“The poet defines the amount of the unknown awakening in his time, in the universal soul.”

Original: Le Poète définirait la quantité d’inconnu s’éveillant en son temps dans l’âme universelle. — Rimbaud gives poetry the task of discovering what is emerging beyond established knowledge. · Letter to Paul Demeny, 15 May 1871 (French)

• Discovery
• Future
• Poetry

“I shall never get what I want in these countries.”

Original: Je n’arriverai jamais à ce que je voudrais, dans ces pays. — Rimbaud’s practical ambitions remain frustrated by the conditions of expatriate commercial life. · Letter from Aden, 15 January 1885 (French)

• Ambition
• Disappointment
• Work

“Poetry will no longer set the rhythm of action; it will be in advance of it.”

Original: La poésie ne rythmera plus l’action; elle sera en avant. — Rimbaud gives poetry a prophetic role, imagining it as something that anticipates rather than merely reflects change. · Letter to Paul Demeny, 15 May 1871 (French)

• Action
• Future
• Poetry