{"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":"a-une-passante","title":{"source":"À une passante","translated":"To a Woman Passing By"},"section":"Parisian Scenes","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/a-une-passante","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/les-aveugles","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/le-squelette-laboureur","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":"a-une-passante-s1-l1","source":"La rue assourdissante autour de moi hurlait.","translation":"The deafening street was howling all around me.","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"assourdissante","title":"assourdissant(e)","body":"«assourdissant» means 'deafening', from «assourdir», 'to deafen, to muffle'. It is the present participle of the verb used as an adjective, agreeing with «la rue» (feminine): «la rue assourdissante» — the deafening street, so loud it «hurlait» (howled) around the poet."}],"words":[{"surface":"La","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of rue","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"rue","lemma":"rue","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of hurlait","gloss":"street"},{"surface":"assourdissante","lemma":"assourdissant","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies rue","gloss":"deafening"},{"surface":"autour","lemma":"autour","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies hurlait","gloss":"around"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking moi, part of autour de","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"moi","lemma":"moi","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"depends on autour","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"hurlait","lemma":"hurler","morphology":"verb, imperfect, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was howling"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"a-une-passante-s1-l2","source":"Longue, mince, en grand deuil, douleur majestueuse,","translation":"Tall, slender, in deep mourning, a majestic grief,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"en grand deuil","title":"le deuil; en grand deuil","body":"«le deuil» is mourning, both the grief and the black clothes worn for it. «en grand deuil» = 'in full / deep mourning' — the heaviest black, marking a recent and close death. The whole woman is then renamed by her sorrow: «douleur majestueuse», a majestic grief."}],"words":[{"surface":"Longue","lemma":"long","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase, describes femme","gloss":"tall"},{"surface":"mince","lemma":"mince","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies Longue","gloss":"slender"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking deuil","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"grand","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies deuil","gloss":"deep"},{"surface":"deuil","lemma":"deuil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"completes the phrase en grand deuil","gloss":"mourning"},{"surface":"douleur","lemma":"douleur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"in apposition to femme","gloss":"grief"},{"surface":"majestueuse","lemma":"majestueux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies douleur","gloss":"majestic"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"a-une-passante-s1-l3","source":"Une femme passa, d'une main fastueuse","translation":"A woman passed, with a lavish hand","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"passa","title":"Passé simple «passa»","body":"«passa» is the «passé simple» (literary past) of «passer», 'to pass': 'she passed'. This tense, used only in writing, gives the single, finished gesture of her crossing — over in an instant, like the «éclair» (flash) of the first tercet."}],"words":[{"surface":"Une","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of femme","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"femme","lemma":"femme","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of passa","gloss":"woman"},{"surface":"passa","lemma":"passer","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"passed"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking main","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"une","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of main","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"main","lemma":"main","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"oblique argument of passa","gloss":"hand"},{"surface":"fastueuse","lemma":"fastueux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies main","gloss":"lavish"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"a-une-passante-s1-l4","source":"Soulevant, balançant le feston et l'ourlet;","translation":"Lifting, swaying the scallop and the hem;","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"le feston et l'ourlet","title":"le feston; l'ourlet","body":"«le feston» is a scalloped or festooned border of a skirt; «l'ourlet» is the hem. The two present participles «soulevant, balançant» (lifting, swaying) describe her hand gathering and rocking the edge of her dress as she walks — a single, vivid flourish of movement."}],"words":[{"surface":"Soulevant","lemma":"soulever","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"adverbial clause on passa","gloss":"lifting"},{"surface":"balançant","lemma":"balancer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"coordinated with Soulevant","gloss":"swaying"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of feston","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"feston","lemma":"feston","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of Soulevant and balançant","gloss":"scallop"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of ourlet","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"ourlet","lemma":"ourlet","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with feston","gloss":"hem"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"a-une-passante-s2-l1","source":"Agile et noble, avec sa jambe de statue.","translation":"Nimble and noble, with her leg of a statue.","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Agile","lemma":"agile","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"describes femme, parallel to Longue, mince","gloss":"nimble"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"noble","lemma":"noble","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"coordinated with Agile","gloss":"noble"},{"surface":"avec","lemma":"avec","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking jambe","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"sa","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of jambe","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"jambe","lemma":"jambe","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"leg"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking statue","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"statue","lemma":"statue","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"modifies jambe","gloss":"statue"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"a-une-passante-s2-l2","source":"Moi, je buvais, crispé comme un extravagant,","translation":"I — I was drinking, tensed like a madman,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Moi, je buvais","title":"Stressed pronoun «moi» + «je»","body":"«moi» is the stressed (disjunctive) pronoun, set before the ordinary subject «je» to throw the weight onto the speaker: 'I, for my part…'. The pivot from the passing woman to the watching poet, «Moi, je buvais» ('I was drinking [her in]'), turns the sonnet inward at its center."}],"words":[{"surface":"Moi","lemma":"moi","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"emphatic subject, coordinated with je","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of buvais","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"buvais","lemma":"boire","morphology":"verb, imperfect, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was drinking"},{"surface":"crispé","lemma":"crisper","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"adverbial clause on buvais","gloss":"tensed"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the clause of extravagant","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of extravagant","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"extravagant","lemma":"extravagant","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"complement of crispé","gloss":"madman"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"a-une-passante-s2-l3","source":"Dans son oeil, ciel livide où germe l'ouragan,","translation":"From her eye, livid sky where the storm takes root,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"où germe l'ouragan","title":"germer; l'ouragan","body":"«germer» is 'to sprout, to germinate', as a seed does; «l'ouragan» is a hurricane or violent storm. Her eye is a «ciel livide» (livid, leaden sky) «où germe l'ouragan» — where the storm is already taking root. Note the inversion: the verb «germe» comes before its subject «l'ouragan»."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking oeil","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"son","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of oeil","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"oeil","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of preposition Dans","gloss":"eye"},{"surface":"ciel","lemma":"ciel","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to oeil","gloss":"sky"},{"surface":"livide","lemma":"livide","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies ciel","gloss":"livid"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"pronoun","role":"introduces the clause of germe","gloss":"where"},{"surface":"germe","lemma":"germer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on ciel","gloss":"takes root"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of ouragan","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"ouragan","lemma":"ouragan","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of germe","gloss":"storm"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"a-une-passante-s2-l4","source":"La douceur qui fascine et le plaisir qui tue.","translation":"The sweetness that enthralls and the pleasure that kills.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"La","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of douceur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"douceur","lemma":"douceur","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"sweetness"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of fascine","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"fascine","lemma":"fasciner","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on douceur","gloss":"enthralls"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of plaisir","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"plaisir","lemma":"plaisir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with douceur","gloss":"pleasure"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of tue","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"tue","lemma":"tuer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on plaisir","gloss":"kills"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"a-une-passante-s3-l1","source":"Un éclair... puis la nuit! — Fugitive beauté","translation":"A flash of lightning... then the night! — Fleeting beauty","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Un éclair... puis la nuit","title":"l'éclair; fugitif / fugitive","body":"«un éclair» is a flash of lightning; «fugitif/fugitive» means 'fleeting, fugitive'. The encounter is compressed into a single flash followed by darkness, and she becomes «Fugitive beauté» — a beauty already vanishing. The em-dash marks the abrupt turn from scene to direct address."}],"words":[{"surface":"Un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of éclair","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"éclair","lemma":"éclair","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"flash of lightning"},{"surface":"puis","lemma":"puis","morphology":"adverb","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of nuit","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"nuit","lemma":"nuit","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"night"},{"surface":"Fugitive","lemma":"fugitif","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies beauté","gloss":"fleeting"},{"surface":"beauté","lemma":"beauté","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"beauty"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"a-une-passante-s3-l2","source":"Dont le regard m'a fait soudainement renaître,","translation":"Whose glance suddenly made me be reborn,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Dont le regard","title":"Relative pronoun «dont»","body":"«dont» is the relative pronoun standing for «de qui / de quoi» — 'whose, of whom'. «Fugitive beauté dont le regard…» = 'fleeting beauty whose gaze…': «dont» links the address to her «regard» (look), the glance that «m'a fait… renaître», made the poet be reborn."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"m'a fait... renaître","title":"Causative «faire» + infinitive","body":"«faire» plus an infinitive is the causative, 'to make (someone) do': «le regard m'a fait renaître» = 'the glance made me be reborn'. The object pronoun «m'» (me) is the one caused to act. «renaître» is 'to be reborn' — a single look brings the poet back to life."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dont","lemma":"dont","morphology":"pronoun","role":"modifies regard","gloss":"whose"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of regard","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"regard","lemma":"regard","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fait","gloss":"glance"},{"surface":"m'","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of fait","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"a","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on fait","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"fait","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"made"},{"surface":"soudainement","lemma":"soudainement","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fait","gloss":"suddenly"},{"surface":"renaître","lemma":"renaître","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"complement of fait","gloss":"be reborn"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"a-une-passante-s3-l3","source":"Ne te verrai-je plus que dans l'éternité?","translation":"Shall I see you no more except in eternity?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Ne te verrai-je plus","title":"Inversion in a question; «ne... plus que»","body":"The subject «je» is inverted after the verb to form the question: «verrai-je» = 'shall I see'. «ne... plus que» means 'no longer... except / only now... in', so «Ne te verrai-je plus que dans l'éternité?» = 'Shall I see you no more except in eternity?' — only after death, if ever."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies verrai","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"te","lemma":"te","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of verrai","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"verrai","lemma":"voir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall see"},{"surface":"-je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of verrai","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"plus","lemma":"plus","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies verrai","gloss":"no more"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"part of the phrase plus","gloss":"only","note":"ne...que forms the restrictive 'only'; que is not a true subordinator here."},{"surface":"dans","lemma":"dans","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking éternité","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of éternité","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"éternité","lemma":"éternité","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"depends on verrai","gloss":"eternity"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"a-une-passante-s4-l1","source":"Ailleurs, bien loin d'ici! trop tard! jamais peut-être!","translation":"Elsewhere, far from here! too late! never perhaps!","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Ailleurs, bien loin d'ici","title":"ailleurs; jamais peut-être","body":"«ailleurs» means 'elsewhere'; «bien loin d'ici» = 'far from here'. The line breaks into broken exclamations — «trop tard!» ('too late!'), «jamais peut-être!» ('never perhaps!') — that act out the lost chance, each phrase a separate gasp at the missed meeting."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ailleurs","lemma":"ailleurs","morphology":"adverb","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"elsewhere"},{"surface":"bien","lemma":"bien","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies loin","gloss":"very"},{"surface":"loin","lemma":"loin","morphology":"adverb","role":"coordinated with Ailleurs","gloss":"far"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking ici","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"ici","lemma":"ici","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on loin","gloss":"here"},{"surface":"trop","lemma":"trop","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies tard","gloss":"too"},{"surface":"tard","lemma":"tard","morphology":"adverb","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"late"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies peut-être","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"peut-être","lemma":"peut-être","morphology":"adverb","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"perhaps"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"a-une-passante-s4-l2","source":"Car j'ignore où tu fuis, tu ne sais où je vais,","translation":"For I know not where you flee, you know not where I go,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"j'ignore","title":"ignorer (faux ami)","body":"«ignorer» is a false friend: it means 'not to know, to be unaware of', not 'to ignore'. «j'ignore où tu fuis» = 'I do not know where you are fleeing'. Paired with «tu ne sais où je vais», it seals the symmetry of two strangers parting forever, each blind to the other's path."}],"words":[{"surface":"Car","lemma":"car","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"j'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of ignore","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"ignore","lemma":"ignorer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"know not"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fuis","gloss":"where"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of fuis","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"fuis","lemma":"fuir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"clausal complement of ignore","gloss":"flee"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of sais","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"ne","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies sais","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"sais","lemma":"savoir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"main verb of the second clause","gloss":"know not"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vais","gloss":"where"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of vais","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"vais","lemma":"aller","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"clausal complement of sais","gloss":"go"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"a-une-passante-s4-l3","source":"Ô toi que j'eusse aimée, ô toi qui le savais!","translation":"O you whom I would have loved, O you who knew it!","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"que j'eusse aimée","title":"Past subjunctive as conditional «j'eusse aimée»","body":"«j'eusse aimée» is the pluperfect subjunctive of «aimer», here used in its literary value as a past conditional: 'whom I would have loved'. The «-e» on «aimée» agrees with the preceding feminine object «que» (= «toi», the woman). It is the great might-have-been on which the sonnet closes."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"oh"},{"surface":"toi","lemma":"toi","morphology":"pronoun","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"pronoun","role":"direct object of aimée","gloss":"whom"},{"surface":"j'","lemma":"je","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of aimée","gloss":"I"},{"surface":"eusse","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular","role":"depends on aimée","gloss":"would have","note":"eusse aimée is a literary second-form conditional perfect: 'would have loved'."},{"surface":"aimée","lemma":"aimer","morphology":"verb, past, passive, participle, feminine, singular","role":"relative clause on toi","gloss":"loved"},{"surface":"ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"oh"},{"surface":"toi","lemma":"toi","morphology":"pronoun","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"qui","lemma":"qui","morphology":"pronoun","role":"subject of savais","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"direct object of savais","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"savais","lemma":"savoir","morphology":"verb, imperfect, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"relative clause on toi","gloss":"knew"}]}]}