The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 4

English → Fr Preface Level 7/10

In cloud of clay so cast to heaven

Dans un nuage d'argile ainsi projeté vers le ciel

What shape shall man discern?

Quelle forme l'homme pourra-t-il discerner ?

These lords may light the mystery

Ces seigneurs peuvent éclairer le mystère

Of mastery or victory,

De la maîtrise ou de la victoire,

And these ride high in history,

Et ceux-ci trônent haut dans l'histoire,

But these shall not return.

Mais ceux-là ne reviendront point.

Gored on the Norman gonfalon

Transpercé sur le gonfanon normand

The Golden Dragon died:

Le Dragon d'Or mourut :

We shall not wake with ballad strings

Nous ne réveillerons point aux cordes des ballades

The good time of the smaller things,

Le bon temps des choses modestes,

We shall not see the holy kings

Nous ne verrons point les rois sacrés

Ride down by Severn side.

Chevaucher le long de la Severn.

Stiff, strange, and quaintly coloured

Rigide, étrange, et aux couleurs singulières

As the broidery of Bayeux

Comme la broderie de Bayeux

The England of that dawn remains,

L'Angleterre de cette aube demeure,

And this of Alfred and the Danes

Et celle d'Alfred et des Danois

Seems like the tales a whole tribe feigns

Ressemble aux récits qu'une tribu entière invente

Too English to be true.

Trop anglais pour être vrais.

Of a good king on an island

D'un bon roi sur une île

That ruled once on a time;

Qui régna jadis en son temps ;

And as he walked by an apple tree

Et comme il se promenait près d'un pommier

There came green devils out of the sea

Des diables verts surgirent de la mer

With sea-plants trailing heavily

Avec des plantes marines traînant lourdement

And tracks of opal slime.

Et des traînées de vase opalisée.

Yet Alfred is no fairy tale;

Pourtant Alfred n'est point un conte de fées ;

His days as our days ran,

Ses jours coururent comme les nôtres,

He also looked forth for an hour

Lui aussi regarda au dehors un moment

On peopled plains and skies that lower,

Sur des plaines peuplées et des cieux menaçants,

From those few windows in the tower

Par ces quelques fenêtres dans la tour

That is the head of a man.

Qui est la tête d'un homme.

But who shall look from Alfred's hood

Mais qui regardera depuis le capuchon d'Alfred

Or breathe his breath alive?

Ou respirera son souffle vivant ?

His century like a small dark cloud

Son siècle tel un petit nuage sombre

Drifts far; it is an eyeless crowd,

Dérive au loin ; c'est une foule sans yeux,

Where the tortured trumpets scream aloud

Où les trompettes torturées hurlent à grand bruit

And the dense arrows drive.

Et les flèches serrées foncent droit.

Vocabulary

Dans: In, inside, within a place or time period.
un: A, an; indefinite article or the number one.
nuage: Cloud; a visible mass of water vapor.
argile: Clay; fine-grained sedimentary rock used in pottery.
ainsi: Thus, so, in this way; consequently or therefore.
projeté: Projected, thrown, cast forward or displayed.
vers: Toward, to; also means verse or poetry.
le: The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
ciel: Sky, heaven; the expanse above the earth.
Quelle: Which, what; interrogative adjective for feminine nouns.
forme: Form, shape; appearance or structure of something.
homme: Man, human; adult male person or mankind.
pourra: Will be able to, can; future tense of pouvoir.
il: He, it; masculine singular personal pronoun.
discerner: Discern, perceive, distinguish or make out clearly.
Ces: These, those; demonstrative adjective for plural nouns.
seigneurs: Lords, gentlemen; feudal rulers or noble men.
peuvent: Can, are able to; third person plural of pouvoir.
éclairer: Illuminate, light up, clarify or shed light.
mystère: Mystery; something secret or not fully understood.
De: Of, from; preposition showing possession or origin.
la: The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
maîtrise: Mastery, control; command or expert skill level.
ou: Or; conjunction offering alternative choices or options.
victoire: Victory, triumph; success in battle or competition.
Et: And; conjunction connecting words, phrases or clauses.
ceux: Those, the ones; masculine plural demonstrative pronoun.
ci: This, here; used after noun to show nearness.
trônent: Throne, rule; sit on or occupy a throne.
haut: High, tall, lofty; at great height or distance.
histoire: History, story; record of past events or narrative.
Mais: But, yet; conjunction introducing contrast or exception.
là: There, over there; in that place or location.
ne: Not; negative particle used in negation construction.
reviendront: Will return, will come back; future of revenir.
point: Not at all, not; emphatic negation or full stop.
Transpercé: Pierced through, transfixed; having a hole passed through.
sur: On, upon; preposition indicating position or placement.
normand: Norman; of Normandy or its people and culture.
Le: The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
Dragon: Dragon; mythical creature with wings and fire.
Or: Gold; precious yellow metal or heraldic color.
mourut: Died, passed away; simple past of mourir.
Nous: We, us; first person plural personal pronoun.
réveillerons: Will awake, will wake up; future of réveiller.
aux: To the, at the; contraction of à + les.
cordes: Cords, ropes, strings; thick twisted fiber strands.
des: Of the, some; contraction of de + les.
ballades: Ballads; narrative poems or folk songs with stories.
bon: Good, well; positive quality or favorable condition.
temps: Time, weather; period or atmospheric conditions.
choses: Things, objects; material items or abstract matters.
modestes: Modest, humble, simple; not grand or pretentious.
verrons: Will see; future tense of voir.
les: The; definite article for plural nouns.
rois: Kings; male monarchs or rulers of kingdoms.
sacrés: Sacred, holy, consecrated; treated with reverence.
Chevaucher: Ride, mount; travel on horseback or sit astride.
long: Long, lengthy; extending considerable distance or time.
Rigide: Rigid, stiff, inflexible; not bending or flexible.
étrange: Strange, odd, peculiar; unusual or unfamiliar.
couleurs: Colors, hues; visual perception of light wavelengths.
singulières: Singular, unusual, unique; remarkable or exceptional.
Comme: Like, as, such as; comparison or similarity.
broderie: Embroidery, needlework; decorative stitched designs on fabric.
Angleterre: England; country comprising most of Britain.
cette: This, that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective.
aube: Dawn, daybreak; early morning light appearing.
demeure: Remains, stays; home or dwelling place.
celle: That one, the one; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun.
Danois: Danish, Dane; of Denmark or its people.
Ressemble: Resembles, looks like; appears similar or comparable.
récits: Accounts, narratives, tales; stories or recountings.

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