The Warner, Poem by Charles Baudelaire

Every man worthy of the name
Has in his heart a yellow Serpent,
Enthroned as if upon a throne,
Who, if he says: “I will!” replies: “No!”

Plunge your eyes into the fixed eyes
Of Satyresses or of Nixes,
The Tooth says: “Think of your duty!”

Beget children, plant trees,
Polish verses, sculpt marble,
The Tooth says: “Will you live tonight?”

Whatever he sketches or hopes for,
Man does not live a single moment
Without enduring the warning
Of the unbearable Viper.

Charles Baudelaire

Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.

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