Always be drunk.
That's it!
The great imperative!
In order not to feel
Time's horrid fardel
bruise your shoulders,
grinding you into the earth,
Get drunk and stay that way.
On what?
On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.
But get drunk.
And if you sometimes happen to wake up
on the porches of a palace,
in the green grass of a ditch,
in the dismal loneliness of your own room,
your drunkenness gone or disappearing,
ask the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock,
ask everything that flees,
everything that groans
or rolls
or sings,
everything that speaks,
ask what time it is;
and the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock
will answer you:
"Time to get drunk!
Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever!"
Notes
Original French version:
Enivrez-Vous
Il faut être toujours ivre.
Tout est là:
c'est l'unique question.
Pour ne pas sentir
l'horrible fardeau du Temps
qui brise vos épaules
et vous penche vers la terre,
il faut vous enivrer sans trêve.
Mais de quoi?
De vin, de poésie, ou de vertu, à votre guise.
Mais enivrez-vous.
Et si quelquefois,
sur les marches d'un palais,
sur l'herbe verte d'un fossé,
dans la solitude morne de votre chambre,
vous vous réveillez,
l'ivresse déjà diminuée ou disparue,
demandez au vent,
à la vague,
à l'étoile,
à l'oiseau,
à l'horloge,
à tout ce qui fuit,
à tout ce qui gémit,
à tout ce qui roule,
à tout ce qui chante,
à tout ce qui parle,
demandez quelle heure il est;
et le vent,
la vague,
l'étoile,
l'oiseau,
l'horloge,
vous répondront:
"Il est l'heure de s'enivrer!
Pour n'être pas les esclaves martyrisés du Temps,
enivrez-vous;
enivrez-vous sans cesse!
De vin, de poésie ou de vertu, à votre guise."
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Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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... It is better in french. Baudelaire looses his charm when translated. The original version is flamed with passionate intensity and the lurking sense of desperation and depression.
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From guest rhondasail (contact)
Drink in life, don't waste a moment. I agree...GET DRUNK! C'est une belle poeme! -
Shouldnt this poem be in prose ?
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I'm sure it'd be better in French. It has a good meaning, don't be a slave to time. Ever.
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Baudelaire rules!
I think I have been "drunk" all my life...on wine, poetry, love, films, nature, books, life...whatever!
Great! -
hehe. I like this! I expected a "get drunk on booze" kinda poem, but it's different and I like it.. the title intrigued me, and the poem.. hmm.. inspires me? I don't know if that's an accurate description or not.. it makes me smile.. even though it doesn't have happy words really.. a-ha! You get your point across and that's awesome! keep up the writing!
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What a curious topic, Great stuff. I can think of many different things that would give the same effect of being drunk, just being happy. Although happiness comes few and far between these days for myself. I can remember a time, and look forward to a time, when all will be happy again. Then maybe who knows....I'll Get Drunk
Dena
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I hope you are drunk on songwriting. This would be a great drinking song.
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well done! i loved this! shows what goes on in my town every friday and saturday night!
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or we can just get drunk on life.... i liked this very much. Lx
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Good point, well made.
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