The first poem from Arthur Rimbaud's "A Season In Hell", set to some inappropriately themed music (for comedic effect).
This is a weirdly specific request, but about 10-15 years ago I remember watching a YouTube video of Nikolai reading A Dream for Winter by Arthur Rimbaud over some music playing in the background. He read it in the original French. I've been able to find links for a video titled "Nikolai Fraiture speaking French" which may be the video but its private now so the links are broken.
Does anyone else remember this? I would love to see it again but can't seem to find it anywhere.
I’ve new to poetry and am trying to read Arthur Rimbaud’s “illuminations”. It’s making little to no sense. Is there a technique to decode this or am I just not supposed to understand it and enjoy it for other attributes besides meaning?
A while back, if I remember right, my life was one long party where all hearts were open wide, where all wines kept flowing.
One night, I sat Beauty down on my lap.—And I found her galling.—And I roughed her up.
I armed myself against justice.
I ran away. O witches, O misery, O hatred, my treasure's been turned over to you!
I managed to make every trace of human hope vanish from my mind. I pounced on every joy like a ferocious animal eager to strangle it.
I called for executioners so that, while dying, I could bite the butts of their rifles. I called for plagues to choke me with sand, with blood. Bad luck was my god. I stretched out in the muck. I dried myself in the air of crime. And I played tricks on insanity.
And Spring brought me the frightening laugh of the idiot.
So, just recently, when I found myself on the brink of the final squawk! it dawned on me to look again for the key to that ancient party where I might find my appetite once more.
Charity is that key.—This inspiration proves I was dreaming!
"You'll always be a hyena etc. . . ," yells the devil, who'd crowned me with such pretty poppies. "Deserve death with all your appetites, your selfishness, and all the capital sins!"
Ah! I've been through too much:-But, sweet Satan, I beg of you, a less blazing eye! and while waiting for the new little cowardly gestures yet to come, since you like an absence of descriptive or didactic skills in a writer, let me rip out these few ghastly pages from my notebook of the damned.
Towards the end, when Angela Mitchell is finally brought to Bobby and the Aleph at the start of Chapter 40, she “comprehends this room and its inhabitants through shifting data planes that represent viewpoints, though of whom or what, she is in most cases in doubt. There is a considerable degree of overlap, of contradiction.” The first person she looks at is Gentry. One of the viewpoints she experiences on him is 3Jane’s: “Lady 3Jane, in her own eccentric scheme, has filed him under RIMBAUD. (Another face flares out at Angie from RIMBAUD; his name is Riviera, a minor player in the dreams.)”.
I have no idea what this means? As far as I can tell, this is the only occurrence of “RIMBAUD” in the entire trilogy, but it seems like a reference to something? Obviously Riviera is a character from Neuromancer who betrayed 3Jane, but he’s long dead. What did I miss here? Does anyone know what the connection is between Gentry, Riviera and whatever RIMBAUD is?
Having finished the trilogy kind of makes me want to re-read Neuromancer.
https://www.vocaroo.com/1nnJT4QuKCei
https://www.poetica.fr/poeme-533/arthur-rimbaud-sensation/
Correction du titre : Sensation
Par les soirs bleus d’été, j’irai dans les sentiers,
Picoté par les blés, fouler l’herbe menue :
Rêveur, j’en sentirai la fraîcheur à mes pieds.
Je laisserai le vent baigner ma tête nue.
Je ne parlerai pas, je ne penserai rien :
Mais l’amour infini me montera dans l’âme,
Et j’irai loin, bien loin, comme un bohémien,
Par la Nature, – heureux comme avec une femme.
Merci de m’avoir écoutée
I know that’s a mouthful and a lot vary. So if any of the above are your favs (I know I might get some hate for some of them) but who else really had a lasting affect on you? I feel like my taste in poetry is really specific and some are considered distasteful, (besides Mary Oliver) but they are my favorites and I struggle to find similar.
I know some of the above are also singers but their poetry is my favorite.
Feel free to recommend a specific poem or to leave an example! Or to share what about them is similar in their writing style.
According to a descendant of Arthur Rimbaud's family : There was never any feelings between Verlaine and their ancestor. They don't think he was homosexual. Verlaine was only providing the money for him to travel. That's all.
>One of the voices
Always angelic –
It is about me, –
Sharply expresses itself :
>
>Those thousand questions
Spreading their roots Bring in the end,
Only drunkenness and madness ;
Understand this trick
>
>So gay, so easy :
It is only wave, only flower,
And that is your family !
Then it sings.
>
>O So gay, so easy,
And visible to the naked eye… –
I sing with it, –
Understand this trick
>
>So gay, so easy :
It is only wave, only flower,
And that is your family !…
And then a voice –
>
>How angelic it is ! – It is about me,
Sharply expresses itself :
And sings at this moment
Like a sister to breath :
With a German tone,
But ardent and full :
The world is vicious ;
If that surprises you !
Live and leave to the fire
Dark misfortune.
>
>O ! pretty castle !
How bright your life is !
What age do you belong to,
Princely nature Of our elder brother !
>
>I also sing : Many sisters ! voices
Not at all public ! Surround me
With chaste glory…
>
>(Arthur Rimbaud)
