Commentary Of Baudelaires 'La Cloche Felee'

1281 Words6 Pages
LXXIV La Cloche Fêlée La Cloche Fêlée appears in the “Spleen et Idéal” section of Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal and is centred on the comparison of the poet and the sound of church bells. What becomes immediately obvious is that “la cloche au gossier vigoureux” is not the same bell that the title alludes to. Instead, through using the same adjective “fêlée” we are forced to link the idea of the cracked bell to the poet who states “Moi, mon âme est fêlée”. The working bell is described with great praise as “alerte et bien portante” and it is said to do its job “fidèlement”, showing that the poet aspires to have these characteristics rather than be left with soul that is cracked. Like the bell which “jette fidèlement son cri réligeux” the poet’s soul “veut de ses chants peupler l’air froid des nuits”, indicating a desire to express himself and to spread his words and creativity, yet “il arrive souvent que sa voix affaiblie”. His weakened voice is then described as “le râle épais d’un blessé”, which heightens the idea that his soul is broken by showing that he has also been wounded physically. The opening scene describes the warmth of the “feu qui palpite”, acting as a protection against the “amer” winter chill. The use of “palpite”, i.e. the fire metaphorically beating or pulsing like a heart, makes the fire alive. This serves to strengthen the common association of fire with passion, desire and vitality. In line 10, the poet does, however, meet with “l’air froid de nuit”, suggesting that the fire has now been extinguished or burned itself out. This may also be related to a loss of creativity or expressive ability in the poet. Fires are also dynamic; they flicker and erupt into flames but in order to do so require an initial spark. The poet, in order to write, also needs an initial spark, some inspiration in order to write. Perhaps the fact that

More about Commentary Of Baudelaires 'La Cloche Felee'

Open Document