The Invitation to the Voyage (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Baudelaire
- First Published: 1857
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Voyages, France or French people, Love or romance, Beauty, Ships, Light, Canals
The Poem
“The Invitation to the Voyage” is number 53 in Les Fleurs du mal (Flowers of Evil, 1909), part of the book’s “Spleen and Ideal” section. Written in direct address, the poem uses the familiar forms of pronouns and verbs, which the French language reserves for children, close family, lovers and long-term friends, and prayer.
Charles Baudelaire was a master of traditional French verse form. In this poem, he chose to employ stanzas of twelve lines, alternating with a repeating two-line refrain. Each stanza is divided into distinct halves...
[The entire page is 1614 words long]
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