{"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-venale","title":{"source":"La Muse vénale","translated":"The Venal Muse"},"section":"Spleen and Ideal","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-muse-venale","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-muse-malade","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/le-mauvais-moine","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-venale-s1-l1","source":"Ô muse de mon coeur, amante des palais,","translation":"O muse of my heart, lover of palaces,","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"amante des palais","title":"«amante des palais»","body":"«amante» (f.) is a (female) lover or mistress, the feminine of «amant»; «des palais» = 'of palaces'. The muse is addressed as one who craves luxury — the first hint of the «vénale» (venal, for-sale) theme of the title. Note «coeur» is the period spelling of «cœur» (heart), printed without the ligature."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"vocative particle before muse","gloss":"O"},{"surface":"muse","lemma":"muse","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"vocative, head of the sentence","gloss":"muse"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking coeur","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of coeur","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"coeur","lemma":"coeur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies muse","gloss":"heart"},{"surface":"amante","lemma":"amante","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"in apposition to muse","gloss":"lover"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted plural","role":"preposition marking palais","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"palais","lemma":"palais","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of amante","gloss":"palaces"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"la-muse-venale-s1-l2","source":"Auras-tu, quand Janvier lâchera ses Borées,","translation":"Will you have, when January looses its north winds,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ses Borées","title":"«les Borées»","body":"«Borée» is Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind; the capitalized plural «Borées» stands by metonymy for the icy winter gusts themselves. «lâchera» is the future of «lâcher» (to let loose, release), so «quand Janvier lâchera ses Borées» = 'when January unleashes its north winds'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Auras","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the question","gloss":"will you have"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of Auras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"quand","lemma":"quand","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the temporal clause of lâchera","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"Janvier","lemma":"janvier","morphology":"proper noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of lâchera","gloss":"January"},{"surface":"lâchera","lemma":"lâcher","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the temporal clause","gloss":"looses"},{"surface":"ses","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of Borées","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"Borées","lemma":"borée","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of lâchera","gloss":"north winds","note":"\"Borées\" here is a common-noun plural (from Boreas, the north wind), not literally a proper name."}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"la-muse-venale-s1-l3","source":"Durant les noirs ennuis des neigeuses soirées,","translation":"Through the black tedium of the snowy evenings,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Durant","lemma":"durant","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking ennuis","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, plural","role":"determiner of ennuis","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"noirs","lemma":"noir","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies ennuis","gloss":"black"},{"surface":"ennuis","lemma":"ennui","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of Durant","gloss":"tedium"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de le","morphology":"preposition + determiner, contracted plural","role":"preposition marking soirées","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"neigeuses","lemma":"neigeux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies soirées","gloss":"snowy"},{"surface":"soirées","lemma":"soirée","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies ennuis","gloss":"evenings"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"la-muse-venale-s1-l4","source":"Un tison pour chauffer tes deux pieds violets?","translation":"A firebrand to warm your two purpled feet?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"tison","title":"«un tison»","body":"«un tison» is a glowing ember or firebrand — a single burning log-end, not a whole fire. The meagre word measures the muse's poverty: not warmth in plenty, just one coal. «violets» here is 'purple, livid' — feet gone violet with cold."}],"words":[{"surface":"Un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of tison","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"tison","lemma":"tison","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"firebrand"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of chauffer","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"chauffer","lemma":"chauffer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"clause modifying tison","gloss":"warm"},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of pieds","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"deux","lemma":"deux","morphology":"numeral","role":"quantifies pieds","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"pieds","lemma":"pied","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of chauffer","gloss":"feet"},{"surface":"violets","lemma":"violet","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies pieds","gloss":"purpled"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"la-muse-venale-s2-l1","source":"Ranimeras-tu donc tes épaules marbrées","translation":"Will you then bring back to life your marbled shoulders","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Ranimeras-tu","title":"«ranimer»","body":"«ranimer» means to revive, to bring back to life or warmth (literally 're-soul', from «âme»); «Ranimeras-tu?» is its future + inversion, 'will you revive?'. «marbrées» = 'marbled, mottled' — the skin blotched by cold like veined marble, beautiful and corpse-like at once."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ranimeras","lemma":"ranimer","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will revive"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"subject of Ranimeras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"donc","lemma":"donc","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies Ranimeras","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of épaules","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"épaules","lemma":"épaule","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of Ranimeras","gloss":"shoulders"},{"surface":"marbrées","lemma":"marbré","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies épaules","gloss":"marbled"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"la-muse-venale-s2-l2","source":"Aux nocturnes rayons qui percent les volets?","translation":"In the nocturnal beams that pierce the shutters?","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Aux","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking rayons","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"nocturnes","lemma":"nocturne","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies rayons","gloss":"nocturnal"},{"surface":"rayons","lemma":"rayon","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"beams"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of percent","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"percent","lemma":"percer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"relative clause on rayons","gloss":"pierce"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of volets","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"volets","lemma":"volet","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of percent","gloss":"shutters"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"la-muse-venale-s2-l3","source":"Sentant ta bourse à sec autant que ton palais","translation":"Feeling your purse as dry as your palate,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ton palais","title":"«palais»: palace or palate","body":"«palais» is a deliberate double word. In line 1 it meant 'palace'; here, paired with «bourse à sec» (empty purse) and «à sec» (dried up), it means 'palate' — the roof of the mouth, hence hunger and thirst. «autant que» = 'as much as'. The pun ties the muse's empty purse to her empty belly."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sentant","lemma":"sentir","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"participial clause modifying tu (subject of Récolteras in the next line)","gloss":"feeling"},{"surface":"ta","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of bourse","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"bourse","lemma":"bourse","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of Sentant","gloss":"purse"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking sec","gloss":"as","note":"\"à sec\" is an idiom for dry/empty (also \"broke\")."},{"surface":"sec","lemma":"sec","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies bourse","gloss":"dry"},{"surface":"autant","lemma":"autant","morphology":"adverb","role":"correlates with que in the comparison","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the comparison with palais","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of palais","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"palais","lemma":"palais","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"compared to bourse (object of the comparison)","gloss":"palate"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"la-muse-venale-s2-l4","source":"Récolteras-tu l'or des voûtes azurées?","translation":"Will you harvest the gold of the azure vaults?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"voûtes azurées","title":"«les voûtes azurées»","body":"«voûte» (f.) is a vault or arch; «azuré» = 'azure, sky-blue'. «les voûtes azurées» is the vault of the blue sky. «récolter» means to harvest or reap — the ironic question is whether a starving poet can gather real gold («l'or») from mere blue heaven, i.e. live on inspiration alone."}],"words":[{"surface":"Récolteras","lemma":"récolter","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will harvest"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"subject of Récolteras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of or","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"or","lemma":"or","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of Récolteras","gloss":"gold"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking voûtes","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"voûtes","lemma":"voûte","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"modifies or","gloss":"vaults"},{"surface":"azurées","lemma":"azuré","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies voûtes","gloss":"azure"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"la-muse-venale-s3-l1","source":"Il te faut, pour gagner ton pain de chaque soir,","translation":"You must, to earn your bread of every evening,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Il te faut","title":"«il faut» + dative pronoun","body":"«il faut» is the impersonal 'it is necessary / one must'; adding the pronoun «te» makes it personal — 'you must, it is needful for you'. «Il te faut ... jouer» = 'you must play'. The construction governs the infinitives that follow («jouer», «chanter», «étaler») across the two tercets."}],"words":[{"surface":"Il","lemma":"il","morphology":"pronoun, impersonal, masculine, singular","role":"impersonal subject of faut","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"te","lemma":"te","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"indirect object of faut","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"faut","lemma":"falloir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"must"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of gagner","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"gagner","lemma":"gagner","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"adverbial clause on faut","gloss":"earn"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of pain","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"pain","lemma":"pain","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of gagner","gloss":"bread"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking soir","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"chaque","lemma":"chaque","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of soir","gloss":"every"},{"surface":"soir","lemma":"soir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies pain","gloss":"evening"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"la-muse-venale-s3-l2","source":"Comme un enfant de choeur, jouer de l'encensoir,","translation":"Like a choirboy, to swing the censer,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"jouer de l'encensoir","title":"«jouer de» + instrument","body":"«jouer de» + a noun means 'to play / to work (an instrument)' — «jouer du piano», 'to play the piano'. Applied to «l'encensoir» (the censer, the swinging incense-holder), «jouer de l'encensoir» wittily casts the thurible as an instrument: the muse must 'play' it like an «enfant de choeur» (choirboy) for pay."}],"words":[{"surface":"Comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking enfant","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of enfant","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"enfant","lemma":"enfant","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the comme-phrase modifying jouer","gloss":"child","note":"\"enfant de choeur\" is idiomatic for choirboy/altar boy."},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking choeur","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"choeur","lemma":"choeur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies enfant","gloss":"choir"},{"surface":"jouer","lemma":"jouer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swing"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking encensoir","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of encensoir","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"encensoir","lemma":"encensoir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of jouer","gloss":"censer"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"la-muse-venale-s3-l3","source":"Chanter des Te Deum auxquels tu ne crois guère,","translation":"To sing Te Deums in which you scarcely believe,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tu ne crois guère","title":"«ne ... guère» and «croire à»","body":"«ne ... guère» is the negation 'hardly, scarcely, barely'. «croire à qqch.» = 'to believe in something', so «auxquels tu ne crois guère» = 'in which you scarcely believe'. «auxquels» is «à» + «lesquels» (to which). A «Te Deum» is a Latin hymn of thanksgiving — sung here without faith, purely for hire."}],"words":[{"surface":"Chanter","lemma":"chanter","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"to sing"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of Te Deum","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"Te","lemma":"Te","morphology":"proper noun","role":"part of the fixed phrase Te Deum, direct object of Chanter","gloss":"Te","note":"\"Te Deum\" is a Latin hymn of praise, kept untranslated."},{"surface":"Deum","lemma":"Deum","morphology":"proper noun","role":"part of the fixed phrase Te Deum","gloss":"Deum"},{"surface":"auxquels","lemma":"lequel","morphology":"relative pronoun, masculine, plural","role":"oblique argument of crois, refers to Te Deum","gloss":"in which"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"subject of crois","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies crois","gloss":"not","note":"\"ne...guère\" = scarcely/hardly."},{"surface":"crois","lemma":"croire","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"relative clause on Te Deum","gloss":"believe"},{"surface":"guère","lemma":"guère","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies crois","gloss":"scarcely"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"la-muse-venale-s4-l1","source":"Ou, saltimbanque à jeun, étaler tes appas","translation":"Or, a fasting mountebank, to display your charms","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"saltimbanque à jeun","title":"«saltimbanque» and «à jeun»","body":"«un saltimbanque» is a street acrobat or mountebank, the fairground performer who tumbles for coins. «à jeun» means 'on an empty stomach, fasting'. «étaler tes appas» = 'to spread out / show off your charms' («les appas», m. pl., the physical allurements). The muse is reduced to a hungry busker selling her looks."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ou","lemma":"ou","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"or"},{"surface":"saltimbanque","lemma":"saltimbanque","morphology":"noun, singular","role":"in apposition to the subject of étaler","gloss":"mountebank"},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking jeun","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"jeun","lemma":"jeun","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies saltimbanque","gloss":"fasting","note":"\"à jeun\" is idiomatic for having an empty stomach/fasting."},{"surface":"étaler","lemma":"étaler","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"display"},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of appas","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"appas","lemma":"appas","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of étaler","gloss":"charms","note":"Archaic plural noun for physical charms/allure (not \"appât\", bait)."}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"la-muse-venale-s4-l2","source":"Et ton rire trempé de pleurs qu'on ne voit pas,","translation":"And your laughter steeped in tears no one can see,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"trempé de pleurs","title":"«trempé de pleurs»","body":"«tremper» is to soak, drench, or dip; «trempé de pleurs» = 'soaked in tears'. «les pleurs» (m. pl.) is a literary word for tears/weeping. «qu'on ne voit pas» = 'that one does not see' — the hidden grief behind the performer's forced laugh, the heart of the poem's pathos."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of rire","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"rire","lemma":"rire","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with appas, direct object of étaler","gloss":"laughter"},{"surface":"trempé","lemma":"tremper","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies rire","gloss":"steeped"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking pleurs","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"pleurs","lemma":"pleur","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies rire","gloss":"tears"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"pronoun","role":"direct object of voit","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"on","lemma":"on","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of voit","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies voit","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"voit","lemma":"voir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on pleurs","gloss":"sees"},{"surface":"pas","lemma":"pas","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies voit","gloss":"not"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"la-muse-venale-s4-l3","source":"Pour faire épanouir la rate du vulgaire.","translation":"To make the rabble's spleen blossom into mirth.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"épanouir la rate","title":"«épanouir la rate»","body":"«épanouir» is to make bloom, open out, brighten; «la rate» is literally the spleen (the organ). The idiom «s'épanouir la rate», or «se dilater la rate», means 'to split one's sides laughing'. «le vulgaire» (noun) is 'the common crowd, the rabble'. So the line means 'to set the mob roaring with laughter' — a bitter close, given that in Baudelaire spleen is also melancholy."}],"words":[{"surface":"Pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of épanouir","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"faire","lemma":"faire","morphology":"auxiliary verb, infinitive","role":"depends on épanouir","gloss":"make"},{"surface":"épanouir","lemma":"épanouir","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"blossom","note":"\"faire épanouir la rate\" is idiomatic for cheering someone up/making them laugh."},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of rate","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"rate","lemma":"rate","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of épanouir","gloss":"spleen"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking vulgaire","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"vulgaire","lemma":"vulgaire","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies rate","gloss":"rabble"}]}]}