Thursday, April 8, 2010

"Get Drunk"

Did anybody else love this one as much as I did?
It is perfect in every way I can imagine. I just looked up where this poetry-prose came from, and according to wikipedia, it is part of 51 prose poems gathered together entitled "Le Spleen de Paris." It was published by his sister in 1869, after his death. I think that is is brilliant and fantastic that such lighthearted wisdom stemmed from so long ago. I see that there are many different translations, but this one I think I like the best. It is times like these I wish that I spoke different languages so I could fully understand the intended impression of a piece of poetry (or prose, or whatever).
I love that it is so simple. I feel like so often poems get stuck in a rut of being overly complex, almost trying to confuse the reader in order to make them think or get a reaction out of them. But this one is what is is. Timeless! I like that he uses repetition to get his point across that drunkenness doesn't necessarily have to derive from alcohol. He tells you again and again to get drunk off of life and if you ever sober up and remember the time, then just get drunk again.
"ask them the time; and the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, and the clock will reply: 'It is Time to get drunk! If you are not to be martyred Slaves of Time, be perpetually drunk! With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you please"

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