Talk:Arthur Rimbaud/Archive 1

Correction

"In July 1873, after a particularly violent quarrel in Brussels train station, Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist. Fearing for his life, Rimbaud called for the police."

in "deposition de rimbaud devant le juge d'instruction" 12 july 1873 Rimbaud recounts the events. Verlaine shot him at his mother house after Rimbaud had decided on going to paris which Verline protested, after geting drunk he shot at rimbaud twice. the frist shot hit his left wrist and the second hit the floor. It was after the shooting when leaving for Paris Verlaine carried the gun within his pocket acting like a mad man which scared Rimbaund into calling for the police. so i'm going to edit this line.--Monty Cantsin 08:49, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

Charles Baudelaire

I cannot find a reason for Charles Baudelaire figuring in the Rimbaud template, neither here nor in that writer's article. Nameme 03:31, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

David Morrell has confirmed that Rambo was named after Rimbaud

David Morrell has confirmed that Rambo was named after Rimbaud.

JG Hitzert

I've seen an interview with John Milius where he claims that both the character Rambo and Kurtz in Conrad's Heart of Darkness were both based on Rimbaud. His fascination with the Heart of Darkness book also extends to his film Farewell to The King. --~~~~

needs citations for direct quotes

article needs citations for direct quotes

Addition of T. S. Eliot to "Influences."

Added with the following justifications: 1) Eliot studied and was condidered an expert in the French symbolist poets at Cambridge, and quoted Rimbaud in his work on such; 2) "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," pretty much in its entirety, shows notable influence of Rimbaud in its juxtapostion of high poetic beauty with the commonplace or the unattractive.

Consider these lines from "Prufrock":

For I have known them all already, known them all --
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And Rimbaud, from "The Drunken Boat":

I have come to know the skies splitting with lightnings, and the waterspouts
And the breakers and currents; I know the evening,
And Dawn rising up like a flock of doves,
And sometimes I have seen what men have imagined they saw!

One can also note that Rimbaud's echoes of "I have known", "I have dreamed", "I have followed" etc. becomes Eliot's repetion of "I have known" across three stanzas.

Also from "The Drunken Boat," the line "the bitter rednesses of love" certainly is on the same plane as Eliot's theme.

Influence also in other works throughout his life, including The Four Quartets. I realize this is arguable. Other views welcome!

Edwardpiercy 20:24, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

On the other hand, I can't think of two more dissimilar poets than Rimbaud (a homosexual anarchist) and Eliot (a deeply religious monarchist authoritarian). Since Eliot's entire body of work references snippets of just about everything within western civilization before him, I'm not sure I care whether he made a reference to Rimbaud or not ... --Kelt65 21:58, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Rimbaud was still 18 when Verlaine shot him.

Because the shooting happened in July and Rimbaud was born in October. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.128.196.43 (talk) 01:52, 19 December 2006 (UTC).

Rimbaud's final months: It is not true the information that Rimbaud never left the hospital after having his leg amputated. In fact, he left hospital for home, in Charleville. What happens is that, some months ahead, as passing again by Marseille in a desperate attempt to travel back to Aden/Harar, he did not make it, and was instead admitted once more in the hospital where he had his leg amputated, dying there, ironically as it coul possibly be, some days later. Please check: Arthur Rimbaud in Africa, by Charles NIcholl, for details on these final events of the french symbolist poet in reference.

Graffitti in Amenophis III Birthplace at Luxor: Arthur Rimbaud

Bold text A discussion has been installed about a grafitti at pharaoh Amenophis III Birth place in Luxor Temple,reading ARTHUR RIMBAUD,supposedly discovered by french novelist Jean Cocteau in 1949.

Is it a real Rimbaud handwriting specimen, or a faked autorship inscription?

I have investigated this question a little further, and I ended up by discovering that, when Rimbaud travelled to Cairo in august 1887, there enjoying a kind of "four-weeks leave", and even writing articles to the expatriate newspaper Bosphore Egyptien on August 25h and 27th, the Egyptian museum was under direction of egyptologist Georges Émile Jules Daressy, a young french scientist ten years younger than Rimbaud, and a one who afterwards acquired professional fame as the translator of the Akhmin Wooden Tablet, a sort of Arithmetical Woodplate of Ancient Egypt.

Curiously enough, Daressy was then just surveying Luxor Monuments Area, an unveiled part of which he started excavating the next year, with superb results.

Just supposing for a moment that the inscription is authentic, could we assume that Rimbaud and Daressy had been introduced (maybe by Octave Borelli, director of the Bosphore Egyptien and brother of Rimbaud's friend Jules Borelli), and the archaeologist invited him to see his Luxor excavations-in-prospect?

Or am I just going too far on speculation?

Thanks for any help.

Grading

Yann, I see that you've downgraded this article. I appreciate that there is a lot of work to be done and the justification for your downgrade could be useful. Please comment. --PaulGarner 17:26, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

Plenty of R's life, very little abt his poetry.PiCo 10:30, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Was he actually a poet and not just the proto emo boy? H Bruthzoo 17:10, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

Hi-

I've made the article more objective regarding the alleged sexual relationship between Rimbaud and Verlaine, as there is no documented proof that they did indeed have homosexual sex. They may or may not have. A citation from a French book is not proof.

Czarnykon (talk) 12:04, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

!? I'm not sure that there's any serious doubt whatsoever about the nature of their relationship. They even wrote a joint sonnet, variously called Obscur et froncé ("Hidden and wrinkled") and the Sonnet du trou du cul ("Arsehole sonnet").

"Little doubt remain in a reasonable reader's mind that sodomy must indeed have been practised". (Starkie, Arthur Rimbaud, 1973:184).

"There is little doubt the two men became lovers" (Schmidt, Arthur Rimbaud Complete Works, 2000:343).

Novelist Alphonse Daudet reported that Rimbaud said to him "[Verlaine] can satisfy himself on me as as much as he likes. But now he wants me to practise on him. Not on your life! He's far too filthy." (Quoted in Robb, Rimbaud, 2000:142)

Poet Maurice Rollinat recounted how Rimbaud told him "X ... fucked me all night long and now I can't keep my shit in." (Quoted in Robb, Rimbaud, 2000:142)

--ROGER DAVIES ^talk 13:05, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Subsequent Fame

At the time he gave up writing, he was practically unknown, and never did anymore towards helping his fame himself. I came here hoping to read about how his work nonetheless slowly managed to achieve fame and classic status - but there's nothing about it? Also I agree, it's odd there is ONLY biographical info here, it makes him seem like a second-rate poet, while the championship of everyone from Jim Morrison to Bob Dylan should imply otherwise. I'd have liked to have read about his poetry as well. Good bio, though ;) Cheers 62.107.24.213 (talk) 00:18, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

The introduction is so fucking lame, Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, where are the links ?

He gave up writing at twenty and was appreciated very early - not only by Verlaine but by other poets important at that time . In his time poets became famous by beeig recognized in a close circle of poets and afficiandos and appreciation by the wider public came later. Before he stopped writing he did quite a lot for becoming both famous and notorious - by socializing with bohemian poets and behaving scandalously. After reaching 21 he dissociated himself from literature so thouroughly that he despised poetry and read only practical and technical books. He was famous even during his lifetime but did not know it. --80.243.99.200 (talk) 12:07, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Rimbaud père

Good progress, Maria! Small quibble: I think "Bourguignon" in this context means Burgundian. Robb however (page 7) reckons he was from "Dôle in the Juras" (link: Dole, Jura). --ROGER DAVIES ^talk 08:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Oo, I haven't read Robb yet, so I'll take your word on it. I'm still trying to get my way around the French countryside. Starkie is oddly romantic and speculative, isn't she? María (habla conmigo) 12:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I like them both very much in their own ways. If you like Judith Farr, you'll love Graham Robb. Incidentally, there's a very good description of Rimbaud padre by Rimbaud hijo in one of his letters. I'll see if I can find it and post it. --ROGER DAVIES ^talk 12:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Wasn't he involved in the slave trade...

...or trying? I seem to recall a letter he wrote near the very end of his life, to that effect. It would seem a significant fact.Figureground (talk) 19:36, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

No, it's wrong. He was involved in arm traffic and asked for two slaves for his personal use (which he never got), but that's it. Lerichard (talk) 13:27, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

delahaye

Should some mention be made of his friend Delahaye? in the "complete works" Paul Schmidt says Delahaye is the source of most of what we know about his early life.Clockwrist (talk) 14:11, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Paul Theroux on Arthur Rimbaud

In his book Dark Star Safari Paul Theroux writes about Rimbaud in Ethiopia quoting Rimbaud letters several times and anecdotes about him. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MrParsifal (talk • contribs) 09:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Rimbaud's London girl

I've removed the following text:

while Rimbaud was in the underground, he had fallen in love with a girl, whom he did not dare speak to, but followed her home on numerous occasions.<ref>KEGSPOTTER 2002</ref>

The statement is not supported fully by the source, which says:

It is also said that at this time Rimbaud fell in love with a girl he saw on the Underground whom he used to follow home but dared not speak to KEGSPOTTER

KEGSPOTTER does not appear to be a reliable source. I do wonder what Rimbaud was doing on the Underground though as the British museum is only about 300 metres from their lodgings and Robb specfically says that he and Verlaine walked everywhere (to save money). --ROGER DAVIES ^talk 09:39, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Good idea; I nearly reverted these edits myself. I didn't get too far in the research, so I can't ascertain if this is corroborated by the reading, but a reliable source for any addition would be preferable. I also prefer walking in London, however. :) María (habla conmigo) 12:33, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Major rewrite

This article is thoroughly inadequate. I am thinking about giving it a major edit. I invite suggestions. Lexo (talk) 00:23, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Well, Roger and I had grandiose plans for a complete rewrite, but after a short burst of work more than six months ago, we seemed to have moved on to other things. I've been hoping to pick it up again at some point, however, but personal life has taken over. So feel free to jump in. :) María (habla conmigo) 00:35, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Rimbaud is of uttermost importance to poetry and literature in general in WP, and I think the article should be extended and improved. Unfortunately, my English isn't good enough for that, but I can help by providing references or answering questions here. Best, Lerichard (talk) 12:20, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

My 2 cents: I don't think that "anarchist" is a the word that best describe the poet, and I don't think it should be used in the first sentence. Rimbaud wasn't politically involved, except in brief periods, but this is far from clear. He was opposed to order and society, but that was more a literrary stance, than a political one. I'd point out, in the first sentence, that he had a tumultuous life (not a POV, there are multiple references), and to the fact that he stopped being a poet very early (this is, however, mentioned, but maybe it could be written in the same sentence). I wouldn't mention the "Decadent movement" in the introduction either. Lerichard (talk) 20:04, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Heart Under a Cassock

Does anyone have information on what this is? I've read Schmidt's translation, though he didn't provide an explanation on what it was exactly. It sounds like a series of diary entries, though someone online mentioned it as a short story he wrote. Clockwrist (talk) 03:51, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Rickword as a source

• Rickword, Edgell. 1971. Rimbaud: The Boy and the Poet. New York: Haskell House Publishers. ISBN 0838313094.

I'm not sure how reliable this is as a source. It was written in 1924 and there's been much groundbreaking research since. --ROGER DAVIES ^talk 12:30, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

It isn't the most academic of sources, no. I liked it because it was an easy read and not as daunting as Robb or Starkie. :) Only a few statements are sourced to him, however, so feel free to remove/replace/etc. María (habla conmigo) 13:11, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

There's nothing about Rimbaud's work!

This whole entry is biographical. There's nothing here about his work. We should definitely work hard to include something about his poetry!scotteaux (talk) 03:08, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

True enough. Also, read Milan Kundera's novel Immortality (1990?), for a lengthy treatment of why we're more interested in the lives of poets than their poetry.

As an additional grumpy aside, Wikipedia is a pretty damn good venue for reciting the known facts, so biography of well-known figures eventually approaches accuracy. But commenting about literature? That's inherently an interpretative discourse, and will instantly run into the quasi-Stalinist NPOV guidelines around here, and will either be deleted or -- at best -- chewed up into a zero-calorie, zero-nutrition paste of innocuous platitudes reminiscent of a half-page Reader's Digest article in the Nixon era.

Not that you are wrong, of course. StrangeAttractor (talk) 06:17, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Hmm. For such an important author, one would think that there are ample secondary sources available which could be mined to provide interpretations of his poetry. The "no original research"/NPOV guidelines do hamper developing literature-related article, but try considering them more of a challenge -- like meter & rhyme in traditional poetry -- that frame of mind might help potential editors to get past those handicaps. -- llywrch (talk) 18:11, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

This article does need lit-crit/lit-reception/lit-themes sections. I don't think it will be a problem at all to write, there's mountains of analysis available. They just take an eternity to do.  Roger Davies ^talk 18:17, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

(removed by author) But I'd rather have something offered as 'one possible interpretation', rather than nothing at all, I didn't delete anything on the Season in Hell page.)

I'm on the Baudelaire page.33gsd (talk) 22:08, 25 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

Adding info to articles in need is obviously awesome -- especially since this article in particular is missing some key points regarding Rimbaud's writing. However, your recent additions to the lead (aside from the readily apparent typos) are problematic in that they require reliable sources per WP:RS. It's not a matter of "oh, all the sources say this, so I don't need to cite it" -- how can that be verified by other users not familiar with the available sources? Besides, if this is indeed true, then finding a reliable source shouldn't be an issue. No info is better than uncited info that will surely cause contention. Keep this in mind for other articles. :) María (habla conmigo) 23:47, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

(removed by author)(...) 33gsd (talk) 00:23, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

I admit I'm not a fan of some of your additions, and do not see most of it belonging in the article; this is why I did not "fix it", as you imply on my talk page I should have done. Lead sections are meant to summarize articles per WP:LEAD, not introduce new material. That he is taught in "many university courses" is immaterial, and somewhat obvious, I should think. He's one of the most famous French poets known to the English-speaking world, after all. If anything, it is this fact that should be espoused in the lead and in the following Legacy section, not the number of books/articles published in the last decade or that his poetry is taught in IB classes. The former PM's admiration for Rimbaud is noteworthy, and probably worth a note in the Legacy section once it has been fleshed out with similar praise. María (habla conmigo) 12:51, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

(deleted by author) (I deleted my previous comment suggesting a separate entry dedicated only to a literary perspective on his work). (talk) 18:03, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

A new article is not necessary. Rather, add worthy and encyclopedic material—with reliable sources, of course—where appropriate. I've made a start of it here, with a new section entitled "Poetry". As for you disagreeing with my comment about the "key points", I don't see how that can be so; it's fairly obvious that I'm agreeing that the article needs to be expanded -- just not with details on how Rimbaud is currently taught in IB classes. ;) María (habla conmigo) 19:24, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

removed by author33gsd (talk) 19:29, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

You're comparing a Featured Article to one that is barely a B-Class. Besides, not only is that information correctly and reliably sourced, but it isn't located in the article's lead. Each article is different, and one shouldn't be held up to another's yardstick. Anyway, I've been bold and created a section where Rimbaud's poetry and poetic legacy can be expanded over time, so that's a start. María (habla conmigo) 19:53, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

(deleted by author)33gsd (talk) 20:34, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

As I stated above, this quickly added section is merely a beginning; of course it doesn't offer any "comment or evaluation of much value" etc., etc. It took me twenty minutes to find a new source and throw a few facts together. Easy peasy. People have been complaining for ages that the article does not address Rimbaud's poetry, not taking it upon themselves to fix it. The article now addresses this very subject directly, and I hope that there will be more added by other interested editors over time. I may add more myself. The article, like most others, is not finished, and probably never will be, although I had hopes in the past that it would become Featured. I get that you are new to Wikipedia, but understand that your previous edits were uncited and badly worded, all while introducing new material which goes against WP:LEAD. Your additions also did not contribute what the above users presumably wanted: literary criticism. This new poetry section section does just that, albeit briefly. Add more if you wish. I won't revert, although I cannot promise that I won't "clean-up". (Oh, and comparing this article to Emily Dickinson is really not getting us anywhere. Apples and oranges.) María (habla conmigo) 21:09, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

Please understand this politely - has no-one ever corrected you on your use of the verb 'espouse?' Perhaps you confuse it with expound. And feel welcome to delete this.33gsd (talk) 20:42, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

Expound works in this context as well, but I believe I meant "espoused" in this context: "to take up and support as a cause; become attached to". Thank you. María (habla conmigo) 21:09, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm not an authority but there are some things I should know, and that stood out to me straight away as an error. A letter cannot espouse, Rimbaud can espouse in a letter. About 117 google hits for letter espoused, about 3270 for "letter expounded," about 1130 for letter advocated. I wouldn't expect the object of 'espouse' to be something new, a cause or theory not already existing. And <<If anything, it is this fact that should be espoused in the lead and in the following Legacy section,>> espouse is not related to exposition, expose etc, its root is marry. Please delete these comments when you're through with this33gsd (talk) 21:56, 27 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

Wow, we're fairly off topic now, aren't we? ;) Espouse or expound, whichever word works for me. BTW, you did not need to revert your change; I'm not so petty as to fight over one little word. Although you are of course free to remove your own comments, I don't plan on deleting anything that wasn't written by myself per WP:TALK. María (habla conmigo) 23:43, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

I've deleted some comments of mine. 33gsd (talk) 15:00, 28 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

Rimbaud, The Dirty Little Hypocrite

Current article contains the line

then an ardent Catholic like his mother, he was called "sale petit cagot", a dirty little hypocrite, by his fellow schoolboys

As a fella with some fair amount of literary and historical knowledge, but new to Rimbaud's biography, I'm stymied. Did they call him a hypocrite because he professed to be something other than a Catholic, or was this a standard slur for Catholics in his region/class etc.? Needs a brief line of explanation to put it in context. StrangeAttractor (talk) 06:17, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

They believed that his intellectual nature conflicted with his (at the time) strong defense of Catholicism. I've tried to make this clearer. María (habla conmigo) 12:11, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Restless soul?

"Rimbaud was known to have been a French Libertine and a restless soul..." This is the last sentence in the opening paragraph of the article, and doesn't ring as very encyclopedic, IMO. Anyone else agree? --24.6.249.113 (talk) 08:09, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I do agree. Why not take a shot at revising it? ~ Alcmaeonid (talk) 14:40, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

He was French and arguably a libertine, but stating that he was a "French Libertine" smells of parochialism to me. Dropping the French may help. Dropping the whole sentence would help even more. Then again, this is English Wikipedia and consensus is built also on silly stereotypes.

New photo discovered!

A new photo was discovered of adult Rimbaud, in which his facial features are more clear. Its been confirmed by a Rimbaud scholar. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7594130/French-booksellers-discover-first-adult-Rimbaud-picture.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by Clockwrist (talk • contribs) 19:33, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Influence on Paul Verlaine

I noticed someone removed Paul Verlaine from the "Influenced"-section. I think Verlaine should be noticed there, for influencing both Rimbaud and being influenced by Rimbaud during their relationship. Anyone agree with this? If not, why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Slowgaze (talk • contribs) 17:52, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

Poetry

Some suggestions for this section, I look forward to comments, the one source I cite is the Walter Fowlie translation, 1966, Chigago UP,

Rimbaud is a major poet, (space dedicated to him in major anthologies, inclusion in courses) His reputation rests on a relatively small output; besides marginal works (Stupra, Album called Zutique, Vieux coppees, poems in letters to Delahaye that are not included in editions of his works, the satirical short story 'A heart under a cassock' and the prose poems 'deserts of love') he wrote x mature verse poems(I count 63 in my Fowlie, should quote the most popular (livre du poche) or the most authoritative (pleiade)), the prose work A Season in Hell, and the (I count 42) prose poems of the Illuminations.

These folk have translated his poetry into English: tba.

'Rimbaud's art is a poetic language of exceptional freshness' (p5) Early on he had shown a mastery of the traditional tools/techniques of French verse. Later, in his poem 'What is said to the poet' adressed to Theodore de Banville he calls on poets to reject cliches in favour of unconventional new images. He broke with the rigid rules of metre and rhyme in poems such as 1872 'Festivals of Patience' and was, in this regard, a pioneer, going further than Verlaine. SUBJECT MATTER is highly varied, from being deloused by his aunts in 'The seekers of Lice' to drunken boats, customs men, and people sitting in a library. THEMES OF HIS WORK Revolt is a theme of his work, as is childhood.

Fowlie writes ...childhood is defined by Rimbaud as certainty, as a treasure, as something pure and exempt from doubt and falsehood.He recognises the noblest efforts of man, and names them: love, ambition,poetry, science, religion - but he designates them as vain, as masks copncealing a void.

A Season in Hell has no precedent. It is a prose work in which the poet looks at himself and his work, much of it written in a bitter, cynical tone.

In the first section the speaker laments a lost paradise and regrets the path he chose, in which he removed the possibilty of joy and chose madness.

In 'Bad Blood' the speaker clames he has the vices of the ancient Gauls, including stupidity, laziness, and deceit. He describes his childhood admiration for the convict, and says he should not be judged by society's standards because he has never accepted them. He later discusses religion and a (false) conversion. 'Delirium part 1' contains a bitter and comic dramatisation of his life with Verlaine and part 2 contains several of Rimbaud's verse poems accompanied by comments on his (mad) poetic project.

His Illuminations, believed to be his final work, mark a significant development in the genre of prose poety. They are far more elliptical, mysterious and abstract than the prose poems of Baudelaire.

LEGACY

Despite its complexity, the poetry of Rimbaud exercises great appeal, particularly for younger readers. Fowlie writes 'The ultimate lesson, which the art of Rimbaud teaches, states that poetry is one means, among other means, by which life may be changed and renewed. Poetry is one possible stage in a life process.'(p5) --“A SINGLE VERSE by Rimbaud,” writes Dominique de Villepin, (former) French Prime Minister, “shines like a powder trail on a day’s horizon. It sets it ablaze all at once, explodes all limits, draws the eyes to other heavens--

Alcohol, absinthe (potential hallucinogenic) and other drugs may have played a role in Rimbaud's life and the creation of his works, but the suggestion that much of the apparent 'strangeness' of Rimbaud's work can be explained by drug use is not espoused by anyone competent.

For an esoteric C19 French writer, Rimbaud has an uncommonly high profile in popular culture. The fame of Rimbaud the person over the author Rimbaud began long before his espousal by 1950's /1960's US counter culture. In the early twentieth century some avant-garde painters (such as Paris-based Modigliani, certain German expressionists(?)and the Austrian Egon Schiele) were more attracted to Rimbaud as an outsider and artistic revolutionary than to his works. Picasso was interested in Rimbaud, producing a lithograph of the poet. Composer Benjamin Britten set some of the Illuminations.

Popular artists who have cited Rimbaud as inspiration include Patti Smith and Jim Morrison.

EVALUATIONS OF RIMBAUD

Fowlie, p6 : There was nothing unnusual about his life, save that the major events, transpiring while he was a practicing poet, were swift (...) Revolt, in some form or another, is everywhere manifest in these five years of Rimbaud's life, and yet nothing completely or satisfactorily explains this revolt.' 33gsd (talk) 16:48, 28 August 2010 (UTC)33gsd

English translations

I am not fluent in French and am rather new to much of Rimbaud's poetry. What I am reading so far (Fowlie et al) leaves me with that irritated, impatient feeling that pedantic translation always gives; the feeling that something alive and brilliant has been smothered to death in some library, somewhere. Does anyone know of any really living, even if over-free, English translations? Rumiton (talk) 10:14, 12 October 2010 (UTC)