The divine comedy — Page 1
In the midway of this our mortal life,
Au milieu du chemin de notre vie mortelle,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray
Je me trouvai dans une forêt sombre, égaré,
Gone from the path direct: and e'en to tell
Loin du droit chemin : et même à dire
It were no easy task, how savage wild
Ce ne serait pas chose aisée, tant sauvage
That forest, how robust and rough its growth,
Était cette forêt, si robuste et si rude dans sa croissance,
Which to remember only, my dismay
Dont le seul souvenir renouvelle mon effroi,
Renews, in bitterness not far from death.
Dans une amertume qui frôle la mort.
Yet to discourse of what there good befell,
Pourtant, pour parler du bien qui s'y trouva,
All else will I relate discover'd there.
Je raconterai tout ce que j'y découvris.
How first I enter'd it I scarce can say,
Comment j'y entrai, je puis à peine le dire,
Such sleepy dullness in that instant weigh'd
Tant une lourde torpeur en cet instant accablait
My senses down, when the true path I left,
Mes sens, au moment où je quittai le droit chemin,
But when a mountain's foot I reach'd, where clos'd
Mais lorsque j'atteignis le pied d'une montagne, où se fermait
The valley, that had pierc'd my heart with dread,
La vallée qui avait transpercé mon cœur d'effroi,
I look'd aloft, and saw his shoulders broad
Je levai les yeux, et vis ses larges épaules
Already vested with that planet's beam,
Déjà revêtues des rayons de cette planète,
Who leads all wanderers safe through every way.
Qui guide en sûreté tous les errants par tous les chemins.
Then was a little respite to the fear,
Ce fut alors un peu de répit à la crainte,
That in my heart's recesses deep had lain,
Qui avait séjourné dans les profonds replis de mon cœur,
All of that night, so pitifully pass'd:
Durant toute cette nuit, si pitoyablement écoulée :
And as a man, with difficult short breath,
Et comme un homme, haletant, le souffle court,
Forespent with toiling, 'scap'd from sea to shore,
Épuisé par la peine, échappé de la mer vers le rivage,
Turns to the perilous wide waste, and stands
Se retourne vers le vaste péril des flots, et demeure
At gaze; e'en so my spirit, that yet fail'd
À les contempler ; ainsi mon âme, encore défaillante
Struggling with terror, turn'd to view the straits,
Dans sa lutte contre l'épouvante, se retourna pour regarder le passage,
That none hath pass'd and liv'd. My weary frame
Que nul n'a franchi et survécu. Mon corps las,
After short pause recomforted, again
Après une courte pause réconforté, de nouveau
I journey'd on over that lonely steep,
Je poursuivis mon chemin sur cette pente solitaire,
The hinder foot still firmer. Scarce the ascent
Le pied arrière toujours plus ferme. À peine l'ascension
Began, when, lo!
Avait-elle commencé, quand, voilà !
Vocabulary
- Au
- At the, to the (contraction of à + le)
- milieu
- Middle, center, midst of something
- du
- Of the, from the (contraction of de + le)
- chemin
- Path, road, way or journey
- de
- Of, from, belonging to or about
- notre
- Our, belonging to us
- vie
- Life, living or existence
- mortelle
- Mortal, fatal, deadly or subject to death
- Je
- I, first person singular pronoun
- me
- Me, myself, to me (reflexive pronoun)
- trouvai
- Found, discovered (past tense of trouver)
- dans
- In, inside, within or during
- une
- A, an, one (feminine indefinite article)
- forêt
- Forest, woods or wooded area
- sombre
- Dark, gloomy, somber or dim
- égaré
- Lost, astray, bewildered or misplaced
- Loin
- Far, far away, distant or far off
- droit
- Straight, direct, right or upright
- et
- And, plus, as well as
- même
- Same, even, very or self
- dire
- To say, speak, tell or mean
- Ce
- This, that, it (demonstrative pronoun)
- ne
- Not, no (negative particle)
- serait
- Would be, would be (conditional of être)
- pas
- Not, step, pace or no
- chose
- Thing, object, matter or affair
- aisée
- Easy, simple, comfortable or well-to-do
- tant
- So much, so many, as much
- sauvage
- Wild, savage, untamed or uncultivated
- Était
- Was, existed (imperfect tense of être)
- cette
- This, that (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- si
- So, if, such or so much
- robuste
- Robust, sturdy, strong or hardy
- rude
- Rough, coarse, rude or harsh
- sa
- His, her, its (possessive adjective)
- croissance
- Growth, increase, expansion or development
- Dont
- Of which, whose, from which
- le
- The, him (definite article, masculine)
- seul
- Only, alone, sole or single
- souvenir
- Memory, remembrance, recollection or souvenir
- renouvelle
- Renews, refreshes (present tense of renouveler)
- mon
- My, mine (masculine possessive adjective)
- effroi
- Fright, terror, horror or dread
- Dans
- In, within, inside or during
- amertume
- Bitterness, acrimony, resentment or harshness
- qui
- Who, which, that or whom
- frôle
- Brushes against, touches lightly or grazes
- la
- The, her, it (definite article, feminine)
- mort
- Death, dead or mortal
- Pourtant
- However, yet, nevertheless or still
- pour
- For, in order to, to or about
- parler
- To speak, talk, discuss or say
- bien
- Well, good, properly or very
- trouva
- Found, discovered (past tense of trouver)
- raconterai
- Will tell, will relate, will recount
- tout
- All, everything, every or whole
- ce
- This, that, it (demonstrative pronoun)
- que
- That, which, what or whom
- découvris
- Discovered, uncovered (past tense of découvrir)
- Comment
- How, what, in what way or why
- entrai
- Entered, went in (past tense of entrer)
- je
- I, myself (first person singular pronoun)
- puis
- Then, next, afterwards or later
- peine
- Pain, sorrow, difficulty or trouble
- Tant
- So much, so many, as much
- lourde
- Heavy, burdensome, oppressive or weighty
- torpeur
- Torpor, sluggishness, lethargy or numbness
- en
- In, on, at, some or of it
- cet
- This, that (masculine demonstrative adjective)
- instant
- Instant, moment, second or immediate
- accablait
- Overwhelmed, oppressed (imperfect of accabler)
- Mes
- My, mine (plural possessive adjective)
- sens
- Sense, feeling, meaning or direction
- au
- At the, to the (à + le)
- moment
- Moment, instant, time or while
- où
- Where, in which, when or at which
- quittai
- Left, departed (past tense of quitter)
- Mais
- But, yet, however or only
- lorsque
- When, while, as or at the time
- atteignis
- Reached, attained (past tense of atteindre)
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