Paul Verlaine

Verlaine

   Paul Verlaine was a French poet, born in 1844. He became a figure in the Parisian half-world of struggling artists and writers. His life was one of poverty, tragedy, and disappointment. After an unfortunate marriage, he toured Belgium and England with his young protege, Rimbaud. While traveling in Belgium, Verlaine accidentally shot and wounded his companion and was imprisoned for two years. During his incarceration, the Roman Catholic faith of his youth was brought back to him. Consequently the deep religious feeling he experienced resulted in the composition of his poem, Sagesse (1881). In 1874 first appeared his Romances sans Paroles, which identified him as one of the greatest pioneers of the symbolist school. The poems of Verlaine are characterized by his keen observation and fine interpretation of common events in life. The haunting and simple meter and rhyme of his poetry provides suitable accompaniment to its morbid and melancholy nature. Although Verlaine was a prominent decadent, his works are distinguished more by their childlike frankness than by their sensuality and emotionalism. The latter part of his life was spent in dissipation and degradation. The beauty of his phraseology is usually lost in translations. The most famous of his later works are Jadis et naguére (1884), and Parallélement (1889). Verlaine died in 1896.