Albatros

Abstract

In this article A.Emre examines one of Baudelaire's most beautiful exile poems, "The Albatross".In this poem Baudelaire relates an anecdote but then expands upon it. In the poem, the sailors catch the albatross to amuse themselves. Here the poet describes the courseness and vulgarity of the sailors. The courseness of the sailors represents the masses and this heartlessly makes the poet suffer because they do not understand. In front of the most miserable individual in the world, there is the vast wingspan of the bird, "Theses vast birds of the sea" ("vastes oiseaux des mers"). Man does not want to accept that the bird is great; he mocks the bird and tries to destroy it. The albatross, taken by the sailors and condemned to live on the deck of the ship, is an exile like the poet, living in a society that does not understand him. Key words: albatross, sailors, poet, masses, deck, azure, clumsiness, exile