Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Be Drunk," a prose poem by Charles Baudelaire, serves as a compelling injunction against the suffocating weight of Time, urging the reader to achieve a perpetual state of intoxication. This is not a call for irresponsibility or mere escapism but rather a radical proposition for fully experiencing life. By using the metaphor of drunkenness, Baudelaire beckons us to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the world, be it through wine, poetry, or virtue.

At first glance, the message to "be drunk" may seem disconcerting, advocating, as it appears, a life devoid of reason or restraint. However, Baudelaire's choice of intoxicants-wine, poetry, or virtue-suggests something far more complex. Wine signifies physical pleasure and liberation from inhibition; poetry encapsulates the emotional and aesthetic; virtue stands for moral or spiritual enlightenment. These are not random choices but representations of what makes life worth living, the elements that elevate us beyond mere existence.

What lurks in the background of this poem is Time, personified as a looming, oppressive force that "crushes you to earth." Time is inescapable; its relentless march leads all to a common destiny. The only salvation, according to Baudelaire, lies in a state of ecstatic 'drunkenness,' a transcendental experience that lifts us above the mundanity and suffering that Time imposes. This concept recalls the existentialist idea of living authentically, fully embracing the present moment as a way to impose meaning on an indifferent universe.

Moreover, the poem suggests that this inebriation must be unceasing. A lapse into sobriety is a lapse into the awareness of Time's burden. The solution? To ask the universe-"of wind or wave, of star or bird or clock"-what time it is, only to be reminded that "It is time to be drunk!" This cycle speaks to the human condition's tragic yet beautiful aspect: the need to continually seek transcendence, knowing well that it is temporary.

Baudelaire's poem achieves something remarkable in its brevity; it captures the urgency of life itself. It stresses that we must be perpetually drunk with experiences, passions, or ideals to escape the ennui that accompanies a life overly aware of its temporal limitations. The location details-"the steps of palaces, on the green grass in a ditch, in the dreary solitude of your room"-suggest that this pursuit is universal, unbounded by social or economic constraints. Whether in opulence or squalor, the quest for transcendence is a human imperative.

The genius of "Be Drunk" lies in its unabashed embrace of life's paradoxes. It suggests that to live fully, one must almost forget the concept of Time while being acutely aware of its constraints. By prescribing a continuous state of intoxication-physical, emotional, or moral-Baudelaire provides an antidote to life's inherent suffering, a way to make peace with our ephemeral existence. In doing so, he encapsulates the essence of Romantic and existentialist ideals: that in the face of life's absurdities and inevitable disappointments, we must still dare to live, and live passionately.

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