First published in 1868, "Ave Atque Vale" is a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne dedicated to French poet, art critic, and essayist Charles Pierre Baudelaire (1821—1867). Baudelaire's wonderful poems are known for their masterful use of rhyme and rhythm which, together with their Romantic exoticism, inspired a whole generation of poets including Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé. Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837—1909) was an English playwright, novelist, poet, and critic who famously wrote about taboo subjects including anti-theism and lesbianism. Swinburne's poetry often contains motifs of time, death, and the ocean, as well as references to historical figures including Sappho, Catullus, and Anactoria. "Ave Atque Vale" will appeal to poetry lovers and is not to be missed by those with an interest in the life and work of Charles Pierre Baudelaire. Other notable works by this author include: "Atalanta in Calydon" (1865), "Poems and Ballads" (1866), and "Songs Before Sunrise" (1871). Ragged Hand is proudly republishing this classic poem now complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.
