Hymm To Beauty

HYMM TO BEAUTY

In the first four lines of the poem, Charles Baudelaire is questioning if beauty is heavenly or demon like. This poem is showing that beauty can be just as horrible as it is wonderful. In the last part of the first stanza, beauty is compared to the effect of wine. Drinking to much wine can put a negative or positive effect on you. Again, he is referencing beauty can be good or evil.

In the second stanza of the poem, Baudelaire is again talking of the person of beauty, but with a mention of her eyes. Traditionally, beauty is linked with serenity. The burning sunsets suggest the fires of hell, which would be the demon side of beauty. The last line gives Beauty turning order around that as the roles played by men and boys are reversed.

In the third stanza, Fate is presented as a dog that follows after beauty. Beauty's faithful pet is a clear indication of how powerful beauty can be. Baudelaire says that if the power is not used wisely, it could lead to terrible things or love. Beauty does rule, however with responsibility.

In the fourth stanza the poem goes back to the thought of beauty being bad. Beauty is dancing upon graves where more solemn behavior is expected. This part of the poem is where Baudelaire states the relationship between beauty and horror. He is calling the horror a "dazzling gem." It is implying that it is used to make Beauty more appealing than it already is.

In the fifth stanza of the poem the moth is being referred to as a man, which is attracted to the burning and the light. The moth then burns. Men are drawn to beauty, knowing in the end it might lead to destruction. The last part states a lover giving into desire only to die. Beauty is the motive between love and death.

In the sixth stanza, the thrill