The poem is divided into 10 parts. Each differs markedly from the others in aspects such as tone or narrative comprehension.
Introduction — Summarizes the narrator's doom and introduces the story as "a few pages from my doom diary." According to some critics, it was written after the fact, once the poem was finished.
Bad Blood — Talks about the narrator's Gallic roots and his influence on his morality and his state of mind. This chapter is the door to Rimbaud's three failures, which will be described below.
Hell Night — Describes the moment of the narrator's death and his entry into hell.
Delusions II: Alchemy of the Verb — Here the narrator explains his old aesthetic theories and shows them as false hopes and broken dreams. Contains many sections in verse.
The Impossible — This section is very non-explanatory; but through the narration of a failed attempt to escape from hell, the narrator shows us the failure of his philosophical and religious theories, as he had already done in the previous section with his aesthetic theories.
The Lightning — This short section is also a bit confusing and has a very fatalistic and resigned tone. The lightning appears as the only light that illuminates the hell where the narrator is.
Morning — Here the narrator's departure from hell is recounted, in which the poet concludes his stay in hell and a light is finally shown at the end of the tunnel.
Farewell — This section alludes to a change of season from fall to spring. The narrator seems to have become more secure and stronger after his journey in hell.