Far Away from Here

A poem by Charles Baudelaire

This is the sanctuary
where the prettified young lady,
calm, and always ready,

fans her breasts, aglow,
elbow on the pillow,
hears the fountain’s flow:

it’s the room of Dorothea.
The breeze and water distantly
sing their song, mingled here
with sobs to soothe the spoiled child’s fear.

From tip to toe, most thoroughly,
her delicate surfaces appear,
oiled with sweet perfumery.
the flowers nearby swoon gracefully.