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Dans ma cervelle se promène, Ainsi qu’en son appartement, Un beau chat, fort, doux et charmant ; Quand il miaule, on l’entend à peine, Tant son timbre est tendre et discret ; Mais que sa voix s’apaise ou gronde, Elle est toujours [suave]1 et profonde. C’est là son charme et son secret. Cette voix, qui perle et qui filtre Dans mon fonds le plus ténébreux, Me remplit comme un vers nombreux Et me [pénètre]2 comme un philtre. Elle endort les plus cruels maux Et contient toutes les extases ; Pour dire les plus longues phrases, Elle n’a pas besoin de mots. Non, il n’est pas d’archet qui morde Sur mon cœur, parfait instrument, Et fasse plus royalement Chanter sa plus vibrante corde Que ta voix, chat mystérieux, Chat séraphique, chat étrange, En qui tout est, comme en un ange, Aussi subtil qu’harmonieux.3 — De sa fourrure blonde et brune Sort au parfum si doux qu’un soir J’en fus embaumé, pour l’avoir Caressée une fois, rien qu’une. C’est l’esprit familier du lieu ; Il juge, il préside, il inspire Toutes choses dans son empire ; Peut-être est-il fée, est-il dieu ? Quand mes yeux vers ce chat que j’aime, Tirés comme par un aimant, Se retournent docilement, Et que je regarde en moi-même, Je vois avec étonnement Le feu de ses prunelles pâles, Clairs fanaux, vivantes opales, Qui me contemplent fixement.
H. Poupard sets stanzas 1-6 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
H. Poupard sets stanzas 7-10 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
J. Bailly sets stanzas 7-10
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1857, in Spleen et Idéal, pages 109-111. Also confirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, 1861, in Spleen et Idéal, pages 115-117. Also confirmed with Charles Baudelaire, Œuvres complètes de Charles Baudelaire, vol. I : Les Fleurs du mal, Paris: Michel Lévy frères, 1868, in Spleen et Idéal, pages 161-163. Punctuation follows the 1857 edition. Note: this was number 47 in the 1857 edition of Les Fleurs du mal but number 51 or 52 in subsequent editions.
1 1861 and 1868 editions: "riche"2 1861 and 1868 editions: "réjouit"
3 In the 1861 and 1868 editions, the poem is split into two sections. The heading I precedes the first stanza of the poem, and the heading II appears after this stanza.
Text Authorship:
- by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le chat", written 1857, appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 47, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1857 [author's text checked 4 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 Jean-Guy Bailly (1925 - 2009), "Le chat", 1982, stanzas 7-10 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six poèmes de Charles Baudelaire, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michel Bosc (b. 1963), "Le chat", op. 183 (2004) [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri-Pierre Poupard (1901 - 1989), as Henri Sauguet, "Le chat I", 1938, published 1944, stanzas 1-6 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six mélodies sur des poèms Symbolistes, no. 5, Éd. Amphion [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henri-Pierre Poupard (1901 - 1989), as Henri Sauguet, "Le chat II", 1938, published 1944, stanzas 7-10 [ medium voice and piano ], from Six mélodies sur des poèms Symbolistes, no. 6, Éd. Amphion [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Leif Thybo (1922 - 2001), "Le Chat", 1974, published 1976, first performed 1974 [ soprano and piano ], from Trois Chansons de Baudelaire, no. 2, Denmark, Édition Egtved [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Haasz) , "Kot", Prague, J. Otto, first published 1919
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Juan Henríquez Concepción) , "El gato", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 227
In my brain there strolls about, As if in his own apartment, A beautiful cat, strong, gentle and charming; When he meows, one can hardly hear it, So tender and reserved is his tone; But whether his voice soothes or scolds It is always [mellow]1 and deep. This is his charm and his secret. This voice, that drips and filters Into my darkest depths, Fills me like euphonious verse And [pervades]2 me like a potion. It puts the cruelest ills to sleep And contains every ecstasy; To utter even the longest phrases It has no need of words. No, there is no bow that can bite Into my heart, a perfect instrument, And draw more regal music From its most vibrant string Than your voice, mysterious cat, Seraphic cat, strange cat, In whom, as in an angel, everything is As subtle as it is harmonious. — From his blond and brown fur Wafts a scent so sweet that one night I was suffused with it, though I'd Stroked it once and no more. He is the familiar spirit of the place; He judges, he supervises, he inspires Everything in his empire; Is he perhaps a fairy, is he a god? When my eyes, drawn towards this beloved cat As if by a magnet, Turn meekly back, And I look within myself, I am astonished to see The fire of his pale pupils, Bright lanterns, living opals, Gazing at me fixedly.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesTranslations of titles:
"Le chat" = "The Cat"
"Le chat I" = "The Cat I"
"Le chat II" = "The Cat II"
2 1861 and 1868 editions: "delights"
Translator's note: In both French and English, the verb "inspire," from Latin roots meaning "to breathe in, or into," is generally used figuratively to refer to the creation or communication of a mental state. However, in both languages it can still be used to refer to inhalation. And although many of us may find cats to be inspirational in the usual sense, I like to think that Baudelaire may have had inhalation in mind when he wrote stanza 8, having observed that as the cat judges and supervises all things in his world, he also acquaints himself with their essence by breathing in their scent.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Le chat", written 1857, appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 47, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1857
This text was added to the website: 2026-03-20
Line count: 40
Word count: 242