The unique and supreme voluptuousness of love lies in the

Listen closely, O children of wisdom, for the words of Charles Baudelaire carry with them the weight of both longing and despair. He said, “The unique and supreme voluptuousness of love lies in the certainty of committing evil. And men and women know from birth that in evil is found all sensual delight.” These words are a mirror into the human soul, reflecting the darker, more forbidden aspects of love and desire. Baudelaire, the great poet of romanticism and decadence, speaks of a truth that is both deeply alluring and deeply unsettling: that within the act of love, there often lies the temptation to transgress, to cross boundaries, and in that transgression, one might find a sense of delight that is uniquely intoxicating.

In the ancient world, love was often seen as both a divine blessing and a dangerous force. The Greeks, with their gods and goddesses, were familiar with the paradox of love's power. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was a figure of beauty and desire, but she was also a bringer of chaos. In her wake, the loves she inspired often led to suffering, conflict, and betrayal. The Trojan War, one of the greatest sagas of the ancient world, was sparked by the love of Paris and Helen, whose affair was, in the eyes of many, a violation of the divine order. The gods, who were the arbiters of human destiny, were themselves not immune to the corruption that love could bring. And so, Baudelaire’s words echo this ancient wisdom: love, in its purest form, is often entangled with evil, and it is within this dangerous mix that humanity finds its most intoxicating pleasures.

Consider the story of Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, whose loves were both legendary and destructive. Her affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were not simply matters of political alliance or romantic affection, but were embroiled in the very power dynamics of the ancient world. The love she shared with these powerful men led not only to the rise of her own fortunes but to the downfall of the Roman Republic. In her bed, as in the beds of so many lovers before and after her, there was a certain voluptuousness that was inextricably tied to conflict and betrayal. The love she shared with Antony, in particular, was marked by the allure of both passion and destruction, a dangerous cocktail that would lead to the ultimate collapse of her reign. In this, we see that Baudelaire’s words are not mere poetic exaggeration, but a reflection of the truth that love and evil are often bound in a dance that brings delight only through chaos.

Baudelaire speaks of sensual delight, and here, the word sensual is of great importance. It is not just physical pleasure that he speaks of, but a deeper, almost spiritual gratification that comes with the surrender to temptation. Saint Augustine, in his Confessions, speaks of his own sinful pleasures as a way of seeking fulfillment and freedom through rebellion against divine law. In his youth, he reveled in the joy of committing what he knew to be wrong, finding a paradoxical pleasure in the very act of rebellion. He understood, as Baudelaire did, that in the pursuit of forbidden pleasures, one often finds a greater sense of self and an intensification of desire. But this pleasure, as Augustine later learned, is fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying. In the end, it is redemption and self-control that lead to true peace. Baudelaire, however, captures the essence of that intoxicating moment before the fall—a moment where evil and love intertwine to create an ecstasy that is both exhilarating and destructive.

The lesson in Baudelaire’s words is not one of condemnation, but of awareness. He reveals that love is a force that cannot always be tamed or controlled, that it is often linked to desire, recklessness, and rebellion. The heart of love, in its most primal form, beats to a rhythm that often seeks the forbidden, and in that pursuit, we may find ourselves both alive and lost. Yet, Baudelaire also warns us of the danger of surrendering completely to that force. For in its darkest corners lies the potential for destruction, and once love is allied with evil, it loses its purity and becomes a fleeting moment of satisfaction that ultimately leads to suffering.

So, O children, take this wisdom and carry it into your lives: know that love is not a simple force—it is complex, powerful, and often intertwined with the darkness of our own desires. It is a flame that can light the soul, but it can also burn if unchecked. Do not seek to control love, but to understand it, for it is in understanding the paradox of love's sweetness and its danger that you will find true balance. Pursue the pleasures of the heart, but be wary of the temptation to stray too far into the night. For in the end, love’s true joy lies not in the destruction it may bring, but in the creation of something lasting, something pure, and something that lifts the soul toward the heavens, rather than pulling it into the depths.