“He searches his soul, inspects it, tests it, learns it.”

Original: Il cherche son âme, il l’inspecte, il la tente, l’apprend. — The poet is presented as an explorer whose territory is consciousness itself. · Letter to Paul Demeny, 15 May 1871 (French)

• Discovery
• Poetry
• Self Knowledge

“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 would only like it to be sixty degrees, as when I was staying at Massawa.”

Original: Je voudrais seulement qu’il y ait 60 degrés, comme quand je restais à Massaoua! — The exaggeration conveys Rimbaud’s toughness and his sardonic attitude towards the extreme climate. · Letter to his family from Aden, 22 September 1880 (French)

• Endurance
• Humour
• Weather