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Murs, ville,

Charles BaudelaireFrench120 lines1 public analyses
English
Original Poetry
Translation
Murs, ville,
Walls, city,
Et port,
And port,
Asile
Shelter
De mort,
Of death,
Mer grise
Gray sea
Où brise
Where breaks
La brise,
The breeze,
Tout dort.
Everything sleeps.
Dans la plaine
In the plain
Naît un bruit.
A noise is born.
C'est l'haleine
It's the breath
De la nuit.
Of the night.
Elle brame
It bellows
Comme une âme
Like a soul
Qu'une flamme
That a flame
Toujours suit.
Always follows.
La voix plus haute
The voice louder
Semble un grelot.
Seems like a bell.
D'un nain qui saute
Of a dwarf who jumps
C'est le galop.
It's the gallop.
Il fuit, s'élance,
It flees, leaps,
Puis en cadence
Then in rhythm
Sur un pied danse
Dances on one foot
Au bout d'un flot.
At the end of a wave.
La rumeur, approche,
The rumor approaches,
L'écho la redit.
The echo repeats it.
C'est comme la cloche
It's like the bell
D'un couvent maudit,
Of a cursed convent,
Comme un bruit de foule
Like a noise of crowd
Qui tonne et qui roule,
That thunders and rolls,
Et tantôt s'écroule,
And sometimes collapses,
Et tantôt grandit.
And sometimes grows.
Dieu! la voix sépulcrale
God! the sepulchral voice
Des Djinns!... -- Quel bruit ils font!
Of the Djinns!... -- What noise they make!
Fuyons sous la spirale
Let's flee under the spiral
De l'escalier profond!
Of the deep staircase!
Déjà s'éteint ma lampe,
Already my lamp goes out,
Et l'ombre de la rampe,
And the shadow of the railing,
Qui le long du mur rampe,
That crawls along the wall,
Monte jusqu'au plafond.
Rises to the ceiling.
C'est l'essaim des Djinns qui passe,
It's the swarm of Djinns passing,
Et tourbillonne en sifflant.
And swirling while whistling.
Les ifs, que leur vol fracasse,
The yews, that their flight shatters,
Craquent comme un pin brûlant.
Crack like a burning pine.
Leur troupeau lourd et rapide,
Their heavy and swift flock,
Volant dans l'espace vide,
Flying in the empty space,
Semble un nuage livide
Seems like a livid cloud
Qui porte un éclair au flanc.
That carries a lightning bolt at its flank.
Ils sont tout près! -- Tenons fermée
They are very close! -- Let's keep closed
Cette salle où nous les narguons.
This room where we mock them.
Quel bruit dehors! Hideuse armée
What noise outside! Hideous army
De vampires et de dragons!
Of vampires and dragons!
La poutre du toit descellée
The beam of the roof unsealed
Ploie ainsi qu'une herbe mouillée,
Bends like a wet herb,
Et la vieille porte touillée
And the old door shaken
Tremble à déraciner ses gonds.
Trembles to uproot its hinges.
Cris de l'enfer! voix qui hurle et qui pleure!
Screams from hell! voices that howl and cry!
L'horrible essaim, poussé par l'aquilon,
The horrible swarm, driven by the north wind,
Sans doute, ô ciel! s'abat sur ma demeure.
Without a doubt, oh heaven! falls upon my dwelling.
Le mur fléchit sous le noir bataillon.
The wall bends under the black battalion.
La maison crie et chancelle penchée,
The house screams and sways tilted,
Et l'on dirait que, du sol arrachée,
And it seems that, torn from the ground,
Ainsi qu'il chasse une feuille séchée,
Just as it chases a dried leaf,
Le vent la roule avec leur tourbillon!
The wind rolls it with their whirlwind!
Prophète! si ta main me sauve
Prophet! if your hand saves me
De ces impurs démons des soirs,
From these impure demons of the evenings,
J'irai prosterner mon front chauve
I will prostrate my bald forehead
Devant tes sacrés encensoirs!
Before your sacred censers!
Fais que sur ces portes fidèles
Make it so that on these faithful doors
Meure leur souffle d étincelles,
Their breath of sparks dies,
Et qu'en vain l'ongle de leurs ailes
And that in vain the claw of their wings
Grince et crie à ces vitraux noirs!
Squeaks and cries at these black stained glass!
Ils sont passés! -- Leur cohorte
They have passed! -- Their cohort
S'envole et fuit, et leurs pieds
Flies away and flees, and their feet
Cessent de battre ma porte
Cease to beat my door
De leurs coups multipliés.
With their multiplied knocks.
L'air est plein d'un bruit de chaînes,
The air is full of a noise of chains,
Et dans les forêts prochaines
And in the nearby forests
Frissonnent tous les grands chênes,
All the great oaks tremble,
Sous leur vol de feu pliés!
Under their fiery flight bent!
De leurs ailes lointaines
From their distant wings
Le battement décroît,
The beating decreases,
Si confus dans les plaines,
So confused in the plains,
Si faible, que l'on croit
So weak, that one believes
Ouïr la sauterelle
To hear the grasshopper
Crier d'une voix grêle
Crying with a thin voice
Ou pétiller la grêle
Or the hail pattering
Sur le plomb d'un vieux toit.
On the lead of an old roof.
D'étranges syllabes
Strange syllables
Nous viennent encor:
Come to us still:
Ainsi des Arabes
Thus from the Arabs
Quand sonne le cor,
When the horn sounds,
Un chant sur la grève
A song on the shore
Par instants s'élève,
Occasionally rises,
Et l'enfant qui rêve
And the dreaming child
Fait des rêves d'or.
Makes golden dreams.
Les Djinns funèbres,
The funereal Djinns,
Fils du trépas,
Sons of death,
Dans les ténèbres
In the darkness
Pressent leurs pas;
Press their steps;
Leur essaim gronde:
Their swarm rumbles:
Ainsi, profonde,
Thus, deep,
Murmure une onde
Murmurs a wave
Qu'on ne voit pas.
That one cannot see.
Ce bruit vague
This vague noise
Qui s'endort,
That falls asleep,
C'est la vague
It's the wave
Sur le bord;
On the shore;
C'est la plainte
It's the lament
Presque éteinte
Almost extinguished
D'une sainte
Of a saint
Pour un mort.
For a dead person.
On doute
One doubts
La nuit...
The night...
J'écoute: --
I listen: --
Tout fuit.
Everything flees.
Tout passe;
Everything passes;
L'espace
Space
Efface
Erases
Le bruit.
The noise.
 

Explanation

In 'Les Djinns', Charles Baudelaire conjures a haunting atmosphere that reflects the interplay between the supernatural and the mundane. The poem opens with stark imagery: "Murs, ville, / Et port, / Asile / De mort," which establishes a setting that is both urban and morbid, suggesting a city suffocated by death. The subsequent lines introduce a mysterious sound, the breath of the night, which personifies the darkness as a living entity, enhancing the eerie tone. The speaker's perception of the night transforms, as it bellows "Comme une âme / Qu'une flamme / Toujours suit," evoking a sense of relentless pursuit by an unseen force.

The emotional arc of the poem fluctuates between fear and fascination. As the speaker hears the approaching rumbles and echoes, likened to the bell of a cursed convent, the tension builds. The line "Cris de l'enfer! voix qui hurle et qui pleure!" captures the horror of the Djinns' presence, creating a palpable sense of dread. The poem's rhythm mirrors this emotional turmoil, with enjambment and varied line lengths contributing to a sense of chaos and urgency.

Baudelaire employs vivid metaphors and similes throughout, such as the Djinns described as a "hideous army / De vampires et de dragons!" which amplifies the poem's dark fantasy elements. The sound imagery is particularly striking, as the air fills with the noise of chains and the distant flutter of wings, creating a cacophony that envelops the reader. This auditory landscape serves to heighten the poem's tension and evokes a visceral response.

Ultimately, 'Les Djinns' reflects Baudelaire's exploration of the uncanny and the supernatural, resonating with themes of fear, beauty, and the ephemeral nature of existence. It encapsulates his broader literary project of capturing the complexities of modern life, where the boundaries between reality and the spectral blur, leaving the reader in a state of unease.

Word Dictionary

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Poet & Context

PoetCharles Baudelaire
Era19th century

Charles-Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet, essayist, translator, and art critic, known for his mastery of rhythm and rhyme. His most famous work, 'Les Fleurs du mal', explores the nature of beauty and modernity in urban life.

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WhenThe poem 'Les Djinns' was published in 1857.
WhyBaudelaire's work often reflects the anxieties and complexities of modern urban life, exploring themes of beauty, decay, and the supernatural.
FormLyric poetry

Themes & More

Themes
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Murs, ville, by Charles Baudelaire — Poem, Translation & Meaning