Alfred de Musset - Passion's evil

“Now it happened that her father owned a superb orang-outang. She went to see it, to study it, and remained a long time at her examination. The animal, heated no doubt by the presence of the young girl, suddenly developed himself in the most brilliant fashion. Sainte jumped with joy. She had finally found that for which she had sought all these days and dreamed of each night. Her ideal appeared to her, real and very palpable. To complete her enchantment this indescribable plaything stood out firmer, more ardent and more menacing than she had ever dreamed. She devoured it with her eyes. The monkey approached, hung on to the bars and agitated himself in such a fashion that the poor Sainte completely lost her head. Impelled by her folly, she forced one of the bars of the cage and made an opening that the lubricious beast proceeded to put to profit. Eight whole inches stuck out ravishingly in a most pronounced manner. So much treasures at first frightened our virgin. But the Devil pushing her, she would have a closer look, her hand touched and caresses. The monkey trembled as if he would shatter his cage and his grimaces were horrible. The frightened Sainte believed she saw Satan before her. Fear restrained her. She was about to retire, when a glance thrown on that flaming peg reawakened all her desires. She took courage, raised her skirts with a decided air and bravely walked backwards, her bottom bent toward that frightful point. The wrestlers engaged, the blows began and the beast became the equal of a man. Sainte is bestialized, devirginized, bleeding. Her joy and transports burst out in a gamut of Ohs and Ahs! but in such a loud tone that her mother heard, ran and surprised her daughter, being well ridden, twisting and agitating to loose her soul.

FANNY:

That farce is priceless.

GAMIANI:

“To cure her poor daughter of her “monkey mania' they placed her in a convent.”

FANNY:

They had better left her to all the monkeys.”

GAMIANI:

“You shall see and judge soon enough. But to return to the history of my sojourn in the convent. As my temperament willingly accommodated itself to a life of holidays and pleasures, I consented to being initiated into the monastic saturnalias. My admission having been accepted by the chapter, I was received two days later. I entered naked according to the rule. I took the required oath and, to finish the ceremony, I courageously prostituted myself to an enormous wooden Priapus set up for that purpose. I had hardly finished that painful libation when the band of Sisters threw themselves on me worse than a crowd of cannibals. I gave myself up to all their caprices, I took the most lubriciously energetic poses and finally finished up with an obscene dance and was proclaimed victorious. I was exhausted. A little nun, more lively and sprightly, also more refined than the Superior, drew me into her bed. She was verily the damndest tribade that Hell could create. I conceived the most lively passion for her and we were most always together during our big nocturnal orgies.”

FANNY:

“Where were your lupercalias held?”

GAMIANI:

“In a large hall that the art and spirit of debauch had sought to embellish. One entered by one of two large doors, closed after the oriental fashion with rich draperies, bordered with gold fringe and ornamented with a thousand bizarre designs. The walls were hung with deep blue velvet framing a large plaque of citron wood, skill, fully carved. At equal distances were large mirrors running from the ceiling down to the parquet. In the scenes of orgy, the naked groups of delirious nuns were reflected in a thousand different fashions, or else set off in a lively and brilliant relief against the tapestried panels. Cushions and divans served as seats and served better still for our voluptuous combats or lubricious poses. A double carpet of delicate tissue, delicious to the touch, covered the floor. There one saw represented, with a surprising magic of color, twenty amorous groups in lascivious attitudes, very proper to reanimate extinguished desires. And further, on pictures in the ceiling, the painter offered to the eye the most expressive images of folly and debauch. I always recall a furious Thyade tormenting a Corybantee. I never regarded that picture without also provoking myself to pleasure.

“That should be delicious to see.”

GAMIANI:

“Add again to that luxurious decoration the intoxicating perfume of flowers. An even, temperate heat, then a tender, mysterious light which escaped from six alabaster lamps, soft as the reflections from an opal. All this gave birth in you to I know not what vague enchantment, mingled with an unquiet desire, a sensual reverie. It was the Orient, its luxury, its poetry, its nonchalant voluptuousness. It was the mystery of the harem, its secret delights and, above all, its unspeakable languor.”

FANNY:

“Where it had been sweet to pass intoxicated nights with a loved objects.”

GAMIANI:

“Doubtless Love would voluntarily made it his temple, had it not been for that burning and sordid orgy that each evening transformed it into an abode of uncleanliness.”

FANNY:“How that?”

GAMIANI:“When midnight rang the nuns entered, each dressed in a simple black tunic in order to set off the whiteness of the flesh. All had their feet bare, their hair floating. Soon a splendid service appeared as if by enchantment. The Superior gave the signal and, everyone responded with gusto. Some were seated and others couched on cushions. The exquisite meats and warming and irritating wines were received with ravenous appetites. The figures of these women, worn out by debauch, cold and pale by the light of day, little by little warmed up. The bachic fumes and preparations of cantharides carried their fire to all the body, their trouble to their head. The conversation became animated, loud and confused and always finished with obscene propositions, delirious provocations, thrown, returned, in the midst of songs, shouts and the clicking of bottles and glasses. Those of the nuns who were most pressed and carried away, suddenly fell on their neighbors with violent kisses which electrified the whole band. Couples were formed, falling and contorting in the most passionate embraces. The smack of lips applied to flesh was heard in a mixed fury. Then carne chocking sighs, expiring words, cries of ardor or exhaustion. Soon the cheeks, the shoulders and breasts no longer sufficed for their unchecked kisses. Dresses were raised or thrown to one side. Then the spectacle was unique. All these female bodies, supple, graceful, entwined nakedly, the ones with the others, agitating, pressing with the impetuosity and refinement of consummate lubricity. If the excess of pleasure was deferred too long for the liking of desire, one detached herself to regain her breath. They contemplated each other with eyes of fire, and contested in rendering their poses the most lascivious and inviting. Those of them who triumphed by her acts and debauch suddenly saw their rivals yield, throw themselves upon them, upset them and cover them with ardent kisses, devour them with caresses even to the most secret center of pleasure, always placing themselves in a position to receive the same attack. Both heads were hidden between the thighs, they were but a single body, agitated, convulsively tormented, from which escaped a heavy bellow of lubricious lust, to be followed by a double cry of joy.

“They spend! They spend! repeated these damned nuns Then these frantic ones rolled on each other more furious than beasts released in the arena. Pressed to spend in their turn, they attempted the most passionate. efforts. By the force of their bounds and elans, the groups struck against one another and fell, pel-mel to the floor, panting, exhausted, tired out by orgies and lust; a grotesque confusion of naked women, fainting, expiring, piled in the most. ignoble disorder where they often found by the first ray of sunlight.