Balladeer’s Blog resumes its examination of the macabre 1868 French language work The Songs of Maldoror.
THE HERMAPHRODITE
In this stanza the supernatural being Maldoror contemplates a beautiful human hermaphrodite sleeping in a forest near Paris. This portion of The Songs of Maldoror really emphasizes the oneric nature of Ducasse’s writing. Stanzas like this one and The Philosophical Gravedigger always make me wonder if the French horror film director Jean Rollin was influenced by the Count de Lautreamont.
This interlude with the hermaphrodite reminds me of Rollins’ Two Orphan Vampires and the way the title figures have brief encounters with the mad wolf-woman of the train yard, the haughty matriarchal vampress and the she-ghoul. The mystery surrounding the exact nature of the orphan vampires, who may or may not have been around since the Aztecs, is reminiscent of the enigmas surrounding Maldoror himself.
At any rate Maldoror eloquently describes the odd beauty of the hermaphrodite and its blending of male and female qualities, not just in its genitals but in every aspect of its physical appearance right down to its face’s union of male and female features. The hermaphrodite (who is never named) often cries itself to sleep out of its loneliness.
Before anyone knew the figure’s secret it used to go around fully dressed, periodically interacting with passersby but always keeping a certain distance for fear its true nature would be discovered. Many came to regard this lurker in the woods as a lunatic and the Bicetre Insane Asylum paid four men to waylay and beat the unfortunate figure, then follow up the beating with a warning to commit itself to the aforementioned asylum.
In the process of beating their victim the brutes had stripped it naked and by the time they were done drubbing it its nakedness revealed that it was a hermaphrodite. The four men and all of Paris were shocked and filled with regret over how they had misunderstood the odd figure. The hermaphrodite was given a government pension, half of which it used on its own living expenses and the other half it donated to the poor.
Whenever the hermaphrodite sees a loving couple walk through the forest it is filled with pangs of longing. It could never know true happiness with either the man or the woman in the couple so it feels again its overwhelming loneliness. A tear wells in the eye of the solitary figure as it gazes Heavenward, wondering why God created it just to feel eternally alone.
On a first reading one feels a certain tension in the air. The obvious assumption is that Maldoror will, as usual, kill or maim or inflict other damage on the hermaphrodite. However, as with the Philosophical Gravedigger this unique figure has exercised a certain fascination over our malevolent main character and is thus one of the few to cross his path and remain uninjured.
Maldoror notes that Nature itself looks after the hermaphrodite. The birds do not sing around the slumbering form and tree branches extend themselves over it to protect it from the elements. For whatever reason Maldoror swears by all the deserts, oceans, glaciers and tropical islands he’s encountered in his travels not to harm a hair on the sleeping hermaphrodite’s head.
Our protagonist wanders onward, hoping that the lonely one he leaves behind is dreaming of planets filled with beings such as itself so that its loneliness would be over. He sadly advises the hermaphrodite that it should never wake up, the better to escape the cruelties of this existence. With cosmic-level hypocrisy Maldoror closes by saying that he will pray for the hermaphrodite and hopes peace will dwell in its breast. +++
Next time around Maldoror recalls the first time he penetrated Heaven and confronted God. It’s not for the weak of stomach.
I WILL RESUME THIS LOOK AT THE SONGS OF MALDOROR SOON. CHECK BACK ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK FOR NEW INSTALLMENTS.
FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2015/02/28/maldoror-a-neglected-masterpiece-of-surreal-horror/
FOR OTHER PARTS OF MALDOROR CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/category/maldoror/
© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Almost like something from a different book.
I agree.
How do u no when Maldo Ror will kill somebody or not?
You don’t.
Kinda gross this time.
I guess.
Eerie but not as scary as usual.
I agree.
He let somebody live?
Yes, he spares people sometimes. It helps keep a certain tension in the stanzas on a first reading as you wonder if the prospecitive victim will survive.
Really odd story.
I agree.
Maldoror wimped out in this one.
Ha! That’s one way to look at it I guess!
Very strange for the 1860’s.
Yep.
I was gonna accuse this of political correctness but I guess it would have been the opposite back then.
You got that right!
That is very fascinating, You’re a very professional blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and stay up for looking for more of your great post.
Also, I have shared your site in my social networks
Thanks!
Spot on with this write-up, I really feel this site needs far more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the info!
No problem.
You push the gay agenda even in your horror posts.
You’re seeing things that aren’t there.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed browsing your
blog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Thanks
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