The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 5

English → Fr Preface Level 7/10

Lady, by one light only

Dame, par une seule lumière

We look from Alfred's eyes,

Nous regardons par les yeux d'Alfred,

We know he saw athwart the wreck

Nous savons qu'il vit à travers le naufrage

The sign that hangs about your neck,

Le signe qui pend à votre cou,

Where One more than Melchizedek

Où Celui qui surpasse Melchisédech

Is dead and never dies.

Est mort et ne meurt jamais.

Therefore I bring these rhymes to you

C'est pourquoi je vous apporte ces rimes

Who brought the cross to me,

Vous qui m'avez apporté la croix,

Since on you flaming without flaw

Car sur vous, flamboyante sans défaut,

I saw the sign that Guthrum saw

J'ai vu le signe que vit Guthrum

When he let break his ships of awe,

Quand il laissa briser ses vaisseaux de terreur,

And laid peace on the sea.

Et établit la paix sur la mer.

Do you remember when we went

Vous souvenez-vous quand nous allâmes

Under a dragon moon,

Sous une lune de dragon,

And 'mid volcanic tints of night

Et parmi les teintes volcaniques de la nuit

Walked where they fought the unknown fight

Marchâmes là où ils livrèrent le combat inconnu

And saw black trees on the battle-height,

Et vîmes des arbres noirs sur la hauteur de la bataille,

Black thorn on Ethandune?

Épine noire sur Ethandune?

And I thought, "I will go with you,

Et je pensai: «J'irai avec vous,

As man with God has gone,

Comme l'homme est allé avec Dieu,

And wander with a wandering star,

Et errerai avec une étoile errante,

The wandering heart of things that are,

Le cœur errant des choses qui sont,

The fiery cross of love and war

La croix ardente de l'amour et de la guerre

That like yourself, goes on."

Qui, comme vous-même, continue sa route.»

O go you onward; where you are

Oh! avancez; là où vous êtes

Shall honour and laughter be,

Seront l'honneur et le rire,

Past purpled forest and pearled foam,

Au-delà des forêts pourprées et de l'écume perlée,

God's winged pavilion free to roam,

Le pavillon ailé de Dieu, libre d'errer,

Your face, that is a wandering home,

Votre visage, qui est un foyer errant,

A flying home for me.

Un foyer en fuite pour moi.

Ride through the silent earthquake lands,

Chevauchezà travers les terres du tremblement de terre silencieux,

Wide as a waste is wide,

Vastes comme une étendue déserte est vaste,

Across these days like deserts, when

À travers ces jours semblables à des déserts, quand

Pride and a little scratching pen

L'orgueil et une petite plume grattante

Have dried and split the hearts of men,

Ont desséché et fendu les cœurs des hommes,

Heart of the heroes, ride.

Cœur des héros, chevauchez.

Vocabulary

Dame: A woman or lady; formal title of respect.
par: By; through; per; expressing the agent or means.
une: A; one; indefinite article (feminine singular).
seule: Alone; sole; only; without others or exceptions.
lumière: Light; illumination; brightness; source of visibility.
Nous: We; us; first person plural pronoun.
regardons: We look; we watch; first person plural present.
les: The; plural definite article for all genders.
yeux: Eyes; plural of oeil; organs of sight.
savons: We know; first person plural present of savoir.
qu: That; which; relative pronoun (elided form).
il: He; it; third person singular masculine pronoun.
vit: Lives; sees; third person singular of vivre.
travers: Through; across; by way of; throughout.
le: The; masculine singular definite article.
naufrage: Shipwreck; disaster at sea; ruin or collapse.
Le: The; masculine singular definite article.
signe: Sign; signal; mark; symbol; indication.
qui: Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
pend: Hangs; dangles; third person singular of pendre.
votre: Your; your own; possessive adjective (formal/plural).
cou: Neck; part of body between head and shoulders.
Où: Where; in which place; at what location.
Celui: That one; the one; demonstrative pronoun (masculine).
surpasse: Surpasses; exceeds; goes beyond; third person singular.
Est: Is; third person singular of être.
mort: Dead; died; past participle of mourir.
et: And; conjunction joining words or phrases.
ne: Not; negative particle; negation marker.
meurt: Dies; third person singular of mourir.
jamais: Never; ever; at no time; not ever.
est: Is; third person singular of être.
pourquoi: Why; for what reason; for what purpose.
je: I; first person singular pronoun.
vous: You; formal/plural second person pronoun.
apporte: Brings; carries; first person singular present.
ces: These; those; plural demonstrative adjective.
rimes: Rhymes; verses; poetic lines that rhyme.
Vous: You; formal/plural second person pronoun.
avez: You have; second person plural of avoir.
apporté: Brought; carried; past participle of apporter.
la: The; feminine singular definite article.
croix: Cross; religious symbol; crossroads intersection.
Car: Because; for; since; reason conjunction.
sur: On; upon; on top of; about.
flamboyante: Flaming; blazing; brilliant; shining brightly.
sans: Without; lacking; in the absence of.
défaut: Fault; defect; flaw; imperfection.
ai: Have; first person singular of avoir.
vu: Seen; past participle of voir.
que: That; which; what; relative pronoun.
Quand: When; at what time; whenever.
laissa: Left; allowed; third person singular of laisser.
briser: Break; shatter; destroy; smash.
ses: His; her; its; possessive adjective.
vaisseaux: Vessels; ships; boats; plural of vaisseau.
de: Of; from; made of; preposition.
terreur: Terror; fear; dread; intense fear.
Et: And; conjunction joining words or phrases.
établit: Established; set up; founded; created.
paix: Peace; absence of conflict or war.
mer: Sea; ocean; large body of salt water.
souvenez: Remember; recall; second person plural reflexive.
quand: When; at what time; whenever.
nous: We; us; first person plural pronoun.
allâmes: We went; first person plural past tense.
Sous: Under; beneath; below; underneath.
lune: Moon; celestial satellite; night celestial body.
dragon: Dragon; mythical creature; fierce monster.
parmi: Among; amidst; in the middle of.
teintes: Tints; hues; colors; shades of color.
volcaniques: Volcanic; relating to volcanoes; of volcanoes.
nuit: Night; darkness; time from sunset to sunrise.
Marchâmes: We walked; first person plural past tense.
là: There; in that place; at that location.
où: Where; in which place; at what location.
ils: They; third person plural masculine pronoun.

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