Viens sur mon coeur, âme cruelle et sourde,
Tigre adoré, monstre aux airs indolents;
Je veux longtemps plonger mes doigts tremblants
Dans l’épaisseur de ta crinière lourde;
Dans tes jupons remplis de ton parfum
Ensevelir ma tête endolorie,
Et respirer, comme une fleur flétrie,
Le doux relent de mon amour défunt.
Je veux dormir! dormir plutôt que vivre!
Dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort,
J’étalerai mes baisers sans remords
Sur ton beau corps poli comme le cuivre.
Pour engloutir mes sanglots apaisés
Rien ne me vaut l’abîme de ta couche;
L’oubli puissant habite sur ta bouche,
Et le Léthé coule dans tes baisers.
À mon destin, désormais mon délice,
J’obéirai comme un prédestiné;
Martyr docile, innocent condamné,
Dont la ferveur attise le supplice,
Je sucerai, pour noyer ma rancoeur,
Le népenthès et la bonne ciguë
Aux bouts charmants de cette gorge aiguë
Qui n’a jamais emprisonné de coeur.
– – –
Come, lie upon my breast, cruel, insensitive soul,
Adored tigress, monster with the indolent air;
I want to plunge trembling fingers for a long time
In the thickness of your heavy mane,
To bury my head, full of pain
In your skirts redolent of your perfume,
To inhale, as from a withered flower,
The moldy sweetness of my defunct love.
I wish to sleep! to sleep rather than live!
In a slumber doubtful as death,
I shall remorselessly cover with my kisses
Your lovely body polished like copper.
To bury my subdued sobbing
Nothing equals the abyss of your bed,
Potent oblivion dwells upon your lips
And Lethe flows in your kisses.
My fate, hereafter my delight,
I’ll obey like one predestined;
Docile martyr, innocent man condemned,
Whose fervor aggravates the punishment.
I shall suck, to drown my rancor,
Nepenthe and the good hemlock
From the charming tips of those pointed breasts
That have never guarded a heart.
Red musk and sweat-damp golden skin musk with labdanum, golden amber, nutmeg, tobacco absolute, black orchid, and hemlock accord.
erklein290 –
My husband loved this one, but I’m on the fence about it. I liken it to soft gingerbread and incense, then it becomes very powdery with a hint of orange.
elise_danielle –
A truly sexy, nearly overpowering orange blossom and patchouli fusion. The ginger isn’t super detectable in my imp but I expect it’s intentional. Reminds me of a super hot hippie. If you’re a fan of slap-you-in-the-face florals or incense-like fragrances, this will be your jam!
libbiehawker –
Delicious! It almost has a popcorn-like scent on me–not buttery, but toasty and rich. The orange blossom is very apparent in the bottle but retreats behind the ginger and patchouli on the skin, yet little whiffs of orange blossom still come through.
Deja –
the patchouli is very much in the background here–orange blossom takes center stage with tasty ginger (yes, you can almost taste it), however, it’s not a fiery ginger which i was hoping for, but more subdued, making the whole thing very powdery smelling. very soft, feminine and playful. a lovely scent.
Alisha –
This smells exactly like nag champa incense. I love the smell, but I know it will give me a headache just like the incense, and anything remotely floral, does.
Elizabeth –
I should know better than to try a scent with ANY patchouli at all. This was pleasant when wet, but the patchouli did its usual disastrous chemical reaction on me and I almost rubbed my skin raw getting it off. Giving this a high rating cuz it did smell nice on my roomie.
arachnesweave –
Vixen was one of the first full bottles I ever bought from BPAL and it remains one of my favorite scents all these years later. I find this to be a very wearable perfume and it stays intimately close to the skin. When I do get a whiff it’s gentle and sweet, a little soapy, and with a tinge of incense. It’s long lasting, but dries down in the softest way. Vixen has this ghostlike quality. Just when I think it’s completely faded away, a moment later I’ll smell it, but it’s more like smelling the memory of the scent as opposed to the scent itself – if that makes any sense. I find the orange blossom makes this a much softer patchouli. It’s very sexy and a little mysterious. Oh, this is pure yumminess. The bottle I have has to be at least 7 years old and I still have close to half left. (note to self – I should probably buy another soon so that it can age a little before I run out of my current bottle)
Erin –
It was honestly a little overpowering in the imp so I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but as it dried down it became a quite pleasant, woody, almost incense like scent. Definitely worth buying a bottle in my opinion.
Julie –
One of my absolute favorites – subtle, neither spicy nor floral nor sweet but somehow all three by turns. Alluring.
Gloame –
Warm, woody, and sensual. The patchouli is strong in this one, but not in a typical earthy way. It’s a bit incense-y and a lot “I want you”. Definitely a great option if you find snake oil doesn’t work for you, but you like the idea of it.
dementia_divine –
In the imp: The ginger note stands out the most to my nose. Patchouli and I aren’t generally friends, but this doesn’t seem to be screaming patchouli in the imp. Orange blossom can be iffy on me, but it doesn’t seem to be bitter in the imp. Something in this reminds me of Snake Oil. I’m not sure if it is the ginger or the patchouli. There is almost a creaminess to this. I expected it to be sharp, but it’s not. Maybe this imp has aged a while.
Wet: Mostly ginger on me. The patchouli is present, but it is not a dirty, hippie patchouli, and for that, I am grateful. I can’t help wondering if this ginger or patchouli note (or both) is found in Snake Oil. The orange blossom starts to emerge more over time, but it isn’t turning really bitter or cough syrup-like and stomping all over the other notes.
Drying down: I am getting more of the patchouli now, and I think it is what is reminding me of Snake Oil. (Or maybe it really is both the ginger and the patchouli…). The orange blossom is stronger now, but it still isn’t being problematic on my skin.
Dry: Reminiscent of Snake Oil. The ginger and the patchouli are the main players on my skin. The orange blossom is light in the background.
Verdict: I would never have expected this to work on me from the notes, but it does. I won’t be grabbing a bottle of this because it reminds me of Snake Oil, and I prefer Snake Oil (especially with its vanilla note). However, I am glad I gave this one a chance.
Witold –
By my wife: Vixen is one of my top 5! I could bath in that oil! First impression was “Maybe it’s not for me”. Then I tried it and I fell in love! Vixen is super feminine, sexy and sassy scent. Wet on skin dominant notes are orange and patchouli. Ginger makes it a little bit spicy. With time it blends together in a lovely scent. It stays long on the skin and has a great throw. I have one bottle and I’ll buy another one with pleasure. Vixen definitely deserves a try, especially if you like sweet, spicy, feminine and a little heavy scent!
Luca Turin –
A very sexy blend but not over the top, This is a lovely scent and so cleverly mixed that you don;t have any one note dominating the others. It becomes its own distinctive scent. This is the kind of perfume that you can wear at work, in bed or out on the town. It has a nice throw and will not only get noticed but will cause people to ask you what that beautiful fragrance might be. Over time I have purchased two bottles and would happily purchase it again. Vixen is the perfect name for it.
[email protected] –
This is a very nice spiced floral with a hint of patchouli. A little reminiscent of Sin without the cinnamon (this would be a plus if your skin is sensitive to cinnamon and cannot wear Sin). However, since I am able to wear Sin (and prefer it) will give the imp to a friend who loves spicy scents as well.
Greatwhitenowhere –
This is an earthy blend. Don’t let the scent notes deceive you. The patchouli has a low, earthy almost wet (damp?) characteristic that brings to mind the forest floor. The ginger comes as a mid-note (rather than a high note) and keeps the scent warm and “red” rather than veering too far in the direction of “sharp” “green” and “acrid.”
The orange blossom balances the blend with a slightly sweet, very mildly floral almost creamy-vanilla note.
Very nice, complex play of scents with this one. Not big bottle worthy for me but an interesting option if you are normally overpowered by cloying vanilla blends, or are looking for something slightly sweet without being “candy sweet” or “heavy.”