It is considered the plot about "the severed head" which is used by N. Gumilev influenced French authors – Ch. Leconte de Lisle and Ch. Baudelaire. The translations of  "Malay pantuns" by Leconte de Lisle and "The martyr" by Baudelaire that were made by N. Gumilev demonstrate the attention of Gumilev to this theme, they influenced at one of his last poems "The strayed tram" from the  collection "The pillar of fire". The background of the plot about "the severed head" in "The strayed tram" as the author of the article considers is connected with the texts by Ch. Leconte de Lisle and Ch. Baudelaire. Literary and art subtexts ( Leconte de Lisle, Baudelaire, Moreau, Doré, Redon, Beardsley  etc.) enrich the plot stratum of "The strayed tram" discover its new meanings. Methodological foundation of the research is determined the unity of historical and literary, phenomenological, comparative and structure approaches.