Rimbaud Complete

2003 Modern Library Paperback Edition Translation, Introduction copyright © 2002 by Wyatt Mason

All imageJ" courtery ofthe MUJ"ee-Bibliotheque Rimbaud de Charleville-Meziem (France). All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Modern Library, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. MODERN LIBRARY and the TORCHBEARER Design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. This work was originally published in hardcover by Modern Library, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2002. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Rimbaud, Arthur, 1854-1891. [Works. English. 2002] Rimbaud complete/translated, edited, and with an introduction by Wyatt Mason. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-375-75770-8 (pbk.) 1. Rimbaud, Arthur, 1854-1891-Translations into English. I. Mason, Wyatt Alexander, 1969- II. Title. P~387.R5

A264 2002 841'.8-dc21

2001051389

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To Suzanne and Wtlliam Mason

What will become of the world when you leave? No matter what happens, no trace of now will remain. -"Youth,

IV"

ILLUMINATIONS

CONTENTS

Introduction· xxvii A Note to the Reader· xlv

Rimbaud Comp1ete POETRY I. 1869 THE ORPHANS' NEW YEAR'S GIFTS·

5

II. 1870 SENSATION· 11 SUN AND FLESH • 12 OPHELIA· 17 VENUS ANADYOMENE • 19 FIRST NIGHT· 20 NINA REPLIES·

22

"DEAD OF NINETY-TWO AND NINETY-THREE" • 27 FROZEN IN FEAR • 28 NOVEL· 30 WINTER DREAM·

32

THE SIDEBOARD· 33 THE STUNNING VICTORY AT SAARBROCKEN • CLEVER GIRL·

35

AT THE CABARET-VERT, FIVE P.M.•

36

34

A SLEEPER IN THE VALLEY' 37 To MUSIC' 38 HANGED MEN, DANCING' 40 TARTUFE UNDONE' 42 THE BLACKSMITH' 43 My BOHEMIA' 49 EVIL'

50

CAESAR'S RAGE'

51

III. 1871 STOLEN HEART'

55

THE BATTLE SONG OF PARIS' My LITTLE LOVES'

56

58

SQUATTING' 60 PARISIAN ORGY OR THE REPOPULATION OF PARIS' 62 POETS, AGE SEVEN'

65

THE POOR AT CHURCH' 68 SISTERS OF CHARITY'

70

FIRST COMMUNION' 72 ON THE SUBJECT OF FLOWERS: REMARKS, ADDRESSED TO THE POET' 78 THE DRUNKEN BOAT'

85

"THE RIGHTEOUS MAN ..." • 89 JEANNE-MARTE'S HANDS' 92

IV. UNDATED POEMS, c. 1870-1872 SITTING MEN' 97 LICE HUNTERS' 99

x . Contents

CUSTOMS MEN· 100 "THE STAR WEPT ... "· 101 EVENING PRAYER • 102 FAUN'S HEAD· 103 VOWELS· 104

V. 1872 COMEDY OF THIRST· 107 GOOD MORNING THOUGHTS· 110 RIVER CASSIS • 111 TEAR·

112

PATIENCE CELEBRATED • 113

1. MAY BANNERS • 113 2. SONG FROM THE TALLEST TOWER • 114 3. ETERNITY • 115

4. GOLDEN AGE ·116 YOUNG COUPLEDOM·

119

"Is SHE A DANCER ... ?"· 120 HUNGER CELEBRATED· 121 CROWS· 122 "BLANKETS OF BLOOD ... "·123 "FLOWERBEDS OF AMARANTHS ... "· 124 "IN APRIL, LISTEN ... "·

126

MICHEL AND CHRISTINE· 127 SHAME ·129 MEMORY

·130

"0 SEASONS, 0

CHATEAUX"·

132 Contents . xi

VI. 1871-1872: FROM THE ALBUM ZUTIQYE SONNET TO AN ASSHOLE·

135

LILY· 136 SEEN IN ROME·

13 7

FEAST OF LOVE· 138

"I WAS IN A THIRD-CLASS COMPARTMENT ..."· 139 "DOUBTLESS

I PREFER ..." • 140

"HUMANITY TIED ... "· 141 NONSENSE/NoNSENSE, PART 2·142 THE OLD WOMAN'S OLD MAN!· 143 UNDER SIEGE? • 144 THE BRUSH· 145 EXILE· 146 FALLEN CHERUB· 147 "ON SUMMER NIGHTS ... " • 148 "To BEDSIDE BOOKS ..." • 149 SATURNINE HYPOTYPOSES, VIA BELMONTET· 150 REMEMBRANCES OF AN OLD IDIOT· 151 RECOLLECTION· 153

PROSE I. 1866: "THE SUN WAS STILL HOT ..."· 157

II. 1870: A HEART UNDER A CASSOCK· 163

III. 1871: DESERTS OF LOVE· 181

xii . Contents

IV. 1872: GOSPELS· 187

V. 1873: A SEASON IN HELL' 193 "LONG AGO, IF My MEMORY SERVES [ ... ]". 195 BAD BLOOD' 196 NIGHT IN HELL' 202 DELIRIA' 204 1. FOOLISH VIRGIN • 204

II. ALCHEMY OF THE WORD' 208 THE IMPOSSIBLE' 215 LIGHTNING' 21 7 MORNING' 218 FAREWELL' 219

VI. 1872-1874: ILLUMINATIONS· 221 AFTER THE FLOOD· 223 CHILDHOOD • 224 TALE· 227 SIDESHOW • 228 ANTIQUE • 229 BEING BEAUTEOUS· 230 LIVES· 231 DEPARTURE· 233 ROYALTY·

234

FOR A REASON· 235 DRUNKEN MORNING· 236 LINES· 237

Contents . xiii

UNTITLED FRAGMENTS· 238 WORKERS· 239 BRIDGES· 240 CITY· 241 RUTS ·242 CITIES

[I]

·243

VAGABONDS· 244 CITIES

[II] • 245

VIGILS· 247 MYSTIC· 248 DAWN· 249 FLOWERS·250 COMMON NOCTURNE· 251 SEASCAPE· 252 WINTER CELEBRATED· 253 ANGUISH· 254 METROPOLITAN· 255 BARBARIAN· 256 FAIRY· 257 WAR·258 ADVT.·259 YOUTH· 260 PROMONTORY· 262 DEVOTION· 263 DEMOCRACY· 264 STAGES· 265 HISTORIC EVENING· 266

XIV •

Contents

BOTTOM' 267

H· 268 MOVEMENT' 269 GENIUS' 270

UNCOLLECTED WRITINGS I. SCHOOLWORK· 275 "IT WAS SPRING ..•" • 277 "AND THE NEW YEAR HAD ALREADY BEGUN ... "· 280 "A VERY BIG BABY WAS BORN ..." • 283 "LONG AGO ... " • 287 "IN THOSE DAYS ..."' 289 ApOLLONIUS THE GREEK SPEAKS OF MARCUS CiCERO' 291 INVOCATION TO VENUS • 295 "SIRE, TIME HAS ABANDONED HIS RAINCOAT ... ". 297

II. FROM A SCHOOL NOTEBOOK· 301

III. FRAGMENTS AND RECONSTRUCTIONS· 323 A. VIA RIMBAUD • 325

FROM CREDO IN UNAM • 325 "THE CHILD WHO GATHERED BULLETS .••"·327

FROM A LETTER TO ERNEST DELAHAYE, OCTOBER 14, 1875' 328

B. VIA PAUL VERLAINE • 329 VERSES FOR BATHROOM WALLS· 329 "IT RAINED SOFTLY ... "· 330

Contents·

C. VIA ERNEST DELAHAYE· 331 TWO SONNETS· 331 "ANCIENT ANIMALS SULLIED THl