{"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-fontaine-du-sang","title":{"source":"La Fontaine du sang","translated":"The Fountain of Blood"},"section":"Flowers of Evil","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-fontaine-du-sang","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/les-deux-bonnes-soeurs","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/allegorie","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-fontaine-du-sang-s1-l1","source":"Il me semble parfois que mon sang coule à flots,","translation":"It seems to me at times that my blood flows in streams,","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, impersonal, third-person, singular","role":"impersonal subject of semble","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"me","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"indirect object of semble","gloss":"to me"},{"surface":"semble","lemma":"sembler","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seems"},{"surface":"parfois","lemma":"parfois","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies semble","gloss":"at times"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of coule","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of sang","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"sang","lemma":"sang","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of coule","gloss":"blood"},{"surface":"coule","lemma":"couler","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the subordinate clause (complement of semble)","gloss":"flows"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking flots","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"flots","lemma":"flot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of coule","gloss":"streams"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s1-l2","source":"Ainsi qu'une fontaine aux rythmiques sanglots.","translation":"Just like a fountain with its rhythmic sobs.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Ainsi qu'une","title":"«ainsi que» = 'just as'","body":"«ainsi que» is the literary comparison 'just as, like'. It opens the governing simile of the whole poem — the blood likened to «une fontaine aux rythmiques sanglots», a fountain whose pulsing is heard as «sanglots» ('sobs'). «aux» (= «à les») here means 'with, having': a fountain marked by rhythmic sobs."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ainsi","lemma":"ainsi","morphology":"adverb","role":"part of the comparison ainsi que","gloss":"just"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"conjunction","role":"part of the comparison ainsi que","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"une","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of fontaine","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"fontaine","lemma":"fontaine","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of the comparison ainsi que","gloss":"fountain"},{"surface":"aux","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking sanglots","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"rythmiques","lemma":"rythmique","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies sanglots","gloss":"rhythmic"},{"surface":"sanglots","lemma":"sanglot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of aux, modifies fontaine","gloss":"sobs"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s1-l3","source":"Je l'entends bien qui coule avec un long murmure,","translation":"I hear it clearly, flowing with a long murmur,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Je l'entends qui coule","title":"«entendre… qui…» — the heard thing made vivid","body":"«je l'entends qui coule» = 'I hear it flowing'. French sets a perception verb plus a pronoun plus «qui» and a finite verb where English prefers a participle: «entendre quelque chose qui fait» = 'to hear something doing'. The «l'» is the blood («mon sang»); «bien» here is not 'well' but 'clearly, distinctly'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of entends","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of entends (refers to sang)","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"entends","lemma":"entendre","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"hear"},{"surface":"bien","lemma":"bien","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies entends","gloss":"clearly"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of coule","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"coule","lemma":"couler","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause modifying l' (le sang)","gloss":"flows"},{"surface":"avec","lemma":"avec","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking murmure","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of murmure","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"long","lemma":"long","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies murmure","gloss":"long"},{"surface":"murmure","lemma":"murmure","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of coule","gloss":"murmur"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s1-l4","source":"Mais je me tâte en vain pour trouver la blessure.","translation":"But I feel myself in vain to find the wound.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"je me tâte","title":"Reflexive «se tâter»","body":"«tâter» = 'to feel, finger, palpate'; with the reflexive «me» it is 'to feel myself, to feel over my own body'. The poet pats himself down «en vain» ('in vain') «pour trouver la blessure» — to find the wound — and finds none: the bleeding has no source, which is the horror of the image."}],"words":[{"surface":"Mais","lemma":"mais","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of tâte","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"me","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on tâte","gloss":"myself"},{"surface":"tâte","lemma":"tâter","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feel"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom en vain, modifies tâte","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"vain","lemma":"vain","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"part of the idiom en vain","gloss":"vain"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the purpose clause of trouver","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"trouver","lemma":"trouver","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"purpose clause modifying tâte","gloss":"find"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of blessure","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"blessure","lemma":"blessure","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of trouver","gloss":"wound"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s2-l1","source":"À travers la cité, comme dans un champ clos,","translation":"Across the city, as in an enclosed field,","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"un champ clos","title":"le champ clos","body":"«un champ clos» is literally an 'enclosed field', but the set phrase names the fenced lists where medieval knights fought a judicial duel to the death. Set against «la cité» (the city), it casts the streets as a sealed arena of combat — fitting ground for blood to run across."}],"words":[{"surface":"À","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom à travers","gloss":"across"},{"surface":"travers","lemma":"travers","morphology":"noun, masculine","role":"part of the idiom à travers, preposition marking cité","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of cité","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"cité","lemma":"cité","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of à travers","gloss":"city"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces comparison with champ clos","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking champ","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of champ","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"champ","lemma":"champ","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of dans (comparison with cité)","gloss":"field"},{"surface":"clos","lemma":"clore","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine","role":"modifies champ","gloss":"enclosed"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s2-l2","source":"Il s'en va, transformant les pavés en îlots,","translation":"It goes off, turning the cobblestones into islets,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Il s'en va","title":"Pronominal «s'en aller»","body":"«s'en aller» is the pronominal verb 'to go off, go away, leave' — more vivid than plain «aller». The fixed «en» rides along with no separate meaning. The blood does not merely flow but takes its leave, «transformant les pavés en îlots» — present participle of «transformer», turning the cobblestones into little islands in the red flood."}],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of va","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"s'","lemma":"se","morphology":"pronoun, reflexive","role":"part of the idiom s'en aller, depends on va","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"pronoun","role":"part of the idiom s'en aller, depends on va","gloss":"off"},{"surface":"va","lemma":"aller","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"goes","note":"s'en aller is an idiom meaning 'to go off/away'."},{"surface":"transformant","lemma":"transformer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adverbial clause on va","gloss":"turning"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of pavés","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"pavés","lemma":"pavé","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of transformant","gloss":"cobblestones"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking îlots","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"îlots","lemma":"îlot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"depends on transformant","gloss":"islets"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s2-l3","source":"Désaltérant la soif de chaque créature,","translation":"Slaking the thirst of every creature,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Désaltérant","lemma":"désaltérer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adverbial clause on va (coordinated with transformant)","gloss":"slaking"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of soif","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"soif","lemma":"soif","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of Désaltérant","gloss":"thirst"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking créature","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"chaque","lemma":"chaque","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of créature","gloss":"every"},{"surface":"créature","lemma":"créature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies soif","gloss":"creature"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s2-l4","source":"Et partout colorant en rouge la nature.","translation":"And everywhere coloring nature red.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"partout","lemma":"partout","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies colorant","gloss":"everywhere"},{"surface":"colorant","lemma":"colorer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adverbial clause on va (coordinated with transformant, Désaltérant)","gloss":"coloring"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom colorer en rouge, preposition marking rouge","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"rouge","lemma":"rouge","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of en, modifies colorant","gloss":"red"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of nature","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"nature","lemma":"nature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of colorant","gloss":"nature"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s3-l1","source":"J'ai demandé souvent à des vins captieux","translation":"I have often asked of treacherous wines","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"captieux","title":"captieux","body":"«captieux» = 'specious, beguiling, captious' — fair-seeming but designed to deceive (from Latin «captiosus», 'ensnaring'). The wines promise relief but cheat; «demander à quelqu'un de faire» = 'to ask someone to do', so «j'ai demandé à des vins… d'endormir» is 'I asked the wines to lull (the terror) to sleep'."}],"words":[{"surface":"J'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of demandé","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ai","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"depends on demandé","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"demandé","lemma":"demander","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"asked"},{"surface":"souvent","lemma":"souvent","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies demandé","gloss":"often"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking vins","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of vins","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"vins","lemma":"vin","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of demandé","gloss":"wines"},{"surface":"captieux","lemma":"captieux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies vins","gloss":"treacherous"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s3-l2","source":"D'endormir pour un jour la terreur qui me mine;","translation":"To lull for a day the terror that wears me down;","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"qui me mine","title":"miner","body":"«miner» = 'to undermine, sap, wear away' — as a mine is dug under a wall, or as illness eats at a body. «la terreur qui me mine» is the dread that hollows the poet out from within; the wine is begged «d'endormir» (to put to sleep) this terror, if only «pour un jour» — for a single day."}],"words":[{"surface":"D'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the infinitive complement of demandé","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"endormir","lemma":"endormir","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive complement of demandé","gloss":"lull"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking jour","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of jour","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"jour","lemma":"jour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"depends on endormir","gloss":"day"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of terreur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"terreur","lemma":"terreur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of endormir","gloss":"terror"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of mine","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"me","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of mine","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"mine","lemma":"miner","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on terreur","gloss":"wears down"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s3-l3","source":"Le vin rend l'oeil plus clair et l'oreille plus fine!","translation":"Wine makes the eye clearer and the ear keener!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"rend l'oeil plus clair","title":"«rendre» + adjective = 'to make'","body":"«rendre» plus an adjective means 'to make (something) become' — «rendre l'oeil plus clair» = 'to make the eye clearer'. The bitter joke: instead of dulling the terror, wine only sharpens the senses («plus clair… plus fine»), so the poet sees and hears his own bleeding all the more. The «oe» of «l'oeil» is the older typesetting of the ligature «œ»."}],"words":[{"surface":"Le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of vin","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"vin","lemma":"vin","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of rend","gloss":"wine"},{"surface":"rend","lemma":"rendre","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"makes"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of oeil","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"oeil","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of rend","gloss":"eye"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies clair","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"clair","lemma":"clair","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"predicate modifying oeil","gloss":"clear"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of oreille","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"oreille","lemma":"oreille","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with oeil, direct object of rend","gloss":"ear"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fine","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"fine","lemma":"fin","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"predicate modifying oreille","gloss":"keen"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s4-l1","source":"J'ai cherché dans l'amour un sommeil oublieux;","translation":"I have sought in love a forgetful sleep;","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"J'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of cherché","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ai","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"depends on cherché","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"cherché","lemma":"chercher","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sought"},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking amour","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of amour","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"amour","lemma":"amour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of cherché","gloss":"love"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of sommeil","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"sommeil","lemma":"sommeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of cherché","gloss":"sleep"},{"surface":"oublieux","lemma":"oublieux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies sommeil","gloss":"forgetful"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s4-l2","source":"Mais l'amour n'est pour moi qu'un matelas d'aiguilles","translation":"But love, for me, is only a mattress of needles","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"n'est… qu'un","title":"«ne… que» = 'only'","body":"«ne… que» is the restrictive 'only, nothing but' — «l'amour n'est qu'un matelas d'aiguilles» = 'love is nothing but a mattress of needles'. It is not a true negation (love is not absent) but a narrowing: all love amounts to is this bed of pain. «un matelas d'aiguilles» — a mattress of needles — denies the very rest the poet sought."}],"words":[{"surface":"Mais","lemma":"mais","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of amour","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"amour","lemma":"amour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of est","gloss":"love"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"part of the idiom ne...que, modifies est","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"est","lemma":"être","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"copula linking to matelas","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking moi","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"moi","lemma":"moi","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"oblique argument of est","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"adverb","role":"part of the idiom ne...que ('only'), modifies est","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of matelas","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"matelas","lemma":"matelas","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"predicate complement of est","gloss":"mattress"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking aiguilles","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"aiguilles","lemma":"aiguille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies matelas","gloss":"needles"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-fontaine-du-sang-s4-l3","source":"Fait pour donner à boire à ces cruelles filles!","translation":"Made to give drink to those cruel girls!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"donner à boire","title":"donner à boire","body":"«donner à boire à quelqu'un» = 'to give someone (something) to drink'. The needle-bed is «fait pour» — 'made to' — slake «ces cruelles filles» with the poet's blood. The closing image makes the women vampiric: love drinks him dry, looping back to the «soif» the fountain of blood was slaking in the second quatrain."}],"words":[{"surface":"Fait","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"clause modifying matelas (previous line)","gloss":"made"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of donner","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"donner","lemma":"donner","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of Fait","gloss":"give"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom donner à boire, introduces boire","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"boire","lemma":"boire","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of donner (idiom donner à boire, 'to give a drink')","gloss":"drink"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking filles","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"ces","lemma":"ce","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of filles","gloss":"those"},{"surface":"cruelles","lemma":"cruel","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies filles","gloss":"cruel"},{"surface":"filles","lemma":"fille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"oblique argument of donner (recipient)","gloss":"girls"}]}]}