{"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":"sepulture","title":{"source":"Sépulture","translated":"Burial"},"section":"Spleen and Ideal","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/sepulture","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/la-musique","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/baudelaire/une-gravure-fantastique","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":"sepulture-s1-l1","source":"Si par une nuit lourde et sombre","translation":"If on some heavy, sombre night","stanza":1,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Si par une nuit","title":"The «Si» that opens the sentence","body":"«si» is 'if', and it launches a single long conditional that runs across the whole first quatrain: «Si … Un bon chrétien … Enterre votre corps» = 'If … some good Christian … buries your body'. «par une nuit lourde et sombre» = 'on some heavy, sombre night', where «par» sets the time-frame ('on / one such'). The «si» is never closed by a 'then' word — the consequence simply opens in the second stanza, with «À l'heure où…»."}],"words":[{"surface":"Si","lemma":"si","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the conditional clause","gloss":"If"},{"surface":"par","lemma":"par","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking nuit","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"une","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of nuit","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"nuit","lemma":"nuit","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of par","gloss":"night"},{"surface":"lourde","lemma":"lourd","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies nuit","gloss":"heavy"},{"surface":"et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sombre","lemma":"sombre","morphology":"adjective, singular","role":"coordinated with lourde","gloss":"sombre"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"sepulture-s1-l2","source":"Un bon chrétien, par charité,","translation":"Some good Christian, out of charity,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Un","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, masculine, singular","role":"determiner of chrétien","gloss":"Some"},{"surface":"bon","lemma":"bon","morphology":"adjective, masculine, singular","role":"modifies chrétien","gloss":"good"},{"surface":"chrétien","lemma":"chrétien","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"subject of Enterre (s1-l4)","gloss":"Christian"},{"surface":"par","lemma":"par","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking charité","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"charité","lemma":"charité","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of par","gloss":"charity"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"sepulture-s1-l3","source":"Derrière quelque vieux décombre","translation":"Behind some heap of old debris","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"quelque vieux décombre","title":"«décombre» — rubble, ruins","body":"«des décombres» (usually plural) means rubble, debris, the ruins of a fallen building; the singular «quelque vieux décombre» = 'some old heap of rubble'. «quelque» here is the vague 'some (or other)'. The burial is furtive and dishonoured — not in a churchyard but tossed behind a ruin, which is why the body will be left to spiders, vipers, and wolves rather than to rest in consecrated ground."}],"words":[{"surface":"Derrière","lemma":"derrière","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking décombre","gloss":"Behind"},{"surface":"quelque","lemma":"quelque","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of décombre","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"vieux","lemma":"vieux","morphology":"adjective, masculine","role":"modifies décombre","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"décombre","lemma":"décombre","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"object of Derrière","gloss":"heap of debris"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"sepulture-s1-l4","source":"Enterre votre corps vanté,","translation":"Buries your once-vaunted body,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"votre corps vanté","title":"«vanté» — praised, vaunted","body":"«vanté» is the past participle of «vanter» (to praise, to extol, to boast of), used as an adjective: «votre corps vanté» = 'your praised, much-vaunted body'. The flattery is past tense and ironic — the body once celebrated (in life, in love, perhaps in these very poems) is now the thing a stranger shoves behind a ruin. «Enterre» is the verb of the whole 'if'-clause: '(if a good Christian) buries…'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Enterre","lemma":"enterrer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence (subject: chrétien, s1-l2)","gloss":"buries"},{"surface":"votre","lemma":"votre","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of corps","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"corps","lemma":"corps","morphology":"noun, masculine, singular","role":"direct object of Enterre","gloss":"body"},{"surface":"vanté","lemma":"vanter","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, singular","role":"clause modifying corps","gloss":"once-vaunted"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"sepulture-s2-l1","source":"À l'heure où les chastes étoiles","translation":"At the hour when the chaste stars","stanza":2,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"À l'heure où","title":"«à l'heure où» — at the hour when","body":"«où» normally means 'where', but after a noun of time it means 'when': «à l'heure où» = 'at the hour when'. The phrase opens the consequence of the first stanza's «si», setting the midnight scene. «les chastes étoiles / Ferment leurs yeux» personifies the stars as chaste sleepers who shut their eyes — so that no pure thing will witness what the grave does after dark."}],"words":[{"surface":"À","lemma":"à","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking heure","gloss":"At"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of heure","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"heure","lemma":"heure","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of À","gloss":"hour"},{"surface":"où","lemma":"où","morphology":"adverb, relative","role":"introduces the relative clause on heure","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of étoiles","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"chastes","lemma":"chaste","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies étoiles","gloss":"chaste"},{"surface":"étoiles","lemma":"étoile","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"subject of Ferment (s2-l2)","gloss":"stars"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"sepulture-s2-l2","source":"Ferment leurs yeux appesantis,","translation":"Close their heavy-laden eyes,","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Ferment","lemma":"fermer","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the relative clause (subject: étoiles, s2-l1)","gloss":"close"},{"surface":"leurs","lemma":"leur","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of yeux","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"yeux","lemma":"oeil","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of Ferment","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"appesantis","lemma":"appesantir","morphology":"verb, past, participle, masculine, plural","role":"modifies yeux","gloss":"heavy-laden"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"sepulture-s2-l3","source":"L'araignée y fera ses toiles,","translation":"The spider will spin its webs there,","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"L'araignée y fera ses toiles","title":"The pronoun «y» — 'there'","body":"«y» stands in for a place already named — here the grave behind the ruin: «L'araignée y fera ses toiles» = 'the spider will make its webs there'. «une toile» is a web or cloth (a spider's «toile» is its web); «fera» is the future of «faire» (to make, to do). The future tense across this stanza — «fera», «ses petits» (will have her young) — promises what the buried body must endure year after year."}],"words":[{"surface":"L'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of araignée","gloss":"The"},{"surface":"araignée","lemma":"araignée","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of fera","gloss":"spider"},{"surface":"y","lemma":"y","morphology":"pronoun","role":"locative adverb of fera (there)","gloss":"there"},{"surface":"fera","lemma":"faire","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will spin"},{"surface":"ses","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of toiles","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"toiles","lemma":"toile","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of fera","gloss":"webs"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"sepulture-s2-l4","source":"Et la vipère ses petits;","translation":"And the viper rear its young;","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Et la vipère ses petits","title":"An understood verb","body":"The verb is omitted but carried over from the line above: «Et la vipère [fera] ses petits» = 'and the viper [will make / bear] her young'. French verse readily drops a repeated verb this way, leaving the two clauses to share «fera». «ses petits» means 'her young / her little ones'. The grave becomes a nursery for vermin — spiders nesting, vipers breeding in the dishonoured body."}],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"la","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, feminine, singular","role":"determiner of vipère","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"vipère","lemma":"vipère","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"subject of implied fera (ellipsis), coordinated with araignée","gloss":"viper"},{"surface":"ses","lemma":"son","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of petits","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"petits","lemma":"petit","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of implied fera","gloss":"young"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"sepulture-s3-l1","source":"Vous entendrez toute l'année","translation":"All year long you will hear","stanza":3,"audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Vous entendrez toute l'année","title":"The dead «vous» that still hears","body":"«entendrez» is the future of «entendre» (to hear): «Vous entendrez» = 'you will hear'. The horror is that the corpse, though buried, still has senses — addressed throughout as «votre corps», «votre tête», «vous». «toute l'année» = 'all year long, the whole year through', stretching the torment beyond any single night into a permanent, conscious death."}],"words":[{"surface":"Vous","lemma":"vous","morphology":"pronoun, plural","role":"subject of entendrez","gloss":"You"},{"surface":"entendrez","lemma":"entendre","morphology":"verb, future, indicative, second-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will hear"},{"surface":"toute","lemma":"tout","morphology":"adjective, feminine, singular","role":"modifies année","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"l'","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of année","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"année","lemma":"année","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"temporal adverbial argument of entendrez","gloss":"year long"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"sepulture-s3-l2","source":"Sur votre tête condamnée","translation":"Above your condemned head","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Sur","lemma":"sur","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking tête","gloss":"Above"},{"surface":"votre","lemma":"votre","morphology":"determiner, singular","role":"determiner of tête","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"tête","lemma":"tête","morphology":"noun, feminine, singular","role":"object of Sur","gloss":"head"},{"surface":"condamnée","lemma":"condamner","morphology":"verb, past, participle, feminine, singular","role":"clause modifying tête","gloss":"condemned"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"sepulture-s3-l3","source":"Les cris lamentables des loups","translation":"The mournful cries of the wolves","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Les cris lamentables des loups","title":"«lamentable» — wailing, mournful","body":"In French «lamentable» keeps its root sense of 'wailing, full of lament' (from «se lamenter», to wail) more than the English 'pitiful, pathetic'. «les cris lamentables des loups» = 'the mournful, wailing cries of the wolves'. This is the direct object of «entendrez» two lines up: 'you will hear … the wailing cries of the wolves', the sound that hangs over the condemned head all year."}],"words":[{"surface":"Les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of cris","gloss":"The"},{"surface":"cris","lemma":"cri","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"direct object of entendrez (s3-l1)","gloss":"cries"},{"surface":"lamentables","lemma":"lamentable","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies cris","gloss":"mournful"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking loups","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"loups","lemma":"loup","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies cris","gloss":"wolves"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"sepulture-s4-l1","source":"Et des sorcières faméliques,","translation":"And of starving witches,","stanza":4,"audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"un","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of sorcières","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"sorcières","lemma":"sorcière","morphology":"noun, feminine, plural","role":"coordinated with cris (s3-l3)","gloss":"witches"},{"surface":"faméliques","lemma":"famélique","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies sorcières","gloss":"starving"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"sepulture-s4-l2","source":"Les ébats des vieillards lubriques","translation":"The frolics of lecherous old men","audio":null,"notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Les ébats des vieillards lubriques","title":"«ébats» and «lubrique» — frolics and lust","body":"«les ébats» (almost always plural) are frolics, gambols, amorous sport; «lubrique» means lewd, lustful, salacious. «les ébats des vieillards lubriques» = 'the lewd frolics of lecherous old men'. The cold grave is surrounded not by mourning but by obscene revelry — the final insult is that even the dishonoured dead are denied silence, ringed instead by witches, lechers, and thieves."}],"words":[{"surface":"Les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of ébats","gloss":"The"},{"surface":"ébats","lemma":"ébat","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with cris (s3-l3)","gloss":"frolics"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking vieillards","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"vieillards","lemma":"vieillard","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies ébats","gloss":"old men"},{"surface":"lubriques","lemma":"lubrique","morphology":"adjective, plural","role":"modifies vieillards","gloss":"lecherous"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"sepulture-s4-l3","source":"Et les complots des noirs filous.","translation":"And the plots of black-hearted thieves.","audio":null,"notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Et","lemma":"et","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"les","lemma":"le","morphology":"determiner, plural","role":"determiner of complots","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"complots","lemma":"complot","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"coordinated with cris (s3-l3)","gloss":"plots"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"de","morphology":"preposition","role":"preposition marking filous","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"noirs","lemma":"noir","morphology":"adjective, masculine, plural","role":"modifies filous","gloss":"black-hearted"},{"surface":"filous","lemma":"filou","morphology":"noun, masculine, plural","role":"modifies complots","gloss":"thieves"}]}]}