The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Page 9
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Pourtant le ciel sait que ce n'est qu'un tombeau
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts:
Qui cache votre vie, et ne révèle pas la moitié de vos attraits :
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
Si je pouvais écrire la beauté de vos yeux,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
Et en vers nouveaux dénombrer toutes vos grâces,
The age to come would say this poet lies,
L'âge à venir dirait que ce poète ment,
Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.
De tels charmes célestes n'ont jamais effleuré de visages terrestres.
So should my papers (yellowed with their age)
Ainsi mes pages (jaunies par le temps)
Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,
Seraient méprisées, comme des vieillards plus bavards que sincères,
And your true rights be termed a poet's rage,
Et vos véritables mérites qualifiés de délire d'un poète,
And stretched metre of an antique song.
Et de la mesure forcée d'un chant antique.
But were some child of yours alive that time,
Mais si quelque enfant de vous vivait en ce temps-là,
You should live twice,—in it, and in my rhyme.
Vous vivriez deux fois — en lui, et dans mes rimes.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Dois-je te comparer à un jour d'été ?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Tu es plus beau et plus doux :
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Les vents rudes secouent les tendres bourgeons de mai,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Et le bail de l'été a une échéance bien trop courte :
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
Parfois l'œil du ciel brille avec trop d'ardeur,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
Et souvent son teint d'or se ternit,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
Et toute beauté décline parfois de sa beauté,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
Par le hasard, ou le cours changeant et sans frein de la nature :
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Mais ton éternel été ne se fanera pas,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Ni ne perdra la beauté qui t'appartient,
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
Ni la mort ne se vantera que tu erres dans son ombre,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
Quand en des vers éternels tu te fonds dans le temps,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
Aussi longtemps que les hommes pourront respirer ou que les yeux pourront voir,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Aussi longtemps vivra ceci, et ceci te donne la vie.
Vocabulary
- Pourtant
- However, yet, nevertheless; despite this fact
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- ciel
- Sky, heaven; the celestial sphere above
- sait
- Knows (third person singular of savoir)
- que
- That, which, whom; relative/subordinate conjunction
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- est
- Is (third person singular of être)
- qu
- That (elided form of que before vowel)
- un
- A, an; one (indefinite article, masculine)
- tombeau
- Tomb, grave; burial chamber or monument
- Qui
- Who, which (relative pronoun)
- cache
- Hides, conceals (third person singular)
- votre
- Your (formal or plural possessive adjective)
- vie
- Life; existence or way of living
- et
- And (conjunction)
- ne
- Not (negative particle in negation)
- révèle
- Reveals, discloses (third person singular)
- pas
- Not; step or pace (negation marker)
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- moitié
- Half; one of two equal parts
- de
- Of, from (preposition)
- vos
- Your (plural or formal possessive adjective)
- attraits
- Charms, attractions; appealing qualities or features
- Si
- If; conditional conjunction
- je
- I (first person singular pronoun)
- pouvais
- Could, was able (imperfect of pouvoir)
- écrire
- To write; to compose in written form
- beauté
- Beauty; the quality of being beautiful
- yeux
- Eyes (plural of oeil)
- vers
- Verse, poetry; toward (preposition)
- nouveaux
- New (masculine plural of nouveau)
- dénombrer
- To count, enumerate, list in detail
- toutes
- All (feminine plural of tout)
- grâces
- Graces, charms; graceful movements or qualities
- âge
- Age; period of life or time
- venir
- To come; to arrive or approach
- dirait
- Would say (conditional of dire)
- poète
- Poet; one who writes poetry
- tels
- Such (masculine plural of tel)
- charmes
- Charms, spells; enchantments or attractions
- célestes
- Celestial, heavenly; of the sky or divine
- ont
- Have (third person plural of avoir)
- jamais
- Never, ever; not once in time
- effleuré
- Brushed, touched lightly or gently
- visages
- Faces; front of human head
- terrestres
- Terrestrial, earthly; of the earth
- Ainsi
- Thus, so, in this way; therefore
- mes
- My (first person plural possessive adjective)
- pages
- Pages; leaves of a book
- par
- By, through (preposition)
- temps
- Time, weather; period or duration
- Seraient
- Would be (conditional of être)
- méprisées
- Despised, scorned; treated with contempt
- comme
- Like, as; in the manner of
- des
- Of the, some (partitive or plural article)
- vieillards
- Old men, elders; aged persons
- plus
- More, most; additional or greater amount
- sincères
- Sincere, genuine; honest and truthful
- véritables
- True, real, genuine; authentic or actual
- mérites
- Merits, virtues; deserved qualities or accomplishments
- qualifiés
- Qualified, described; characterized or designated
- mesure
- Measure, extent; proportion or quantity
- forcée
- Forced, compelled; done under pressure
- chant
- Song, chant; vocal music or singing
- antique
- Antique, ancient; from former times
- quelque
- Some, any; an unspecified or particular
- enfant
- Child; young human, boy or girl
- vivait
- Lived, was living (imperfect of vivre)
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