Poems Under Saturn: Poèmes saturniens
Paul Verlaine
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars
4.06
· 16 ratings · 176 pages · Published: 1866
The poems display precocious virtuosity, mingling the attractions of the flesh with the longings of the spirit. Greek and Hindu myth give way to intimate erotic meditations and wickedly satirical society portraits, mythological landscapes alternate with gritty narratives of mid-nineteenth century Paris, visions of happiness yield to nightmarish glimpses of deep alienation, and real and imaginary characters--including Achilles, Valmiki, Charlemagne, and Spain's baleful King Philip II--all figure as the subject matter of a supremely ambitious young poet.
Poems Under Saturn presents the extraordinary devotion and intense musicality of an artist for whom poetry remained the one true passion.