Les Syrtes (1883-1884)

A collection of lyric poems that fuses classical and exotic imagery with intimate, modern impressions. Verses shift between nostalgic remembrances, mythic evocations, and frank sensuality, employing a variety of short forms—odes, character sketches, and brief lyrics—to alternate elegiac melancholy, theatrical flourish, and decadent playfulness. The poems explore tensions between past and present, spiritual yearning and bodily desire, and a deliberate return to classical diction refracted through vivid sensory detail and ornamental phrasing.