Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Paul-Marie Verlaine was born on March 30, 1844, in Metz, France. He is commonly known as Paul Verlaine.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: March 30, 1844
Died: January 6, 1896 at the age of 51 due to complications from alcoholism and tuberculosis.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: French
Profession(s): Poet, Writer
Early Life and Background
Verlaine was born in Metz, which was then a part of Germany. His family moved to Paris when he was a young boy. He grew up in a cultured environment and was influenced by the Romantic movement. Verlaine's father was an engineer, and his mother came from a literary background.
Major Accomplishments
Verlaine is considered one of the most important poets of the French Symbolist movement. His poetry is known for its beauty, emotion, and sensitivity. Some of his notable works include:
_Jadis et Naguère_ (1869-1884), a collection of poems that showcases Verlaine's early style
_Les Poèmes Satiriques_ (1866), a satirical poetry collection that gained him recognition
Notable Works or Actions
Verlaine's work is characterized by its use of symbolism, free verse, and musical language. Some of his notable works include:
"Chanson d'automne" ("Autumn Song"), one of Verlaine's most famous poems
_Fêtes Galantes_ (1869-1870), a collection of poems that explores themes of love, nature, and beauty
Verlaine was also known for his tumultuous relationships. He had several affairs with younger men, including Arthur Rimbaud, who would later become a renowned poet in his own right.
Impact and Legacy
Verlaine's work has had a significant impact on modern poetry. His use of symbolism and free verse influenced generations of poets, including T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Verlaine's poetry is known for its beauty, emotion, and sensitivity, making him one of the most beloved poets in French literature.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Verlaine is widely quoted and remembered for his poetic genius, his influence on modern poetry, and his tumultuous personal life. His work continues to inspire readers around the world with its beauty, emotion, and sensitivity.
Quotes by Paul Verlaine
I love this word decadence, all shimmering in purple and gold. It suggests the subtle thoughts of ultimate civilization, a high literary culture, a soul capable of intense pleasures. It throws off bursts of fire and the sparkle of precious stones. It is redolent of the rouge of courtesans, the games of the circus, the panting of the gladiators, the spring of wild beasts, the consuming in flames of races exhausted by their capacity for sensation, as the tramp of an invading army sounds.
A poem is really a kind of machine for producing the poetic state by means of words.
Here are fruits, flowers, leaves and branches, and here is my heart which beats only for you.
Music before all else, and for that choose the irregular, which is vaguer and melts better into the air...
Your soul is a chosen landscape Where charming masked and costumed figures go Playing the lute and dancing and almost Sad beneath their fantastic disguises. All sing in a minor key Of all-conquering love and careless fortune They do not seem to believe in their happiness And their song mingles with the moonlight. The still moonlight, sad and beautiful, Which gives the birds to dream in the trees And makes the fountain sprays sob in ecstasy, The tall, slender fountain sprays among the marble statues.
Sap which mounts, and flowers which thrust, Your childhood is a bower: Let my fingers wander in the moss Where glows the rosebud Let me among the clean grasses Drink the drops of dew Which sprinkle the tender flower
The rosy hearth, the lamplight's narrow beam, The meditation that is rather dream, With looks that lose themselves in cherished looks; The hour of steaming tea and banished books; The sweetness of the evening at an end, The dear fatigue, and right to rest attained, And worshipped expectation of the night,— Oh, all these things, in unrelenting flight, My dream pursues through all the vain delays, Impatient of the weeks, mad at the days!