Why did Debussy name one of his songs/poems 'Spleen'?

Question

This organ of the digestive track seems to have nothing to do with the words of the poem.

The roses were all red,
And the ivy all black.
Beloved, when you become a little restless,
All my despair is reborn.
The sky was too blue, too tender,
The sea too green, and the air too mild;
I am always afraid of what may come,
Of some cruel flight of yours!
Of the green-leaved holly,
And of the shining box trees, I am weary,
And of the endless countryside,
And of everything, except you. Alas!

Answer 1

'spleen' is an english word meaning 'irritability'. it occurs in this sense in alexander pope's 'the rape of the lock' (among other places).

it was adopted wholesale by charles baudelaire (who was heavily influenced by english poetry - particularly the poems of edgar allen poe), and from him passed to verlaine and rimbaud (as annabella has remarked).

interestingly at about the same time as 'spleen' was becoming a french word borrowed from english, the english were losing the word and using the french borrowing 'ennui' instead.

these days we don't use 'spleen' or 'ennui' much - we tend to say 'angst'. ('angst' is the same as 'being uptight').

isn't language hilarious?

Answer 2

"Spleen" is a poem by Paul Verlaine used by Debussy. Baudelaire also wrote "Le Spleen de Paris". The word was fashionable at the time and can be equated to melancholy or what we call nowadays depression. It was common among French writers to use English words.

Answer 3

Arrogance and the fact that non of us are actually needed in context to life, it is made to be an insult on humanity as a whole.

Answer 4

'Spleen' is an old symbol for overconfidence, arrogance and bitterness.