Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem — Page 4
Of those translators who have used verse, several have written from what would seem a mistaken point of view.
Parmi les traducteurs qui ont eu recours aux vers, plusieurs ont écrit depuis ce qui semblerait être un point de vue erroné.
Is it proper, for instance, that the grave and solemn speeches of Beowulf and Hrothgar be put in ballad measures, tripping lightly and airily along?
Est-il convenable, par exemple, que les discours graves et solennels de Beowulf et de Hrothgar soient mis en mesures de ballade, allant légèrement et allègrement ?
Or, again, is it fitting that the rough martial music of Anglo-Saxon verse be interpreted to us in the smooth measures of modern blank verse?
Ou encore, est-il approprié que la rude musique martiale des vers anglo-saxons nous soit interprétée dans les mesures fluides du vers blanc moderne ?
Do we hear what has been beautifully called "the clanging tread of a warrior in mail"?
Entendons-nous ce que l'on a si joliment appelé « le pas cliquetant d'un guerrier en cotte de mailles » ?
Of all English translations of Beowulf, that of Professor Garnett alone gives any adequate idea of the chief characteristics of this great Teutonic epic.
De toutes les traductions anglaises de Beowulf, celle du Professeur Garnett est la seule à donner une idée adéquate des principales caractéristiques de cette grande épopée teutonique.
The measure used in the present translation is believed to be as near a reproduction of the original as modern English affords.
La mesure utilisée dans la présente traduction est supposée être aussi proche que possible d'une reproduction de l'original que le permet l'anglais moderne.
The cadences closely resemble those used by Browning in some of his most striking poems.
Les cadences ressemblent étroitement à celles utilisées par Browning dans certains de ses poèmes les plus saisissants.
The four stresses of the Anglo-Saxon verse are retained, and as much thesis and anacrusis is allowed as is consistent with a regular cadence.
Les quatre accents du vers anglo-saxon sont conservés, et autant de thesis et d'anacrusis est permis que ce qui est compatible avec une cadence régulière.
Alliteration has been used to a large extent; but it was thought that modern ears would hardly tolerate it on every line.
L'allitération a été largement utilisée ; mais on a jugé que les oreilles modernes la toléreraient difficilement à chaque vers.
End-rhyme has been used occasionally; internal rhyme, sporadically.
La rime finale a été utilisée occasionnellement ; la rime interne, sporadiquement.
Both have some warrant in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
Toutes deux ont quelque fondement dans la poésie anglo-saxonne.
(For end-rhyme, see 1_53, 1_54; for internal rhyme, 2_21, 6_40.)
(Pour la rime finale, voir 1_53, 1_54 ; pour la rime interne, 2_21, 6_40.)
What Gummere calls the "rime-giver" has been studiously kept; viz., the first accented syllable in the second half-verse always carries the alliteration; and the last accented syllable alliterates only sporadically.
Ce que Gummere appelle le « donneur de rime » a été soigneusement conservé ; à savoir, la première syllabe accentuée du second hémistiche porte toujours l'allitération ; et la dernière syllabe accentuée n'allitère que sporadiquement.
Vocabulary
- Parmi
- Among, in the midst of a group
- traducteurs
- People who translate texts between languages
- recours
- Resort, recourse; having recourse to something
- vers
- Verse, line of poetry in literature
- plusieurs
- Several, more than two of something
- depuis
- Since, from a point in time onward
- semblerait
- Would seem, conditional of sembler
- vue
- View, perspective, sight or opinion
- erroné
- Erroneous, mistaken, incorrect in judgment
- convenable
- Appropriate, suitable, proper or decent
- discours
- Speech, discourse, formal or serious address
- graves
- Serious, grave, solemn in tone or manner
- solennels
- Solemn, formal, ceremonious in character
- mesures
- Measures, rhythmic patterns in music or poetry
- ballade
- Ballad, a light narrative or lyric poem
- légèrement
- Lightly, slightly, in a gentle manner
- allègrement
- Cheerfully, briskly, with lively energy
- encore
- Still, yet, again, moreover
- approprié
- Appropriate, fitting, suited to a purpose
- rude
- Rough, harsh, rugged in quality or texture
- martiale
- Martial, warlike, relating to military affairs
- saxons
- Saxons, Germanic people of early medieval England
- interprétée
- Interpreted, performed, rendered in a style
- fluides
- Fluids; also smooth, flowing, fluid movements
- blanc
- White; also blank verse in poetry
- Entendons
- Let us hear, understand; first plural imperative
- joliment
- Prettily, nicely, in a pleasing manner
- cliquetant
- Clanking, clinking, rattling metallic sound
- guerrier
- Warrior, fighter, soldier in battle
- cotte
- Coat, tunic; cotte de mailles means chainmail
- mailles
- Mail, mesh links forming protective armor
- traductions
- Translations, rendered versions of original texts
- celle
- The one, that one (feminine singular pronoun)
- adéquate
- Adequate, sufficient, appropriate to the purpose
- principales
- Main, principal, most important (feminine plural)
- caractéristiques
- Characteristics, distinguishing features or qualities
- épopée
- Epic poem, grand heroic narrative in verse
- teutonique
- Teutonic, relating to Germanic peoples or culture
- mesure
- Measure, meter, rhythm in poetry or music
- traduction
- Translation, rendered version of a text
- supposée
- Supposed, assumed, presumed to be true
- proche
- Close, near, nearby in space or similarity
- reproduction
- Reproduction, copy or replication of an original
- permet
- Allows, permits; third singular of permettre
- cadences
- Cadences, rhythmic sequences or musical closes
- ressemblent
- Resemble, look like; third plural of ressembler
- étroitement
- Closely, tightly, in a narrow or close manner
- celles
- Those ones (feminine plural demonstrative pronoun)
- certains
- Certain, some, particular (masculine plural adjective)
- saisissants
- Striking, gripping, arresting in effect
- accents
- Accents, stresses in speech or poetry
- saxon
- Saxon, relating to the Anglo-Saxon language or people
- conservés
- Preserved, retained, kept intact over time
- autant
- As much, as many, to that extent
- permis
- Permitted, allowed; past participle of permettre
- compatible
- Compatible, consistent, able to coexist together
- cadence
- Cadence, rhythm, rhythmic flow or pattern
- régulière
- Regular, steady, uniform in pattern or rhythm
- allitération
- Alliteration, repetition of initial consonant sounds
- largement
- Widely, broadly, extensively, to a large degree
- jugé
- Judged, deemed; past participle of juger
- oreilles
- Ears, organs of hearing in humans
- toléreraient
- Would tolerate, would endure (conditional third plural)
- difficilement
- With difficulty, not easily, hard to manage
- chaque
- Each, every (singular adjective)
- rime
- Rhyme, correspondence of end sounds in poetry
- occasionnellement
- Occasionally, sometimes, not regularly occurring
- interne
- Internal, inside, within a structure
- sporadiquement
- Sporadically, irregularly, occurring at scattered intervals
- quelque
- Some, a certain, any (adjective/adverb)
- fondement
- Foundation, basis, grounding principle
- poésie
- Poetry, the art of writing verse
- saxonne
- Saxon, feminine adjective relating to Saxons
- donneur
- Giver, donor, one who gives something
- soigneusement
- Carefully, meticulously, with great attention
- savoir
- To know; also namely, that is to say
- syllabe
- Syllable, unit of pronunciation in a word
- accentuée
- Stressed, accented (feminine past participle)
- hémistiche
- Hemistich, half-line of verse in poetry
- toujours
- Always, still, ever (adverb of time)
- dernière
- Last, final (feminine adjective/noun)
- allitère
- Alliterates; third singular of allitérer
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