At Prince Eugene's Belvedere A walk in the prince's
Privy Garden on a rainy day
at the end of February
A glimpse of theSalesian Church on Rennweg
Garden walls and a wrought iron gatethat leads to the terraced gardens beyond,
connecting the Lower Belevedere Palace to
the Upper Palaces on top of the hill
Stone steps and brick wallswith espaliered trees
A view of from the Privy Gardenof the Lower Belvedere's Orangerie
A Hooded Crow,reflected in a rain puddle
in one of the garden's fountains
Photographed in the afternoon of 28 February 2012
For a sunnier view, click here: Belvedere in Autumn
or on the "Belvedere" label below, for an even longer walk. Enjoy! :-)
Images and Text © by Merisi
Dear friends,
ReplyDeleteit is another grey day here in Vienna. At the Belvedere, lunch hour walks in temperate weather conditions pure joy, though. Prince Eugene's summer residence, with the two palaces, the Upper and the Lower Belvedere, the extensive gardens, the whole Baroque assembly such a gift from a great hero of Austria's past, reaching out to us with beauty that warms the heart, several centuries later. I wished I would be there right this moment, there,
"where restraint and order bless
luxury and voluptuousness"
(Charles Bauelaire, Invitation en Voage)
Invitation to the Voyage
ReplyDeleteThink, would it not be
Sweet to live with me
All alone, my child, my love? —
Sleep together, share
All things, in that fair
Country you remind me of?
Charming in the dawn
There, the half-withdrawn
Drenched, mysterious sun appears
In the curdled skies,
Treacherous as your eyes
Shining from behind their tears.
There, restraint and order bless
Luxury and voluptuousness.
We should have a room
Never out of bloom:
Tables polished by the palm
Of the vanished hours
Should reflect rare flowers
In that amber-scented calm;
Ceilings richly wrought,
Mirrors deep as thought,
Walls with eastern splendor hung,
All should speak apart
To the homesick heart
In its own dear native tongue.
There, restraint and order bless
Luxury and voluptuousness.
See, their voyage past,
To their moorings fast,
On the still canals asleep,
These big ships; to bring
You some trifling thing
They have braved the furious deep.
— Now the sun goes down,
Tinting dyke and town,
Field, canal, all things in sight,
Hyacinth and gold;
All that we behold
Slumbers in its ruddy light.
There, restraint and order bless
Luxury and voluptuousness.
Translation, one of my favorite English versions, by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Flowers of Evil (NY: Harper and Brothers, 1936)
The beauty of the original cannot be translated into any other language, if you ask me. Here, Charles Baudelaire's own words:
ReplyDeleteL'invitation au voyage
Mon enfant, ma soeur,
Songe à la douceur
D'aller là-bas vivre ensemble!
Aimer à loisir,
Aimer et mourir
Au pays qui te ressemble!
Les soleils mouillés
De ces ciels brouillés
Pour mon esprit ont les charmes
Si mystérieux
De tes traîtres yeux,
Brillant à travers leurs larmes.
Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté.
Des meubles luisants,
Polis par les ans,
Décoreraient notre chambre;
Les plus rares fleurs
Mêlant leurs odeurs
Aux vagues senteurs de l'ambre,
Les riches plafonds,
Les miroirs profonds,
La splendeur orientale,
Tout y parlerait
À l'âme en secret
Sa douce langue natale.
Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté.
Vois sur ces canaux
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Dont l'humeur est vagabonde;
C'est pour assouvir
Ton moindre désir
Qu'ils viennent du bout du monde.
— Les soleils couchants
Revêtent les champs,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
D'hyacinthe et d'or;
Le monde s'endort
Dans une chaude lumière.
Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté.
Happy New Year Merisi. My son recently visited Vienna and assures me that it is every bit as beautiful as it appears on your blog. Maybe I will be lucky enough to see it myself one day, in the meantime I shall enjoy it through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and a very happy Happy New Year to you and yours! :-)
DeleteYes, Vienna is a very beautiful place to visit, and to live in.
And yes again, you must come and see it for yourself.
Hugs,
M. xxx
Love the birdie shot.
ReplyDeleteIt does look cold there...
You make rainy days look beautiful - I love the soft tones and the amazing architecture. Happy 2014, hope it's off to a good start!
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful visit to Vienna through your wonderful captures, Merisi!! I do love the bird, too!! A delightful way to start my day!! Hope your week is going well!
ReplyDeleteWho'd have thought that walls, trees and winter could have provided such a beautiful horizontal 'study in beige' ...
ReplyDeleteGreat pics! I like the emphasis on line especially.
ReplyDeletethe "glimpse" composition and able to spot the reflection of the bird two more reasons why I love your photos :)
ReplyDeleteThe gates alone are beautiful, but getting a look inside is spectacular!
ReplyDelete