← The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Page 7

English → Fr THE SONNETS Level 9/10

13

13

O that you were your self, but love you are

Oh, si tu n'étais que toi-même, mais toi, mon amour,

No longer yours, than you yourself here live,

Tu n'es plus à toi-même, tant que tu vis ici,

Against this coming end you should prepare,

Contre cette fin qui vient tu devrais te préparer,

And your sweet semblance to some other give.

Et donner ta douce apparence à quelque autre.

So should that beauty which you hold in lease

Ainsi cette beauté que tu tiens en bail

Find no determination, then you were

Ne trouverait nulle fin, et tu serais alors

Yourself again after yourself's decease,

Toi-même à nouveau après ta propre mort,

When your sweet issue your sweet form should bear.

Quand ta douce progéniture porterait ta douce forme.

Who lets so fair a house fall to decay,

Qui laisse une si belle demeure tomber en ruine,

Which husbandry in honour might uphold,

Que la bonne gestion pourrait honorablement soutenir,

Against the stormy gusts of winter's day

Contre les rafales orageuses du jour d'hiver

And barren rage of death's eternal cold?

Et la rage stérile du froid éternel de la mort ?

O none but unthrifts, dear my love you know,

Oh, nul sinon les prodigues, mon cher amour, tu le sais,

You had a father, let your son say so.

Tu as eu un père, laisse ton fils en dire autant.

14

14

Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck,

Ce n'est pas des étoiles que je tire mon jugement,

And yet methinks I have astronomy,

Et pourtant il me semble que je possède l'astronomie,

But not to tell of good, or evil luck,

Mais non pour prédire la bonne ou la mauvaise fortune,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality,

Des épidémies, des famines, ou de la qualité des saisons,

Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell;

Ni ne puis-je prédire la fortune à la minute près ;

Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,

Assignant à chacun son tonnerre, sa pluie et son vent,

Or say with princes if it shall go well

Ou dire si les princes seront bien servis

By oft predict that I in heaven find.

Par les fréquentes prédictions que je lis au ciel.

But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,

Mais c'est de tes yeux que je tire mon savoir,

And constant stars in them I read such art

Et en ces étoiles constantes je lis un tel art

As truth and beauty shall together thrive

Que vérité et beauté prospéreront ensemble

If from thyself, to store thou wouldst convert:

Si de toi-même tu te tournais vers la conservation :

Or else of thee this I prognosticate,

Sinon, voici ce que je pronostique de toi,

Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.

Ta fin est la ruine et l'échéance de la vérité et de la beauté.

15

15

When I consider everything that grows

Quand je considère que tout ce qui croît

Holds in perfection but a little moment.

Ne tient sa perfection qu'un court instant.

Vocabulary

si
if; whether; so
tu
you (informal singular)
étais
were (imperfect of être)
que
that; which; what; than
toi
you (stressed pronoun)
même
same; even; self
mais
but; yet; however
mon
my (masculine singular)
amour
love; beloved person
Tu
you (informal singular)
es
are (present of être)
plus
more; plus; no longer
tant
so much; so many; as long as
vis
live (present of vivre)
ici
here; in this place
Contre
against; opposite; near; versus
cette
this; that (feminine)
fin
end; purpose; fine; thin
qui
who; which; that (relative pronoun)
vient
comes; comes from (present of venir)
devrais
should; ought to (conditional of devoir)
te
you (indirect/direct object)
préparer
to prepare; to make ready
Et
and; plus; also
donner
to give; to grant; to provide
ta
your (feminine singular)
douce
sweet; gentle; soft; mild
apparence
appearance; look; semblance; seeming
quelque
some; any; a certain; about
autre
other; another; else
Ainsi
thus; so; therefore; in this way
beauté
beauty; loveliness; attractive quality
tiens
hold; keep; here; behold (imperative)
en
in; on; by; some; any (pronoun)
Ne
not (negation particle)
trouverait
would find (conditional of trouver)
nulle
null; void; no; not one (feminine)
serais
would be (conditional of être)
alors
then; so; at that time
nouveau
new; novel; recent; afresh
après
after; afterwards; behind; next
propre
own; clean; proper; neat
mort
death; dead; deceased person
Quand
when; whenever; as; while
porterait
would bear; would carry (conditional)
forme
form; shape; way; manner
laisse
lets; allows; leaves (present of laisser)
une
a; an (feminine article)
belle
beautiful; fair; pretty; fine (feminine)
demeure
residence; home; dwelling place
tomber
to fall; to drop; to tumble
ruine
ruin; destruction; wreckage; remains
la
the; her; it (feminine article/pronoun)
bonne
good; kind; well (feminine); servant
gestion
management; administration; handling
pourrait
could; might; would be able (conditional)
soutenir
to support; to uphold; to sustain
les
the (plural article)
du
of the; from the; some
jour
day; daylight; light of day
hiver
winter; cold season of the year
rage
rage; fury; rabies; madness
stérile
sterile; barren; unfruitful; infertile
froid
cold; coolness; chill; indifference
éternel
eternal; everlasting; perpetual; timeless
de
of; from; about; by; with
nul
null; void; no; worthless; not any
sinon
otherwise; if not; except
← Previous Next →

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

Create free account →