The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 6
But for this earth most pitiful,
Mais pour cette terre si pitoyable,
This little land I know,
Ce petit pays que je connais,
If that which is for ever is,
Si ce qui est pour toujours existe,
Or if our hearts shall break with bliss,
Ou si nos cœurs éclateront de bonheur,
Seeing the stranger go?
En voyant l'étranger partir?
"When our last bow is broken, Queen,
"Quand notre dernier arc sera brisé, Reine,
And our last javelin cast,
Et notre dernier javelot lancé,
Under some sad, green evening sky,
Sous quelque triste ciel verdoyant du soir,
Holding a ruined cross on high,
Tenant une croix en ruine bien haut,
Under warm westland grass to lie,
Pour reposer sous l'herbe chaude des terres de l'ouest,
Shall we come home at last?"
Rentrerons-nous enfin chez nous?"
And a voice came human but high up,
Et une voix vint, humaine mais venue des hauteurs,
Like a cottage climbed among
Comme un chalet grimpé parmi
The clouds; or a serf of hut and croft
Les nuages; ou un serf de cabane et de croft
That sits by his hovel fire as oft,
Qui s'assied souvent près du feu de son taudis,
But hears on his old bare roof aloft
Mais entend sur son vieux toit nu là-haut
A belfry burst in song.
Un beffroi éclater en chanson.
"The gates of heaven are lightly locked,
"Les portes du ciel sont légèrement fermées à clef,
We do not guard our gain,
Nous ne gardons pas ce que nous avons acquis,
The heaviest hind may easily
La plus lourde biche peut aisément
Come silently and suddenly
Venir silencieusement et soudainement
Upon me in a lane.
Me trouver dans un chemin.
"And any little maid that walks
"Et toute petite jeune fille qui marche
In good thoughts apart,
Dans de bonnes pensées à l'écart,
May break the guard of the Three Kings
Peut briser la garde des Trois Rois
And see the dear and dreadful things
Et voir les choses chères et redoutables
I hid within my heart.
Que j'ai cachées au fond de mon cœur.
"The meanest man in grey fields gone
"L'homme le plus vil dans les champs gris disparu
Behind the set of sun,
Derrière le coucher du soleil,
Heareth between star and other star,
Entend entre une étoile et une autre étoile,
Through the door of the darkness fallen ajar,
À travers la porte des ténèbres entrouverte,
The council, eldest of things that are,
Le conseil, le plus ancien des choses qui sont,
The talk of the Three in One.
L'entretien des Trois en Un.
Vocabulary
- Mais
- But; however; yet
- pour
- For; in order to; to
- cette
- This; that (feminine singular)
- terre
- Land; earth; ground; soil
- si
- If; so; whether; such
- pitoyable
- Pitiful; deplorable; miserable; pitiable
- Ce
- This; that; it (demonstrative)
- petit
- Small; little; tiny
- pays
- Country; nation; region; homeland
- que
- That; which; what; than
- je
- I (subject pronoun)
- connais
- Know; am acquainted with
- Si
- If; so; whether
- ce
- This; that; it
- qui
- Who; which; what; that
- est
- Is; am; are (verb être)
- toujours
- Always; still; yet; forever
- existe
- Exists; is present; subsists
- Ou
- Or; either
- nos
- Our (plural possessive adjective)
- cœurs
- Hearts; cores; centers
- éclateront
- Will burst; will break; will explode
- de
- Of; from; with; by
- bonheur
- Happiness; joy; fortune; luck
- En
- In; by; while; some
- voyant
- Seeing; upon seeing; visible
- étranger
- Foreigner; foreign; strange; unknown
- partir
- To leave; to depart; to go
- Quand
- When; while; at what time
- notre
- Our (singular possessive adjective)
- dernier
- Last; final; latest; ultimate
- arc
- Bow; arch; arc; bend
- sera
- Will be (future tense)
- brisé
- Broken; shattered; fractured
- Reine
- Queen; sovereign female ruler
- Et
- And; plus; together with
- javelot
- Javelin; spear; missile weapon
- lancé
- Thrown; cast; hurled; launched
- Sous
- Under; beneath; below; underneath
- quelque
- Some; any; a certain; whatever
- triste
- Sad; sorrowful; melancholy; gloomy
- ciel
- Sky; heaven; air; firmament
- du
- Of the; from the; some
- soir
- Evening; night; dusk; twilight
- Tenant
- Holding; keeping; occupying; maintaining
- une
- A; an (feminine singular)
- croix
- Cross; crossroads; crucifix; X-shape
- en
- In; by; while; of it
- ruine
- Ruin; ruins; destruction; decay
- bien
- Well; good; right; very
- haut
- High; tall; lofty; upper
- reposer
- To rest; to lie; to recline
- sous
- Under; beneath; below; underneath
- herbe
- Grass; herb; vegetation; weeds
- chaude
- Hot; warm; heated; ardent
- des
- Of the; from the; some
- terres
- Lands; grounds; territories; soils
- ouest
- West; western; westward direction
- Rentrerons
- Will return; will come back home
- nous
- We; us; ourselves; to us
- enfin
- Finally; at last; in short
- chez
- At; at the place of; home
- voix
- Voice; sound; vote; opinion
- humaine
- Human; mankind; humane; humanitarian
- venue
- Come; arrival; coming; advent
- hauteurs
- Heights; elevations; highlands; high places
- Comme
- Like; as; while; such as
- un
- A; an; one (masculine singular)
- chalet
- Chalet; mountain cottage; alpine lodge
- grimpé
- Climbed; clambered; scaled; ascended
- parmi
- Among; amongst; between; amidst
- Les
- The (plural article)
- nuages
- Clouds; cloud formations; mists
- ou
- Or; either; where
- serf
- Serf; feudal servant; bondsman
- cabane
- Cabin; hut; shack; cottage
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