Arthur Rimbaud - Vagabond Poet
I used to write a column on Vagobond called "What am I doing here?" - while it's a logical enough question for a guy living like I was (I generally found myself somewhere new each week) but, in fact - the inspiration for the title came from a rather Extraordinary Vagabond poet named Arthur Rimbaud.
Further Reading on Rimbaud The LIfe of Rimbaud
A Season in Hell and the Drunken Boat
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud. Not the least of reasons why Rimbaud is worthy of knowing about is because he was a libertine poet who only lived to the age of 37 but had a profound influence on world literature and you can say his name as John Rambo. Cool right?
He was born 20 October 1854 and was described by Victor Hugo as "an infant Shakespeare". This was during his teen years when the young Rimbaud was rebelling in a pure James Dean way through getting drunk, being rude, composing poems about shit (literally), stealing books and allowing his hair to grow long.
He was attempting (according to letters at the time) to develop a method for attaining poetical transcendence or visionary power through a "long, intimidating, immense and rational derangement of all the senses. The sufferings are enormous, but one must be strong, be born a poet, and I have recognized myself as a poet."
I'm now making myself as scummy as I can. Why? I want to be a poet, and I'm working at turning myself into a seer. You won't understand any of this, and I'm almost incapable of explaining it to you. The idea is to reach the unknown by the derangement of all the senses. It involves enormous suffering, but one must be strong and be a born poet. It's really not my fault.
Rimbaud, like a lot of great travelers, was a bit queer. He had a short and powerful affair with the poet Verlaine which became notorious as the two raged through Paris and London in a haze of hashish and absinthe. Keep in mind that Rimbaud was still a young teen at this point but gained a reputation as a true terror. Verlaine during the relationship, abandoned his wife and child and the two lived in a hectic squalor before parting ways. A reunion of the two in Brussels went terribly wrong when the drunk and angry Verlaine shot the 18 year old Rimbaud in the wrist with a pistol. Verlaine went to prison and Rimbaud began to wander about Europe, Asia, and Africa - mostly on foot.
Wanting to go further afield he joined the Dutch Colonial Army and went to the island of Java where he deserted and continued his explorations. From there he traveled to Cyprus, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia and more travel amongst Europe.
If you doubt the influence of poets on culture, check out this blurb from wikipedia:
Rimbaud's poetry, as well as his life, made an indelible impression on 20th century writers, musicians and artists. Pablo Picasso,Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, Vladimir Nabokov, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Giannina Braschi, Léo Ferré, Henry Miller, Van Morrison and Jim Morrison have been influenced by his poetry and life. Here is Kerouac's poem - Rimbaud
Arthur! On t' appela pas Jean! Born in 1854 cursing in Charle- ville thus paving the way for the abominable murderousnesses of Ardennes---No wonder your father left! So you entered school at 8 ---Proficient little Latinist you! In October of 1869 Rimbaud is writing poetry in Greek French— Takes a runaway train
to Paris without a ticket, the miraculous Mexican Brakeman throws him off the fast train, to Heaven, which he no longer travels because Heaven is everywhere--- Nevertheless the old fags intervene--- Rimbaud nonplussed Rimbaud trains in the green National Guard, proud marching in the dust with his heroes--- hoping to be buggered, dreaming of the ultimate Girl. ---Cities are bombarded as he stares & stares & chews his degenerate lip & stares with gray eyes at Walled France---
Andre Gill was forerunner to Andre Gide--- Long walks reading poems in the Genet Haystacks--- The Voyant is born, the deranged seer makes his first Manifesto, gives vowels colors & consonants carking care, comes under the influence of old French Fairies who accuse him of constipation of the brain & diarrhea of the mouth--- Verlaine summons him to Paris with less aplomb than he did banish girls to Abyssinis---
Merde! screams Rimbaud at Verlaine salons--- Gossip in Paris---Verlaine Wife is jealous of a boy with no seats to his trousers ---Love sends money from Brussels ---Mother Rimbaud hates the importunity of Madame Verlaine---Degenerate Arthur is suspected of being a poet by now--- Screaming in the barn Rimbaud writes Season in Hell, his mother trembles Verlaine sends money & bullets into Rimbaud--- Rimbaud goes to the police & presents his innocence like the pale innocence of his divine feminine Jesus ---Poor Verlaine, 2 years in the can, but could have got a knife in the heart
---Illuminations! Stuttgart! Study of Languages! On foot Rimbaud walks & looks thru the Alpine passes into Italy, looking for clover bells, rabbits, Genie Kingdoms & ahead of his nothing but the old Canaletto death of sun on old Venetian buildings ---Rimbaud studies language ---hears of the Alleghanies, of Brooklyn, of last American Plages--- His angel sister dies--- Vienne! He looks at pastries & pets old dogs! I hope! This mad cat joins the Dutch Army & sails for Java commanding the fleet at midnight on the bow, alone, no one hears his Command but every fishy shining in the sea---August is no time to stay in Java--- Aiming at Egypt, he's again hungup in Italy so he goes back home to deep armchair but immediately he goes again, to Cyprus, to run a gang of quarry workers,--- what did he look like now.this later Rimbaud?---Rock dust & black backs & hacks of coughers, the dream rises in the Frenchman's Africa mind,--- Invalids from the tropics are always loved---The Red Sea in June, the coast clanks in Arabia---Havar, Havar, the magic trading post---Aden, Aden, South of Bedouin--- Ogaden, Ogaden, never known---(Meanwhile Verlaine sits in Paris over cognacs wondering what Arthur looks like now, & how bleak their eyebrows because they believed in earlier eyebrow beauty)--- Who cares? What kinda Frenchmen are these? Rimbaud, hit me over the head with that rock! Serious Rimbaud composes elegant & learned articles for National Geographic Societies, & after wars commands Harari Girl (Ha Ha!) back to Abyssinia, & she was young, had black eyes, thick lips, hair curled, & breasts like polished brown with copper teats & ringlets on her arms & joined her hands upon her central loin & had shoulders as broad as Arthur's & little ears ---A girl of some caste, in Bronzeville---
Rimbaud also knew thinbonehipped Polynesians with long tumbling hair & tiny tits & big feet
Finally he starts trading illegal guns in Tajoura riding in caravans, Mad, with a belt of gold around his waist--- Screwed by King Menelek! The Shah of Shoa! The noises of these names in that noisy French mind!
Cairo for the summer, bitter lemon wind & kisses in the dusty park where girls sit folded at dusk thinking nothing---
Havar! Havar! By litter to Zeyla he's carried moaning his birthday---the boat returns to chalk castle Marseilles sadder than time, than dream, sadder than water ---Carcinoma, Rimbaud is eaten by the disease of overlife---They cut off his beautiful leg--- He dies in the arms of Ste Isabelle his sister & before rising to Heaven sends his francs to Djami, Djami the Havari boy his dody servant 8 years in the African Frenchman's Hell, & it all adds up to nothing, like Dostoevsky, Beethoven or Da Vinci---
So, poets, rest awhile & shut up: Nothing ever came of nothing.
Written in 1958 and published as a City Lights broadside in 1960.
Rimbaud's life has been portrayed in several films. Italian filmmaker Nelo Risi's 1970 film Una stagione all'inferno ("A Season in Hell") starred Terence Stamp as Rimbaud and Jean Claude Brialy as Paul Verlaine. In 1995 Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland directed Total Eclipse, which was based on a play by Christopher Hampton who also wrote the screenplay. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Rimbaud and David Thewlis as Paul Verlaine.