Viens-tu du ciel profond ou sors-tu de l'abîme, Ô Beauté ? ton regard, infernal et divin, Verse confusément le bienfait et le crime, Et l'on peut pour cela te comparer au vin. Tu contiens dans ton œil le couchant et l'aurore ; Tu répands des parfums comme un soir orageux ; Tes baisers sont un philtre et ta bouche une amphore Qui font le héros lâche et l'enfant courageux. Sors-tu du gouffre noir ou descends-tu des astres ? Le Destin charmé suit tes jupons comme un chien ; Tu sèmes au hasard la joie et les désastres, Et tu gouvernes tout et ne réponds de rien. Tu marches sur des morts, Beauté, dont tu te moques ; De tes bijoux l'Horreur n'est pas le moins charmant, Et le Meurtre, parmi tes plus chères breloques, Sur ton ventre orgueilleux danse amoureusement. L'éphémère ébloui vole vers toi, chandelle, Crépite, flambe et dit : Bénissons ce flambeau ! L'amoureux pantelant incliné sur sa belle A l'air d'un moribond caressant son tombeau. Que tu viennes du ciel ou de l'enfer, qu'importe, Ô Beauté ! monstre énorme, effrayant, ingénu ! Si ton œil, ton souris, ton pied, m'ouvrent la porte D'un Infini que j'aime et n'ai jamais connu ? De Satan ou de Dieu, qu'importe ? Ange ou Sirène, Qu'importe, si tu rends, — fée aux yeux de velours, Rhythme parfum, lueur, ô mon unique reine ! — L'univers moins hideux et les instants moins lourds ?
Confirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1861, in Spleen et Idéal, pages 51-52. Note: this was number 21 in the 1861 edition of Les Fleurs du mal but number 22 in subsequent editions.
Note: modern French spelling would change "Rhythme" (line 7-3) to "Rythme"
Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Hymne à la Beauté", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 21, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gustave Doret (1866 - 1943), "Hymne à la Beauté", published [1898] [ soprano and piano or orchestra ], Paris : Rouart, Lerolle & Cie [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Georges (Jerzy) Nawrocki , "Hymne à la Beauté", <<1971 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Hymna kráse"
- ENG English (Emily Wyatt) , "Hymn to Beauty", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Cyril Meir Scott) , "Hymn to Beauty", appears in The Flowers of Evil, London, Elkin Mathews, first published 1909
- ENG English (John Collings Squire, Sir) , "Hymn to Beauty"
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Delfim Guimarães) , "Hino à Beleza", appears in As Flores do Mal
- ROM Romanian (Română) (Alexandru I. Philippide) , "Imn frumuseții"
Research team for this page: Harry Joelson , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2007-07-29
Line count: 28
Word count: 242
Comest thou from high heaven or from the abyss, O Beauty? For thy look, hellish, divine, Is fraught with mingled misery and bliss (Wherefore thy soul is as the soul of wine). Within thine eye red dawn and sunset burn; Odours thou spread’st as stormy evenings; Thy kisses are a draught, thy mouth an urn To make men quail and babes do mighty things. From the dark gulf, or from the immortal stars? The charmèd Demon follows like a hound; Thou rul’st with hand that careless makes or mars, Nor to our prayers vouchsafest any sound. Thou walkest over dead men, mocking them, Beauty! and horror decks the throat of thee, And glittering murder, thy most precious gem, On thy proud belly dances amorously. Toward thee, flame, the dazzled insect flies, Shrivels and cries, “Blest conqueror of gloom!” Upon his fair one’s breast the lover lies, As ’twere a dying man who hugs his tomb. Naïve, terrible form! what boots it sky or pit, O beauty! if thine eye, smile, foot, alone Can open me the gate of an infinite My soul’s athirst for, and has never known? What boots it, seraph or siren, from God’s height Or Satan’s hell, O queen! if thou dost come Soft-eyed, to make, with rhythm, scent, and light, The world less dull and time less burdensome?
Confirmed with Poems and Baudelaire Flowers, translated by John Collings Squire, London: New Age Press, 1909, page 43.
Authorship:
- by John Collings Squire, Sir (1884 - 1958), "Hymn to Beauty" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Hymne à la Beauté", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 21, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-08-25
Line count: 28
Word count: 222