> He'd be 189 years young today, April 9, 2010.
>
> "And giant hearses, without dirge or drums,
> parade at half-step in my soul, where Hope,
> defeated, weeps, and the oppressor Dread
> plants his black flag on my assenting skull."
>
> --Baudelaire, "Spleen (IV)," _Les Fleurs du Mal_
Hmm, the English translation is a bit woolly. Here's the original French, followed by my own quick-and-ready version, which hopefully communicates more of the scintillating wordplay (there's probably a better version online, but I'm too busy to find it right now):
> — Et de longs corbillards, sans tambours ni musique,
> Défilent lentement dans mon âme; l'Espoir,
> Vaincu, pleure, et l'Angoisse atroce, despotique,
> Sur mon crâne incliné plante son drapeau noir.
-- And lengthy hearses, without music or drums Slowly march past in my soul; Hope, vanquished, weeps, and atrocious Anguish, despotic, plants its black flag on my inclining skull.
-- DRR