{"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-muse-malade","title":{"source":"La Muse malade","translated":"The Sick Muse"},"section":"Spleen and Ideal","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-muse-malade","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/les-phares","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-muse-venale","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-muse-malade-s1-l1","source":"Ma pauvre muse, hélas! qu'as-tu donc ce matin?","translation":"My poor muse, alas! what is the matter with you this morning?","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"qu'as-tu donc","title":"Inversion in «qu'as-tu»","body":"«qu'as-tu?» is the inverted, literary form of «qu'est-ce que tu as?» — 'what's wrong with you?'. The verb «as» (from «avoir», to have) is placed before the subject pronoun «tu», a hallmark of elevated register. «donc» here is not 'therefore' but an emphatic particle, roughly 'then / on earth': 'what on earth is wrong with you?'"}],"words":[{"surface":"Ma","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of muse","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"pauvre","lemma":"pauvre","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies muse","gloss":"poor"},{"surface":"muse","lemma":"muse","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"vocative, head of the sentence","gloss":"muse"},{"surface":"hélas","lemma":"hélas","morphology":"interjection","role":"parenthetical exclamation","gloss":"alas"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"interrogative pronoun","role":"direct object of as","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"as","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the question","gloss":"do you have"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of as","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"donc","lemma":"donc","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies as","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"ce","lemma":"ce","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of matin","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"matin","lemma":"matin","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"depends on as","gloss":"morning"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-muse-malade-s1-l2","source":"Tes yeux creux sont peuplés de visions nocturnes,","translation":"Your hollow eyes are peopled with nocturnal visions,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of yeux","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"yeux","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"subject of sont","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"creux","lemma":"creux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies yeux","gloss":"hollow"},{"surface":"sont","lemma":"être","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"passive auxiliary of peuplés","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"peuplés","lemma":"peupler","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, plural","role":"main verb (passive) of the sentence","gloss":"peopled"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking visions","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"visions","lemma":"vision","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"oblique argument of peuplés","gloss":"visions"},{"surface":"nocturnes","lemma":"nocturne","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies visions","gloss":"nocturnal"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-muse-malade-s1-l3","source":"Et je vois tour à tour réfléchis sur ton teint","translation":"And I see, by turns, reflected on your face","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"tour à tour","title":"«tour à tour» — one after another","body":"«tour à tour» is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'in turn, one after the other, alternately'. It governs the pair named in the next line — madness and horror crossing the muse's face by turns. «le teint» is the complexion or hue of the skin; «sur ton teint» = 'on your face / in your colour'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of vois","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"vois","lemma":"voir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"see"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the fixed phrase tour à tour","gloss":"turn"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"links tour à tour","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"adverbial phrase modifying vois, part of tour à tour","gloss":"turn","note":"\"tour à tour\" is a fixed idiom meaning \"by turns / alternately.\""},{"surface":"réfléchis","lemma":"réfléchi","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies folie et l'horreur (s1-l4)","gloss":"reflected","note":"The masculine plural agrees with the coming compound folie/horreur understood as the direct object seen reflected."},{"surface":"sur","lemma":"sur","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking teint","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of teint","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"teint","lemma":"teint","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of sur, depends on réfléchis","gloss":"face"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-muse-malade-s1-l4","source":"La folie et l'horreur, froides et taciturnes.","translation":"Madness and horror, cold and taciturn.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"La","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of folie","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"folie","lemma":"folie","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of vois (s1-l3), coordinated with horreur","gloss":"madness"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of horreur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"horreur","lemma":"horreur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with folie","gloss":"horror"},{"surface":"froides","lemma":"froid","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies folie et horreur","gloss":"cold"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"taciturnes","lemma":"taciturne","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with froides","gloss":"taciturn"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-muse-malade-s2-l1","source":"Le succube verdâtre et le rose lutin","translation":"Has the greenish succubus and the rosy imp","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"le succube, le lutin","title":"«le succube» and «le lutin»","body":"A «succube» is a succubus — a female demon believed to lie with sleepers; «verdâtre» (greenish) gives it a sickly, corpse-like cast. A «lutin» is a goblin or mischievous sprite, here «rose» (pink, rosy) and seductive. The two — one ghastly, one charming — are the night-spirits Baudelaire suspects of having poisoned the muse."}],"words":[{"surface":"Le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of succube","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"succube","lemma":"succube","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of ont versé (s2-l2)","gloss":"succubus"},{"surface":"verdâtre","lemma":"verdâtre","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies succube","gloss":"greenish"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of lutin","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"rose","lemma":"rose","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies lutin","gloss":"rosy"},{"surface":"lutin","lemma":"lutin","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with succube","gloss":"imp"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-muse-malade-s2-l2","source":"T'ont-ils versé la peur et l'amour de leurs urnes?","translation":"Poured fear and love over you from their urns?","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"T'","lemma":"te","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"indirect object of ont versé","gloss":"on you"},{"surface":"ont","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"auxiliary of versé","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"-ils","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, plural","role":"subject of ont versé (referring to succube/lutin, s2-l1)","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"versé","lemma":"verser","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the question","gloss":"poured"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of peur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"peur","lemma":"peur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of versé","gloss":"fear"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of amour","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"amour","lemma":"amour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with peur","gloss":"love"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking urnes","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"leurs","lemma":"leur","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of urnes","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"urnes","lemma":"urne","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of de, depends on versé","gloss":"urns"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-muse-malade-s2-l3","source":"Le cauchemar, d'un poing despotique et mutin","translation":"Has the nightmare, with a despotic and rebellious fist,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"mutin","title":"«mutin»","body":"«mutin» is a literary adjective meaning unruly, rebellious, mutinous — and sometimes teasingly impish. Paired with «despotique» (despotic), it gives the nightmare's «poing» (fist) a wilful, insubordinate violence: a tyrant's hand that also delights in its own mischief."}],"words":[{"surface":"Le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of cauchemar","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"cauchemar","lemma":"cauchemar","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of noyée (s2-l4)","gloss":"nightmare"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking poing","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of poing","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"poing","lemma":"poing","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of d', modifies cauchemar's action","gloss":"fist"},{"surface":"despotique","lemma":"despotique","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies poing","gloss":"despotic"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"mutin","lemma":"mutin","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with despotique","gloss":"rebellious"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-muse-malade-s2-l4","source":"T'a-t-il noyée au fond d'un fabuleux Minturnes?","translation":"Drowned you in the depths of a fabulous Minturnae?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"noyée","title":"Past-participle agreement with the fronted object","body":"In «t'a-t-il noyée», the participle «noyé» (from «noyer», to drown) takes a feminine «-e» — «noyée» — because its direct object «t'» (the feminine muse) precedes the verb. With «avoir», the past participle agrees only when the direct object comes first, as it does in this inverted question. The «-t-» in «a-t-il» is a euphonic insert that keeps the inversion pronounceable."}],"words":[{"surface":"T'","lemma":"te","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of a noyée","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"a","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"auxiliary of noyée","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"-il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of a noyée (referring to cauchemar, s2-l3)","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"noyée","lemma":"noyer","morphology":"verb, past, participle, feminine, singular","role":"main verb of the question","gloss":"drowned"},{"surface":"au","lemma":"à le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted","role":"preposition marking fond","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"fond","lemma":"fond","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of noyée","gloss":"depths"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking Minturnes","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of Minturnes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"fabuleux","lemma":"fabuleux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies Minturnes","gloss":"fabulous"},{"surface":"Minturnes","lemma":"Minturnes","morphology":"proper noun","role":"modifies fond","gloss":"Minturnae","note":"Minturnae was the marsh where the exiled Marius hid; a stand-in here for a fabled, murky swamp."}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-muse-malade-s3-l1","source":"Je voudrais qu'exhalant l'odeur de la santé","translation":"I would wish that, breathing out the scent of health,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Je voudrais que ... fût","title":"«vouloir que» + subjunctive","body":"«vouloir que» ('to wish that') forces the subjunctive in the clause it governs — the mood completed three lines down in «fût» (line s3-l2) and «coulât» (line s3-l3). «je voudrais» is itself the conditional of «vouloir», softening the wish to 'I would like / I wish'. «qu'exhalant» opens the clause with the present participle «exhalant» (from «exhaler», to breathe out / exhale)."}],"words":[{"surface":"Je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of voudrais","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"voudrais","lemma":"vouloir","morphology":"verb, present, conditional, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would wish"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the subjunctive clause of fût (s3-l2)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"exhalant","lemma":"exhaler","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adjunct clause modifying the subject of fût (Ton sein), depends on qu'","gloss":"breathing out"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of odeur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"odeur","lemma":"odeur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of exhalant","gloss":"scent"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking santé","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of santé","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"santé","lemma":"santé","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies odeur","gloss":"health"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-muse-malade-s3-l2","source":"Ton sein de pensers forts fût toujours fréquenté,","translation":"Your breast were always frequented by strong thoughts,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"pensers","title":"«les pensers» — an archaic noun","body":"«pensers» is an old, poetic masculine noun meaning 'thoughts' (modern French would use «pensées»). «fût» is the imperfect subjunctive of «être», required by «je voudrais que» — 'that your breast were always frequented by strong thoughts'. The wish is for a healthy, vigorous imagination to inhabit the muse in place of the demons."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of sein","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fût fréquenté","gloss":"breast"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking pensers","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"pensers","lemma":"penser","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies sein, agent of fréquenté","gloss":"thoughts"},{"surface":"forts","lemma":"fort","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies pensers","gloss":"strong"},{"surface":"fût","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, imperfect, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"passive auxiliary of fréquenté","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"toujours","lemma":"toujours","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fréquenté","gloss":"always"},{"surface":"fréquenté","lemma":"fréquenter","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb (passive) of the clause","gloss":"frequented"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-muse-malade-s3-l3","source":"Et que ton sang chrétien coulât à flots rythmiques,","translation":"And that your Christian blood flowed in rhythmic waves,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"coulât","title":"Imperfect subjunctive «coulât»","body":"«coulât» is the imperfect subjunctive of «couler» (to flow), again triggered by «je voudrais que». «à flots» is an idiom — 'in floods, in streams, abundantly' — sharpened here by «rythmiques» (rhythmic). The blood is to flow not just freely but in measure, which the next stanza will reveal to mean the measure of ancient verse."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of coulât, coordinated with qu'exhalant (s3-l1)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of sang","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"sang","lemma":"sang","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of coulât","gloss":"blood"},{"surface":"chrétien","lemma":"chrétien","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies sang","gloss":"Christian"},{"surface":"coulât","lemma":"couler","morphology":"verb, imperfect, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the clause","gloss":"flowed"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking flots","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"flots","lemma":"flot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"depends on coulât","gloss":"waves"},{"surface":"rythmiques","lemma":"rythmique","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies flots","gloss":"rhythmic"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-muse-malade-s4-l1","source":"Comme les sons nombreux des syllabes antiques,","translation":"Like the manifold sounds of antique syllables,","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"nombreux","title":"«nombreux» in its metrical sense","body":"Beyond the everyday 'numerous', «nombreux» carries here its old prosodic sense — 'well-cadenced, harmoniously measured', from Latin «numerosus». «les syllabes antiques» are the syllables of classical (Greek and Latin) verse, whose long-and-short quantities gave it its rhythm, the simile completing the wish for blood that flows «à flots rythmiques»."}],"words":[{"surface":"Comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking sons, modifies coulât (s3-l3)","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, plural","role":"determiner of sons","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"sons","lemma":"son","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of Comme","gloss":"sounds"},{"surface":"nombreux","lemma":"nombreux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies sons","gloss":"manifold"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted plural","role":"preposition marking syllabes","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"syllabes","lemma":"syllabe","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies sons","gloss":"syllables"},{"surface":"antiques","lemma":"antique","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies syllabes","gloss":"antique"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-muse-malade-s4-l2","source":"Où règnent tour à tour le père des chansons,","translation":"Over which reign, by turns, the father of songs,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Où","lemma":"où","morphology":"relative adverb","role":"introduces the relative clause on sons (s4-l1), depends on règnent","gloss":"over which"},{"surface":"règnent","lemma":"régner","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"reign"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the fixed phrase tour à tour","gloss":"turn"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"links tour à tour","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"adverbial phrase modifying règnent, part of tour à tour","gloss":"turn","note":"\"tour à tour\" is a fixed idiom meaning \"by turns / alternately.\""},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of père","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"père","lemma":"père","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of règnent","gloss":"father"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted plural","role":"preposition marking chansons","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"chansons","lemma":"chanson","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies père","gloss":"songs"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-muse-malade-s4-l3","source":"Phoebus, et le grand Pan, le seigneur des moissons.","translation":"Phoebus, and great Pan, the lord of the harvests.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Phoebus","lemma":"Phoebus","morphology":"proper noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of règnent (s4-l2), coordinated with Pan/seigneur","gloss":"Phoebus"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of Pan","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"grand","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies Pan","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"Pan","lemma":"Pan","morphology":"proper noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with Phoebus","gloss":"Pan"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of seigneur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"seigneur","lemma":"seigneur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with Phoebus, in apposition to Pan","gloss":"lord"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted plural","role":"preposition marking moissons","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"moissons","lemma":"moisson","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies seigneur","gloss":"harvests"}]}]}