La fin de Satan

La Fin de Satan (The End of Satan) is a work of poetry Victor Hugo written between 1854 and 1862, but unfinished and published after his death, in 1886.

The book starts with the disgrace of Satan ("Depuis quatre mille ans il tombait dans l'abîme" [http://poesie.webnet.fr/poemes/France/hugo/167.html] ).

This is followed by the story of Nimrod, a powerful and monstrous king of Judaea, who becomes bored after he has fully dominated the universe and decides to conquer the heavens. For this purpose he builds a cage and attaches four giant eagles to it with meat of dead lions above their head out of reach to attract them upward. With his servant the eunuch, Nimrod embarques the cage and the eagles start towards the Heavens. After a journey of one year, Nimrod shoots an arrow into the infinite, then falls back to earth dead.

The second part of La Fin de Satan is about the life and death of Jesus. It emphasises the evil of human beings. In "Tenebres" (2:21) we hear Barabbas curse this impure world that liberated him instead of Christ and claim that we would have chosen to die if offered the choice.

The third part is about the angel Liberty who comes down to earth to forgive the beast Satan.

External links

* [http://libri.freenfo.net/4/4039144.html La Fin de Satan - French text online]