French · Spleen and Ideal

Sisina

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1
Picture Diana in gallant array,
Imaginezpictureimaginer · verb, present, imperative, second-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
DianeDianaDiane · proper noun, feminine, singulardirect object of Imaginez
eninen · prepositionintroduces the phrase galant équipage
galantgallantgalant · adjective, masculine, singularmodifies équipage
équipagearrayéquipage · noun, masculine, singularobject of en, modifies Diane
Grammar«Imaginez» — «vous» imperative «Imaginez» is the «vous» imperative of «imaginer» (to imagine, to picture): 'imagine, picture'. The poem opens by commanding the reader to conjure a scene, and the next stanza will echo it with «Avez-vous vu» ('have you seen'). «Diane» is the goddess Diana, virgin huntress of the woods — the first of three warrior-women the sonnet stacks up before naming Sisina herself.
2
Ranging the forests or beating the thickets,
Word«battre les halliers» — to beat the thickets «battant» is the present participle of «battre» (to beat); «un hallier» is a thicket or bramble-brake. «battre les halliers» is a hunting idiom — to thrash through the undergrowth driving out game. The two participles «Parcourant … battant» keep Diana in restless motion, ranging and beating the wood at the gallop.
3
Hair and breast to the wind, drunk on the din,
Grammar«s'enivrer de» — to get drunk on «s'enivrant» is the present participle of the pronominal verb «s'enivrer» (to make oneself drunk, to grow intoxicated); the reflexive «se» shows the subject acting on herself. It takes «de» for what intoxicates: «s'enivrant de tapage» = 'getting drunk on the racket, the uproar'. «la gorge» here is the throat or breast/bosom, bared «au vent» ('to the wind').
4
Magnificent, and outriding the best horsemen!
Word«superbe» — proud, magnificent «superbe» keeps its older force here — not just 'superb' but 'proud, haughty, magnificent', the bearing of one who looks down on rivals. «défiant» (present participle of «défier», to defy, to challenge) pairs with it: «défiant les meilleurs cavaliers» = 'challenging / outdoing the best riders'. The exclamation point closes the first portrait at a pitch of triumphant motion.
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Have you seen Théroigne, lover of the slaughter,
Grammar«Avez-vous vu» — inverted passé composé question «Avez-vous vu» is a question in the passé composé formed by inversion: the subject pronoun «vous» flips behind the auxiliary «avez» (from «avoir»), with the past participle «vu» (from «voir», to see) following — 'have you seen?'. It answers the opening «Imaginez», turning the reader's imagined Diana into a remembered, historical figure.
6
Spurring to the assault a shoeless people,
Word«sans souliers» — shoeless, barefoot «un soulier» is a shoe; «sans souliers» = 'without shoes, shoeless'. The phrase paints the revolutionary crowd as the destitute poor — the same social register as the sans-culottes. «Excitant à l'assaut» (from «exciter», to rouse, to incite) shows Théroigne whipping that ragged people up to the attack.
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Cheek and eye ablaze, playing out her part,
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And climbing, sabre in fist, the royal stairs?
Grammar«sabre au poing» — bare-noun phrase of manner «sabre au poing» drops the article — literally 'sabre in fist' — a compact descriptive phrase of the type French uses for posture and bearing (compare «pistolet au poing»). «le poing» is the clenched fist. It hangs as an aside on «montant» (present participle of «monter», to climb): she mounts «les royaux escaliers» ('the royal stairs') weapon in hand. The whole stanza is one suspended question waiting on the «?» here.
9
Such is the Sisina! But the gentle warrior-maid
Grammar«tel» — 'such, like that', with agreement «Telle» is the adjective «tel» (such, like that) in the feminine singular, agreeing with «la Sisina»: 'such is Sisina, just like that'. The verbless exclamation snaps the two long portraits onto the real woman — and «Mais» ('but') immediately pivots to her softer side. «la guerrière» is a woman warrior; «douce» ('gentle, sweet') is the surprising adjective the tercets will unfold.
10
With a soul as charitable as it is murderous;
Grammar«autant que» — as much as «autant que» is a comparison of equal degree, 'as much as, just as ... as': «charitable autant que meurtrière» = 'as charitable as she is murderous'. The two adjectives «charitable» (charitable, merciful) and «meurtrière» (murderous, deadly) are balanced as exact equals, which is the paradox at the heart of the poem — Sisina is both at once.
11
Her courage, maddened by powder and by drums,
Word«affolé de» — driven wild by «affolé» (past participle of «affoler», to drive frantic) means 'maddened, driven wild'; «affolé de» = 'maddened by, frantic with'. «la poudre» is gunpowder and «les tambours» the war-drums — the noise and smell of battle. The participle agrees with the masculine «courage» and hangs as an aside, setting up the verb «sait» that arrives only in the final tercet.
12
Knows, before the suppliants, to lay down its arms,
Word«mettre bas les armes» — to lay down arms «mettre bas les armes» is a set phrase, 'to lay down one's weapons, to surrender'. Its subject is «Son courage» from the line above — across the tercet boundary the verb «sait» (from «savoir», to know how to) finally lands: 'her courage knows how to lay down its arms before those who beg'. «les suppliants» are the suppliants, those who plead for mercy.
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And her heart, ravaged by the flame, has always,
Word«ravagé par» — laid waste by «ravagé» is the past participle of «ravager» (to ravage, to lay waste); «ravagé par la flamme» = 'laid waste by the flame'. «la flamme» is both literal fire and the fire of passion. The participle agrees with the masculine «coeur» ('heart') and sits as an aside between subject and verb — «son coeur ... a toujours ... un réservoir de larmes» — so the sentence holds its breath until the closing line.
14
For whoever proves worthy of it, a wellspring of tears.
Grammar«se montrer digne de» + the pronoun «en» «se montrer digne de» is a pronominal idiom, 'to show / prove oneself worthy of'; the reflexive «se» turns the showing back on the subject. The «en» replaces a «de» phrase — here standing in for the tears or the heart's pity: «qui s'en montre digne» = 'whoever proves worthy of it'. The reward is «un réservoir de larmes» ('a reservoir, a wellspring of tears'), so that the killer's heart ends in mercy.

The particulars

The text: Les Fleurs du mal, Charles Baudelaire. Spleen and Ideal.
Words: Every word of the text, by letter.
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