“I became a master of silence.”

Original: Je devins un opéra fabuleux: je vis que tous les êtres ont une fatalité de bonheur. — The passage belongs to Rimbaud’s retrospective account of visionary experience and the possibility of universal happiness. · A Season in Hell, Alchemy of the Word, 1873 (French)

• Happiness
• Silence
• Vision

“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

“I am determined to leave Aden.”

Original: Je suis décidé à ne pas séjourner à Aden. — Even in practical correspondence, Rimbaud’s instinct to move on remains unmistakable. · Letter from Aden, 1880s (French)

• Change
• Determination
• Travel