Charles Baudelaire, "Les Bijoux", Les Fleurs du mal (1857)
 • My well-beloved was stripped. Knowing my whim,
She wore her tinkling gems, but naught besides:
And showed such pride as, while her luck betides,
A sultan's favoured slave may show to him.
  • Roy Campbell, "The Jewels", Poems of Baudelaire (1952)
 • Naked was my dark love, and, knowing my heart,
Adorned in but her most sonorous gems,
Their high pomp decked her with the conquering art
Of Moorish slave girls crowned with diadems.
  • Jacques Leclercq, "The Jewels", Flowers of Evil (1958)
“

La très chère était nue, et, connaissant mon coeur, Elle n’avait gardé que ses bijoux sonores, Dont le riche attirail lui donnait l’air vainqueur Qu’ont dans leurs jours heureux les esclaves des Mores.

— Charles Baudelaire on Harem

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "La très chère était nue, et, connaissant mon coeur, Elle n’avait gardé que ses bijoux sonores, Dont le riche attirail lui donnait l’air vainqueur Qu’ont dans leurs jours heureux les esclaves des Mores." in the context of "Charles Baudelaire, "Les Bijoux", Les Fleurs du mal (1857)
 • My well-beloved was stripped. Knowing my whim,
She wore her tinkling gems, but naught besides:
And showed such pride as, while her luck betides,
A sultan's favoured slave may show to him.
  • Roy Campbell, "The Jewels", Poems of Baudelaire (1952)
 • Naked was my dark love, and, knowing my heart,
Adorned in but her most sonorous gems,
Their high pomp decked her with the conquering art
Of Moorish slave girls crowned with diadems.
  • Jacques Leclercq, "The Jewels", Flowers of Evil (1958)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Harem" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles Baudelaire

About Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire (9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, critic and translator.