[L. 7.] son flambeau vous luit. Such constructions, where à followed by an indirect object, or implicitly contained in the dative of the unstressed personal pronoun, where the present language uses pour, were quite current formerly, and, though uncommon, may still be used.—Haase, § 125 B.
[L. 8.] Dansantes. The predilection of Chénier for the inflected present participle has now been illustrated by many instances. See p. 24, l. 61; p. 25, ll. 70, 89; p. 42, XXIV, l. 1.
[Ll. 9-12.] Cf. Cowley (Essays: Of Agriculture): 'One might as well undertake to dance in a crowd, as to make good verses in the midst of noise and tumult.'
'As well might corn as verse in cities grow;
In vain the thankless glebe we plough and sow,
Against th' unnatural soil in vain we strive,
'Tis not a ground in which these plants will thrive.'
[L. 15.] les rapides chars. Conventionally poetical for carrosses, which, in those days, would have been the proper word. In the same way airain should have been fer (cercles = tires).
[L. 17.] ne me soient point avares. See note to p. 56, l. 7.
[L. 21.] Dormir. The more modern construction would be de dormir. See Hasse, § 87. An echo of La Fontaine, who divided his life into two parts, spent 'L'une à dormir, et l'autre à ne rien faire.'