That winged traveler: how awkward and weak he looks!
Once so beautiful, now comic and ugly!
One sailor teases his beak with a pipe,
Another mocks him, limping like a cripple who once could fly.
The Poet is like this prince of the clouds,
Who haunts the storm and laughs at the archer;
Exiled on the ground, amid jeers and mockery,
His giant wings keep him from walking.
..............................
The Classical Dancer
In the schoolyard, his classmates
mock him, copying
his graceful moves, his ethereal gaze,
with fake smiles and bent wrists.
He’s brilliant but doesn’t brag,
reads books instead of scrolling.
His voice is soft, almost a whisper.
No girlfriend. A little shy.
They invite him to parties
not because they want him there,
but because it’s funny to watch him
dance when the music isn’t his.
But alone in his room, the dancer
bare feet on the floor,
his body remembers better than words
that the world can’t reach him.
...............................
Hey, I chose the poem 'L’Albatross' (an English version) by Charles Baudelaire, a very famous French poet. I love the contrast between the majesty and beauty of the albatross in the sky and its clumsiness on the ground, as well as the cruelty of the sailors.
I tried to imagine a similar situation in today’s world. I wanted to highlight how people who are different are often isolated and rejected in everyday life.
I’m sorry you can’t read the poem in French; the musicality of the verses and the strength of the metaphor are just beautiful.
The Albatross (Charles Baudelaire 1821-1867)
Often, just for fun, the sailors
Catch albatrosses, huge birds of the sea,
Who lazily follow along as travel companions
The ship gliding over bitter, yawning depths.
As soon as they’re set down on the wooden deck,
These kings of the sky, clumsy and ashamed,
Pitifully let their great white wings
Drag beside them like useless oars.
That winged traveler: how awkward and weak he looks!
Once so beautiful, now comic and ugly!
One sailor teases his beak with a pipe,
Another mocks him, limping like a cripple who once could fly.
The Poet is like this prince of the clouds,
Who haunts the storm and laughs at the archer;
Exiled on the ground, amid jeers and mockery,
His giant wings keep him from walking.
..............................
The Classical Dancer
In the schoolyard, his classmates
mock him, copying
his graceful moves, his ethereal gaze,
with fake smiles and bent wrists.
He’s brilliant but doesn’t brag,
reads books instead of scrolling.
His voice is soft, almost a whisper.
No girlfriend. A little shy.
They invite him to parties
not because they want him there,
but because it’s funny to watch him
dance when the music isn’t his.
But alone in his room, the dancer
bare feet on the floor,
his body remembers better than words
that the world can’t reach him.
...............................
Hey, I chose the poem 'L’Albatross' (an English version) by Charles Baudelaire, a very famous French poet. I love the contrast between the majesty and beauty of the albatross in the sky and its clumsiness on the ground, as well as the cruelty of the sailors.
I tried to imagine a similar situation in today’s world. I wanted to highlight how people who are different are often isolated and rejected in everyday life.
I’m sorry you can’t read the poem in French; the musicality of the verses and the strength of the metaphor are just beautiful.
Caroline