Rimbaud

A riddle of a riddle of the life of the poet Rimbaud

Rimbaud

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

"Genius is the recovery of childhood at will..."-Rimbaud 

liaise fare

Is how I breathe the air

Indulge upon these appetites 

Wandered flesh; in sweet delights

I'm not defined by generosity 

I lack all meaning in prosody 

There is no reason to my ryhme 

Serendipity is my crime

Author's Note

Allow me to preface this note by saying I am not a writing expert or even an educator. What I say is simply an opinion based on my own preference and bias of art. I apologize if any should find these thoughts offensive. I was recently challenged by my muse Cate to read the works of one Arthur Rimbaud a French poet. I had heard his name before from some of the writers I admire, so I figured what the hell I'll give it a try. It wasn't an easy assignment at all. He definitely is an acquired taste. Rimbaud to me captures the exuberance of youth unfiltered and uncompromised. Living life in the moment without a care in the world. I struggled to make sense of his work because I came from the perspective of an adult who is responsible and civil. I had forgotten what is was like being a child and the experience of feeling invulnerable and immortal. He is often credited as one of the forefathers of free form poetry. His unique style often feels decadent for his time, rebellious, and libertine. It is an undeniable mastery of words in rambunctious nature. Simply put...Rimbaud. feel free to leave thoughts or comments. Thank you

Reviews

[Katarzyna Anna Koziorow..]

Once upon a time I was fond of Rimbaud. His work is still close to my heart. Your poem is very good. It's worth reading it. I wish you endless creative inspiration.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Katarzyna for your comment on this poem. The poems I have read from Rimbaud I felt were good. Though I did find him a bit of an acquired taste. But as I always say art is subjective and every reader has their taste. I do recommend readers widen their horizons more and give it a try. Especially other writers so they can learn a little something about the poets of old.

[M. J. Smith]

As niether my libraries or bookstores here handle Rimbaud, I've not made the the man's acquantance except in passing quotes. A strange poem. Is this his normal style, or something wholly unique?

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

This was just my perception of the young poet upon reading some of his work. He wrote for a very short period of life and by age 20 stopped completely never writing again. The insight I gained was of a young man living life under his terms and not caring for the results. Whether his choices destroyed the lives of others or lead them to ruin. He captured the flighty selfish nature of youth uncompromised and exuberant. Many feel he was one of the greats that lead to free verse poetry coming into existence. He is an acquired taste to be sure and I would recommend reading short bios on him before reading his work. They will give a better understanding to his unique style and reasoning behind the words. He may have been a person of questionable character but there is no denying his art. Thank you again for your thoughts on this poem.

[M. J. Smith]

Perhaps one day I shall be able to experience him for myself. Thought provoking... Thank you for sharing, my friend.

[Neville]

.....................................so very well depicted .. the cad was darn good though, was he not, the old sod :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

He definitely was especially considering he was young when he wrote and stopped writing by age 20. What kind of artful poetry would he have produced had he continued into his mature age. I could only imagine. Thank you Neville for the comment on this piece.

[Dave Brown]

I am neither a sophisticated poet reader nor writer and don't understand much of what I read but I stopped over at the Rimbaud site and altho' I typically don't understand where his writing is directed, I definitely enjoyed the uninhibited style
Wish I could wander as freely
Thanks for the reference and hope you had a good day

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Dave for stopping by. I just submitted a poem that was a collaboration with Margie and my very first as a poet. It was such an enjoyable experience. I hope the community takes a liking to the piece because it truly was a labor of love. Thank you for stopping by my friend.

[Dave Brown]

I saw it last night and was duly impressed
You've done an exceptional piece
Two master minds together can only impress

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

you are too kind my friend. I just feel blessed to be part of the experience and she made it a joy to work on. Very supportive and collaborative. She is a talent and wonderful human being.

[Betty Hermelee]

I read your preface and it seems like this poet you speak of is truly stream of consciousness; fee to strap words together, free to to do whatever is "immoral" and free to write about it, even though it's uncivil, adulterous and whatnot. I will seek him out to try for myself. Thanks Carlos for picking out this particular artist. Happy Holidays
B.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

The young poet definitely is an acquired taste. If possible I would recommend reading a short bio of the writers life to gain insight before tackling his approach to art. It helped me gain perspective on much of his attitudes and morality or lack there of. There are artists who have either "Mommy" or "Daddy" issues they fail to address in life which defines the work they produce. Rimbaud was one of a few rarities that had both unfortunately. I wholeheartedly believe that because I suffer from manic depression I had an understanding of his strange poetic style. He reminded me of a corrupted version of Peter Pan. Amoral and selfish in his indulgence and sexual appetites. He is of questionable character but perhaps that is reason his work resonates with so many other artists. To be unbound, free of will, hedonistic in his taste for life. Caring not for the repercussion to those whose lives he may have destroyed in the process. And he only wrote for a short period in his life and stopped all together. I feel in many ways I was more fascinated by the poet boy than the art itself that he created. It is not to say it was not sublime in nature, but the heart from which those words sprang to life in poetry were what intrigued me the most. Thank you B for your thoughts on this piece. Wishing you a happy holiday as well.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thanks for your honesty and recommendations and of course the happiest of holidays!😊
Best
B.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Don't feel bad if Rimbaud left you disenchanted. I'm not a fan of his work because it is so disconnected and wanders aimlessly from decadence to disgust. He was not a "forefather" of free verse however or even an inventive portrayer of the ribald homosexual lifestyle he led. I highly prefer the works of John Donne and his delicate innuendo, layered brilliantly into both rhyme and non-rhyming verse which precedes the writing of Rimbaud by three centuries. Rimbaud strives to shock but fails and falls short of his mark. His descriptions are often lackluster and bland as if he can't get a grasp on his thoughts or how to express them coherently. Your poem seems to analyze him from the first person point of view and properly pins down the hedonistic and narcissistic nature of the poet. But but he is less decadent than some of his Greek and Roman predecessors such as Sappho and Juvenal and less creative than the subtle brilliance of his English counterparts. I enjoyed the read.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Fabian for your informative and insightful perspective of Rimbaud. Quite a few share the same thoughts you have on this boy poet. And to an extent I have similar thoughts as well comparable to your own. In the first reading of some of his poetry I felt he had a youthful contempt, arrogance, and vindictive attitude towards aspects of the world he lived in. Debauchery, hedonism, and misogyny seemed to seep into his world view as illustrated in his works. Reading a few bios on him I came to understand, though not sympathize, much of his attitudes. With this added knowledge and insight I was able to read between the lines and better capture an understanding of the boy. Being manic depressive also helped me read through some of the manic phrasing and odd metaphors in his art. As a human being what is undeniable is the fact the poet boy had some extreme issues in which he dealt with in an immature way. Pain and emotion at times coalesce into sublime art, for some who view it through their own personal lense of the world. Art is subjective as Rimbaud perfectly illustrates this example. Some see him as genius, while others do not. My point of view is more on nexus toward both. As a writer could this poet teach me anything of value? Yes, both good and bad. Your experience and knowledge of the art form is probably better that mine to best critique this artist, my friend. My perspective comes from more an emotion and intuition I get from reading Rimbaud's art. Thank you Fabian for this conversation. I so enjoyed hearing your perspective on this poet of the past.

[Fran Marie]

Some of the best and lovely
poetry is written by men of
unsavory reputation their
character not as good as
their work..well done poem

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

You are absolutely correct Fran in your assessment. It is why I feel the better poets are women. They are by nature creative and empathetic. It is why we refer to nature as Mother. Because only a Mother's love could create a beautiful world as this. That is poetry.

[Lisasview]

Hi Carlos,
Just finished reading several if your poems.
Actually reading and rereading several lines.
Thought provoking..which is what I enjoy when reading poetry.
The problem I find when reading the French poet Rimbaud is that translating from FRENCH (or any foreign language ) to English is always a problem. Most often one loses the essence of the true meaning because there is no exact translation.. if that makes sense...
also, a quick thought is on out depression.. all I can say is to find what creative things you love to do and do them..
Midnight in Spain, Lisa

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Lisa for your kind comment on this poem. You are absolutely correct language can hamper the interpretation of art. Certain word meanings can be lost in translation. Reading multiple bios on Rimbaud helped a bit in the understanding of his art. To gain perspective and the moment in life the artist was inspired to his art. He was a gifted young man who lived untethered to societal norms of his age. Some of his viewpoints were quite harsh but one must consider the time he lived in to gain better perspective of the artist mind. This poem by no means seeks to define his art, but perhaps more to reveal his youthful exuberance and selfishness. We only gain a sliver of his artistic genius because at age 20 he stopped writing. What would his mature mindset reveal within his art had he continued? We know of the " liaise fare" youthful poet but what of the man before his death at age 37? Would a more mature wiser Rimbaud poem carry the same profound artistry as in his youth? It is difficult to re-imagine the artist himself because so little is known of his life. Though his poetry hints to much of his thoughts the poet himself still remains elusive. It is this aspect of the writer I like and admire. Because he leaves it up to us to interpret. Thank you Lisa for your insightful thoughts and conversation. Also, as a side note for you, my personal favorite poem of mine is "The serpent and the Holy Man". It is a piece I wrote that probably best reflects how I see the world. Thank you again I truly appreciate it.

[Lisasview]

Good morning,
I read everything I could in this young poet.
What I can not find is how he was discovered...Lisa

[Karmee]

This is a very good write, enjoyed the read

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you kindly for your comment. Rimbaud was a bit of a bad boy poet but because of him free verse poetry began to take shape and influence many other writers there after. He was a bit of a misogynist though and very care free spirit. Like a mischievous evil Peter Pan. A genius poet but a wild young heart, maybe too wild. Thank you again for your comment I really appreciate it.

[Karmee]

my pleasure.....

[Pete]

interesting person. you've given us something from nothing. good food for thought. there is liberation along with a hidden warning ... :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

That sentence exactly sums up the poetic artistry of Rimbaud. Liberation along with hidden warning. He was a mad Peter Pan. Forever young and a genius in his art. But as an empathetic human being he was a failure. Thank you Pete for sharing your insightful thoughts on this remarkable poet Rimbaud.