The Flowers of Evil (1857) is a collection of poems by Charles
Baudelaire. Translated into English by Cyril Scott in 1909,
Baudelaire's poems remain lively and idiosyncratic nearly two
centuries after they came into existence. Comprised mostly of
sonnets and short lyrics, The Flowers of Evil captures Baudelaire's
sense of the changing role of the poet in modern life. Rather than
focus on beauty and other ideals, Baudelaire explores the totality
of human experience-the good, bad, and ugly of life on earth. "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." In his opening benediction, Baudelaire reverses the typical
trope of invoking the muses or celebrating poetry as a divine gift.
Instead, he depicts the poet as a being cursed, a "hideous Child of
Doom." Childhood for Baudelaire is a subject of particular
interest, a time described, in his poem "The Enemy," as "a ravaging
storm, / Enlivened at times by a brilliant sun..." The youthful
experience of melancholy clearly informs the poet's outlook as an
adult: "Time devours our lives, / And the enemy black, which
consumeth our hearts / On the blood of our bodies, increases and
thrives!" While much of Baudelaire's work deals with darkness and
despair, his poems can rise to the heights of celebration and
ecstasy, his voice soft and sweet as he invites his sister on a
journey to an imagined land of "order and loveliness, / Luxury,
calm and voluptuousness." Ultimately, Baudelaire's vision-however
irreverent-is guided by truth and morality, which drive him on a
torturous path from good to evil, beauty to death, and back. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of The Flowers of Evil is a classic of French
literature reimagined for modern readers.
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