← Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone

Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 8

English → Fr Full Text Level 8/10

(Healer of Delos, hear!)

(Guérisseur de Délos, entends-nous !)

Hast thou some pain unknown before,

Souffres-tu de quelque douleur inconnue jusqu'ici,

Or with the circling years renewest a penance of yore?

Ou renouvelles-tu avec les années qui tournent une peine d'autrefois ?

Offspring of golden Hope, thou voice immortal, O tell me.

Enfant de l'or de l'Espérance, toi voix immortelle, ô dis-le-moi.

(Ant. 1)

First on Athene I call; O Zeus-born goddess, defend!

C'est d'abord Athéna que j'invoque ; ô déesse née de Zeus, protège-nous !

Goddess and sister, befriend,

Déesse et sœur, sois-nous favorable,

Artemis, Lady of Thebes, high-throned in the midst of our mart!

Artémis, Souveraine de Thèbes, trônant au cœur de notre agora !

Lord of the death-winged dart!

Seigneur au trait porteur de mort !

Your threefold aid I crave

Votre triple secours j'implore

From death and ruin our city to save.

Pour sauver notre cité de la mort et de la ruine.

If in the days of old when we nigh had perished, ye drave

Si jadis, alors que nous étions près de périr, vous avez chassé

From our land the fiery plague, be near us now and defend us!

De notre terre la peste ardente, soyez près de nous maintenant et défendez-nous !

(Str. 2)

Ah me, what countless woes are mine!

Hélas, quels maux innombrables sont les miens !

All our host is in decline;

Tout notre peuple dépérit ;

Weaponless my spirit lies.

Mon âme est sans armes.

Earth her gracious fruits denies;

La terre refuse ses généreux fruits ;

Women wail in barren throes;

Les femmes gémissent dans des douleurs stériles ;

Life on life downstriken goes,

Les vies s'abattent l'une après l'autre,

Swifter than the wind bird's flight,

Plus vite que le vol de l'oiseau du vent,

Swifter than the Fire-God's might,

Plus vite que la puissance du dieu du Feu,

To the westering shores of Night.

Vers les rivages occidentaux de la Nuit.

(Ant. 2)

Wasted thus by death on death

Ainsi ravagée par la mort sur la mort

All our city perisheth.

Toute notre cité périt.

Corpses spread infection round;

Les cadavres répandent l'infection alentour ;

None to tend or mourn is found.

Nul ne se trouve pour les soigner ou les pleurer.

Wailing on the altar stair

Gémissant sur les marches de l'autel

Wives and grandams rend the air—

Épouses et aïeules déchirent l'air —

Long-drawn moans and piercing cries

Longs gémissements et cris perçants

Blent with prayers and litanies.

Mêlés de prières et de litanies.

Golden child of Zeus, O hear

Enfant d'or de Zeus, ô entends-nous

Let thine angel face appear!

Laisse paraître ton visage angélique !

(Str. 3)

And grant that Ares whose hot breath I feel,

Et fais qu'Arès dont je sens le souffle brûlant,

Though without targe or steel

Bien que sans bouclier ni acier

He stalks, whose voice is as the battle shout,

Il rôde, lui dont la voix est comme le cri de bataille,

May turn in sudden rout,

Se retourne en soudaine déroute,

To the unharbored Thracian waters sped,

Chassé vers les eaux thraces sans abri,

Or Amphitrite's bed.

Ou vers le lit d'Amphitrite.

Vocabulary

Guérisseur: Healer; one who cures or treats illness.
de: Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
entends: Hear; understand; second person singular present tense.
nous: We; us; first person plural pronoun.
Souffres: Suffer; experience pain; second person singular present.
tu: You; informal second person singular pronoun.
quelque: Some; a certain; any; indefinite adjective or pronoun.
douleur: Pain; suffering; physical or emotional distress.
inconnue: Unknown; unfamiliar; feminine form of inconnu.
jusqu: Until; up to; preposition indicating extent or limit.
ici: Here; in this place; adverb of location.
Ou: Or; conjunction presenting alternative choices or options.
renouvelles: Renew; restore; second person singular present tense.
avec: With; accompanying; preposition indicating accompaniment.
les: The; plural definite article for masculine or feminine.
années: Years; plural of année; periods of twelve months.
qui: Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
tournent: Turn; rotate; third person plural present tense.
une: A; one; feminine singular indefinite article.
peine: Sorrow; effort; difficulty; suffering or hardship.
autrefois: Formerly; once; in times past; long ago.
Enfant: Child; young person; son or daughter.
or: Gold; now; conjunction introducing contrasting or new point.
Espérance: Hope; expectation; personification of hope in literature.
toi: You; informal second person singular pronoun (stressed).
voix: Voice; sound of speaking or singing.
immortelle: Immortal; eternal; never-dying; feminine form.
dis: Say; tell; second person singular imperative form.
le: The; him; masculine singular definite article or pronoun.
moi: Me; I; first person singular pronoun (stressed).
est: Is; third person singular present of être.
abord: First; approach; side; initially; at first.
que: That; which; what; relative or subordinate conjunction.
invoque: Invoke; call upon; first person singular present.
déesse: Goddess; female deity; feminine form of dieu.
née: Born; feminine past participle of naître.
protège: Protect; guard; third person singular present.
Déesse: Goddess; female divine being; deity.
et: And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
sœur: Sister; female sibling; woman in related group.
sois: Be; second person singular present subjunctive of être.
favorable: Favorable; advantageous; showing approval or support.
Souveraine: Sovereign; supreme; ruler; feminine form of souverain.
trônant: Throning; sitting on throne; present participle of trôner.
au: To the; at the; contraction of à+le.
cœur: Heart; center; core; center of city.
notre: Our; possessive adjective; belonging to us.
agora: Agora; public square; marketplace in ancient Greece.
Seigneur: Lord; master; nobleman; used to address deity.
trait: Arrow; stroke; line; characteristic; feature.
porteur: Bearer; carrier; one who carries or brings.
mort: Death; dead; deceased; masculine noun or adjective.
Votre: Your; formal possessive adjective; plural or polite.
triple: Triple; threefold; having three parts or aspects.
secours: Help; aid; assistance; relief; support.
implore: Implore; beg; beseech; first person singular present.
Pour: For; in order to; preposition indicating purpose.
sauver: Save; rescue; preserve; protect from danger.
cité: City; town; mentioned; cited; past participle.
la: The; her; feminine singular definite article.
ruine: Ruin; destruction; remains of destroyed building.
Si: If; whether; conditional conjunction; so (music).
jadis: Once; formerly; in olden times; long ago.
alors: Then; at that time; therefore; in that case.
étions: Were; first person plural past imperfect of être.
près: Near; close to; almost; nearly; preposition.
périr: Perish; die; be destroyed; come to ruin.
vous: You; formal or plural second person pronoun.
avez: Have; second person plural present of avoir.
chassé: Chased; hunted; driven away; past participle.
De: Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
terre: Earth; land; ground; soil; territory.
peste: Plague; pestilence; epidemic disease; curse.
ardente: Ardent; burning; passionate; hot; feminine form.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →