Maggie's Farm

War (1870)

When a child,
certain skies sharpened my vision:
all their characters were reflected in my face.
The Phenomena were roused -
At present,
the eternal inflection of moments
and the infinity of mathematics
drives me through this world where I meet with every civil honor,
respected by strange children and prodigious affections -
I dream of a War of right and of might,
of unlooked-for logic.
It is as simple
as a musical phrase.

(from Illuminations. Sadly, one must be careful about posting poetry in translation - publishers own the copyrights, so you just have to buy the books. Two Rimbaud websites, here and here.)