"If the poet has pursued a moral objective, he has diminished his poetic force"

Charles Baudelaire’s assertion suggests a deep skepticism about the idea that poetry should serve a direct moral or didactic function. For Baudelaire, the very essence and power of poetry arise from its ability to transcend practical aims, including those of moral instruction. When a poet consciously attempts to pursue a moral objective, the act of creation becomes encumbered by purpose, preconception, and restraint, clouding the artistic impulse with obligation rather than inspiration.

The force of poetry, in Baudelaire’s view, is inherently linked to the freedom of imaginative and aesthetic exploration. Poetry emerges out of a desire to evoke sensation, to probe the complexities of human emotion, and to explore the beauty and terror of existence without the constraints of moral messaging. Moral objectives are, by their nature, prescriptive; they suggest outcomes, imply judgment, and uphold predetermined values. Poetry, conversely, thrives in ambiguity, uncertainty, and the mystery of meaning. When a poet becomes primarily concerned with moral concerns, the work risks becoming reductive, a vehicle for propaganda or sermonizing rather than an open space for inquiry and feeling.

Baudelaire’s stance reflects a broader Romantic and Symbolist conviction that art and morality operate on distinct planes. The power of the poem resides in its capacity to unsettle, to generate empathy or curiosity, and to open possibilities rather than deliver conclusions. The truly significant poem is not one that instructs, but one that provokes, confounds, and delights. The “poetic force” Baudelaire advocates is a force of imagination rather than doctrine. By freeing poetry from the burdens of moral instruction, the poet preserves the medium’s unique ability to reflect the manifold truths of human experience, including its contradictions and uncertainties. The pursuit of moral objectives, admirable as it may be in other domains, thus constitutes a hindrance rather than a help for the poetic vocation.