A Lover’s Cock

In 1871 Arthur Rimbaud (then aged 16) and Paul Verlaine (aged 27) met and became lovers. Several erotic gay poems resulted from their stormy affair, including a sonnet to the asshole, written jointly.

Other poems, such as Verlaine’s Hombres series, were written long after they separated. Many of the poems are very explicit and raunchy indeed (for instance, “Shit, Cheese and Cum”); others show a sexual liberation a century ahead of their time (for instance, “The Gay Heritage”). These poems, several of them previously untranslated into English, are gathered here for the first time in one volume. Original French text is provided along with a superb English translation.