The cat (baudelaire)

[burntpunk]

boys and girls, i am reciting this poem for an event.
what kind of tone would you suggest i opt for?

The Cat (Baudelaire)

Come, my fine cat, against my loving heart;
Sheathe your sharp claws, and settle.
And let my eyes into your pupils dart
Where agate sparks with metal.

Now while my fingertips caress at leisure
Your head and wiry curves
And that my hand's elated with the pleasure
Of your electric nerves,

I think about my woman — how her glances
Like yours, dear beast, deep-down
And cold, can cut and wound one as with lances;

Then, too, she has that vagrant
And subtle air of danger that makes fragrant
Her body, lithe and brown.

[OrphanPip]

Viens, mon beau chat, sur mon coeur amoureux;
Retiens les griffes de ta patte,
Et laisse-moi plonger dans tes beaux yeux,
Mêlés de métal et d'agate.

Lorsque mes doigts caressent à loisir
Ta tête et ton dos élastique,
Et que ma main s'enivre du plaisir
De palper ton corps électrique,

Je vois ma femme en esprit. Son regard,
Comme le tien, aimable bête
Profond et froid, coupe et fend comme un dard,

Et, des pieds jusques à la tête,
Un air subtil, un dangereux parfum
Nagent autour de son corps brun.

I don't like the translation, he's trying too hard to maintain a rhyme scheme at the expense of losing a lot of meaning. That last stanza comes off especially clumsy.

[Pryderi Agni]

Uh, answering the original question: You should try for a wistful, nostalgic tone, OK? As if you're remembering a girlfriend who hurt you in some way...

[OrphanPip]

Uh, answering the original question: You should try for a wistful, nostalgic tone, OK? As if you're remembering a girlfriend who hurt you in some way...

Ha, yes well then I would recommend reciting it in French ;)

Seriously though, I would consider looking for another translation unless you're really attached to it. I agree that it should probably be read with a wistful tone at the beginning, except the last two stanzas should probably gain in intensity.

[Pryderi Agni]

I agree that it should probably be read with a wistful tone at the beginning, except the last two stanzas should probably gain in intensity.

On the contrary. I think the last two paragraphs should be wistful--he's remembering her, right? The first two paragraphs should come up from behind, just like a cat does, you know? Then the pitch should rise, and he could launch into a wistful monologue in the last two paragraphs which speak of his GF.

[OrphanPip]

On the contrary. I think the last two paragraphs should be wistful--he's remembering her, right? The first two paragraphs should come up from behind, just like a cat does, you know? Then the pitch should rise, and he could launch into a wistful monologue in the last two paragraphs which speak of his GF.

I think one of the problems with that reading is that in the French, Baudelaire writes "Lorsque mes doigts caressent à loisir". This means "when my fingers leisurely caress". The syntax is unclear whether he will be petting the cat in the present, as he is beckoning to the cat in the first stanza, or is he remembering/imagining what it is like when he pets the cat. I even find his beckoning to the cat a bit wistful.

The reason I think the last two stanza should increase in intensity is the violent imagery. With the "lance" and "dangerous perfume". I think of someone remembering his lover's eyes as "cutting and wounding" as being more angry than wistful.