"There is nothing more profound, more mysterious, more fertile, more gloomy, or more dazzling, than a window lighted by a candle. What we can see in the sunlight is always less interesting than what goes on behind the panes of a window. In that dark or luminous hollow, life lives, life dreams, life suffers."
"It seems to me that I should always be happy if I were somewhere else"
"What use are palaces to me?"
"Dreams, forever dreams! And the more the soul is aspiring and fastidious, the more our dreams outstrip the possible."
Baudelaire's poems don't need me to review them; they're funny, scathing, biting, intelligent, dismaying, wonderful. But I do recommend this edition for anyone who'd like to read them in French, but needs a bit of help every now and then. Scarfe's translations are generally quite straightforward, and the book itself is beautiful. I don't know how to describe it except to say this is the highest quality paper I've ever rubbed between my fingers.
really poignant read. Baudelaire has a distint understanding of the poets malady and malaise. the close inspection of individuals thoughts was incredibly gripping, as were the scenes of various relationships. also loves the nature aspects. and structurally/stylistically, this is for sure poetic prose done right. no but read as too long or overly flowery in my opinion. basically. I just love a depressed poet, and Baudelaire makes the top of my list.