{"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":"remords-posthume","title":{"source":"Remords posthume","translated":"Posthumous Remorse"},"section":"Spleen and Ideal","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/remords-posthume","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/une-nuit-que-j-etais-pres-d-une-affreuse-juive","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/le-chat","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":"remords-posthume-s1-l1","source":"Lorsque tu dormiras, ma belle ténébreuse,","translation":"When you shall sleep, my dark and shadowy beauty,","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ma belle ténébreuse","title":"«ténébreux» — shadowy, dark, murky","body":"«ténébreux» (from «les ténèbres», 'darkness, shadows') means 'dark, shadowy, murky', and figuratively 'mysterious, obscure'. «ma belle ténébreuse» = 'my dark beauty / my beautiful woman of shadows' — an address charged with both her black hair and her sinister allure. «Lorsque tu dormiras» uses the future ('when you shall sleep'), and the whole poem turns on that euphemism: this sleep is death."}],"words":[{"surface":"Lorsque","lemma":"lorsque","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of dormiras","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of dormiras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"dormiras","lemma":"dormir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the subordinate clause","gloss":"shall sleep"},{"surface":"ma","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of ténébreuse","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"belle","lemma":"beau","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies ténébreuse","gloss":"beautiful"},{"surface":"ténébreuse","lemma":"ténébreux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular (used as noun, vocative)","role":"head of the phrase, addressee","gloss":"shadowy one"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"remords-posthume-s1-l2","source":"Au fond d'un monument construit en marbre noir,","translation":"Deep in a monument built of black marble,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Au","lemma":"au","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking fond","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"fond","lemma":"fond","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"depth"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking monument","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of monument","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"monument","lemma":"monument","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"modifies fond","gloss":"monument"},{"surface":"construit","lemma":"construire","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"modifies monument","gloss":"built"},{"surface":"en","lemma":"en","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking marbre","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"marbre","lemma":"marbre","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"oblique argument of construit","gloss":"marble"},{"surface":"noir","lemma":"noir","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies marbre","gloss":"black"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"remords-posthume-s1-l3","source":"Et lorsque tu n'auras pour alcôve et manoir","translation":"And when you shall have, for alcove and for manor,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"pour alcôve et manoir","title":"«alcôve» and «manoir» — bower and manor","body":"«une alcôve» is the recessed bedchamber or bower of love, «un manoir» a manor-house or dwelling. Pairing them — 'for bower and manor' — names exactly what the grave replaces: the seductress's bed and home shrink, in the next line, to «un caveau pluvieux» and «une fosse creuse». The sentence runs on across the line, so «n'auras … Qu'un caveau» is one «ne … que» ('shall have only')."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"lorsque","lemma":"lorsque","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of auras","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"tu","lemma":"tu","morphology":"pronoun, singular","role":"subject of auras","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"part of the ne...que (only) construction completed later in the poem","gloss":"not","note":"This line begins a ne...que (\"only\") restriction whose que appears in the next couplet, not shown in this segment."},{"surface":"auras","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall have"},{"surface":"pour","lemma":"pour","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking alcôve","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"alcôve","lemma":"alcôve","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auras","gloss":"alcove"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"manoir","lemma":"manoir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with alcôve","gloss":"manor"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"remords-posthume-s1-l4","source":"Qu'un caveau pluvieux et qu'une fosse creuse;","translation":"But a rain-soaked vault and a hollow grave;","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tu n'auras … Qu'un caveau … et qu'une fosse","title":"«ne … que» — to have only","body":"Spanning lines 3–4, «tu n'auras pour alcôve et manoir / Qu'un caveau … et qu'une fosse» is the restrictive «ne … que» — 'you shall have only a vault and a grave'. The «que» is repeated before the second noun for emphasis. «pluvieux» ('rainy, rain-soaked') and «creuse» ('hollow, dug-out') close the quatrain on dank, empty earth."}],"words":[{"surface":"Qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"restrictive conjunction (ne...que)","role":"restricts auras (previous line) to caveau","gloss":"only","note":"Continues 'tu n'auras... Qu'un caveau...' from the prior line: a ne...que restriction split across the line break."},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of caveau","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"caveau","lemma":"caveau","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"predicate complement of auras (restricted by ne...que)","gloss":"vault"},{"surface":"pluvieux","lemma":"pluvieux","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies caveau","gloss":"rain-soaked"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"restrictive conjunction (ne...que)","role":"restricts auras to fosse (second ne...que)","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"une","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of fosse","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"fosse","lemma":"fosse","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with caveau","gloss":"grave"},{"surface":"creuse","lemma":"creux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies fosse","gloss":"hollow"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"remords-posthume-s2-l1","source":"Quand la pierre, opprimant ta poitrine peureuse","translation":"When the stone, crushing your timorous breast","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Quand","lemma":"quand","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the clause of Empêchera (s2-l3)","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of pierre","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"pierre","lemma":"pierre","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of Empêchera (s2-l3)","gloss":"stone"},{"surface":"opprimant","lemma":"opprimer","morphology":"verb, present, participle","role":"participial clause modifying pierre","gloss":"crushing"},{"surface":"ta","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of poitrine","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"poitrine","lemma":"poitrine","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of opprimant","gloss":"breast"},{"surface":"peureuse","lemma":"peureux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies poitrine","gloss":"timorous"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"remords-posthume-s2-l2","source":"Et tes flancs qu'assouplit un charmant nonchaloir,","translation":"And your flanks that a charming languor renders supple,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tes flancs qu'assouplit un charmant nonchaloir","title":"Verb–subject inversion in the relative clause","body":"Inside the relative clause «que … assouplit …», the verb «assouplit» ('makes supple, softens') comes before its subject «un charmant nonchaloir». Read straight: «un charmant nonchaloir assouplit tes flancs» — 'a charming languor makes your flanks supple'. «le nonchaloir» is an archaic, poetic word for nonchalance, listless ease — the indolent grace of her body that the crushing stone will end."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of flancs","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"flancs","lemma":"flanc","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with poitrine (object of opprimant)","gloss":"flanks"},{"surface":"qu'","lemma":"que","morphology":"pronoun","role":"direct object of assouplit","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"assouplit","lemma":"assouplir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"relative clause on flancs","gloss":"renders supple"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of nonchaloir","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"charmant","lemma":"charmant","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies nonchaloir","gloss":"charming"},{"surface":"nonchaloir","lemma":"nonchaloir","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of assouplit","gloss":"languor"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"remords-posthume-s2-l3","source":"Empêchera ton coeur de battre et de vouloir,","translation":"Shall keep your heart from beating and from desiring,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Empêchera ton coeur de battre","title":"«empêcher … de» + infinitive","body":"«empêcher quelqu'un de faire quelque chose» = 'to keep / prevent someone from doing something', always with «de» before the infinitive. «Empêchera ton coeur de battre et de vouloir» = 'shall stop your heart from beating and from willing'. «Empêchera» is the future, the main verb the whole «Quand …» clause has been waiting for: stone stilling both pulse and desire at once."}],"words":[{"surface":"Empêchera","lemma":"empêcher","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall keep"},{"surface":"ton","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of coeur","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"coeur","lemma":"coeur","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of Empêchera","gloss":"heart"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the infinitive clause of battre","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"battre","lemma":"battre","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive clause complementing Empêchera","gloss":"beating"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the infinitive clause of vouloir","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"vouloir","lemma":"vouloir","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"coordinated with battre","gloss":"desiring"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"remords-posthume-s2-l4","source":"Et tes pieds de courir leur course aventureuse,","translation":"And your feet from running their adventurous course,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"tes","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of pieds","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"pieds","lemma":"pied","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with coeur (object of Empêchera)","gloss":"feet"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the infinitive clause of courir","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"courir","lemma":"courir","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive clause complementing Empêchera","gloss":"running"},{"surface":"leur","lemma":"leur","morphology":"determiner, plural possessor","role":"determiner of course","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"course","lemma":"course","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of courir","gloss":"course"},{"surface":"aventureuse","lemma":"aventureux","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies course","gloss":"adventurous"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"remords-posthume-s3-l1","source":"Le tombeau, confident de mon rêve infini","translation":"The tomb, the confidant of my unending dream","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of tombeau","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"tombeau","lemma":"tombeau","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of dira (s4-l1)","gloss":"tomb"},{"surface":"confident","lemma":"confident","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to tombeau","gloss":"confidant"},{"surface":"de","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking rêve","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"mon","lemma":"mon","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of rêve","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"rêve","lemma":"rêve","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of preposition de, modifies confident","gloss":"dream"},{"surface":"infini","lemma":"infini","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies rêve","gloss":"unending"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"remords-posthume-s3-l2","source":"(Car le tombeau toujours comprendra le poète),","translation":"(For the tomb will always understand the poet),","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Car","lemma":"car","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of tombeau","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"tombeau","lemma":"tombeau","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of comprendra","gloss":"tomb"},{"surface":"toujours","lemma":"toujours","morphology":"adverb","role":"modifies comprendra","gloss":"always"},{"surface":"comprendra","lemma":"comprendre","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will understand"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of poète","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"poète","lemma":"poète","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of comprendra","gloss":"poet"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"remords-posthume-s3-l3","source":"Durant ces grandes nuits d'où le somme est banni,","translation":"Throughout those great nights from which sleep is banished,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"d'où le somme est banni","title":"«le somme» — slumber (masculine)","body":"«le somme» (masculine) is 'slumber, a spell of sleep' — distinct from «la somme» (feminine, 'the sum'). «les grandes nuits d'où le somme est banni» = 'the great nights from which sleep is banished': the long, sleepless nights of the dead in the grave. The earlier «tu dormiras» called death a sleep; here that sleep is denied, and the tomb speaks instead."}],"words":[{"surface":"Durant","lemma":"durant","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking nuits","gloss":"throughout"},{"surface":"ces","lemma":"ce","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of nuits","gloss":"those"},{"surface":"grandes","lemma":"grand","morphology":"adjective, feminine, plural","role":"modifies nuits","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"nuits","lemma":"nuit","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"nights"},{"surface":"d'","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"forms d'où (from which) with où","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"relative adverb","role":"relative adverb referring to nuits (with d')","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of somme","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"somme","lemma":"somme","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of passive banni","gloss":"sleep"},{"surface":"est","lemma":"être","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"passive auxiliary of banni","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"banni","lemma":"bannir","morphology":"verb, past, passive, participle, masculine, singular","role":"relative clause modifying nuits","gloss":"banished"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"remords-posthume-s4-l1","source":"Te dira: «Que vous sert, courtisane imparfaite,","translation":"Shall say to you: \"What good is it to you, imperfect courtesan,","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Que vous sert","title":"«À quoi cela vous sert-il?» — what good is it?","body":"«Que vous sert …?» is an elevated, archaic way of asking «À quoi cela vous sert-il …?» — 'What good does it do you …? / What use to you is …?'. The verb «servir» here means 'to be of use, to profit'. Note the shift to formal «vous»: the tomb addresses the dead seductress with cold ceremony as «courtisane imparfaite» ('imperfect courtesan')."}],"words":[{"surface":"Te","lemma":"te","morphology":"pronoun, second-person, singular","role":"indirect object of dira","gloss":"to you"},{"surface":"dira","lemma":"dire","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall say"},{"surface":"Que","lemma":"que","morphology":"interrogative pronoun","role":"interrogative predicate of sert (what good)","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"vous","lemma":"vous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"indirect object of sert","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"sert","lemma":"servir","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"clausal complement of dira","gloss":"is (good) to"},{"surface":"courtisane","lemma":"courtisane","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"vocative, addressing the courtesan","gloss":"courtesan"},{"surface":"imparfaite","lemma":"imparfait","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies courtisane","gloss":"imperfect"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"remords-posthume-s4-l2","source":"De n'avoir pas connu ce que pleurent les morts?»","translation":"To have never known what the dead lament?\"","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ce que pleurent les morts","title":"«ce que» + inversion — what the dead weep for","body":"«ce que» is 'that which / what' (the object form). Within it the verb «pleurent» precedes its subject «les morts» — inversion natural in verse: read «ce que les morts pleurent», 'what the dead weep for / mourn'. «De n'avoir pas connu …» completes the tomb's taunt: what does it profit her to have never known, in life, the thing the dead now grieve they let pass?"}],"words":[{"surface":"De","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"introduces the infinitive clause (subject of sert)","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"n'","lemma":"ne","morphology":"adverb","role":"negation particle with pas, modifies connu","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"avoir","lemma":"avoir","morphology":"auxiliary verb, infinitive","role":"depends on connu","gloss":"have"},{"surface":"pas","lemma":"pas","morphology":"adverb","role":"negation particle with n', modifies connu","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"connu","lemma":"connaître","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"infinitive main verb of the subject clause of sert","gloss":"known"},{"surface":"ce","lemma":"ce","morphology":"pronoun","role":"direct object of connu","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"que","lemma":"que","morphology":"pronoun","role":"direct object of pleurent","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"pleurent","lemma":"pleurer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"relative clause on ce","gloss":"lament"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of morts","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"morts","lemma":"mort","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"subject of pleurent","gloss":"dead"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"remords-posthume-s4-l3","source":"— Et le ver rongera ta peau comme un remords.","translation":"— And the worm shall gnaw your skin like a remorse.","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"le ver rongera ta peau comme un remords","title":"«le ver» — the grave-worm, and «ronger» — to gnaw","body":"«le ver» is the worm (here the grave-worm); «ronger» is 'to gnaw, to eat away'. «le ver rongera ta peau comme un remords» = 'the worm shall gnaw your skin like a remorse'. The simile closes the poem on its title, «Remords posthume»: the literal worm of the corpse becomes the figurative worm of conscience, the remorse the unfeeling beloved would not feel in life now eating her in death."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"le","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of ver","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"ver","lemma":"ver","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of rongera","gloss":"worm"},{"surface":"rongera","lemma":"ronger","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shall gnaw"},{"surface":"ta","lemma":"ton","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of peau","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"peau","lemma":"peau","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of rongera","gloss":"skin"},{"surface":"comme","lemma":"comme","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking remords","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of remords","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"remords","lemma":"remords","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of comme, comparison for rongera","gloss":"remorse"}]}]}