Faces of Metz

Paul Verlaine, the Symbolist poet, was a native son of Metz. Inspired by Baudelaire and stormily entwined with Rimbaud, Verlaine and his work spanned dissolute bohemian life and Catholic religious themes. This portrait in the Museums of Metz, by Edmond Aman-Jean, shows Verlaine in 1892, just four years before his death at age 51. Here are a brief biography of Verlaine in English and an extensive Web site on Verlaine in French.