The author of this poem finds himself “on the brink of the final squawk!” and claims that “spring brought me the frightening laugh of the idiot.” For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this poem in which the “Foolish Virgin” implores the “Celestial Bridegroom” to listen to her confession. This poem’s prologue begins “Once, if I remember rightly, my life was a feast.”
ANSWER: “A Season in Hell” [or “Une saison en enfer”] (by Arthur Rimbaud)
[10h] In a section of “A Season in Hell” titled for this field, Rimbaud (“ram-BOH”) declares “I invented the colour of vowels!” The speaker builds “massive sarcophagi” on “celestial shores” in a Baudelaire (“BOH-duh-lair”) poem titled for this field.
ANSWER: alchemy [or alchimie; or Delirium II: Alchemy of the Word; or Délires II: Alchimie du Verbe; or “Alchemy of Sorrow”; or “Alchimie de la douleur”]
[10e] Rimbaud wrote much of “A Season in Hell” during his romantic relationship with this poet of “Claire de Lune.”
ANSWER: Paul Verlaine [or Paul-Marie Verlaine]
<Kanyon Beck, European Literature>