Selected Poems from ‘Les Amours Jaunes’

Tristan Corbière, born Édouard-Joachim Corbière on July 18, 1845, in Ploujean (later part of Morlaix, Finistère), was a French symbolist poet. Born into a family with a maritime background, Corbière’s early years were marked by modest academic performance and challenging relationships with his teachers and peers.

His adult life was characterised by illness, unfulfilled love for one woman, and a passion for the sea - mirroring his father Édouard’s maritime career. In Roscoff, Brittany, he earned the nickname “Ankou” (the spectre of death) due to his frail appearance. There he met Armida Josefina Cuchiani – the object of his unrequited love - whom he affectionately called Marcelle.

Corbière’s poetry reflected his personal afflictions, giving rise to a cynical and incisive style, aimed not only at the world around him but also inwardly at himself. His verses, characterised by symbolism and decadent ideas, defied the literary mores of his era.

Under the pen name Tristan, he self-published “Les Amours jaunes” in 1873, which received little attention in literary circles during his lifetime. It was only after his death that Paul Verlaine popularised his work, in 1884. His collection found a place in the library of Joris-Karl Huysmans’ novel “À rebours,” further contributing to his recognition.

Despite his dreams of becoming a sailor, Corbière never had the chance to fulfil his passion and he died in Morlaix, not yet 30, on March 1, 1875. Corbière’s single collection of poetry lent its name to the Morlaix public library. His poem “Litany of Sleep” was included by André Breton in his “Anthology of Black Humour”.

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