Tuesday, June 22, 2010

i've been reading Baudelaire again

im trying to maintain the accent and vocabulary i acquired while living in france, so every night now, i read to myself, out loud and in french

i really like this poem

L'Aube Spirituelle

Quand chez les debauches l'aube blanche et vermeille
Entre en societe de l'Ideal rongeur,
Par l'operation d'un mystere vengeur
Dans la brute assoupie un ange se reveille.

Des Cieux Spirituels l'inacessible azur,
Pour l'homme terrasse qui reve encore et souffre,
S'ouvre et s'enfonce avec l'attirance du gouffre.
Ainsi, chere Deesse, Etre lucide et pur,

Sur les debris fumeux des stupides orgies
Ton souvenir plus clair, plus rose, plus charmant,
A mes yeux agrandis voltige incessamment.

Le soleil a noirci la flamme des bougies;
Ainsi toujours vainqueur, ton fantome est pareil,
Ame resplendissante, a l'immortel soleil!

so.. the translation (by me) goes something like this

SPIRITUAL DAWN

When visiting the debaucherous, dawn breaks red and white,
Enter into society the ideal rodent
By the operation of a mysterious avenger
In the bully of drowsiness an angel awakes

Heavenly Beings from the inaccesible sky
For the man struck down who still dreams and suffers
Opens and sinks with the pull of breath

On the smoking debris of stupid orgies
Your memory, more clear, more pink, more charming
My eyes grow large quickly with vertigo

The sun, blackened out the flame of the candles
Also, always winning, your ghost does the same
Spirit refilled by immortel sun

So I just read some other translations of this poem
...and theyre pretty different from mine