Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 10
But if an alien from a foreign land
Mais si un étranger venu d'une terre lointaine
Be known to any as the murderer,
Est reconnu par quelqu'un comme étant le meurtrier,
Let him who knows speak out, and he shall have
Que celui qui le sait prenne la parole, et il recevra
Due recompense from me and thanks to boot.
Une juste récompense de ma part, et mes remerciements par-dessus le marché.
But if ye still keep silence, if through fear
Mais si vous gardez encore le silence, si par crainte
For self or friends ye disregard my hest,
Pour vous-mêmes ou pour vos proches vous méprisez mon commandement,
Hear what I then resolve; I lay my ban
Écoutez ce que je décide alors ; je prononce mon interdit
On the assassin whosoe'er he be.
Sur l'assassin, quel qu'il soit.
Let no man in this land, whereof I hold
Qu'aucun homme en ce pays, dont je tiens
The sovereign rule, harbor or speak to him;
Le pouvoir souverain, ne lui offre abri ni lui adresse la parole ;
Give him no part in prayer or sacrifice
Ne lui accorde aucune part dans les prières ni les sacrifices
Or lustral rites, but hound him from your homes.
Ni dans les rites lustraux, mais chassez-le de vos demeures.
For this is our defilement, so the god
Car telle est notre souillure, ainsi le dieu
Hath lately shown to me by oracles.
Me l'a récemment révélé par des oracles.
Thus as their champion I maintain the cause
Ainsi, en leur défenseur, je soutiens la cause
Both of the god and of the murdered King.
À la fois du dieu et du Roi assassiné.
And on the murderer this curse I lay
Et sur le meurtrier je prononce cette malédiction
(On him and all the partners in his guilt):—
(Sur lui et sur tous ceux qui ont part à son crime) :
Wretch, may he pine in utter wretchedness!
Misérable, qu'il dépérisse dans une misère absolue !
And for myself, if with my privity
Et pour moi-même, si en connaissance de cause
He gain admittance to my hearth, I pray
Il obtient accès à mon foyer, je demande
The curse I laid on others fall on me.
Que la malédiction que j'ai prononcée sur les autres retombe sur moi.
See that ye give effect to all my hest,
Veillez à donner effet à tous mes commandements,
For my sake and the god's and for our land,
Pour mon bien et celui du dieu et pour notre pays,
A desert blasted by the wrath of heaven.
Un désert ravagé par la colère des cieux.
For, let alone the god's express command,
Car, même sans tenir compte du commandement exprès du dieu,
It were a scandal ye should leave unpurged
Ce serait un scandale que vous laissiez impuni
The murder of a great man and your king,
Le meurtre d'un grand homme et de votre roi,
Nor track it home.
Sans en rechercher l'origine.
Vocabulary
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but', used to contrast ideas.
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'yes' (contradiction).
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- étranger
- A foreigner or stranger from another place.
- venu
- Past participle of 'venir'; meaning 'come' or 'arrived'.
- d'
- Contracted preposition 'de' meaning 'of' or 'from'.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- terre
- Noun meaning 'land', 'earth', or 'ground'.
- lointaine
- Adjective meaning 'distant' or 'faraway'.
- Est
- Third-person singular of 'être'; meaning 'is'.
- reconnu
- Past participle of 'reconnaître'; meaning 'recognized' or 'identified'.
- par
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'.
- quelqu'
- Shortened form of 'quelqu'un', meaning 'someone'.
- comme
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'as' or 'like'.
- étant
- Present participle of 'être'; meaning 'being'.
- le
- Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
- meurtrier
- Noun meaning 'murderer' or 'killer'.
- Que
- Conjunction meaning 'that' or 'so that'.
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'he who'.
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.
- sait
- Third-person singular of 'savoir'; meaning 'knows'.
- prenne
- Subjunctive form of 'prendre'; meaning 'take' or 'speak up'.
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- parole
- Noun meaning 'word' or 'speech'; often 'prendre la parole' means to speak.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- il
- Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- recevra
- Future tense of 'recevoir'; meaning 'will receive'.
- Une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- juste
- Adjective meaning 'fair', 'just', or 'rightful'.
- récompense
- Noun meaning 'reward' or 'recompense'.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'by'.
- ma
- First-person feminine possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
- part
- Noun meaning 'part' or 'side'; 'de ma part' means 'from me'.
- mes
- First-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
- remerciements
- Plural noun meaning 'thanks' or 'expressions of gratitude'.
- par-dessus
- Prepositional phrase meaning 'over and above' or 'on top'.
- marché
- Noun meaning 'market'; 'par-dessus le marché' means 'into the bargain'.
- vous
- Second-person plural pronoun meaning 'you'.
- gardez
- Second-person plural of 'garder'; meaning 'keep' or 'maintain'.
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
- silence
- Noun meaning 'silence' or 'quietness'.
- crainte
- Noun meaning 'fear' or 'apprehension'.
- Pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'.
- vous-mêmes
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'yourselves'.
- ou
- Conjunction meaning 'or'.
- vos
- Second-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'your'.
- proches
- Noun meaning 'relatives' or 'close ones'.
- méprisez
- Second-person plural of 'mépriser'; meaning 'to scorn' or 'disregard'.
- mon
- First-person masculine possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
- commandement
- Noun meaning 'commandment', 'order', or 'decree'.
- Écoutez
- Imperative of 'écouter'; meaning 'listen' or 'hear'.
- ce
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
- je
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
- décide
- First-person singular of 'décider'; meaning 'decide'.
- alors
- Adverb meaning 'then', 'so', or 'at that time'.
- prononce
- First-person singular of 'prononcer'; meaning 'pronounce' or 'declare'.
- interdit
- Noun or adjective meaning 'ban', 'prohibition', or 'forbidden'.
- Sur
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'against'.
- l'
- Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before a vowel.
- assassin
- Noun meaning 'assassin' or 'murderer'.
- quel
- Interrogative or relative adjective meaning 'which' or 'whatever'.
- qu'
- Contracted conjunction 'que' meaning 'that' or 'who'.
- soit
- Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'be' or 'whatever it may be'.
- Qu'
- Contracted form of 'que'; introduces a clause or command.
- aucun
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'no', 'none', or 'not any'.
- homme
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being'.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'as'.
- pays
- Noun meaning 'country' or 'land'.
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'from which'.
- tiens
- First-person singular of 'tenir'; meaning 'hold' or 'possess'.
- Le
- Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
- pouvoir
- Noun meaning 'power' or 'authority'; also infinitive 'to be able'.
- souverain
- Adjective or noun meaning 'sovereign' or 'supreme authority'.
- ne
- Negative particle used with 'pas', 'ni', etc.
- lui
- Third-person singular pronoun meaning 'him', 'her', or 'to him/her'.
- offre
- Third-person singular of 'offrir'; meaning 'offers' or 'provides'.
- abri
- Noun meaning 'shelter' or 'refuge'.
- ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither'.
- adresse
- Noun meaning 'address', 'speech', or 'skill'.
- Ne
- Negative particle used in negation constructions.
- accorde
- Third-person singular of 'accorder'; meaning 'grants' or 'allows'.
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside'.
- les
- Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- prières
- Plural noun meaning 'prayers'.
- sacrifices
- Plural noun meaning 'sacrifices' or 'ritual offerings'.
- Ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither'.
- rites
- Plural noun meaning 'rites' or 'ritual ceremonies'.
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but', contrasting two ideas.
- chassez-
- Imperative of 'chasser'; meaning 'chase away' or 'expel'.
- demeures
- Plural noun meaning 'dwellings' or 'homes'.
- Car
- Conjunction meaning 'for' or 'because'.
- telle
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' or 'such a'.
- est
- Third-person singular of 'être'; meaning 'is'.
- notre
- First-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'our'.
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
- dieu
- Noun meaning 'god' or 'deity'.
- Me
- First-person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'.
- a
- Third-person singular of 'avoir'; meaning 'has'.
- récemment
- Adverb meaning 'recently' or 'lately'.
- révélé
- Past participle of 'révéler'; meaning 'revealed' or 'disclosed'.
- des
- Partitive or plural article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
- oracles
- Plural noun meaning 'oracles' or 'divine prophecies'.
- Ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus' or 'therefore'.
- leur
- Third-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'their'.
- défenseur
- Noun meaning 'defender' or 'champion of a cause'.
- soutiens
- First-person singular of 'soutenir'; meaning 'support' or 'uphold'.
- cause
- Noun meaning 'cause' or 'legal case'.
- À
- Preposition meaning 'at', 'to', or 'in'.
- fois
- Noun meaning 'time' or 'occasion'; 'à la fois' means 'at the same time'.
- du
- Contracted article 'de le' meaning 'of the'.
- Roi
- Noun meaning 'king' or 'sovereign ruler'.
- assassiné
- Past participle of 'assassiner'; meaning 'murdered' or 'assassinated'.
- Et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'over', or 'about'.
- cette
- Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
- malédiction
- Noun meaning 'curse' or 'malediction'.
- tous
- Plural pronoun or adjective meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
- ceux
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'the ones'.
- ont
- Third-person plural of 'avoir'; meaning 'have'.
- son
- Third-person possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- crime
- Noun meaning 'crime' or 'serious offense'.
- Misérable
- Adjective or noun meaning 'wretched', 'miserable', or 'wretch'.
- misère
- Noun meaning 'misery', 'poverty', or 'destitution'.
- absolue
- Feminine adjective meaning 'absolute' or 'total'.
- moi-même
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'myself' or 'I myself'.
- connaissance
- Noun meaning 'knowledge', 'awareness', or 'acquaintance'.
- Il
- Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- obtient
- Third-person singular of 'obtenir'; meaning 'obtains' or 'gets'.
- accès
- Noun meaning 'access' or 'entry'.
- foyer
- Noun meaning 'home', 'hearth', or 'household'.
- demande
- Noun or verb meaning 'request', 'demand', or 'ask'.
- j'
- Contracted first-person pronoun 'je' meaning 'I'.
- ai
- First-person singular of 'avoir'; meaning 'have'.
- prononcée
- Past participle of 'prononcer'; meaning 'pronounced' or 'declared'.
- autres
- Plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other'.
- retombe
- Third-person singular of 'retomber'; meaning 'falls back' or 'rebounds'.
- moi
- First-person stressed pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'.
- Veillez
- Imperative of 'veiller'; meaning 'ensure' or 'watch over'.
- donner
- Infinitive meaning 'to give' or 'to carry out'.
- effet
- Noun meaning 'effect'; 'donner effet' means 'to enforce' or 'implement'.
- commandements
- Plural noun meaning 'commandments' or 'orders'.
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'indeed'; also noun 'good'.
- Un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- désert
- Noun meaning 'desert' or 'wasteland'.
- ravagé
- Past participle of 'ravager'; meaning 'ravaged' or 'devastated'.
- colère
- Noun meaning 'anger' or 'wrath'.
- cieux
- Plural noun meaning 'heavens' or 'skies'.
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'.
- tenir
- Infinitive meaning 'to hold', 'to keep', or 'to consider'.
- compte
- Noun meaning 'account' or 'consideration'; 'tenir compte' means 'to take into account'.
- exprès
- Adverb meaning 'on purpose' or 'deliberately'.
- Ce
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this', 'that', or 'it'.
- serait
- Conditional of 'être'; meaning 'would be'.
- scandale
- Noun meaning 'scandal' or 'outrage'.
- laissiez
- Subjunctive of 'laisser'; meaning 'let' or 'allow'.
- impuni
- Adjective meaning 'unpunished'.
- meurtre
- Noun meaning 'murder' or 'homicide'.
- grand
- Adjective meaning 'great', 'large', or 'important'.
- votre
- Second-person plural possessive adjective meaning 'your'.
- roi
- Noun meaning 'king'.
- Sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'.
- rechercher
- Infinitive meaning 'to search for' or 'to investigate'.
- origine
- Noun meaning 'origin', 'source', or 'beginning'.
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