1844-1896. French lyric poet who was
influenced by the poets Baudelaire and
Rimbaud. His volumes of verse include Poemes
saturniens/Saturnine Poems 1866, Fetes
galantes/Amorous Entertainments 1869 and
Romances sans paroles/Songs without Words
1874. In 1873 he was imprisoned for
attempting to shoot Rimbaud. His later works
reflect his attempts to lead a reformed life.
He was acknowledged as leader of the
Symbolist poets.