{"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-destruction","title":{"source":"La Destruction","translated":"Destruction"},"section":"Flowers of Evil","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-destruction","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/le-vin-des-amants","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/une-martyre","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-destruction-s1-l1","source":"Sans cesse à mes côtés s'agite le Démon;","translation":"Without cease, at my side, the Demon stirs;","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"s'agite","title":"Pronominal «s'agiter»","body":"«s'agiter» is the pronominal verb 'to fidget, stir, thrash about'. The reflexive «se» keeps the motion self-driven — the «Démon» writhes of his own accord. Note the inversion: the verb «s'agite» comes before its subject «le Démon», a common verse order that lets the restless action land before we learn what is restless. The opening «sans cesse» ('ceaselessly') fixes the poem's tempo — the Demon is never absent, never still."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sans","lemma":"sans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking cesse","gloss":"Without"},{"surface":"cesse","lemma":"cesse","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of Sans, forms adverbial phrase modifying agite","gloss":"cease"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking côtés","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of côtés","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"côtés","lemma":"côté","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of à, modifies agite","gloss":"side"},{"surface":"s'","lemma":"se","morphology":"pronoun, reflexive","role":"reflexive particle of agite","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"agite","lemma":"agiter","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stirs"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of Démon","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Démon","lemma":"démon","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of agite","gloss":"Demon"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-destruction-s1-l2","source":"Il nage autour de moi comme un air impalpable;","translation":"He swims around me like an impalpable air;","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of nage","gloss":"He"},{"surface":"nage","lemma":"nager","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swims"},{"surface":"autour","lemma":"autour","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies nage","gloss":"around"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking moi","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"moi","lemma":"moi","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"oblique argument of autour","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking air","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of air","gloss":"an"},{"surface":"air","lemma":"air","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of comme","gloss":"air"},{"surface":"impalpable","lemma":"impalpable","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies air","gloss":"impalpable"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-destruction-s1-l3","source":"Je l'avale et le sens qui brûle mon poumon","translation":"I swallow him and feel him burning my lung","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"le sens qui brûle","title":"«le sens qui…» — the object made vivid","body":"«je le sens qui brûle» — 'I feel him burning'. French sets a perception verb plus a pronoun plus «qui» and a finite verb where English prefers a participle: «sentir quelqu'un qui fait» = 'to feel someone doing'. The «le» is the Demon, now swallowed; «sens» is the verb «sentir» ('to feel, sense'), not the noun."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of avale","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of avale","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"avale","lemma":"avaler","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swallow"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of sens","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"sens","lemma":"sentir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"coordinated with avale","gloss":"feel"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"relative pronoun","role":"subject of brûle","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"brûle","lemma":"brûler","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on le (him)","gloss":"burns"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of poumon","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"poumon","lemma":"poumon","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of brûle","gloss":"lung"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-destruction-s1-l4","source":"Et l'emplit d'un désir éternel et coupable.","translation":"And fills it with a desire eternal and guilty.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"l'emplit","title":"emplir","body":"«emplir» = 'to fill (up)', a more literary, fuller-bodied cousin of «remplir». The «l'» is the lung («poumon») of the line before: the burning Demon does not just scorch it but brims it with «un désir éternel et coupable» — a desire at once unending and sinful."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of emplit","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"emplit","lemma":"emplir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with brûle, subject il (previous)","gloss":"fills"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking désir","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of désir","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"désir","lemma":"désir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of emplit","gloss":"desire"},{"surface":"éternel","lemma":"éternel","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies désir","gloss":"eternal"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"coupable","lemma":"coupable","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"coordinated with éternel","gloss":"guilty"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-destruction-s2-l1","source":"Parfois il prend, sachant mon grand amour de l'Art,","translation":"Sometimes he takes on, knowing my great love of Art,","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sachant","title":"Present participle «sachant»","body":"«sachant» is the present participle of «savoir» ('to know') — 'knowing'. It opens a parenthetical clause, «sachant mon grand amour de l'Art», that explains the Demon's tactic: because he knows the poet's love of Art, he disguises himself as beautiful. The participle is irregular (not «savant», which would mean 'learned')."}],"words":[{"surface":"Parfois","lemma":"parfois","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies prend","gloss":"Sometimes"},{"surface":"il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of prend","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"prend","lemma":"prendre","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"takes on"},{"surface":"sachant","lemma":"savoir","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adverbial clause on prend, subject il","gloss":"knowing"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of amour","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"grand","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies amour","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"amour","lemma":"amour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of sachant","gloss":"love"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking Art","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of Art","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Art","lemma":"art","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies amour","gloss":"Art"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-destruction-s2-l2","source":"La forme de la plus séduisante des femmes,","translation":"The shape of the most seductive of women,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"La","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of forme","gloss":"The"},{"surface":"forme","lemma":"forme","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of prend (previous segment)","gloss":"shape"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking séduisante","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of séduisante","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies séduisante","gloss":"most"},{"surface":"séduisante","lemma":"séduisant","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies forme","gloss":"seductive"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de+le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, plural","role":"preposition marking femmes","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"femmes","lemma":"femme","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of des, modifies séduisante","gloss":"women"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-destruction-s2-l3","source":"Et, sous de spécieux prétextes de cafard,","translation":"And, under specious pretexts of low spirits,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"cafard","title":"le cafard","body":"«le cafard» literally is 'cockroach', but figuratively means 'the blues, gloom, low spirits' — the very mood the «Spleen» poems live in. The phrase «prétextes de cafard» casts melancholy itself as the Demon's excuse: he pretends sad weariness to lower the poet's guard. «spécieux» = 'specious, plausible but false'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"sous","lemma":"sous","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking prétextes","gloss":"under"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of prétextes","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"spécieux","lemma":"spécieux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies prétextes","gloss":"specious"},{"surface":"prétextes","lemma":"prétexte","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of sous, modifies Accoutume (next segment)","gloss":"pretexts"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking cafard","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"cafard","lemma":"cafard","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies prétextes","gloss":"low spirits"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-destruction-s2-l4","source":"Accoutume ma lèvre à des philtres infâmes.","translation":"He accustoms my lip to vile love-potions.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"philtres","title":"un philtre","body":"«un philtre» is a magic 'love-potion' or charmed draught (not «un filtre», a 'filter', though they sound alike). «accoutumer X à Y» = 'to accustom X to Y'. The Demon trains the poet's lip to «des philtres infâmes» — vile, dishonorable potions — making vice habitual."}],"words":[{"surface":"Accoutume","lemma":"accoutumer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence, subject il (from la-destruction-s2-l1)","gloss":"accustoms"},{"surface":"ma","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of lèvre","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"lèvre","lemma":"lèvre","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of Accoutume","gloss":"lip"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking philtres","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of philtres","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"philtres","lemma":"philtre","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of à","gloss":"love-potions"},{"surface":"infâmes","lemma":"infâme","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies philtres","gloss":"vile"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-destruction-s3-l1","source":"Il me conduit ainsi, loin du regard de Dieu,","translation":"He leads me thus, far from the gaze of God,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of conduit","gloss":"He"},{"surface":"me","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of conduit","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"conduit","lemma":"conduire","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"leads"},{"surface":"ainsi","lemma":"ainsi","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies conduit","gloss":"thus"},{"surface":"loin","lemma":"loin","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies conduit","gloss":"far"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"de+le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, masculine, singular","role":"preposition marking regard","gloss":"from the"},{"surface":"regard","lemma":"regard","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of du, depends on loin","gloss":"gaze"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking Dieu","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"Dieu","lemma":"dieu","morphology":"proper noun","role":"object of de, modifies regard","gloss":"God"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-destruction-s3-l2","source":"Haletant et brisé de fatigue, au milieu","translation":"Panting and broken with fatigue, into the midst","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Haletant et brisé","title":"Participles describing «me»","body":"«Haletant» (present participle of «haleter», 'to pant') and «brisé» (past participle of «briser», 'to break') both modify the «me» of the line above — it is the poet, not the Demon, who is left gasping and «brisé de fatigue» ('broken with fatigue'). The pairing of an active participle (panting) with a passive one (broken) catches both the effort and the wreck of it."}],"words":[{"surface":"Haletant","lemma":"haletant","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies me (from previous segment)","gloss":"Panting"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"brisé","lemma":"brisé","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with Haletant","gloss":"broken"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking fatigue","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"fatigue","lemma":"fatigue","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies brisé","gloss":"fatigue"},{"surface":"au","lemma":"à+le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, masculine, singular","role":"preposition marking milieu","gloss":"into the"},{"surface":"milieu","lemma":"milieu","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of au, depends on conduit (previous segment)","gloss":"midst"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-destruction-s3-l3","source":"Des plaines de l'Ennui, profondes et désertes,","translation":"Of the plains of Ennui, deep and deserted,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"l'Ennui","title":"l'Ennui","body":"«l'Ennui», capitalized, is far heavier than English 'boredom': it is the suffocating spiritual weariness — the void, the spleen — that Baudelaire names the worst of all monsters in the opening «Au lecteur». Here its «plaines… profondes et désertes» (deep, deserted plains) are the wasteland the Demon drags the poet across."}],"words":[{"surface":"Des","lemma":"de+le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, plural","role":"preposition marking plaines, object of milieu","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"plaines","lemma":"plaine","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of Des","gloss":"plains"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking Ennui","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of Ennui","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ennui","lemma":"ennui","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies plaines","gloss":"Ennui"},{"surface":"profondes","lemma":"profond","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies plaines","gloss":"deep"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"désertes","lemma":"désert","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with profondes","gloss":"deserted"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-destruction-s4-l1","source":"Et jette dans mes yeux pleins de confusion","translation":"And throws into my eyes full of confusion","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"jette","lemma":"jeter","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence, coordinated with conduit, subject il","gloss":"throws"},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking yeux","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of yeux","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"yeux","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of jette","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"pleins","lemma":"plein","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies yeux","gloss":"full"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking confusion","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"confusion","lemma":"confusion","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies pleins","gloss":"confusion"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-destruction-s4-l2","source":"Des vêtements souillés, des blessures ouvertes,","translation":"Soiled garments, open wounds,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Des","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of vêtements","gloss":"Soiled"},{"surface":"vêtements","lemma":"vêtement","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of jette (previous segment)","gloss":"garments"},{"surface":"souillés","lemma":"souiller","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, plural","role":"modifies vêtements","gloss":"soiled"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of blessures","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"blessures","lemma":"blessure","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with vêtements","gloss":"wounds"},{"surface":"ouvertes","lemma":"ouvert","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies blessures","gloss":"open"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-destruction-s4-l3","source":"Et l'appareil sanglant de la Destruction!","translation":"And the bloody apparatus of Destruction!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"l'appareil sanglant","title":"l'appareil","body":"«l'appareil» here keeps its older, grand sense of 'apparatus, array, pomp, paraphernalia' — the whole bloody apparatus of «la Destruction», not a modern 'device'. Capitalized and held to the very last word, «la Destruction» becomes the title-figure the poem has been building toward: the final, gory tableau the Demon casts before the poet's confused eyes."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of appareil","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"appareil","lemma":"appareil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with vêtements/blessures, direct object of jette","gloss":"apparatus"},{"surface":"sanglant","lemma":"sanglant","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies appareil","gloss":"bloody"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking Destruction","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of Destruction","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Destruction","lemma":"destruction","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of de, modifies appareil","gloss":"Destruction"}]}]}