Intoxication

Name: Intoxication
Author: Charles Pierre Baudelaire

The work emphasizes the necessity of perpetual intoxication as a means to escape the burdens of time and existence. It posits that to avoid the weight of reality, one must seek intoxication through various means—be it wine, poetry, or virtue. The text suggests that this state of drunkenness is essential for transcending the mundane and the oppressive nature of time. It encourages readers to embrace whatever form of intoxication resonates with them, advocating for a life lived in a heightened state of awareness and pleasure. The imagery evokes a sense of urgency, urging individuals to remain in this state to avoid becoming enslaved by the relentless passage of time. The work concludes with a call to action, reminding readers that the hour to be intoxicated is always present, and that one should actively pursue this state to find liberation from the constraints of reality. The overall message is a celebration of the pursuit of ecstasy and the rejection of the mundane, urging a continuous quest for experiences that elevate the spirit and provide solace from the harshness of life.

By Charles Pierre Baudelaire · First published 1857 · Genre: Poetry, Symbolism, Decadence · 244 words

First lines

One must be for ever drunken: that is the sole question of importance. If you would not feel the horrible burden of Time that bruises your shoulders and bends you to the earth, you must be drunken without cease. But how? With wine, with poetry, with virtue, with what you please. But be drunken. And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace, on the green grass by a moat, or in the dull loneliness of your chamber, you should waken up, your intoxication already lessened or gone, ask of the wind, of the wave, of the star, of the bird, of the timepiece; ask of all that flees, all that sighs, all that revolves, all that sings, all that speaks, ask of these the hour; and wind and wave and star and bird and timepiece will answer you: "It is the hour to be drunken! Lest you be the martyred slaves of Time, intoxicate yourselves, be drunken without cease! With wine, with poetry, with virtue, or with what you will. "

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Intoxication is listed on Textopian as a poem by Charles Pierre Baudelaire, dated 1857 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: Charles Pierre Baudelaire
Date: 1857 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Symbolism, Decadence, Romanticism
Length: 244 words
Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Discussion starters

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Genres

Poetry — Charles Baudelaire is renowned as a leading figure in 19th-century French poetry, and 'Intoxication' is part of his most famous work, 'Les Fleurs du mal.' The text consists of poetic verses, adhering to the conventions of the poetry genre.
Symbolism — Baudelaire is a key figure in the symbolism literary movement. His work, including 'Intoxication,' often employs symbolic language and metaphors to express emotional states and critiques of society, which falls in line with the genre of symbolism.
Decadence — 'Intoxication' highlights the theme of indulgence in sensual pleasures and moral decay which aligns well with the genre of Decadence, a genre that showcases excessive aestheticism, artificiality, hedonism, and decline.
Romanticism — Baudelaire's poetry, including 'Intoxication,' is heavily influenced by romanticism. His work often explores personal emotions, beauty in nature and the human form, and condemnations of the industrial world, all markers of romantic literature.