From Ennui to Extinction in Rimbaud’s ‘Nocturne vulgaire’

Abstract

This article analyses Rimbaud’s poem ‘Nocturne vulgaire’ (Illuminations). The paper concerns itself with the structural development of the poem, tracing its evolution from a failed imaginative journey of the self to a more satisfying one. Essentially, the study argues that the text reinvents itself and ultimately represents not one poem, but two – a phenomenon seen passim in the Illuminations. Close reference is made to how ‘Nocturne vulgaire’ adopts and deviates from Alfred de Vigny’s poem ‘La Maison du berger’. Finally, the article considers the indebtedness of the piece to both music and painting and asks in what ways the Rimbaldian nocturne redefines these sources of inspiration.