French poet Arthur Rimbaud’s search for a universal language is a defining feature of his work and is particularly manifest in “Voyelles” (1884; translated as “Vowel Sonnet,”). The very idea of coloring the vowels, of composing a poem from their subjective associations, speaks volumes for Rimbaud’s involvement with the minutiae of language and for his desire to challenge and reconstruct accepted idioms. When the sonnet was published in
‘Les Hommes d’ajourd’hui’ Manuel Luque made an amusing caricature of
Rimbaud painting the vowels.
