{
 "id": "ambrose-bierce/a-commuted-sentence",
 "title": "A Commuted Sentence",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "Ambrose Bierce",
 "poet_slug": "ambrose-bierce",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Black Beetles in Amber",
 "book_slug": "black-beetles-in-amber",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 3,
 "container": "Black Beetles in Amber",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1892,
  "venue": "Black Beetles in Amber (1892)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/ambrose-bierce_poetry",
  "file": "black-beetles-in-amber.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
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   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12658",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12977",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15599",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof04bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof05bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof08bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/literarycalifor05mighgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/cali07webb"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 72,
  "n_stanzas": 6,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 50,
  "max_indent": 1
 },
 "site_ready": true,
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 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Boruck and Waterman upon their grills",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In Hades lay, with many a sigh and groan,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Hotly disputing, for each swore his own",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Were clearly keener than the other’s ills.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And, truly, each had much to boast of⁠—bone",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And sinew, muscle, tallow, nerve and skin,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Blood in the vein and marrow in the shin,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Teeth, eyes and other organs (for the soul",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Has all of these and even a wagging chin)",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "All Blazed and coruscated like a coal!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "For Lower Sacramento, you remember,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Has trying weather, even in mid-December.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Now this occurred in the far future. All",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Mankind had been a million ages dead,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And each to her reward above had sped,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Each to his punishment below⁠—I call",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That quite a just arrangement. As I said,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Boruck and Waterman in warmest pain",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Crackled and sizzed with all their might and main.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For, when on earth, they’d freed a scurvy host",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Of crooks from the State prison, who again",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Had robbed and ravaged the Pacific Coast",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And (such the felon’s predatory nature)",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Even got themselves into the Legislature.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "So Waterman and Boruck lay and roared",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In Hades. It is true all other males",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Felt the like flames and uttered equal wails,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "But did not suffer them; whereas they bored",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Each one the other. But indeed my tale’s",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Not getting on at all. They lay and browned",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Till Boruck (who long since his teeth had ground",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Away and spoke Gum Arabic and made",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Stump speeches even in praying) looked around",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And said to Bob’s incinerated shade:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "“Your Excellency, this is mighty hard on",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The inventors of the unpardonable pardon.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The other soul⁠—his right hand all aflame,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For ’twas with that he’d chiefly sinned, although",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "His tongue, too, like a wick was working woe",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To the reserve of tallow in his frame⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Said, with a sputtering, uncertain flow,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And with a gesture like a shaken torch:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“Yes, but I’m sure we’ll not much longer scorch.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Although this climate is not good for Hope,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Whose joyous wing ’twould singe, I think the porch",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of Hell we’ll quit with a pacific slope.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Last century I signified repentance",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And asked for commutation of our sentence.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Even as he spoke, the form of Satan loomed",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In sight, all crimson with reflection’s fire,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Like some tall tower or cathedral spire",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Touched by the dawn while all the earth is gloomed",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In mists and shadows of the night time. “Sire,”",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Said Waterman, his agitable wick",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Still sputtering, “what calls you back so quick?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It scarcely was a century ago",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "You left us.” “I have come to bring,” said Nick,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“St. Peter’s answer (he is never slow",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "In correspondence) to your application",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For pardon⁠—pardon me!⁠—for commutation.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“He says that he’s instructed to reply",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "(And he has so instructed me) that sin",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Like yours⁠—and this poor gentleman’s who’s in",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "For bad advice to you⁠—comes rather high;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But since, apparently, you both begin",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To feel some pious promptings to the right,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And fain would turn your faces to the light,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Eternity seems all too long a term.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "So ’tis commuted to one-half. I’m quite",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Prepared, when that expires, to free the worm",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And quench the fire.” And, civilly retreating,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He left them holding their protracted meeting.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}