Charles Baudelaire - To the ReaderFolly, error, sin, and penny-pinching Preoccupy our minds...

To the ReaderFolly, error, sin, and penny-pinching Preoccupy our minds and belabor our bodies And we feed our amiable remorse Like beggars nourishing their vermin. Our sins are stubborn, our repentance weak -- We demand generous payment for our confessions And we return gaily to the muddy path, Believing a few abject tears will wash away all of our stains. Satan Trismegistus patiently rocks our enchanted spirit To sleep on the pillow of evil, And the rich metal of our will Is vaporized completely by this learned alchemist. The Devil pulls the strings that move us! Repugnant things attract us -- Each day we descend one step closer to Hell, Moving without horror through stinking shadows. Like a poor debauchee kissing and gnawing The martyred breast of an ancient whore, We steal a furtive pleasure along the way, And we press it hard, like an old orange. Tightly packed, swarming, like a million tapeworms, A legion of Demons booze it up in our brains, And when we breathe, Death, an invisible river, Descends into our lungs, with a dull groan. If rape, poison, the dagger, and arson Have not yet embroidered their pretty patterns On the banal canvas of our pitiful destinies, It is only because our soul is -- alas! -- not bold enough. But among the jackals, panthers, and bitch-hounds, The monkeys, scorpions, vultures, and serpents, The yelping, howling, growling, groveling monsters In the infamous menagerie of our vices, There is one who is uglier, nastier, more foul! Although he makes no grand gestures, no great noise, He would willingly reduce the earth to ruins And swallow the world in a yawn; It is Ennui! His eye brimming with an involuntary teardrop, He dreams of scaffolds while smoking a hookah. You know him, reader, this delicate monster, -- Hypocrite reader, -- my like, -- my brother!

Charles Baudelaire

They Said So®

Charles Baudelaire Quotes

;

To the ReaderFolly, error, sin, and penny-pinching Preoccupy our minds and belabor our bodies And we feed our amiable remorse Like beggars nourishing their vermin. Our sins are stubborn, our repentance weak -- We demand generous payment for our confessions And we return gaily to the muddy path, Believing a few abject tears will wash away all of our stains. Satan Trismegistus patiently rocks our enchanted spirit To sleep on the pillow of evil, And the rich metal of our will Is vaporized completely by this learned alchemist. The Devil pulls the strings that move us! Repugnant things attract us -- Each day we descend one step closer to Hell, Moving without horror through stinking shadows. Like a poor debauchee kissing and gnawing The martyred breast of an ancient whore, We steal a furtive pleasure along the way, And we press it hard, like an old orange. Tightly packed, swarming, like a million tapeworms, A legion of Demons booze it up in our brains, And when we breathe, Death, an invisible river, Descends into our lungs, with a dull groan. If rape, poison, the dagger, and arson Have not yet embroidered their pretty patterns On the banal canvas of our pitiful destinies, It is only because our soul is -- alas! -- not bold enough. But among the jackals, panthers, and bitch-hounds, The monkeys, scorpions, vultures, and serpents, The yelping, howling, growling, groveling monsters In the infamous menagerie of our vices, There is one who is uglier, nastier, more foul! Although he makes no grand gestures, no great noise, He would willingly reduce the earth to ruins And swallow the world in a yawn; It is Ennui! His eye brimming with an involuntary teardrop, He dreams of scaffolds while smoking a hookah. You know him, reader, this delicate monster, -- Hypocrite reader, -- my like, -- my brother! Charles Baudelaire

They Said So®

Keywords

readerfolly error sin penny-pinching preoccupy minds belabor bodies feed amiable remorse beggars nourishing vermin sins stubborn repentance weak -- demand generous payment confessions return gaily muddy path believing abject tears wash stains satan trismegistus patiently rocks enchanted spirit sleep pillow evil rich metal vaporized completely learned alchemist devil pulls strings move repugnant things attract day descend step closer hell moving horror stinking shadows poor debauchee kissing gnawing martyred breast ancient whore steal furtive pleasure press hard orange tightly packed swarming million tapeworms legion demons booze brains breathe death invisible river descends lungs dull groan rape poison dagger arson embroidered pretty patterns banal canvas pitiful destinies soul alas bold jackals panthers bitch-hounds monkeys scorpions vultures serpents yelping howling growling groveling monsters infamous menagerie vices uglier nastier foul makes grand gestures great noise willingly reduce earth ruins swallow world yawn ennui eye brimming involuntary teardrop dreams scaffolds smoking hookah reader delicate monster hypocrite brother

Explore other Authors

Adam Garcia

Clint Eastwood

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Pericles

Thomas Jane

Jules Verne

George W. Bush

Arabella Weir

Marcus V. Pollio

Vicente Fox

Samuel Johnson

Jacqueline Bisset

If you are using this quote in any webpage , printmedia or any other places please use the following methods to cite this quotation.

MLA Style Citation

"A quote by Charles Baudelaire" theysaidso.com, 2024. Apr 26, 2024. https://theysaidso.com/quote/charles-baudelaire-to-the-readerfolly-error-sin-and-penny-pinching-preoccupy-our

APA Style Citation

"A quote by Charles Baudelaire" (n.d.). theysaidso.com. Retrieved Apr 26, 2024, from theysaidso.com web site : https://theysaidso.com/quote/charles-baudelaire-to-the-readerfolly-error-sin-and-penny-pinching-preoccupy-our

Chicago Style Citation

"A quote by Charles Baudelaire". theysaidso.com, 2024. https://theysaidso.com/quote/charles-baudelaire-to-the-readerfolly-error-sin-and-penny-pinching-preoccupy-our , accessed Apr 26, 2024.

Comments

Authentication required

You must log in to post a comment.

There are no comments yet.