“Si César m’avait donné La gloire et la guerre, Et qu’il me fallait quitter L’amour de ma mère, Je dirais au grand César: Reprends ton sceptre et ton char, J’aime mieux ma mère, ô gué! J’aime mieux ma mère!” 40

The wild and tender accents with which Combeferre sang communicated to this couplet a sort of strange grandeur. Marius, thoughtfully, and with his eyes diked on the ceiling, repeated almost mechanically: “My mother?⁠—”

At that moment, he felt Enjolras’ hand on his shoulder.

“Citizen,” said Enjolras to him, “my mother is the Republic.”

Res Angusta