Wine ns
105 The Ragpckers' Wine ne Les Fleurs du mal
106 The Murderers Wine . oo ‘Avlectear us
eo? TheLoners Wine my
108 Thelovers Wine ne
SPLEEN ET IDEAL
a énédteton 19
PLOWERS OF EVIL 2 UAlbatros ™
109 Destruéton 2 3 Elevation m
no AMartyr 2 4 Correspondances cA
ox Lesbos 126 5 Timele souvenir decesépoquesmuce cA
‘ox The Damned Women: Delphine and Hippy 18 6 LesPhases ca
uma TheDaraned Wornen ey 7 LaMusemslade m6
LaMusevénale
LeMauvaieMoine
Bnnemi
LeGuignen
LaViesntéleure
Bobémlens envoyage
UHommeetla Mer
Don Juanauxenters
ChitimentdeYorgvell
LaBeaute
veal
LaGtante
LeMasgue
Hymne labeaué
LesBijoux
Pasfumexotique
Lachevelute
_Jetadore nega
‘Tumettras
renivers ene dans tavelle.
Sednonsatista
‘Avec ses vetements ondoyants etna
LeSerpent quidanse
Une Charogne
Deprfenieclamset
LeVampire
Leathe
‘Une nuit queftalspets dune affreuse Juve.
Remordsposthume
Lechat
Dad
LeBaleon
LePosstde
UUnFantoie
Jetedonnecesversafin que st mon nom
Semper cade
‘Toutentieee
Quediras-tacesoie
LeFlambean vivant
Acellequesttop gale
Reveesibilé
Confession
Aubespirtulle
Harmonie dusole
LeFiacon
LePoison
oelbrouille
LeChat
LeBean Nave
tnvtation voyage
treéparable
CCauserie
Chant datomne
Aunemadone
‘Chanson @aprés- idl
Sisina
France melanie
Aunedamecrtole
‘Moctaeterabunda
LeRevenant
Sonnetdastomne
‘Teistesses delalone
LesChats
LesHiboux
LaPipe
LaMusigue
Sépoltare
Une Gravurefantastique
LeMortjoyeux
LeTonneaa delahaine
Laclochestlee
Spleen(t)
Spleen(tt)
Spleen qu
Spleen (tv
Obsceson
LeGoatdunéant
Alchimiedela doulens
Horreursympsthique
Hartontimoroumense
erémédiable
eorloge
‘TABLEAUX PARISIENS.
Paysage
LeSolet
Aunemendlante russe
Lecygne
Les Sept Villas
LesPetites Ville
Lesaveuges
Axnepassante :
LeSqueletelaboureur
LeCrépusculedusoie
Leleu
Danse macabre
‘Amour du mensonge
Jenfatpasoublivtsine de avi
“Laservante au grand coeur dont vous ier jslouse
Brumes et uies
Revepaisien
LeCrépuseule do matin
LEVIN
LAmedavin
Le Vindes chiffonniere
LeVindelasiassin
eo? LeVindasolitaie
108 LeVindesamante
FLEURS DU MAL
109 LaDestruction
no Une Martyre
ox Lesbos
1noxx Femmes damnées (Delphine et Hippolyte)
mi Femmes damnéet
12 LesDewx Bonnes Sure
ma Lafontaine desang
na Allégore
15 LaBéatice
sx Les Metamorphoses du vampire
116 UnVoyageaCythére
ny LAmouretleCrtne »
REVOLTE
228 LeReniementdesaint Perre
29 Abeletcain
129 Leslitaniesde Satan
LA MORT
1A LaMortdesamants
a LaMortdespauvees
125 LaMortdesartstes,
may LaFindelajournée
225 LeRAveduncurieux
ab LeVoyage
-Ajteraordby Daniel Handler
over
Indes
INTRODUCTION
1
‘Charles Baudelaire was the first modern poet. In both style'and con-
tent his provocative alluring, and shockingly original work shaped and
cnlargedthe imagination of later poets, not only in his ative France
bat across Europe and the Ameria. is work gulded the Symbol
‘movement, which became the dominant school of Modernist poetry,
and inspired the Decadént and Acrthetie movements. Half a century
later his presence stil haunted Surzealim. Nor was Buudelalre'simpact
restrctedtoiterature. His deus onthe antonomy of art, thealienation of
theartist, the irrationality of human behavior, the itelleetuallzation of
poetry thecultofbeast (andthe beauty of evil andthe frank depetion
of sexuality became central to Modernist aesthetics. He also popular
ized less exalted cultural trends such a Satanism, sexual degradation,
and the use of drugs for artistic inaptration. Notall of these ideas orig
nated with Baudelaire buthis distinctive articulation ofthese principles
bbeeamethe lingua france of international Modernism,
‘Baudelaire’s outsize impact s notable because his public career had
such limited success during his shor life, Lil read yet much misun:
derstood, he survived, just barely on the margins of the literary wold.
He never commanded a large audience, though he achieved unwanted
notoriety from an obscenity tral By the time of his death in 1867, how-
ever, he had attracted a coterie of admirers who would guide the course
of late ineteenth-cgatury French poetry-most notably Pal Verlane,
tur Rimbaud, and Stéphane Mallarmé. This devoted cult soon
spread Baudelaire’s porthumous reputation beyond the poet's own sad
