{"work":{"slug":"baudelaire","title":{"source":"Les Fleurs du mal","translated":"The Flowers of Evil"},"author":"Charles Baudelaire","language":"French","languageCode":"fr","url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire"},"unit":{"kind":"poem","number":null,"id":"la-beaute","title":{"source":"La Beauté","translated":"Beauty"},"section":"Spleen and Ideal","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-beaute","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/chatiment-de-l-orgeuil","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/l-ideal","license":"Source text: public domain (Charles Baudelaire, d. 1867). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original draft, pending editorial review.","audioBase":null,"lines":[{"number":1,"label":"1","id":"la-beaute-s1-l1","source":"Je suis belle, ô mortels! comme un rêve de pierre,","translation":"I am beautiful, O mortals! like a dream of stone,","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"un rêve de pierre","title":"«un rêve de pierre»","body":"Literally 'a dream of stone'. Beauty herself is the speaker, and she likens herself to a sculpted ideal — a vision (a «rêve») that is nonetheless cold, hard, and motionless («de pierre»). The phrase fuses the dreamlike and the statuesque, setting the whole poem's image of an unmoving marble goddess."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of belle","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"suis","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"copula linking to belle","gloss":"am"},{"surface":"belle","lemma":"beau","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"predicate adjective of Je","gloss":"beautiful"},{"surface":"ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"vocative particle introducing mortels","gloss":"O"},{"surface":"mortels","lemma":"mortel","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"vocative, addressed directly","gloss":"mortals"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking rêve","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of rêve","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"rêve","lemma":"rêve","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of the preposition comme","gloss":"dream"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking pierre","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"pierre","lemma":"pierre","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies rêve","gloss":"stone"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-beaute-s1-l2","source":"Et mon sein, où chacun s'est meurtri tour à tour,","translation":"And my breast, on which each in turn has bruised himself,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"s'est meurtri","title":"Reflexive «se meurtrir» in the passé composé","body":"«se meurtrir» is the pronominal verb 'to bruise / hurt oneself'. In the passé composé its pronominal form takes «être»: «chacun s'est meurtri» = 'each one bruised himself'. The lovers wound themselves against Beauty's marble breast — she does not strike them; they break upon her."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of sein","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fait (l3)","gloss":"breast"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"adverb, relative","role":"introduces the relative clause on sein","gloss":"on which"},{"surface":"chacun","lemma":"chacun","morphology":"pronoun, masculine","role":"subject of meurtri","gloss":"each one"},{"surface":"s'","lemma":"se","morphology":"pronoun, reflexive","role":"reflexive particle of meurtri","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"est","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on meurtri","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"meurtri","lemma":"meurtrir","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"relative clause on sein","gloss":"bruised"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour, modifies meurtri","gloss":"turn","note":"tour à tour is an idiom meaning \"in turn, one after another.\""},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour","gloss":"turn"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-beaute-s1-l3","source":"Est fait pour inspirer au poète un amour","translation":"Is made to inspire in the poet a love","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Est","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"passive auxiliary of fait","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"fait","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"made"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of inspirer","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"inspirer","lemma":"inspirer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"adverbial clause on fait","gloss":"inspire"},{"surface":"au","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking poète","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"poète","lemma":"poète","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of inspirer","gloss":"poet"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of amour","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"amour","lemma":"amour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of inspirer","gloss":"love"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-beaute-s1-l4","source":"Eternel et muet ainsi que la matière.","translation":"Eternal and mute as matter itself.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ainsi que","title":"«ainsi que» — 'just as / like'","body":"«ainsi que» introduces a comparison, 'just as, in the same way as, like'. Here «éternel et muet ainsi que la matière» = 'eternal and mute, like matter'. The love Beauty inspires shares the qualities of inert matter — deathless and wordless, never answering back."}],"words":[{"surface":"Eternel","lemma":"éternel","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies amour (l3)","gloss":"eternal"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"muet","lemma":"muet","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with Eternel","gloss":"mute"},{"surface":"ainsi","lemma":"ainsi","morphology":"adverb","role":"introduces the comparison ainsi que","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"conjunction","role":"part of the phrase ainsi que","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of matière","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"matière","lemma":"matière","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of the comparison ainsi que","gloss":"matter"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-beaute-s2-l1","source":"Je trône dans l'azur comme un sphinx incompris;","translation":"I sit enthroned in the azure like a sphinx misunderstood;","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Je trône","title":"«trôner» — to sit enthroned","body":"«trôner» is the verb formed from «le trône» (the throne): 'to sit enthroned, to reign, to lord it over'. «Je trône dans l'azur» — 'I am enthroned in the blue' — gives Beauty the bearing of an idol or a queen, remote and elevated above the mortals who suffer below."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of trône","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"trône","lemma":"trôner","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sit enthroned"},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking azur","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of azur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"azur","lemma":"azur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of trône","gloss":"azure"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking sphinx","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of sphinx","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"sphinx","lemma":"sphinx","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of the preposition comme","gloss":"sphinx"},{"surface":"incompris","lemma":"incompris","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies sphinx","gloss":"misunderstood"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-beaute-s2-l2","source":"J'unis un coeur de neige à la blancheur des cygnes;","translation":"I wed a heart of snow to the whiteness of swans;","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"J'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of unis","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"unis","lemma":"unir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"wed"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of coeur","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"coeur","lemma":"coeur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of unis","gloss":"heart"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking neige","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"neige","lemma":"neige","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies coeur","gloss":"snow"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking blancheur","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of blancheur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"blancheur","lemma":"blancheur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"oblique argument of unis","gloss":"whiteness"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking cygnes","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"cygnes","lemma":"cygne","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies blancheur","gloss":"swans"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-beaute-s2-l3","source":"Je hais le mouvement qui déplace les lignes,","translation":"I hate the movement that displaces the lines,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Je hais","title":"«haïr» — to hate","body":"«je hais» is the first-person present of «haïr», 'to hate'. The singular forms drop the diaeresis and are pronounced as one syllable («je hais» = 'I hate'). Beauty's hatred of «le mouvement qui déplace les lignes» — movement, which disturbs pure outline — is her creed: she prizes the fixed and the sculptural over anything that stirs."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of hais","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"hais","lemma":"haïr","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"hate"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of mouvement","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"mouvement","lemma":"mouvement","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of hais","gloss":"movement"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun, relative","role":"subject of déplace","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"déplace","lemma":"déplacer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on mouvement","gloss":"displaces"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of lignes","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"lignes","lemma":"ligne","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of déplace","gloss":"lines"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-beaute-s2-l4","source":"Et jamais je ne pleure et jamais je ne ris.","translation":"And never do I weep and never do I laugh.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies pleure (negation with ne)","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of pleure","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies pleure (negation with jamais)","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"pleure","lemma":"pleurer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"weep"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies ris (negation with ne)","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of ris","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies ris (negation with jamais)","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ris","lemma":"rire","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"coordinated with pleure","gloss":"laugh"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-beaute-s3-l1","source":"Les poètes, devant mes grandes attitudes,","translation":"The poets, before my grand attitudes,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"mes grandes attitudes","title":"«une attitude» — a pose","body":"«une attitude» here keeps its older, physical sense: the pose or bearing of a body, as in sculpture or dance. «mes grandes attitudes» are Beauty's grand, statuesque poses — the next line says she seems to borrow them «aux plus fiers monuments», from the proudest monuments."}],"words":[{"surface":"Les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of poètes","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"poètes","lemma":"poète","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"subject of Consumeront (l3)","gloss":"poets"},{"surface":"devant","lemma":"devant","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking attitudes","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of attitudes","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"grandes","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies attitudes","gloss":"grand"},{"surface":"attitudes","lemma":"attitude","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of the preposition devant","gloss":"attitudes"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-beaute-s3-l2","source":"Que j'ai l'air d'emprunter aux plus fiers monuments,","translation":"Which I seem to borrow from the proudest monuments,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"j'ai l'air d'emprunter","title":"«avoir l'air de» + infinitive","body":"«avoir l'air de faire qch» = 'to seem / appear to do something'. «que j'ai l'air d'emprunter» = 'which I seem to borrow'. The construction lets Beauty hold the pose modestly — she does not claim the grandeur of monuments, she merely 'seems' to take it from them."}],"words":[{"surface":"Que","lemma":"que","morphology":"pronoun, relative","role":"relative pronoun referring to attitudes (l1)","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"j'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of ai","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ai","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of air","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"air","lemma":"air","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of ai, idiom avoir l'air de","gloss":"seeming"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of emprunter","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"emprunter","lemma":"emprunter","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"clause modifying air","gloss":"borrow"},{"surface":"aux","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking fiers","gloss":"from the"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fiers","gloss":"most"},{"surface":"fiers","lemma":"fier","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies monuments","gloss":"proudest"},{"surface":"monuments","lemma":"monument","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of emprunter","gloss":"monuments"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-beaute-s3-l3","source":"Consumeront leurs jours en d'austères études;","translation":"Will consume their days in austere studies;","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Consumeront","lemma":"consumer","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will consume"},{"surface":"leurs","lemma":"leur","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of jours","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"jours","lemma":"jour","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of Consumeront","gloss":"days"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking études","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of études","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"austères","lemma":"austère","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies études","gloss":"austere"},{"surface":"études","lemma":"étude","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"oblique argument of Consumeront","gloss":"studies"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-beaute-s4-l1","source":"Car j'ai, pour fasciner ces dociles amants,","translation":"For I have, to bewitch these docile lovers,","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"fasciner","title":"«fasciner» — to spellbind","body":"«fasciner» is stronger than English 'fascinate': it means to bewitch, to hold spellbound, even to paralyze with a gaze (as a serpent is said to do). «pour fasciner ces dociles amants» — 'to spellbind these submissive lovers' — names the power Beauty's eyes hold over the poets who serve her."}],"words":[{"surface":"Car","lemma":"car","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"j'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of ai","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ai","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of fasciner","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"fasciner","lemma":"fasciner","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"adverbial clause on ai","gloss":"bewitch"},{"surface":"ces","lemma":"ce","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of amants","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"dociles","lemma":"docile","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies amants","gloss":"docile"},{"surface":"amants","lemma":"amant","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of fasciner","gloss":"lovers"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-beaute-s4-l2","source":"De purs miroirs qui font toutes choses plus belles:","translation":"Pure mirrors that make all things more beautiful:","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"De","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of miroirs","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"purs","lemma":"pur","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies miroirs","gloss":"pure"},{"surface":"miroirs","lemma":"miroir","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of ai (l1)","gloss":"mirrors"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun, relative","role":"subject of font","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"font","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"relative clause on miroirs","gloss":"make"},{"surface":"toutes","lemma":"tout","morphology":"determiner, feminine, plural","role":"determiner of choses","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"choses","lemma":"chose","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of font","gloss":"things"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies belles","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"belles","lemma":"beau","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies choses","gloss":"beautiful"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-beaute-s4-l3","source":"Mes yeux, mes larges yeux aux clartés éternelles!","translation":"My eyes, my wide eyes of eternal brightness!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aux clartés éternelles","title":"«la clarté» — light, brightness","body":"«la clarté» means brightness, radiance, clear light. «aux clartés éternelles» — 'of eternal brightnesses' — describes Beauty's eyes: the «purs miroirs» of the line above. The sonnet's last word, «éternelles», closes the poem on the same note as «Eternel et muet» in the first stanza — Beauty's promise and her trap are both endless."}],"words":[{"surface":"Mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of yeux","gloss":"My"},{"surface":"yeux","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of yeux (second)","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"larges","lemma":"large","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies yeux (second)","gloss":"wide"},{"surface":"yeux","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"in apposition to yeux","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"aux","lemma":"à","morphology":"contracted preposition (à + les)","role":"preposition marking clartés","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"clartés","lemma":"clarté","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"oblique argument of yeux (second)","gloss":"brightness"},{"surface":"éternelles","lemma":"éternel","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies clartés","gloss":"eternal"}]}]}