![]() ![]() Although the poems are in French, a few of them such as "Being Beauteous" have English titles, a reflection of his residence in London. These depicted a surrealistic world of dreams and subconscious thoughts. During this volatile period, perhaps influenced by his emotional stress, Rimbaud wrote his visionary, brilliant and gaudy prose poems which would later be collected in Les Illuminations. Rimbaud's cruel disposition and insults finally took its toll on Verlaine. Verlaine abandoned his wife Mathilde, and the 2 poets travelled throughout Europe together, and they lived in London for a time. Verlaine and Rimbaud formed a passionate relationship which included absinthe and hashish, love and cruelty, inspiration and antagonism, arguments and reconciliations. His caustic remarks and rude habits eventually alienated almost everyone except Verlaine. ![]() Unfortunately Rimbaud seemed determined to provoke and insult everyone. Verlaine introduced Rimbaud to many of the great poets and authors of Paris, who concurred that Rimbaud was indeed a youthful genius. Whereas Mathilde Verlaine was disgusted by Rimbaud's arrogant and provocative demeanor, Paul Verlaine recognized the teenaged genius. ![]() The Verlaines were surprised by the dirty, surly, young Rimbaud. Verlaine was impressed by the brilliance of these poems and invited Rimbaud to visit him in Paris. Many of Verlaine's poems were later set to music by composers such as Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré. Verlaine (1844-1896) was a symbolist poet whose works showed a subtle, tender melancholy. Rimbaud felt that a poet must become a seer by a complete and rational disordering of all the senses.įinally in 1871 at age 17 Rimbaud sent some of his poetry to Paul Verlaine, the French poet he admired most. He studied alchemy and the occult, and formulated his beliefs in two letters which became known as Lettres du voyant (Letters of the Seer). He continued to write poetry but was unable to publish them or find recognition. During these weeks of freedom, as well as hunger and danger, he wrote several poems which celebrated the intense joys of life and liberty. Two months later, he disappeared again and wandered throughout France and Belgium behind the invading Prussian armies. Within a few days he was arrested for travelling without a train ticket and returned to Charleville. Rimbaud ran away to Paris to pursue his ideals of poetic beauty and greatness. He freed himself from his constraints as an obedient, studious schoolboy and became a violently rebellious adolescent. This national upheaval coincided with Rimbaud's personal upheavals. France would be defeated by the end of the year. His formal education ended with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870. Rimbaud began to write poetry of his own by age 8, and published his first poem by age 16. His teacher Georges Izambard introduced him to great literature, and he immersed himself in poetry. Driven by his mother, Arthur Rimbaud was a brilliant hard-working child who was small and shy, but won high marks in school. Despite their poverty she managed to move her family from the worst to the best part of town. ![]() Vitalie raised their 4 children alone and she sought to improve their station in life. Frédéric Rimbaud was a soldier who was often absent and who abandoned his family when Arthur was 6. He died in Marseilles, France at age 37.Īrthur Rimbaud was born 20 October 1854 in Charleville in northeast France, the son of Frédéric and Vitalie Rimbaud. Afterward he abandoned writing, travelled extensively, and finally settled in Egypt and Ethiopia as a trader, merchant and arms dealer. Perhaps most amazing was that Rimbaud wrote almost all of his poetry in a brief but intensely brilliant few years between the ages of 16 and 19. His most famous work was his last, Un Saison en Enfer (A Season in Hell) published in 1873. His visionary prose poems contained in Les Illuminations of 1872 depicted a surrealistic world of dreams and subconscious thoughts. One of the few exceptions was Les Illuminations, to texts by French poet Arthur Rimbaud.Īrthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) wrote some of the most extraordinary poetry in the French language. Benjamin Britten wrote almost all of his vocal music to texts in English. Here's one more poet with a musical connection, from one of my poetry discussions. ![]()
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