Natural phenomena, mental states and nightmares—and their mutual interpenetrations—are the subject of Paul Verlaine’s poem Crépuscule du soir mystique, which inspired my composition for soprano, instrumental ensemble and electronics.
An impressionist depiction of human experience: “innocent” flowers, growing through and beyond the trellis in an almost unreal manner; striking, captivating the senses with their powerful colours and smells:

... flowers in profusion
... dahlias, lilies, tulips and marigolds
... drowning my senses, soul and reason

A multitude of aggressive colours: twilight inflamed by pale red, stains of rust, bright marigolds—provoke in the observer an imaginary, dreamlike state, rendered in music. It is not an impression of the poem, but a representation of the state of an experiencing person.
Mystic Twilight. Twilight—with a capital letter—is the moment that evoked a Memory, awakening and bringing back Hope.
... Flowers in profusion, the image of rampant, lush nature, dazzling odours—strongly contrasts with the atmosphere of grey dusk and the intoxicated and confused poet. This strange world of colours and plants entwines and accompanies the author’s three states of mind: Memory, Hope and Twilight...
... burning Hope
... fiery horizon
... fly round a trellis
... immense confusion
...Verlaine heralds the rise of symbolism.

Jakub Sarwas

Paul Verlaine
Twilight of a Mystical Evening (Crépuscule du soir mystique)
Poèmes saturniens (1902): Paysages tristes II

Le Souvenir avec le Crépuscule
Rougeoie et tremble à l’ardent horizon
De l’Espérance en flamme qui recule
Et s’agrandit ainsi qu’une cloison
Mystérieuse où mainte floraison
– Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule –
S’élance autour d’un treillis, et circule
Parmi la maladive exhalaisons
De parfums lourds et chauds, dont le poison
– Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule –
Noyant mes sens, mon âme et ma raison
Mêle, dans une immense pâmoison,
Le Souvenir avec le Crépuscule.

Memory with Twilight glows
And trembles on the fiery horizon
Of burning Hope that shrinks and grows
Like some mysterious partition
Where the flowers in profusion
Dahlias, lilies, tulips and marigolds
Fly round a trellis in their circulation
Among the heady exhalation
Of heavy perfumes, whose warm poison
Dahlias, lilies, tulips and marigolds
Drowning my senses, soul and reason,
Mingles in their immense confusion
Memory with Twilight’s glows.

Translated by A. S. Kline