{"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":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs","title":{"source":"Les Deux Bonnes Soeurs","translated":"The Two Good Sisters"},"section":"Flowers of Evil","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/les-deux-bonnes-soeurs","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/femmes-damnees-comme-un-betail-pensif","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-fontaine-du-sang","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":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s1-l1","source":"La Débauche et la Mort sont deux aimables filles,","translation":"Debauchery and Death are two amiable girls,","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aimables","title":"«aimable»","body":"«aimable» means 'kind, amiable, pleasant', from «aimer» (to love) — not 'lovable' in English. Applied to «la Débauche et la Mort» (Debauchery and Death), the polite, almost social word is deliberately jarring: the two are introduced as obliging, well-mannered «filles» (girls), the personified sisters the whole sonnet will address."}],"words":[{"surface":"La","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of Débauche","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Débauche","lemma":"débauche","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of sont, coordinated with Mort","gloss":"Debauchery"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of Mort","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Mort","lemma":"mort","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with Débauche, subject of sont","gloss":"Death"},{"surface":"sont","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"copula linking to filles","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"deux","lemma":"deux","morphology":"numeral","role":"quantifies filles","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"aimables","lemma":"aimable","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies filles","gloss":"amiable"},{"surface":"filles","lemma":"fille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"predicate noun, head of the phrase","gloss":"girls"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s1-l2","source":"Prodigues de baisers et riches de santé,","translation":"Lavish with kisses and rich in health,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Prodigues","lemma":"prodigue","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies filles (previous line), coordinated predicate","gloss":"lavish"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking baisers","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"baisers","lemma":"baiser","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of Prodigues","gloss":"kisses"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"riches","lemma":"riche","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with Prodigues","gloss":"rich"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking santé","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"santé","lemma":"santé","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of riches","gloss":"health"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s1-l3","source":"Dont le flanc toujours vierge et drapé de guenilles","translation":"Whose flank, forever virgin and draped in rags,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Dont le flanc","title":"Relative pronoun «dont»","body":"«dont» is the relative pronoun for «de qui / de quoi» — 'whose, of whom'. It reaches back to «deux aimables filles» and links them to «le flanc» (the flank, womb, side): 'two girls whose flank…'. The clause runs across two lines before its verb «n'a jamais enfanté» arrives in the next line. «les guenilles» (f. pl.) are rags: «drapé de guenilles» = 'draped in rags', the sisters at once ragged and statuesque."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dont","lemma":"dont","morphology":"possessive relative pronoun","role":"possessive, modifies flanc ('whose')","gloss":"whose"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of flanc","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"flanc","lemma":"flanc","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of enfanté (next line)","gloss":"flank"},{"surface":"toujours","lemma":"toujours","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies vierge","gloss":"forever"},{"surface":"vierge","lemma":"vierge","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"complement of flanc","gloss":"virgin"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"drapé","lemma":"draper","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with vierge, modifies flanc","gloss":"draped"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking guenilles","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"guenilles","lemma":"guenille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of drapé","gloss":"rags"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s1-l4","source":"Sous l'éternel labeur n'a jamais enfanté.","translation":"Beneath eternal labour, has never given birth.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"l'éternel labeur ... enfanté","title":"«le labeur»; «enfanter»","body":"«le labeur» is hard, ceaseless toil; «enfanter» is 'to give birth, to bring forth a child'. Setting «l'éternel labeur» (eternal toil) beside «n'a jamais enfanté» (has never given birth) plays on the two senses of labour — endless exertion that, unlike the labour of childbirth, is forever sterile. «ne... jamais» is the negation 'never'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sous","lemma":"sous","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking labeur","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of labeur","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"éternel","lemma":"éternel","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies labeur","gloss":"eternal"},{"surface":"labeur","lemma":"labeur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of Sous","gloss":"labor"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies enfanté","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"a","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"auxiliary of enfanté","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies enfanté","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"enfanté","lemma":"enfanter","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence, subject flanc (previous line)","gloss":"given birth"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s2-l1","source":"Au poète sinistre, ennemi des familles,","translation":"To the sinister poet, enemy of families,","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Au","lemma":"au","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking poète","gloss":"to the"},{"surface":"poète","lemma":"poète","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"poet"},{"surface":"sinistre","lemma":"sinistre","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"modifies poète","gloss":"sinister"},{"surface":"ennemi","lemma":"ennemi","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to poète","gloss":"enemy"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking familles","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"familles","lemma":"famille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of ennemi","gloss":"families"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s2-l2","source":"Favori de l'enfer, courtisan mal renté,","translation":"Favourite of hell, a poorly pensioned courtier,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"courtisan mal renté","title":"«renté»; «mal renté»","body":"«renté» means 'provided with a «rente»', i.e. with a private income or pension; «mal renté» = 'badly endowed, poorly paid'. The poet is hell's «favori» (favourite) yet a «courtisan» (courtier) who serves at court for little reward — honoured in the underworld, penniless in this one."}],"words":[{"surface":"Favori","lemma":"favori","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to poète (previous line)","gloss":"favorite"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking enfer","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of enfer","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"enfer","lemma":"enfer","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies Favori","gloss":"hell"},{"surface":"courtisan","lemma":"courtisan","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to Favori","gloss":"courtier"},{"surface":"mal","lemma":"mal","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies renté","gloss":"poorly"},{"surface":"renté","lemma":"renter","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"modifies courtisan","gloss":"pensioned"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s2-l3","source":"Tombeaux et lupanars montrent sous leurs charmilles","translation":"Tombs and brothels show, beneath their leafy bowers,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"lupanars ... charmilles","title":"«le lupanar»; «la charmille»","body":"«un lupanar» is a brothel (a literary, Latin-flavoured word); «une charmille» is an arbour or hedge of hornbeam, a shaded garden bower. Yoking «tombeaux et lupanars» (tombs and brothels) under the same green «charmilles» fuses the realms of Death and Debauchery into one inviting, leafy threshold."}],"words":[{"surface":"Tombeaux","lemma":"tombeau","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"subject of montrent, coordinated with lupanars","gloss":"tombs"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"lupanars","lemma":"lupanar","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with Tombeaux, subject of montrent","gloss":"brothels"},{"surface":"montrent","lemma":"montrer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"show"},{"surface":"sous","lemma":"sous","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking charmilles","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"leurs","lemma":"leur","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of charmilles","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"charmilles","lemma":"charmille","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of sous, locative complement of montrent","gloss":"leafy bowers"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s2-l4","source":"Un lit que le remords n'a jamais fréquenté.","translation":"A bed that remorse has never frequented.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of lit","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"lit","lemma":"lit","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of montrent (previous line)","gloss":"bed"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of fréquenté","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of remords","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"remords","lemma":"remords","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fréquenté","gloss":"remorse"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fréquenté","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"a","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"auxiliary of fréquenté","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"jamais","lemma":"jamais","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies fréquenté","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"fréquenté","lemma":"fréquenter","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"relative clause modifying lit","gloss":"frequented"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s3-l1","source":"Et la bière et l'alcôve en blasphèmes fécondes","translation":"And the coffin and the alcove, fertile in blasphemies,","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"la bière","title":"«la bière» (faux ami)","body":"«la bière» here is a false friend: besides 'beer', it means 'coffin, bier'. Paired with «l'alcôve» (the alcove, the curtained recess of a bed), it again sets Death beside Debauchery. «fécondes» (fertile, fruitful) is feminine plural, agreeing with the two feminine nouns «la bière et l'alcôve»: the deathbed and the love-bed are both 'fertile in blasphemies'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of bière","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"bière","lemma":"bière","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of offrent (coordinated with alcôve)","gloss":"coffin"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of alcôve","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"alcôve","lemma":"alcôve","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with bière, subject of offrent","gloss":"alcove"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking blasphèmes","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"blasphèmes","lemma":"blasphème","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of en, modifies fécondes","gloss":"blasphemies"},{"surface":"fécondes","lemma":"fécond","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies bière and alcôve (coordinated subject)","gloss":"fertile"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s3-l2","source":"Nous offrent tour à tour, comme deux bonnes soeurs,","translation":"Offer us by turns, like two good sisters,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"tour à tour","title":"«tour à tour»","body":"«tour à tour» is the idiom 'in turn, by turns, alternately'. Death and Debauchery «nous offrent tour à tour» — take turns offering us their gifts — «comme deux bonnes soeurs», 'like two good sisters'. This is the line that names the poem and crowns the sisterhood the title announces."}],"words":[{"surface":"Nous","lemma":"nous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"direct object of offrent","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"offrent","lemma":"offrir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"offer"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour, adverbial modifier of offrent","gloss":"turn","note":"tour à tour is a fixed idiom meaning 'by turns'."},{"surface":"à","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"tour","lemma":"tour","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"part of the idiom tour à tour","gloss":"turn"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces comparison with soeurs","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"deux","lemma":"deux","morphology":"numeral","role":"quantifies soeurs","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"bonnes","lemma":"bon","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies soeurs","gloss":"good"},{"surface":"soeurs","lemma":"soeur","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"object of comme (comparison)","gloss":"sisters"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s3-l3","source":"De terribles plaisirs et d'affreuses douceurs.","translation":"Terrible pleasures and hideous sweetnesses.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"De","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of plaisirs (partitive, elided form of des before a preceding adjective)","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"terribles","lemma":"terrible","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies plaisirs","gloss":"terrible"},{"surface":"plaisirs","lemma":"plaisir","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of offrent","gloss":"pleasures"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of douceurs (partitive, elided form of des before a preceding adjective)","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"affreuses","lemma":"affreux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies douceurs","gloss":"hideous"},{"surface":"douceurs","lemma":"douceur","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with plaisirs, direct object of offrent","gloss":"sweetnesses"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s4-l1","source":"Quand veux-tu m'enterrer, Débauche aux bras immondes?","translation":"When will you bury me, Debauchery of the filthy arms?","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Quand veux-tu m'enterrer","title":"Question inversion; object pronoun «m'»","body":"The subject «tu» is inverted after the verb to form the question: «veux-tu» = 'do you want / will you'. «m'enterrer» is «me» + «enterrer» (to bury): the object pronoun «m'» (me) goes before the infinitive, so «Quand veux-tu m'enterrer?» = 'When do you want to bury me?'. The poet turns to address «Débauche» directly — «aux bras immondes», 'with the filthy arms'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Quand","lemma":"quand","morphology":"adverb, interrogative","role":"introduces the question, modifies veux","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"veux","lemma":"vouloir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"do (you) want"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"subject of veux","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"m'","lemma":"me","morphology":"pronoun, first-person, singular","role":"direct object of enterrer","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"enterrer","lemma":"enterrer","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive complement of veux","gloss":"bury"},{"surface":"Débauche","lemma":"débauche","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"vocative address","gloss":"Debauchery"},{"surface":"aux","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking bras","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"bras","lemma":"bras","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of aux, modifies Débauche","gloss":"arms"},{"surface":"immondes","lemma":"immonde","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies bras","gloss":"filthy"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s4-l2","source":"Ô Mort, quand viendras-tu, sa rivale en attraits,","translation":"O Death, when will you come, her rival in charms,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Ô","lemma":"ô","morphology":"interjection","role":"vocative particle","gloss":"O"},{"surface":"Mort","lemma":"mort","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"vocative address","gloss":"Death"},{"surface":"quand","lemma":"quand","morphology":"adverb, interrogative","role":"introduces the question, modifies viendras","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"viendras","lemma":"venir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will (you) come"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"subject of viendras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"sa","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of rivale","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"rivale","lemma":"rival","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"apposition to Mort (vocative)","gloss":"rival"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking attraits","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"attraits","lemma":"attrait","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of en, modifies rivale","gloss":"charms"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"les-deux-bonnes-soeurs-s4-l3","source":"Sur ses myrtes infects enter tes noirs cyprès?","translation":"Onto her foul myrtles graft your black cypresses?","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"enter","title":"«enter» (greffer)","body":"«enter» is an old, technical verb meaning 'to graft' a shoot onto a stock — the modern word is «greffer». Death is asked to «enter tes noirs cyprès» (graft your black cypresses) «sur ses myrtes infects» (onto her foul myrtles): the «myrte» (myrtle), sacred to Venus and to love, is to be grafted with the «cyprès» (cypress), the tree of graveyards — the two sisters fused into one plant."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sur","lemma":"sur","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking myrtes","gloss":"onto"},{"surface":"ses","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of myrtes","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"myrtes","lemma":"myrte","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"object of Sur","gloss":"myrtles"},{"surface":"infects","lemma":"infect","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies myrtes","gloss":"foul"},{"surface":"enter","lemma":"enter","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive complement of viendras (bare infinitive after a verb of motion, 'venir + infinitive'); direct object is cyprès","gloss":"graft","note":"'enter' is an archaic French verb meaning 'to graft' (unrelated to English 'enter')."},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of cyprès","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"noirs","lemma":"noir","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies cyprès","gloss":"black"},{"surface":"cyprès","lemma":"cyprès","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of enter","gloss":"cypresses"}]}]}