By Charles Baudelaire, translated to English by David R. Smith
Above the ponds, above the valleys
Mountains, woods, clouds, and seas
Beyond the sun, beyond the quantum fluxuations of space
Beyond the confines of the distant stars
My mind, you move with such agility
And, like a good swimmer body-surfing a wave
You criss-cross the deep immensity
an inexpressible and voluptuous surfer-dude
Fly away from this morbid stink
Go purify yourself in the upper atmosphere
And drink, like a pure and divine martini
The clear fire that fills the transparent spaces
Behind the troubles and the great sorrows
Who burden their foggy existence with their weight
Blessed is he who can with a vigorous wing
Jump towards the bright and serene things!
The one whose thoughts, like birds
Take off in the morning light towards heaven
Who hovers over life and understands effortlessly
The gentle language of flowers and stones!