Introduction: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
“Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire first appeared in 1857 as part of his renowned collection Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil). This poem is notable for its vivid imagery and melancholic tone, evoking the somber atmosphere of autumn as a metaphor for the poet’s contemplation of aging and the approach of death. The main qualities of the poem include its rich use of symbolism, its rhythm that mirrors the shifting winds and falling leaves, and its intense emotional resonance, reflecting the poet’s feelings of despair and the inexorable passage of time. The central idea revolves around the theme of decay and mortality, as the poet uses autumn’s decline to mirror the inevitable decline in human life.
Text: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
I
Soon we shall plunge into the cold darkness;
Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!
Already I hear the dismal sound of firewood
Falling with a clatter on the courtyard pavements.
All winter will possess my being: wrath,
Hate, horror, shivering, hard, forced labor,
And, like the sun in his polar Hades,
My heart will be no more than a frozen red block.
All atremble I listen to each falling log;
The building of a scaffold has no duller sound.
My spirit resembles the tower which crumbles
Under the tireless blows of the battering ram.
It seems to me, lulled by these monotonous shocks,
That somewhere they’re nailing a coffin, in great haste.
For whom? – Yesterday was summer; here is autumn
That mysterious noise sounds like a departure.
II
I love the greenish light of your long eyes,
Sweet beauty, but today all to me is bitter;
Nothing, neither your love, your boudoir, nor your hearth
Is worth as much as the sunlight on the sea.
Yet, love me, tender heart! be a mother,
Even to an ingrate, even to a scapegrace;
Mistress or sister, be the fleeting sweetness
Of a gorgeous autumn or of a setting sun.
Short task! The tomb awaits; it is avid!
Ah! let me, with my head bowed on your knees,
Taste the sweet, yellow rays of the end of autumn,
While I mourn for the white, torrid summer!
Translated by – William Aggeler
Chant d’automne
I
soon shall we plunge ‘neath winter’s icy pall;
farewell, bright fires of too-brief July!
even now I hear the knell funereal
of falling fire-logs in the court close by.
once more on me shall winter all unroll:
wrath, hatred, shivering dread, Toil’s cursèd vise,
and like the sun in his far hell, the pole,
my heart shall be a block of crimson ice.
I wait aghast each loud impending log;
thus, criminals ‘neath rising gibbets cower.
o dreadful battering-ram! my soul, agog,
quivers and totters like a crumbling tower,
till to my dream the cradling echoes drum
like hammers madly finishing a bier.
– for whom? — June yesterday; now fall is come!
mysterious dirge, who has departed here?
II
I love your long green eyes of slumberous fire,
my sweet, but now all things are gall to me,
and naught, your room, your hearth nor your desire
is worth the sunlight shimmering on the sea.
yet love me, tender heart! a mother be
even to an ingrate, or a wicked one;
mistress or sister, be as sweet to me
as some brief autumn or a setting sun.
’twill not be long! the hungering tomb awaits!
ah! let me – brow at peace upon your knees —
savour, regretful of June’s parching heats,
this balmy soft October, ere it flees!
Translated by – Lewis Piaget Shanks
Song of Autumn
I
Soon into frozen shades, like leaves, we’ll tumble.
Adieu, short summer’s blaze, that shone to mock.
I hear already the funereal rumble
Of logs, as on the paving-stones they shock.
Winter will enter in my soul to dwell –
Rage, hate, fear, horror, labour forced and dire!
My heart will seem, to sun that polar hell,
A dim, red, frozen block, devoid of fire.
Shuddering I hear the heavy thud of fuel.
The building of a gallows sounds as good!
My spirit, like a tower, reels to the cruel
Battering-ram in every crash of wood.
The ceaseless echoes rock me and appal.
They’re nailing up a coffin, I’ll be bound,
For whom? – Last night was Summer. Here’s the Fall.
There booms a farewell volley in the sound.
II
I like die greenish light in your long eyes,
Dear: but today all things are sour to me.
And naught, your hearth, your boudoir, nor your sighs
Are worth the sun that glitters on the sea.
Yet love me, tender heart, as mothers cherish
A thankless wretch, Lover or sister, be
Ephemeral sweetness of the suns that perish
Or glory of the autumn swift to flee.
Brief task! The charnel yawns in hunger horrid,
Yet let me with my head upon your knees,
Although I mourn the summer, white and torrid
Taste these last yellow rays before they freeze.
Annotations: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
| Stanza | Annotation |
| I, lines 1-4 | The speaker contemplates the inevitable plunge into the cold, dark winter, bidding farewell to the fleeting brightness of summer. The sound of firewood falling on the pavement symbolizes decay and the end of warmth. |
| I, lines 5-8 | Winter is personified as possessing the speaker’s soul, bringing wrath, hate, and horror. The heart, once warm, is now compared to a block of frozen red ice, symbolizing emotional numbness due to the harshness of the season. |
| I, lines 9-12 | The sound of the falling logs is ominous, likened to the construction of a scaffold for execution. The speaker’s spirit is fragile, crumbling like a tower under relentless blows, reflecting mental and emotional strain. |
| I, lines 13-16 | The monotonous sound of logs falling reminds the speaker of nails being hammered into a coffin. The transition from summer to autumn evokes thoughts of mortality, suggesting that autumn heralds the inevitable end of life. |
| II, lines 1-4 | The speaker addresses a loved one, expressing admiration for their green eyes, yet feels bitterness in everything, including love. The speaker compares the fading warmth of the relationship to the light and warmth of the summer sun. |
| II, lines 5-8 | Despite the bitterness, the speaker implores the loved one for tenderness, even if they are undeserving. The speaker seeks comfort in fleeting affection, comparing it to the short-lived beauty of autumn and the setting sun. |
| II, lines 9-12 | The poem ends with the speaker reflecting on the inevitability of death, as the tomb eagerly awaits. However, the speaker longs to savor the last moments of autumn’s warmth while mourning the loss of summer, before the cold sets in fully. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
| Device | Example | Explanation |
| Metaphor | “My heart will be no more than a frozen red block.” | The heart is compared to a block of frozen red ice, symbolizing the speaker’s emotional numbness and the coldness of the approaching winter. |
| Personification | “All winter will possess my being: wrath, hate, horror.” | Winter is personified as a force that brings negative emotions like wrath, hate, and horror, suggesting that the season takes over the speaker’s inner self. |
| Imagery | “I hear the dismal sound of firewood falling with a clatter on the courtyard pavements.” | This line evokes vivid auditory imagery, allowing readers to hear the sound of the logs falling, enhancing the poem’s melancholy mood. |
| Simile | “Like the sun in his polar Hades, my heart will be no more than a frozen red block.” | The comparison between the heart and the sun in a frozen underworld emphasizes the intense coldness and emotional desolation experienced by the speaker. |
| Symbolism | “Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!” | Summer symbolizes youth, warmth, and vitality, while autumn and winter represent decay, aging, and death. The farewell to summer symbolizes the inevitable passage of time and the loss of life’s joys. |
| Anaphora | “All winter will possess my being: wrath, hate, horror, shivering, hard, forced labor.” | The repetition of “all” at the beginning of the sentence emphasizes the overwhelming nature of winter and the negative emotions it brings. |
| Enjambment | “All atremble I listen to each falling log; / The building of a scaffold has no duller sound.” | The thought continues from one line to the next without a pause, creating a sense of flow and urgency as the speaker listens to the ominous sounds of falling logs. |
| Allusion | “Like the sun in his polar Hades” | An allusion to Greek mythology, Hades is the underworld. The “polar Hades” refers to a cold, desolate version of this afterlife, symbolizing emotional and physical death. |
| Assonance | “I hear the dismal sound of firewood falling” | The repetition of the vowel sound “i” in “hear” and “dismal” creates a somber, reflective tone, mirroring the speaker’s mood. |
| Oxymoron | “Sweet, yellow rays of the end of autumn” | The sweetness of the rays contrasts with the notion of the end of autumn, which is typically associated with decay, creating an oxymoron that reflects the speaker’s conflicted emotions. |
| Tone | The overall tone of the poem is melancholic and reflective. | The speaker contemplates the passage of time, the arrival of autumn, and the inevitability of death, creating a tone of sorrow and introspection. |
| Juxtaposition | “Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!” vs. “All winter will possess my being.” | The contrast between the bright summer and the dark, oppressive winter highlights the speaker’s despair at the loss of warmth and joy, emphasizing the theme of mortality. |
| Hyperbole | “The tomb awaits; it is avid!” | The tomb is described as “avid,” exaggerating its eagerness to receive the speaker, emphasizing the inevitability and inescapability of death. |
| Irony | “Love me, tender heart! be a mother, even to an ingrate, even to a scapegrace.” | The speaker asks for love and care despite acknowledging that they may be undeserving of it, creating a sense of ironic self-awareness. |
| Apostrophe | “Love me, tender heart!” | The speaker addresses a personified abstraction (love) directly, creating an emotional appeal for tenderness and comfort. |
| Sibilance | “Sweet beauty, but today all to me is bitter.” | The repetition of the “s” sound adds to the melancholic and reflective tone, as the speaker contrasts sweetness with bitterness. |
| Consonance | “The crumbling tower” | The repetition of the “r” sound in “crumbling” and “tower” adds to the sense of destruction and decay. |
| Mood | The mood of the poem is somber and reflective. | The imagery of falling logs, coldness, and the approach of death creates a mood of melancholy and contemplation, fitting the theme of the inevitable passage of time. |
| End Rhyme | “Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers! / Falling with a clatter on the courtyard pavements.” | The rhyme between “summers” and “pavements” connects the two images, emphasizing the transition from warmth to decay, mirroring the passage from summer to autumn. |
Themes: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
- Mortality and the Passage of Time: One of the central themes of “Song of Autumn” is the inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of life. The poem reflects on the transition from summer to autumn, symbolizing the transition from life to death. In the first stanza, Baudelaire writes, “Soon we shall plunge into the cold darkness; Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!” The changing of seasons mirrors the passing of time, leading towards death, which is emphasized by the reference to the sound of logs falling, “like the building of a scaffold,” signifying the approach of death and finality.
- Emotional Despair and Numbness: Baudelaire uses the winter season as a metaphor for emotional desolation. The speaker associates winter with feelings of “wrath, hate, horror, shivering, and hard, forced labor,” suggesting an overwhelming sense of despair. The line “My heart will be no more than a frozen red block” vividly captures the speaker’s emotional numbness, comparing the heart to a block of ice, indicating a loss of warmth and feeling.
- Nature and Its Symbolism: Nature plays a significant role in conveying the poem’s themes. Autumn and winter serve as metaphors for decline and death, while summer symbolizes vitality and warmth. The lines, “Yesterday was summer; here is autumn,” and “All winter will possess my being,” highlight the cyclical nature of life and death, as well as the inevitable decline from vibrancy to decay. The imagery of nature underscores the melancholic tone of the poem, reinforcing the transient beauty of life.
- Love and Transience: The theme of fleeting love and beauty is also present in the second part of the poem. The speaker laments that not even love can provide solace from the despair he feels, stating, “Nothing, neither your love, your boudoir, nor your hearth, Is worth as much as the sunlight on the sea.” Despite his bitterness, the speaker seeks tenderness and comfort, pleading with the loved one to be a “mother, even to an ingrate.” However, the transient nature of this affection mirrors the fleeting nature of autumn and life itself, as the speaker mourns the inevitable loss of warmth and beauty before winter arrives.
Literary Theories and “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
- Symbolism: Baudelaire was a key figure in the Symbolist movement, and this theory is highly applicable to “Song of Autumn.” Symbolism emphasizes the use of metaphorical and evocative language to express deeper meanings and emotions. In this poem, nature—especially the changing seasons—serves as a symbol for the stages of life, decline, and death. The imagery of autumn and winter, such as “Soon we shall plunge into the cold darkness” and “My heart will be no more than a frozen red block,” symbolizes the inevitability of death and emotional desolation. The poem’s symbolic language transforms the natural world into an expression of the speaker’s inner turmoil, aligning with the Symbolist idea that reality extends beyond the physical into the metaphysical and emotional realms.
- Psychoanalytic Theory: Psychoanalytic criticism, based on the theories of Sigmund Freud, focuses on the unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts that drive human behavior. In “Song of Autumn,” Baudelaire’s speaker exhibits clear signs of psychological tension, as seen in his anticipation of winter and the dread it brings. Lines like “Winter will possess my being: wrath, hate, horror, shivering” and “The building of a scaffold has no duller sound” suggest a deep, subconscious fear of death, loneliness, and emotional paralysis. The speaker’s longing for warmth and love in the second part of the poem also reflects a yearning for comfort in the face of existential anxiety, possibly indicating an internal conflict between desire for connection and fear of loss.
- Existentialism: Existentialist theory examines themes of individual freedom, the search for meaning in life, and the confrontation with mortality. Baudelaire’s “Song of Autumn” reflects existentialist ideas through its exploration of the human condition and the inevitability of death. The poem’s repeated reflections on time passing and the proximity of death, particularly in the lines “For whom? – Yesterday was summer; here is autumn” and “Short task! The tomb awaits; it is avid!” emphasize the speaker’s confrontation with the absurdity of life and the certainty of death. The poem suggests an existential despair, where the speaker searches for meaning and solace in love, yet remains acutely aware of the transient and ultimately meaningless nature of existence.
Critical Questions about “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
- How does Baudelaire use seasonal imagery to reflect human emotions in “Song of Autumn”?
- Baudelaire uses seasonal imagery, particularly the transition from summer to autumn and winter, to mirror the speaker’s emotional state. Summer, symbolizing warmth and life, fades into autumn, which represents decline and the onset of death. The speaker’s melancholic tone is evident in lines such as, “Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!” Here, summer’s departure signifies the loss of joy and vitality. As autumn arrives, it brings with it a sense of despair and inevitability, reflected in the line, “Soon we shall plunge into the cold darkness.” Winter, with its associations of cold, death, and hardship, intensifies the speaker’s emotional desolation, particularly in the image of the heart becoming “a frozen red block.” Through these seasonal transitions, Baudelaire communicates the fragility of human emotions and the inevitable approach of death and decay.
- What role does sound play in conveying the mood of the poem?
- Sound plays a critical role in building the ominous and foreboding atmosphere in “Song of Autumn.” Baudelaire carefully selects auditory imagery to emphasize the speaker’s dread of the approaching winter. For example, the “dismal sound of firewood falling with a clatter” evokes the sense of decay and the end of warmth. The repetitive, harsh sound of logs falling mirrors the speaker’s sense of impending doom. Additionally, the comparison of these sounds to “the building of a scaffold” creates a direct link between the auditory landscape and the speaker’s contemplation of death, as the scaffold is often associated with execution. The sounds of falling logs are monotonous and relentless, reflecting the battering of the speaker’s spirit, as described in the line, “My spirit resembles the tower which crumbles.” This use of sound effectively amplifies the mood of despair and dread that permeates the poem.
- How does Baudelaire address the theme of love in “Song of Autumn”?
- Love in “Song of Autumn” is portrayed as fleeting and bittersweet, much like the brief beauty of autumn before the arrival of winter. In the second part of the poem, the speaker turns his attention to a loved one, expressing affection but also acknowledging the transient nature of love. He writes, “I love the greenish light of your long eyes, Sweet beauty, but today all to me is bitter.” Despite his feelings, the speaker’s existential despair overwhelms any comfort love might provide. He implores his loved one to offer tenderness, even though he views it as temporary, likening the brief moments of affection to “the fleeting sweetness of a gorgeous autumn.” The speaker’s plea for love reflects a desire for solace in the face of the looming inevitability of death, but his awareness of the transitory nature of both love and life prevents him from fully embracing it.
- What is the significance of the metaphor of the heart as a “frozen red block” in the poem?
- The metaphor of the heart as a “frozen red block” is a powerful image that encapsulates the emotional desolation the speaker feels as winter approaches. This metaphor, found in the lines “My heart will be no more than a frozen red block,” suggests that the warmth and vitality that once filled the speaker’s heart have been extinguished, replaced by coldness and numbness. The use of the color “red” may still imply life and passion, but its freezing signifies that these emotions are no longer accessible. The metaphor effectively conveys the theme of emotional death, as the speaker feels trapped in an existence devoid of warmth, compassion, and life. This image of the frozen heart also ties back to the poem’s overall meditation on mortality, as it reflects the speaker’s gradual surrender to the cold inevitability of death, just as the warmth of summer gives way to the chill of winter.
Literary Works Similar to “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
- “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Like “Song of Autumn,” this poem uses seasonal imagery, particularly autumn and wind, to explore themes of change, decay, and renewal in nature and the human soul. - “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
Hardy’s poem mirrors Baudelaire’s melancholic reflection on the passage of time and the bleakness of winter, though it also introduces a small glimmer of hope. - “To Autumn” by John Keats
This poem similarly contemplates the beauty and transient nature of autumn, reflecting on the inevitable decline that comes with the changing seasons, much like Baudelaire’s meditation on mortality. - “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
Dickinson’s meditation on death resonates with Baudelaire’s exploration of mortality, using calm, understated imagery to depict the inescapable journey toward death. - “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti
Rossetti’s poem, like “Song of Autumn,” employs the imagery of seasonal change to symbolize death and mourning, focusing on the inevitable decline and the sorrow of loss.
Representative Quotations of “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “Soon we shall plunge into the cold darkness” | The speaker anticipates the coming of winter, symbolizing death and decay. | Symbolism – The transition into darkness reflects life’s decline. |
| “Farewell, vivid brightness of our short-lived summers!” | The speaker laments the end of summer, a metaphor for the fleeting nature of happiness and vitality. | Existentialism – Reflects the transient nature of life’s pleasures. |
| “Already I hear the dismal sound of firewood falling” | The sound of falling firewood signifies the coming of cold and hardship, foreshadowing death. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Symbolizes the unconscious dread of death. |
| “My heart will be no more than a frozen red block” | The speaker’s emotional state is compared to a frozen heart, indicating numbness and desolation. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Represents emotional repression and despair. |
| “The building of a scaffold has no duller sound” | The monotonous sound of falling logs is likened to the construction of a scaffold, symbolizing death. | Symbolism – The scaffold represents impending doom and mortality. |
| “For whom? – Yesterday was summer; here is autumn” | The sudden transition from summer to autumn symbolizes the abruptness of life’s decline. | Existentialism – Highlights the inevitability of time and death. |
| “Winter will possess my being: wrath, hate, horror” | The speaker anticipates emotional turmoil and suffering as winter approaches, symbolizing internal anguish. | Psychoanalytic Theory – Reflects inner conflict and existential dread. |
| “Mistress or sister, be the fleeting sweetness” | The speaker implores for fleeting tenderness and comfort in the face of despair and transience. | Existentialism – Love and tenderness are momentary consolations. |
| “The tomb awaits; it is avid!” | The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of death, suggesting the tomb is always ready to claim life. | Existentialism – Emphasizes the inescapability of death. |
| “Taste the sweet, yellow rays of the end of autumn” | The speaker desires to savor the last moments of warmth before the cold winter, reflecting on life’s brevity. | Symbolism – Autumn’s fading warmth symbolizes the final moments of life. |
Suggested Readings: “Song of Autumn” by Charles Baudelaire
- Bien, Gloria. “Baudelaire in China.” Comparative Literature Studies, vol. 22, no. 1, 1985, pp. 121–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40246521. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
- Symons, Arthur. “Charles Baudelaire.” The Lotus Magazine, vol. 9, no. 7, 1918, pp. 346–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20544046. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
- Oxenhandler, Neal. “The Balcony of Charles Baudelaire.” Yale French Studies, no. 9, 1952, pp. 56–62. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2929059. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
- Marinoni, A. “The Poetry of Charles Baudelaire.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 21, no. 1, 1913, pp. 19–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27532587. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
- Catani, Damian. “Notions of Evil in Baudelaire.” The Modern Language Review, vol. 102, no. 4, 2007, pp. 990–1007. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/20467546. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
- Carrier, David. “Baudelaire’s Philosophical Theory of Beauty.” Nineteenth-Century French Studies, vol. 23, no. 3/4, 1995, pp. 382–402. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23537067. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.