The first, and by far the longest, section, “Spleen et Idéal” (Spleen and the Ideal), replicates the paradox contained within the overall title of the work: he will move from feelings of celestial inspiration to those of darkest despair.
The structure of the collection charts the poet’s quest to discover to what extremes he may go. The first, and by far the longest, section, “Spleen et Idéal” (Spleen and the Ideal), replicates the paradox contained within the overall title of the work: he will move from feelings of celestial inspiration to those of darkest despair. Many of his most famous poems are in this section, including “Hymne à la Beauté” (Hymn to Beauty), “La Chevelure” (which sounds much more beautiful in French than the rather prosaic English translation, “Hair”), “Harmonie du Soir” (Evening Harmony), and “L’Invitation au Voyage” (Invitation to the Voyage), which contains the famous refrain,