The divine comedy — Page 3

English → Fr CANTO II Level 9/10

Now much I dread lest he past help have stray'd,

Je crains fort qu'il ne se soit égaré au-delà de tout secours,

And I be ris'n too late for his relief,

Et que je me sois levée trop tard pour lui venir en aide,

From what in heaven of him I heard. Speed now,

D'après ce que j'ai entendu dire de lui au ciel. Hâte-toi maintenant,

And by thy eloquent persuasive tongue,

Et par ta langue éloquente et persuasive,

And by all means for his deliverance meet,

Et par tous les moyens propres à sa délivrance,

Assist him. So to me will comfort spring.

Assiste-le. Ainsi naîtra pour moi la consolation.

I who now bid thee on this errand forth

Moi qui te dépêche maintenant en cette mission

Am Beatrice; from a place I come.

Je suis Béatrice ; je viens d'un lieu.

(Note: Beatrice. I use this word, as it is pronounced in the Italian, as consisting of four syllables, of which the third is a long one.) Revisited with joy. Love brought me thence,

(Note : Béatrice. J'emploie ce mot tel qu'il se prononce en italien, comme composé de quatre syllabes, dont la troisième est longue.) Que je revisite avec joie. L'Amour m'en a ramenée,

Who prompts my speech. When in my Master's sight

Qui inspire mes paroles. Quand je me tiens en présence de mon Maître,

I stand, thy praise to him I oft will tell."

Je lui chanterai souvent tes louanges."

She then was silent, and I thus began:

Elle se tut alors, et je commençai ainsi :

"O Lady! by whose influence alone,

« Ô Dame ! par la seule vertu de qui,

Mankind excels whatever is contain'd

L'humanité surpasse tout ce qui est contenu

Within that heaven which hath the smallest orb,

Dans ce ciel qui possède le plus petit orbe,

So thy command delights me, that to obey,

Ton commandement me plaît tellement que d'obéir,

If it were done already, would seem late.

Si cela était déjà accompli, semblerait encore tardif.

No need hast thou farther to speak thy will;

Tu n'as nul besoin d'exposer davantage ta volonté ;

Yet tell the reason, why thou art not loth

Pourtant dis-moi la raison pour laquelle tu ne répugnes pas

To leave that ample space, where to return

À quitter ce vaste espace, où tu brûles de retourner,

Thou burnest, for this centre here beneath."

Pour ce centre ici en bas. »

She then: "Since thou so deeply wouldst inquire,

Elle alors : « Puisque tu veux t'enquérir si profondément,

I will instruct thee briefly, why no dread

Je t'instruirai brièvement de la raison pour laquelle aucune crainte

Hinders my entrance here. Those things alone

N'entrave mon entrée ici. Les choses seules

Are to be fear'd, whence evil may proceed,

Sont à redouter, d'où peut procéder le mal,

None else, for none are terrible beside.

Nulle autre, car nulle autre n'est redoutable en dehors de celles-là.

I am so fram'd by God, thanks to his grace!

Je suis tellement façonnée par Dieu, grâce à sa grâce !

Vocabulary

crains: First person singular of 'craindre'; to fear something.
fort: Here used as adverb meaning 'greatly' or 'very much'.
soit: Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'be' or 'is' in subordinate clauses.
égaré: Past participle of 'égarer'; lost or gone astray.
au-delà: Adverbial phrase meaning 'beyond' a certain point or limit.
secours: Noun meaning 'help', 'aid', or 'rescue'.
sois: Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'be' in subordinate clauses.
levée: Past participle of 'se lever'; risen or gotten up.
tard: Adverb meaning 'late', opposite of 'early' (tôt).
aide: Noun meaning 'help' or 'assistance' given to someone.
D'après: Prepositional phrase meaning 'according to' a source or person.
entendu: Past participle of 'entendre'; heard something said or spoken.
ciel: Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven' above the earth.
Hâte-toi: Imperative reflexive of 'se hâter'; hurry yourself, make haste.
langue: Noun meaning 'language' or 'tongue' (body part or speech).
éloquente: Adjective meaning 'eloquent'; speaking fluently and persuasively.
persuasive: Adjective meaning 'persuasive'; able to convince others effectively.
moyens: Plural noun meaning 'means' or 'ways' to accomplish something.
propres: Adjective meaning 'appropriate', 'suitable', or 'clean' in context.
délivrance: Noun meaning 'deliverance' or 'liberation' from danger or captivity.
Assiste-le: Imperative of 'assister' with object pronoun; assist him now.
Ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
naîtra: Future tense of 'naître'; will be born or will arise.
consolation: Noun meaning 'consolation' or 'comfort' in sorrow or difficulty.
dépêche: From 'dépêcher'; to send or dispatch someone on a mission.
mission: Noun meaning 'mission' or 'task' assigned to someone.
lieu: Noun meaning 'place' or 'location' where something occurs.
Note: Noun meaning 'note' or 'remark', often an editorial annotation.
J'emploie: First person singular of 'employer'; I use or employ something.
mot: Noun meaning 'word', a single unit of language.
tel: Adjective meaning 'such', 'like', or 'of this kind'.
prononce: Third person singular of 'prononcer'; pronounces a word aloud.
italien: Adjective or noun meaning 'Italian', relating to Italy.
composé: Past participle of 'composer'; composed or made up of parts.
syllabes: Plural noun meaning 'syllables', units of pronunciation in words.
dont: Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'from which'.
troisième: Ordinal adjective meaning 'third' in a sequence or order.
longue: Feminine adjective meaning 'long' in length, duration, or sound.
revisite: From 'revisiter'; to revisit or return to a place again.
joie: Noun meaning 'joy' or 'happiness', a feeling of delight.
L'Amour: Noun meaning 'Love', here personified as a motivating force.
ramenée: Past participle of 'ramener'; brought back to a place.
inspire: Third person singular of 'inspirer'; inspires or motivates someone.
paroles: Plural noun meaning 'words' or 'speech' uttered by someone.
tiens: From 'tenir'; here meaning 'hold' or used possessively as 'yours'.
présence: Noun meaning 'presence', being physically or spiritually present.
Maître: Noun meaning 'Master' or 'Teacher', a figure of authority.
chanterai: Future tense of 'chanter'; I will sing your praises.
souvent: Adverb meaning 'often', referring to frequent repetition.
louanges: Plural noun meaning 'praises' or 'words of admiration'.
tut: Simple past of 'se taire'; she fell silent, stopped speaking.
commençai: Simple past of 'commencer'; I began or started something then.
ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this manner'.
Ô: Exclamatory particle meaning 'O' or 'Oh', used in address.
Dame: Noun meaning 'Lady' or 'Madam', a title of respect for women.
seule: Feminine adjective meaning 'alone', 'only', or 'sole'.
vertu: Noun meaning 'virtue', moral excellence or goodness in character.
L'humanité: Noun meaning 'humanity' or 'humankind', all human beings collectively.
surpasse: Third person singular of 'surpasser'; surpasses or exceeds something else.
contenu: Past participle of 'contenir'; contained, or noun meaning 'content'.
possède: Third person singular of 'posséder'; possesses or owns something.
orbe: Noun meaning 'orb' or 'sphere', referring to celestial circles.
commandement: Noun meaning 'commandment' or 'command', an order given authoritatively.
plaît: Third person singular of 'plaire'; pleases or is pleasing to.
tellement: Adverb meaning 'so much' or 'so greatly', indicating strong degree.
d'obéir: Infinitive of 'obéir' with 'de'; to obey an order or person.
déjà: Adverb meaning 'already', indicating something has occurred before.
accompli: Past participle of 'accomplir'; accomplished or completed a task.
semblerait: Conditional of 'sembler'; would seem or appear to be something.
encore: Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again' in various contexts.
tardif: Adjective meaning 'late' or 'belated', occurring after due time.
nul: Adjective meaning 'no', 'none', or 'not any' (formal/literary).
besoin: Noun meaning 'need', something necessary or required for someone.
d'exposer: Infinitive of 'exposer' with 'de'; to expose or explain further.
davantage: Adverb meaning 'more' or 'further', indicating additional quantity.
volonté: Noun meaning 'will' or 'wish', one's desire or determination.
Pourtant: Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'yet', introducing a contrast.
dis-moi: Imperative of 'dire' with 'moi'; tell me, say to me.
raison: Noun meaning 'reason' or 'cause' behind an action or event.
laquelle: Feminine relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'for which'.
répugnes: Second person singular of 'répugner'; to be reluctant or repelled.
quitter: Infinitive meaning 'to leave' or 'to quit' a place or person.
vaste: Adjective meaning 'vast', 'wide', or 'immense' in extent.
espace: Noun meaning 'space' or 'area', a large open expanse.
brûles: Second person singular of 'brûler'; you burn or are on fire.
retourner: Infinitive meaning 'to return' or 'go back' to a place.
centre: Noun meaning 'center' or 'middle point' of something.
bas: Adjective or adverb meaning 'low' or 'down below'.
Puisque: Conjunction meaning 'since' or 'because', giving a reason.
t'enquérir: Reflexive infinitive of 's'enquérir'; to inquire or ask about.
profondément: Adverb meaning 'deeply' or 'profoundly', to a great extent.
t'instruirai: Future of 'instruire' with 'te'; I will instruct or inform you.
brièvement: Adverb meaning 'briefly', in a short or concise manner.
aucune: Feminine of 'aucun'; no, not any, used in negative sentences.
crainte: Noun meaning 'fear' or 'apprehension' about something threatening.
N'entrave: Negated form of 'entraver'; does not hinder or obstruct movement.
entrée: Noun meaning 'entry' or 'entrance' into a place or situation.
seules: Feminine plural of 'seul'; alone, only, or sole things.
redouter: Infinitive meaning 'to dread' or 'to fear' something greatly.
d'où: Contraction of 'de où'; meaning 'from which' or 'from where'.
procéder: Infinitive meaning 'to proceed' or 'to come from' a source.
mal: Noun or adverb meaning 'evil', 'harm', or 'badly'.
Nulle: Feminine of 'nul'; no other, none at all (literary usage).
car: Conjunction meaning 'for' or 'because', giving a reason.
nulle: Feminine adjective meaning 'no' or 'none', negating a noun.
redoutable: Adjective meaning 'formidable' or 'dreadful', inspiring fear.
dehors: Adverb or preposition meaning 'outside' or 'beyond' something.
celles-là: Feminine plural demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those ones' (specific).
façonnée: Past participle of 'façonner'; shaped, formed, or crafted by someone.
Dieu: Noun meaning 'God', the supreme divine being or creator.
grâce: Noun meaning 'grace', divine favor or elegance of manner.

← Previous Next →

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

Create free account →