The role of “there” in the sentence and reason why the verb came in base form and not changed to “lays”

Question

I saw this sentence from Albert Camus yesterday and was thinking whats the meaning of "there"here and why the translator didn't put "lays" instead of "lay". It seems there is a point behind this and not simply a typing mistake, isn't it so?

Answer 1

This is correct.

• There in this sentence is the same 'dummy' subject used in the "existential" construction^† there is—this construction may be used with many verbs signifying a state of presence or existence, or entry into that state, such as stand, appear, seem, flourish, arise, come, arrive

• Lay here is not an infinitive but the past-tense form of lie.

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^† _{...which has nothing to do with the fact that Camus was an existentialist writer}