A good poem, like a classic book, can continue to move forward even after the decades and centuries pass. If that poem has great persistence and a lasting message, it will echo and reverberate in a modern society.
Donald Revell, translator of “The Illuminations” by French poet Arthur Rimbaud, is one who shows readers the importance of poetry by providing us with a keen insight into the world of Rimbaud.
“The Illuminations” was originally published in 1874. In using his own experience and understanding of Rimbaud, Revell, a celebrated poet of our own time (“The Bitter Withy”) also translated “A Season in Hell,” giving him enough credibility to stand out among past interpreters.
The book showcases the poetry in its original French form on the left while also allowing readers the English interpretation on the right-hand side of the manuscript.
The first poem, “After the Flood,” is a beautiful and evocative example of how much Rimbaud managed to connect to life — sometimes even capturing a sense of surrealism that can only be understood in dreams: “As soon as the mind of the Flood grew calm, a hare paused in the shivering bellflowers in holy clover, and he said his prayer to the rainbow through a spider’s web.”
To readers who have managed to slip by the world of literature without ever reading Rimbaud, it is important to discuss why he continues to serve a purpose today. Though Rimbaud died at 37 years of age, he left an imprint in modern society — specifically, do not conform to what is before you.
Unlike many poets of his era, Rimbaud was ahead of his time. He wrote with enough eloquence to remain consistent among others in the 19th century but also managed to surpass his contemporaries in style and content.
The book is mainly comprised of prose poetry; many of the pieces have linear similarities to poems that later follow in the book. Though the original manuscript did not exude a general order due to its controversy of the time, translators later changed the structure attempting to connect those relationships.
While there are many translators, Revell is one of the most noted. Not only has he brilliantly succeeded in connecting the poetry, but he was also creative in the process of interpreting the text. Not all of the poem titles are translated to precise English, and the reason is evident — Revell is also making his mark.
Though poems such as “Seascape,” “Youth,” “Crude Nocturne” and “Vagabonds” are only a few of his many great pieces, Rimbaud will remain a major symbol not only in his time and our own but also in the times ahead.
Rating: W W W W
