This is just a couple of verses from a beautiful poem written by French poet Charles Beaudelaire (1821-1867) -
Vintage postcard of a shipL’invitation au Voyage
……..Vois sur ces canaux
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Dont l'humeur est vagabonde;
C'est pour assouvir
Ton moindre désir
Qu'ils viennent du bout du monde.
……..Vois sur ces canaux
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Dont l'humeur est vagabonde;
C'est pour assouvir
Ton moindre désir
Qu'ils viennent du bout du monde.
Sunset, Alfred Thompson Bricher, American 1837-1908
— Les soleils couchants
Revêtent les champs,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
D'hyacinthe et d'or;
Le monde s'endort
Dans une chaude lumière…….
- Charles Beaudelaire
Sunset, Paul Panossian, American contemporary
Here is the translation into English -Revêtent les champs,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
D'hyacinthe et d'or;
Le monde s'endort
Dans une chaude lumière…….
- Charles Beaudelaire
Sunset, Paul Panossian, American contemporary
Sunset picture taken off the coast of Sicily, Italy in November 2009Invitation to a Voyage
On the channels and streams
See each vessel that dreams
In its whimsical vagabond way,
Since it’s for your least whim
The oceans they swim
From the ends of the night and the day.
On the channels and streams
See each vessel that dreams
In its whimsical vagabond way,
Since it’s for your least whim
The oceans they swim
From the ends of the night and the day.
Mer au Crépuscule, Léon Tchiskowsky, Russian 1882-1980
The sun, going down, with its glory will crown
Canals, fields, and cities entire,
While the whole earth is rolled
In hyacinth and gold
From its warming and radiant fire...
Canals, fields, and cities entire,
While the whole earth is rolled
In hyacinth and gold
From its warming and radiant fire...
- Charles Beaudelaire, French, 1821-1867
Photo taken from Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France, Oct 2009
My excerpt above is from L'Invitation au Voyage which is itself a passage from “Spleen et Idéa” the first part of Fleurs du mal, of Baudelaire. Beaudelaire is not talking about a journey but about a promise of fulfilling the dream trip. It is a very musical poem.
Vintage postcard sent to a Miss Sadie in Rupert,Vermont in June 1907Note: Blogger Break - Post pre-programmed -
25 comments:
Blog break or not, this is very good, Vagabonde.
Invitation au voyage... viendrais-tu vers le nord, par hasard ? Si oui, n'oublie pas les glaces sur le Saint-Laurent, le Saguenay complètement gelé... :-)
Roger
Lovely poetry, and beautifully translated. So perfect for your view of life and this blog.
Caroline
Your posts make me so happy. Thank you as always.
What beautiful pictures and lovely words. This is a great post. Diane
It is always a joy to come to your blog and read your posts, not to mention look at the pictures. You must have a huge collection of vintage postcards; it's wonderful to share them like this!
I hope you are enjoying your break. I love the postcard of the Victorian ladies waving from the ship. What a romantic time to have been alive.
Sam
Thinking of you, Vagabond! The first poem could have been written just for you.
I love Baudelaire!!! The photos, as always, are beautiful!!!!
Beautiful! It's a siren invitation all right. Wish...
Bonsoir
et bien c'est très beau j'aime ces photos. Le rêve est là devant moi.
TU sais j'aime beaucoup la première photo. Tes couleurs sont là donc j'en profite avec toi ce soir.
Je te souhaite une très belle soirée
It is always such a pleasure to visit your blog. The pictures and the poem are magnifique.
What beautiful pictures, as always!
Lovely poetry and wonderful illustrations! Your own photos are fantastic and the vintage postcards and paintings are well chosen.
"Its whimsical vagabonde way."
I'll look forward to where this journey takes you! I suspect you are enroute or visiting someplace quite wonderful and look forward to hearing all about it!
*** Hello Vagabonde! Merci pour ce beau post, gros bisous et bon début de semaine à toi ! :o) ***
Did I tell you, Vagabonde, that we're taking your same Hurtigruten Norwegian cruise the first week of April? I will always think of you whenever I think of cruises from now on!
Oh, lucky me that there was something telling me to go over here and have a look - this post could have been tailor made for me, I love ships, vintage and the Sea overall!
Lovely, so charming post!
Great post! These pictures make me dream!
Travelling on sea is perhaps the best! Not se easy anymore (except for cruises and ferries of course, but that's not quite the same thing).
The painting by the "sea painter" Tchiskowsky is fantastic! Is there an ice bow?)
... and a real vagabonde poem!
Lovely post to view while you are away!
I feel lucky to have found your blog a few weeks back. Your poetry translation is much appreciated, you wouldn't believe how I translated it using a French/English dictionary before I saw your translation below. It was hilarious.
The photographs are wonderful. The ocean is transports my thoughts to places different than I now experience. Thank you.
J'aime beaucoup tes illustrations. IL y a des ciels magnifiques.
La dernière image nous plonge dans un voyage en bateau d'un autre temps.
Beautiful poem and photos! Hope you are enjoying yourself! Bon voyage, cher!
The sunset photo you took in Marseille truly is of "hyacinth and gold from its warming and radiant fire..."
I love your whimsical Vagabonde ways! Bon voyage!
Very, very dreamy. The range of colors in your tremendous photographs and the so-lovely paintings makes me want to take a sea voyage right now.
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