Paul Verlaine - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

In preparation for Operation Overlord, the BBC had signaled to the French Resistance that the opening lines of the 1866 Verlaine poem "Chanson d'Automne" were to indicate the start of D-Day operations. The first three lines of the poem,

"Les sanglots longs

Des violons

De l'automne"

("Long sobs of autumn violins"), meant that Operation Overlord was to start within two weeks. These lines were broadcast on 1 June 1944. The next set of lines, "Blessent mon coeur / d'une langueur / monotone" ("wound my heart with a monotonous languor"), meant that it would start within 48 hours and that the resistance should begin sabotage operations especially on the French railroad system; these lines were broadcast on 5 June at 23:15.

Among the admirers of Verlaine's work was the Russian language poet and novelist Boris Pasternak. Pasternak went so far as to translate much of Verlaine's verse into Russian. According to Pasternak's mistress and muse, Olga Ivinskaya,

Whenever was provided with literal versions of things which echoed his own thoughts or feelings, it made all the difference and he worked feverishly, turning them into masterpieces. I remember his translating Paul Verlaine in a burst of enthusiasm like this -- L'Art poétique was after all an expression of his own beliefs about poetry.

In 1964, French singer Léo Ferré set to music fourteen poems from Verlaine (Écoutez la chanson bien douce, Il patinait merveilleusement, Mon rêve familier, Soleils couchants, L'espoir luit (...), Art poétique, Pensionnaires, Âme, te souvient-il ?, Chanson d'automne, Green, Je vous vois encor, Ô triste, triste était mon âme, Clair de lune, Sérénade) along with Arthur Rimbaud in his album Léo Ferré chante Verlaine et Rimbaud. He also sang two other poems (Colloque sentimental, Si tu ne mourus pas) in his album On n'est pas sérieux quand on a 17 ans (1987). Since then other French singers regularly sing these "songs".

The time Verlaine and Rimbaud spent together was the subject of the 1995 film Total Eclipse, directed by Agnieszka Holland and with a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his play. Verlaine was portrayed by David Thewlis and Leonardo DiCaprio played Rimbaud.

Bob Dylan, in his 1975 song "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go," sings,

"Situations have ended sad

Relationships have all been bad

Mine have been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud."

The New Zealand band The Verlaines are named for Paul Verlaine. Their most notable song "Death and the Maiden" features in its lyrics Paul Verlaine, the shooting of Rimbaud, and repeats the word "Verlaine" numerous times. The song "Death and the Maiden" has also been covered by Steve Malkmus.