somewhere over the Rimbaud
Verlaine sighs
pistol in his hand
confusion in his eyes
somewhere over the Rimbaud
Verlaine shoots his lover
yet he only wounds him
so there’s no bloody murder
les poetes maudits
simplement fait querelle
Verlaine goes to prison
Rimbaud’s saison is hell
somewhere over the rainbow
skies are blue
but the London dreams they dreamed
never did come true
.
Jeff Cloves 2023
Pic: Claire Palmer
I’ve pinched some lines from ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’
(music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Yip Harburg)
sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
Verlaine and Rimbaud lived in Great College Street
(now Royal College Street), Camden Town May–July 1873
.
Superb! As Verlaine said: “Tears fall in my heart/ As tears fall on the town/ what is this numb hurt
Comment by Mark G on 9 September, 2023 at 8:02 amthat enters my heart?”. Thanks for sharing. (The full version of Tears fall in my heart here: https://allpoetry.com/Tears-Fall-In-My-Heart
dear Mark G
Comment by Jeff Cloves on 12 September, 2023 at 4:43 pmI have now read Verlaine’s
‘Tears fall in my heart’
it’s very apposite – it’s clear
I must read more Verlaine
thanks from Jeff cloves