# Fantaisies Décoratives explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Oscar Wilde.

## What happens

Two decorative poems: 'Le Panneau' depicts a delicate ivory girl playing a lute under a rose-tree, observed by her lover, with vivid imagery of falling leaves and her emotional shifts. 'Les Ballons' describes light balloons drifting against turquoise skies, comparing them to moons, butterflies, and jewels.

## Themes in this chapter

### Beauty and Aesthetics

The poem focuses on decorative beauty, with rich visual details of the girl, her lute, and the balloons.

### Nature and the Seasons

Imagery of rose-tree, falling leaves, and natural elements like the sun and wind.

## Character check-ins

### The Young Man

The lover with almond eyes who watches the ivory girl from the thicket.

## Key lines

> Under the rose-tree’s dancing shade / There stands a little ivory girl, / Pulling the leaves of pink and pearl / With pale green nails of polished jade.

A small girl with pale skin stands beneath a rose-tree, plucking pink and white petals with her jade-green fingernails.

_Opening stanza introducing the central figure and setting._

> Against these turbid turquoise skies / The light and luminous balloons / Dip and drift like satin moons, / Drift like silken butterflies;

Against the cloudy blue sky, the bright balloons float and sway like smooth moons or delicate butterflies.

_Opening of the second poem, establishing the balloons' movement and appearance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters/fantaisies-d-coratives
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters