The Flowers of Evil

The Flowers of Evil is a collection of poems written by Charles Baudelaire and originally published in 1857.

It is Baudelaire's masterpiece and encompasses almost the entirety of his poetic output. It had a great influence on French Symbolism and modern poetry in general.

The subject matter of the poems is very diverse and goes beyond love and indifference. Themes such as death, art, the passage of time, and boredom appear. The darkness of his poems and the fierce criticism that the author expressed caused him to be reviled and even censored in his time.

"When by the changeless Power of a Supreme Decree
The poet issues forth upon this sorry sphere,
His mother, horrified, and full of blasphemy,
Uplifts her voice to God, who takes compassion on her."

This edition of The Flowers of Evil is based on the English translation by Cyril Scott.