The invitation to the voyage

My child, my sister,
Think of the rapture
Of living together there!
Of loving at will,
Of loving till death,
In the land that is like you!
…………..

There all is order and beauty,
Luxury, peace, and pleasure.

The rarest flowers
Mingling their fragrance
With the faint scent of amber,
The ornate ceilings,
The limpid mirrors,
The oriental splendour,
All would whisper there
Secretly to the soul
In its soft, native language.
………

The world falls asleep
In a warm glow of light.


(Translated by William Aggeler)


When Baudelaire wrote his “Invitation au voyage”, he was dreaming of Holland but he could as well dreamt of the Alhambra…..