{"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-mort-des-artistes","title":{"source":"La Mort des artistes","translated":"The Death of Artists"},"section":"Death","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-mort-des-artistes","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-mort-des-pauvres","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-fin-de-la-journee","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-mort-des-artistes-s1-l1","source":"Combien faut-il de fois secouer mes grelots","translation":"How many times must I shake my jester's bells","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Combien faut-il","title":"Impersonal «falloir» + inversion","body":"«faut-il» is the impersonal verb «falloir» ('to be necessary') inverted for a question — literally 'how much is it necessary'. The whole quatrain hangs on this one «Combien… faut-il» ('how many times must I…'): the artist counts out the wasted effort. The infinitives «secouer» and «baiser» that follow are what is 'necessary', so it reads 'how many times must one shake… and kiss'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"mes grelots","title":"grelots","body":"«un grelot» is a small round jingle-bell — the kind sewn to a jester's or fool's costume. «secouer mes grelots» ('to shake my bells') casts the artist as a hired buffoon, forced to perform for an unworthy idol. It sets the poem's bitter self-portrait: the maker reduced to a clown shaking bells at his own art."}],"words":[{"surface":"Combien","lemma":"combien","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies faut","gloss":"how many"},{"surface":"faut","lemma":"falloir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"must"},{"surface":"-il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"impersonal subject of faut","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"links Combien to fois","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"fois","lemma":"fois","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"depends on secouer","gloss":"times"},{"surface":"secouer","lemma":"secouer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of faut","gloss":"shake"},{"surface":"mes","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of grelots","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"grelots","lemma":"grelot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of secouer","gloss":"bells"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s1-l2","source":"Et baiser ton front bas, morne caricature?","translation":"and kiss your low brow, you dreary caricature?","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"baiser","lemma":"baiser","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"kiss"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of front","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"front","lemma":"front","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of baiser","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"bas","lemma":"bas","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies front","gloss":"low"},{"surface":"morne","lemma":"morne","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies caricature","gloss":"dreary"},{"surface":"caricature","lemma":"caricature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"in apposition to front","gloss":"caricature"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s1-l3","source":"Pour piquer dans le but, de mystique nature,","translation":"to strike the target, the target of mystic nature,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"piquer dans le but","title":"piquer dans le but","body":"«piquer» here is 'to prick, to hit, to strike (a mark)' and «le but» is 'the goal, the target'. The image is an archer's: «piquer dans le but» = 'to hit dead-centre'. It looks ahead to «carquois» ('quiver') and «javelots» ('javelins') in the next line — the artist as a bowman who keeps missing the «mystique» mark, the unreachable ideal."}],"words":[{"surface":"Pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of piquer","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"piquer","lemma":"piquer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"strike"},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking but","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of but","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"but","lemma":"but","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of piquer","gloss":"target"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking nature","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"mystique","lemma":"mystique","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies nature","gloss":"mystic"},{"surface":"nature","lemma":"nature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies but","gloss":"nature"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s1-l4","source":"Combien, ô mon carquois, perdre de javelots?","translation":"how many javelins, O my quiver, must I waste?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"carquois / javelots","title":"carquois, javelots","body":"«un carquois» is a 'quiver' and «un javelot» a 'javelin' or 'dart'. The apostrophe «ô mon carquois» addresses the quiver directly: each spent «javelot» is an attempt at the ideal that fell short. «perdre de javelots» — 'to lose / waste javelins' — completes the «Combien» of line 1: the artist is tallying his exhausted ammunition."}],"words":[{"surface":"Combien","lemma":"combien","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies perdre","gloss":"how many"},{"surface":"ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"vocative particle introducing carquois","gloss":"O"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of carquois","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"carquois","lemma":"carquois","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ô","gloss":"quiver"},{"surface":"perdre","lemma":"perdre","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of faut (echoing s1-l1)","gloss":"waste"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"partitive preposition marking javelots","gloss":"-"},{"surface":"javelots","lemma":"javelot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of perdre","gloss":"javelins"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s2-l1","source":"Nous userons notre âme en de subtils complots,","translation":"We shall wear out our soul in subtle plots,","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"userons","title":"Future of «user»","body":"«userons» is the future of «user» ('to wear out, to use up'), 'we shall wear out'. The poem shifts from the «je» of the quatrain to a collective «Nous» — all artists — and into the future: «userons», «démolirons». It is a grim prophecy of labour: the whole second quatrain forecasts the cost of the pursuit before the ideal is ever reached."}],"words":[{"surface":"Nous","lemma":"nous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"subject of userons","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"userons","lemma":"user","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, first-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall wear out"},{"surface":"notre","lemma":"notre","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of âme","gloss":"our"},{"surface":"âme","lemma":"âme","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of userons","gloss":"soul"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking complots","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"partitive determiner of complots","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"subtils","lemma":"subtil","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies complots","gloss":"subtle"},{"surface":"complots","lemma":"complot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of en","gloss":"plots"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s2-l2","source":"Et nous démolirons mainte lourde armature,","translation":"and we shall tear down many a heavy framework,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"mainte lourde armature","title":"«maint(e)» + singular noun","body":"«maint(e)» means 'many a' and, unlike «beaucoup de», takes a singular noun: «mainte lourde armature» = 'many a heavy framework'. It is a literary, slightly archaic word that suits the sonnet's elevated tone. «une armature» is a 'framework' or armature — here the sculptor's wire skeleton that must be smashed and rebuilt before the true form emerges."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"nous","lemma":"nous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"subject of démolirons","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"démolirons","lemma":"démolir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, first-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall tear down"},{"surface":"mainte","lemma":"maint","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of armature","gloss":"many a"},{"surface":"lourde","lemma":"lourd","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies armature","gloss":"heavy"},{"surface":"armature","lemma":"armature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of démolirons","gloss":"framework"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s2-l3","source":"Avant de contempler la grande Créature","translation":"before we may behold the great Creature","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Avant","lemma":"avant","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of contempler","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of contempler","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"contempler","lemma":"contempler","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"behold"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of Créature","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"grande","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies Créature","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"Créature","lemma":"créature","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of contempler","gloss":"Creature"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s2-l4","source":"Dont l'infernal désir nous remplit de sanglots!","translation":"whose hellish longing fills us with sobs!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Dont","title":"Relative pronoun «dont»","body":"«dont» = 'whose / of which / of whom', replacing a phrase with «de». Here it links back to «la grande Créature»: 'the great Creature whose («dont») infernal desire fills us with sobs'. «dont» neatly folds «le désir de la Créature» into one word — the longing for that ideal Creature is what wracks the artists, the goal and the torment being one and the same."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dont","lemma":"dont","morphology":"pronoun","role":"depends on remplit","gloss":"whose"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of désir","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"infernal","lemma":"infernal","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies désir","gloss":"hellish"},{"surface":"désir","lemma":"désir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of remplit","gloss":"longing"},{"surface":"nous","lemma":"nous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"direct object of remplit","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"remplit","lemma":"remplir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"fills"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking sanglots","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"sanglots","lemma":"sanglot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of remplit","gloss":"sobs"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s3-l1","source":"Il en est qui jamais n'ont connu leur Idole,","translation":"There are some who have never known their Idol,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Il en est qui","title":"«Il en est qui» — impersonal partitive","body":"«Il en est qui» is a literary turn for «il y en a qui» ('there are some who'). The impersonal «il» plus the pronoun «en» ('of them') singles out a class of artists — those who die without ever meeting their «Idole», the ideal they served. It opens the sonnet's sestet, where the diagnosis hardens into a verdict on the doomed sculptors."}],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"impersonal subject of est","gloss":"there"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"pronoun","role":"depends on est","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"est","lemma":"être","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of connu","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies connu","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies connu","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ont","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"depends on connu","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"connu","lemma":"connaître","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"clausal complement of est","gloss":"known"},{"surface":"leur","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of Idole","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"Idole","lemma":"idole","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of connu","gloss":"Idol"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s3-l2","source":"Et ces sculpteurs damnés et marqués d'un affront,","translation":"and these damned sculptors, marked by an affront,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ces","lemma":"ce","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of sculpteurs","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"sculpteurs","lemma":"sculpteur","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"sculptors"},{"surface":"damnés","lemma":"damner","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, plural","role":"clause modifying sculpteurs","gloss":"damned"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"marqués","lemma":"marquer","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with damnés","gloss":"marked"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking affront","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of affront","gloss":"an"},{"surface":"affront","lemma":"affront","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of d'","gloss":"affront"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s3-l3","source":"Qui vont se martelant la poitrine et le front,","translation":"who go beating their chest and brow,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"vont se martelant","title":"«aller» + reflexive present participle","body":"«marteler» = 'to hammer, to pound'; «se martelant» is its reflexive present participle ('hammering at themselves'). The construction «aller + participle» («vont se martelant») expresses a continuous, ongoing action — 'they keep pounding their own chest and brow'. The reflexive «se» turns the sculptor's hammer inward: damned artists who batter themselves as if they were the stone."}],"words":[{"surface":"Qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of vont","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"vont","lemma":"aller","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"go"},{"surface":"se","lemma":"se","morphology":"pronoun, reflexive","role":"reflexive particle of martelant","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"martelant","lemma":"marteler","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"complement of vont","gloss":"beating"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of poitrine","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"poitrine","lemma":"poitrine","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of martelant","gloss":"chest"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of front","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"front","lemma":"front","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with poitrine","gloss":"brow"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s4-l1","source":"N'ont qu'un espoir, étrange et sombre Capitole!","translation":"have but one hope, a strange and somber Capitol!","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"N'ont qu'un espoir","title":"Restrictive «ne… que»","body":"«ne… que» means 'only / nothing but', not a true negative: «N'ont qu'un espoir» = 'have only one hope'. The verb «N'ont» reaches back across the line break to its subject «ces sculpteurs» in the tercet above. That single hope is named in apposition — «étrange et sombre Capitole» — Death itself, cast as the artists' grim place of triumph."}],"words":[{"surface":"N'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"negation particle with ont...que (only)","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"ont","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"depends on N'","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"restrictive particle","role":"part of ne...que restriction on espoir","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of espoir","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"espoir","lemma":"espoir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"hope"},{"surface":"étrange","lemma":"étrange","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies Capitole","gloss":"strange"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sombre","lemma":"sombre","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies Capitole","gloss":"somber"},{"surface":"Capitole","lemma":"capitole","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to espoir","gloss":"Capitol"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s4-l2","source":"C'est que la Mort, planant comme un soleil nouveau,","translation":"It is that Death, hovering like a new sun,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"C'est que","title":"Presentative «C'est que»","body":"«C'est que…» introduces an explanation — 'the thing is that…', 'it is that…'. It unveils the single hope of the line before: that Death, «planant» ('hovering, soaring' — present participle of «planer»), will rise «comme un soleil nouveau» ('like a new sun'). The participle holds Death poised overhead like a bird of prey turned daybreak — the poem's final, paradoxical image of release."}],"words":[{"surface":"C'","lemma":"ce","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of est","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"est","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of planant","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of Mort","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Mort","lemma":"mort","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of planant","gloss":"Death"},{"surface":"planant","lemma":"planer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"clausal complement of est","gloss":"hovering"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking soleil","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of soleil","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"soleil","lemma":"soleil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"depends on planant","gloss":"sun"},{"surface":"nouveau","lemma":"nouveau","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies soleil","gloss":"new"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-mort-des-artistes-s4-l3","source":"Fera s'épanouir les fleurs de leur cerveau!","translation":"will make the flowers of their brain bloom open!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Fera s'épanouir","title":"Causative «faire» + reflexive infinitive","body":"«Fera» is the future of «faire»; «faire + infinitive» is the causative — 'to make / cause (something) to happen'. «s'épanouir» = 'to bloom, to open out, to blossom' (reflexive). So «Fera s'épanouir les fleurs» = 'will make the flowers bloom'. Only in death does the artist's unrealized work — «les fleurs de leur cerveau», the flowers of the brain — finally come into flower."}],"words":[{"surface":"Fera","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will make"},{"surface":"s'","lemma":"se","morphology":"pronoun, reflexive","role":"depends on épanouir","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"épanouir","lemma":"épanouir","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of Fera","gloss":"bloom open"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of fleurs","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"fleurs","lemma":"fleur","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of épanouir","gloss":"flowers"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking cerveau","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"leur","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of cerveau","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"cerveau","lemma":"cerveau","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies fleurs","gloss":"brain"}]}]}