The divine comedy — Page 2
not Aeneas I nor Paul.
Je ne suis ni Énée ni Paul.
Myself I deem not worthy, and none else Will deem me.
Je ne me crois pas digne, et personne d'autre ne me croira tel.
I, if on this voyage then I venture, fear it will in folly end.
Moi, si je m'aventure alors dans ce voyage, je crains qu'il ne s'achève en folie.
Thou, who art wise, better my meaning know'st, Than I can speak."
Toi qui es sage, tu comprends mieux ma pensée que je ne saurais l'exprimer.
As one, who unresolves What he hath late resolv'd, and with new thoughts Changes his purpose, from his first intent Remov'd;
Comme celui qui se ravise sur ce qu'il venait de résoudre, et qui, sous l'effet de nouvelles pensées, change de dessein, s'éloignant de sa première intention ;
e'en such was I on that dun coast, Wasting in thought my enterprise, at first So eagerly embrac'd.
tel j'étais sur ce sombre rivage, consumant en pensée l'entreprise que j'avais d'abord si ardemment embrassée.
"If right thy words I scan," replied that shade magnanimous,
« Si je comprends bien tes paroles, » répondit cette ombre magnanime,
"Thy soul is by vile fear assail'd, which oft So overcasts a man, that he recoils From noblest resolution, like a beast At some false semblance in the twilight gloom.
« Ton âme est assaillie par une vile peur, qui souvent obscurcit tellement un homme qu'il recule devant les résolutions les plus nobles, comme une bête devant quelque fausse apparence dans l'obscurité du crépuscule.
That from this terror thou mayst free thyself, I will instruct thee why I came, and what I heard in that same instant, when for thee Grief touch'd me first.
Afin que tu te libères de cette terreur, je t'apprendrai pourquoi je suis venu, et ce que j'entendis à l'instant même où la pitié me saisit pour toi.
I was among the tribe, Who rest suspended, when a dame, so blest And lovely, I besought her to command, Call'd me;
J'étais parmi la tribu de ceux qui demeurent en suspens, quand une dame, si bénie et si belle que je l'aurais suppliée de commander, m'appela ;
her eyes were brighter than the star Of day;
ses yeux brillaient plus que l'étoile du jour ;
and she with gentle voice and soft Angelically tun'd her speech address'd:
et elle, d'une voix douce et suave, angéliquement modulée, adressa ces paroles :
"O courteous shade of Mantua! thou whose fame Yet lives, and shall live long as nature lasts!
« Ô courtoise ombre de Mantoue ! toi dont la renommée vit encore et vivra aussi longtemps que durera la nature !
A friend, not of my fortune but myself, On the wide desert in his road has met Hindrance so great, that he through fear has turn'd.
Un ami, non de ma fortune mais de ma personne, sur le vaste désert de sa route a rencontré un obstacle si grand que la peur l'a fait rebrousser chemin.
Vocabulary
- Je
- I; first person singular pronoun
- ne
- not; negative particle (without pas)
- suis
- am; first person singular of être
- ni
- nor; conjunction used in negations
- me
- me; first person singular object pronoun
- crois
- believe; first person singular of croire
- pas
- not; negative particle (with ne)
- digne
- worthy; deserving of respect or honor
- et
- and; basic conjunction
- personne
- no one; nobody; also means person
- autre
- other; different; another person or thing
- croira
- will believe; future tense of croire
- tel
- such; of that kind or type
- Moi
- Me; first person singular stressed pronoun
- si
- if; conditional conjunction or adverb
- aventure
- adventure; an exciting or dangerous experience
- alors
- then; at that time; therefore
- dans
- in; inside; within a location
- ce
- this; that; demonstrative determiner
- voyage
- journey; trip; voyage to a destination
- crains
- fear; first person singular of craindre
- qu
- that; which; relative or subordinate conjunction
- il
- he; it; third person singular pronoun
- achève
- end; finish; third person singular of achever
- en
- in; into; on; locative or object pronoun
- folie
- madness; insanity; state of being crazy
- Toi
- You; second person singular stressed pronoun
- qui
- who; which; relative pronoun
- es
- are; second person singular of être
- sage
- wise; wise person; showing good judgment
- tu
- you; second person singular pronoun
- comprends
- understand; second person singular of comprendre
- mieux
- better; more well; superior manner
- ma
- my; first person singular possessive determiner
- pensée
- thought; thinking; an idea or reflection
- que
- than; that; what; relative conjunction
- saurais
- would know; conditional of savoir
- exprimer
- express; to communicate ideas or feelings
- Comme
- as; like; since; in the manner of
- celui
- that one; the one; demonstrative pronoun
- se
- oneself; third person reflexive pronoun
- ravise
- reconsider; change mind; third person singular
- sur
- on; upon; over; concerning a subject
- venait
- came; was coming; imperfect of venir
- de
- of; from; about; preposition
- résoudre
- resolve; decide; determine a solution
- sous
- under; beneath; below; underneath
- effet
- effect; result; consequence of an action
- nouvelles
- new; fresh; recent; also means news
- pensées
- thoughts; ideas; reflections or opinions
- change
- change; changes; third person singular of changer
- dessein
- design; intention; plan or purpose
- éloignant
- distancing; moving away; removing from place
- sa
- his; her; its; third person possessive
- première
- first; earliest; primary or initial
- intention
- intention; purpose; aim or goal
- étais
- was; first person singular imperfect of être
- sombre
- dark; gloomy; dim or shadowy place
- rivage
- shore; beach; coast or seashore
- consumant
- consuming; burning up; using completely
- entreprise
- enterprise; undertaking; business or project
- avais
- had; first person singular imperfect of avoir
- abord
- first; beginning; at first; initially
- ardemment
- ardently; fervently; with great enthusiasm
- embrassée
- embraced; undertook; adopted enthusiastically
- Si
- if; whether; conditional conjunction
- bien
- well; good; properly; in good manner
- tes
- your; second person plural possessive determiner
- paroles
- words; speech; utterances or statements
- répondit
- replied; answered; past tense of répondre
- cette
- this; that; feminine demonstrative determiner
- ombre
- shadow; shade; ghost or spirit
- magnanime
- magnanimous; noble; generous or great-souled
- Ton
- your; second person singular possessive determiner
- âme
- soul; spirit; essence of a person
- est
- is; third person singular of être
- assaillie
- assailed; attacked; besieged or troubled
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