Le Bateau Ivre by Arthur Rimbaud
"Le Bateau Ivre" is a lengthy poem that employs vivid and extravagant imagery to depict the journey of a drifting boat. The narrative voice of the poem is the boat itself, which tells of its experiences navigating through wild seas, encountering exotic creatures and landscapes, and ultimately losing control to the whims of the water. The poem is often interpreted as an exploration of the poet's own tumultuous life and his quest for liberation through the abandonment of societal norms and constraints.