Prussian King Frederick the Great's erotic poem found

"An erotic poem written by Prussian King Frederick the Great has been discovered in a Berlin archive, more than 200 years after he died.

The poem is called La Jouissance, which means pleasure in a general sense, but also has a sexual connotation.

It was written in French in July 1740, a few weeks after Frederick became ruler of Prussia, a German kingdom.

He said he had written the poem to show that northern Europeans were as passionate as southerners.

Vanessa de Senarclens, a French literature teacher at Berlin's Humboldt University, found a copy of the original manuscript among some of the king's letters.

She told German media the poem would have been difficult to reconcile with Frederick's image as a great military commander.
German newspaper Die Zeit printed the full poem on Thursday.

Translated into English, some of the verses read: "Swept away by love, trembling with impatience / He plunges into the arms of Chloris.

"The love which unites them, inflamed their kisses / And locked their intertwined arms more tightly / Divine lust! Queen of the world!"

Frederick ruled for 46 years, transforming Prussia from a minor Germanic kingdom into a European power. He was an important patron of the arts.

The poem is said to throw new light on the king."
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