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Rimbaud

Short Biography

The one who upset the universe of words and rhymes, was tall, young and rebel, admired then rejected, forgotten then brought back. He orchestrated rhymes at the rhythm of his feelings and assigned colors to vowels. When he finished working with words, his soles touched the Middle East sand where he continued searching the inaccessible here-now over there.

Misunderstood and impenetrable by his contemporaries, he still is, even after sand glasses have been turned over more than thousand times. He could had shine in the poetry firmament and yet, he remains a shooting star flying towards the unknown. We know him through ink traces he threw on paper during days when he still somewhat believed in humanity.

When he had finished with French rhymes and verbs, he set out for main roads looking for the unknown. Storms, guerrillas, winds, mountains, valleys, forests and deserts never stopped his steps.

Jean Nicolas-Arthur Rimbaud was born on October 20, 1854 in Charleville, to an authoritative mother and a captain father — who gave up his family whereas Rimbaud was 4 years old. The young Arthur was very talented and won several prices at school. He devoured books after books and blackened white pages with French and Latin poems. Strangely, his mother and sister understood the importance of his work very lately, too late in fact.

At 16, he published texts under the 'Jean Baudry' pseudonym in a local newsletter of Ardennes.

At 17, he was accommodated among Parisian poets who clubbed together to nourish and lodge him: he was “tall, well-built, almost athletic, with a perfectly oval face of an angel in exile, with light chestnut-brown hair badly in order and eyes of a worrying pale blue. Inhabitant of Ardennes, he had — in addition to a pretty rural accent too quickly lost — an aptitude of prompt assimilation, specific to people of that country. This can explain his fast drying, under the stupid sun of Paris, of his vein, to speak like our fathers whose direct and straight language was not always wrong, after all!”, according to Verlaine [Les poètes maudits (The Accursed Poets)].

At 21, he wrote his last poem and left for elsewhere.

Thereafter, he undertook various adventures in Africa and Arabia, often on foot. We can follow his trace through his correspondence with his mother and sister.

However, Rimbaud thoughts and passions of this time escape us. The words he transmitted to his family are quite superficial as for his inner self. We know about his roads and genius, but there is still an enigma that only research in these countries could clarify.

Besides, it is thinkable that Rimbaud left writings, which could have enchanted people of these regions – more especially as the Arabian language dances naturally when laid down on paper...

Immerse yourself in this world with some selected texts, which have been transcribed here. Just be sure to mouse over the RIMBAUD icon at left to navigate not only between themes but also between pages when numbers appear under it.

Locate Arthur Rimbaud in history.

Glossary

Charleville
Nowadays, Charleville-Mezieres: a town in northeastern France, in the Ardennes, close to Meuse river, near Belgium. Arthur Rimbaud was born there and was also buried there 37 years later.

At the end of XXth century, its population was lower than 60,000 inhabitants.
Inner self
At Harar, where he stayed in 1880 and 1890, a street named 'Arthur Rimbaud' testified of his passage until Ethiopian revolution (~1974).

Historians will suppose that he was recognized there thanks to his commercial activities. We can also think that no one was immune to Arthur... Perhaps a small investigation there would reveal us some surprises... Who knows?
Rimbaud and Arabian language
According to Jules Borelli from Marseilles (France), — first explorer of the provinces of the South (Amhara, Oromo, Sidama countries), — Rimbaud knew Arabic, Amarigna and Oromo, he was untiring and a better scientist than him...
Rimbaud's sister
Isabelle Rimbaud (1860-1917) learned only after her brother death that he wrote poems. She entrusted: “Without having ever read them, I knew his works.”

Among known Rimbaud correspondences, several were exchanged with his mother and sister, Isabelle. On November 9, 1891, she wrote for him – then invalidated – his last letter. On the next day, before the sun of midday, she heard Rimbaud last words.
Verlaine
Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (March 30, 1844 - January 8, 1896), inhabitant of Ardennes and son of a captain, like Rimbaud , was his protector and close friend during three years, which forever transformed their lives as well as the French poetry.

It is towards Verlaine that Arthur turned when he left Charleville to become a poet. Verlaine received him with open arms in Paris. It is with Rimbaud that Verlaine left behind his wife and child to partake roads. His passion for Rimbaud led him behind bars (1873).

The one who was crowned prince of poets in 1893 has never been able to extinguish the flame that consumed him: “Mortal, angel AND demon, well that's Rimbaud... Ah, dead! Rather living in me with thousand fires”, wrote Verlaine nearly twenty years after having left Rimbaud.

Verlaine also devoted to publish texts of the one that he tried in vain to forget!

Bibliography