The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original — Page 5
Now all the rest, as many as fled from sheer destruction, were at home, and had escaped both war and sea, but Odysseus only, craving for his wife and for his homeward path, the lady nymph Calypso held, that fair goddess, in her hollow caves, longing to have him for her lord.
Or tous les autres, aussi nombreux qu'ils fussent à avoir fui la pure destruction, étaient chez eux, et avaient échappé à la fois à la guerre et à la mer, mais Ulysse seul, aspirant à retrouver son épouse et le chemin de sa demeure, était retenu par la divine nymphe Calypso, cette belle déesse, dans ses grottes creuses, qui brûlait du désir de l'avoir pour seigneur.
But when now the year had come in the courses of the seasons, wherein the gods had ordained that he should return home to Ithaca, not even there was he quit of labours, not even among his own; but all the gods had pity on him save Poseidon, who raged continually against godlike Odysseus, till he came to his own country.
Mais lorsque vint enfin l'année dans le cours des saisons où les dieux avaient décrété qu'il devait rentrer chez lui à Ithaque, même là il ne fut point délivré de ses épreuves, même parmi les siens ; mais tous les dieux avaient pitié de lui, sauf Poséidon, qui s'acharnait sans relâche contre le divin Ulysse, jusqu'à ce qu'il atteignît son propre pays.
Howbeit Poseidon had now departed for the distant Ethiopians, the Ethiopians that are sundered in twain, the uttermost of men, abiding some where Hyperion sinks and some where he rises.
Or Poséidon s'en était allé chez les lointains Éthiopiens, ces Éthiopiens partagés en deux, les plus reculés des hommes, demeurant les uns là où Hypérion se couche et les autres là où il se lève.
There he looked to receive his hecatomb of bulls and rams, there he made merry sitting at the feast, but the other gods were gathered in the halls of Olympian Zeus.
Là il espérait recevoir son hécatombe de taureaux et de béliers, là il se réjouissait assis au banquet, tandis que les autres dieux s'étaient rassemblés dans les demeures de Zeus l'Olympien.
Then among them the father of men and gods began to speak, for he bethought him in his heart of noble Aegisthus, whom the son of Agamemnon, far-famed Orestes, slew.
Alors le père des hommes et des dieux prit la parole parmi eux, car il songeait en son cœur au noble Égisthe, que le fils d'Agamemnon, l'illustre Oreste, avait tué.
Thinking upon him he spake out among the Immortals: 'Lo you now, how vainly mortal men do blame the gods! For of us they say comes evil, whereas they even of themselves, through the blindness of their own hearts, have sorrows beyond that which is ordained.
Pensant à lui, il prit la parole parmi les Immortels : « Voyez donc comme les mortels accusent les dieux en vain ! Car ils disent que le mal vient de nous, alors que c'est d'eux-mêmes, par l'aveuglement de leurs propres cœurs, qu'ils tirent des souffrances au-delà de ce qui est ordonné.
Vocabulary
- Or
- Now, well; discourse marker introducing a new point
- tous
- All, every one; referring to a complete group
- autres
- Others; the remaining people or things
- aussi
- Also, too; indicating addition or similarity
- nombreux
- Numerous, many; describing a large quantity
- fussent
- Were (subjunctive imperfect of être); formal literary form
- fui
- Fled; past participle of fuir, to flee
- pure
- Pure, complete, utter; unmixed or absolute in quality
- destruction
- Destruction; complete ruin or annihilation of something
- chez
- At home, at someone's place; indicating location
- échappé
- Escaped; past participle of échapper, to escape
- fois
- Time, instance; referring to an occurrence or occasion
- guerre
- War; armed conflict between groups or nations
- mer
- Sea; large body of salt water
- seul
- Alone, only, sole; without others or company
- aspirant
- Longing, yearning; present participle meaning eagerly desiring
- retrouver
- To find again, to reunite with someone or something
- épouse
- Wife, spouse; a married woman or female partner
- chemin
- Path, way, road; route taken to reach a destination
- demeure
- Dwelling, home; a place where someone lives
- retenu
- Held back, detained; past participle of retenir
- divine
- Divine, godly; relating to or coming from a deity
- nymphe
- Nymph; minor nature goddess in Greek mythology
- belle
- Beautiful, lovely; feminine adjective describing beauty
- déesse
- Goddess; female divine being in mythology or religion
- grottes
- Caves, grottos; natural hollow spaces in rock
- creuses
- Hollow, empty inside; adjective describing cavities
- brûlait
- Was burning; imperfect of brûler, to burn
- désir
- Desire, longing; strong wish or craving for something
- seigneur
- Lord, master; title of authority or nobility
- lorsque
- When; conjunction indicating a point in time
- vint
- Came; simple past of venir, literary third-person singular
- enfin
- Finally, at last; after a long wait or delay
- année
- Year; period of twelve months
- cours
- Course, flow; the progression or passing of time
- saisons
- Seasons; the four divisions of the yearly cycle
- où
- Where, when; relative or interrogative adverb
- dieux
- Gods; plural of dieu, divine beings
- décrété
- Decreed, ordained; past participle of décréter
- devait
- Had to, was supposed to; imperfect of devoir
- rentrer
- To return home, to go back; entering again
- même
- Even, same, itself; emphasizing identity or similarity
- là
- There; adverb indicating a specific place or moment
- fut
- Was; simple past of être, third-person singular
- point
- Not at all (literary); used with ne for negation
- délivré
- Freed, delivered; past participle of délivrer
- épreuves
- Trials, ordeals; difficult tests or hardships endured
- parmi
- Among, amid; preposition placing something within a group
- siens
- His own people, his kin; those belonging to him
- pitié
- Pity, mercy, compassion; sympathy for suffering
- sauf
- Except, save; preposition indicating an exclusion
- acharnait
- Was relentlessly pursuing; imperfect of s'acharner
- sans
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- relâche
- Respite, break; pause or relief from effort
- contre
- Against; preposition expressing opposition or contact
- divin
- Divine; of or relating to a god
- jusqu'
- Until, up to; preposition indicating a limit
- atteignît
- Reached (subjunctive imperfect); from atteindre, to reach
- propre
- Own, proper; emphasizing belonging or suitability
- pays
- Country, land; one's native region or homeland
- lointains
- Distant, far-off; describing remote or faraway places
- partagés
- Divided, shared; past participle of partager
- reculés
- Remote, farthest; adjective describing distant locations
- demeurant
- Living, dwelling; present participle of demeurer
- uns
- Some, ones; indefinite pronoun indicating part of a group
- couche
- Sets (sun), lies down; third-person singular of coucher
- lève
- Rises (sun), lifts; third-person singular of lever
- Là
- There; adverb marking a specific location or moment
- espérait
- Hoped, expected; imperfect of espérer, to hope
- recevoir
- To receive, to get; accepting something given or sent
- hécatombe
- Hecatomb; large sacrificial offering of many animals
- taureaux
- Bulls; plural of taureau, male bovine animals
- béliers
- Rams; plural of bélier, male sheep
- réjouissait
- Was rejoicing, delighting; imperfect of se réjouir
- assis
- Seated, sitting; past participle of asseoir
- banquet
- Banquet, feast; formal or celebratory communal meal
- tandis
- While, whereas; conjunction used in tandis que
- rassemblés
- Gathered, assembled; past participle of rassembler
- demeures
- Dwellings, abodes; plural of demeure, residences
- Olympien
- Olympian; of or relating to Mount Olympus and its gods
- Alors
- Then, so; adverb marking time or logical consequence
- père
- Father; male parent or paternal figure
- prit
- Took; simple past of prendre, third-person singular
- parole
- Word, speech; spoken language or the act of speaking
- car
- For, because; conjunction giving a reason or cause
- songeait
- Was thinking of, musing; imperfect of songer
- cœur
- Heart; organ or metaphor for emotions and thought
- noble
- Noble, illustrious; of high moral or social standing
- fils
- Son; male offspring of a parent
- illustre
- Illustrious, renowned; famous and greatly distinguished
- tué
- Killed; past participle of tuer, to kill
- Pensant
- Thinking; present participle of penser, to think
- Immortels
- Immortals; beings who never die, the gods
- Voyez
- See, look; imperative of voir, second-person plural
- donc
- So, therefore, then; logical conclusion or emphasis
- comme
- How, like, as; conjunction or adverb of comparison
- mortels
- Mortals; human beings subject to death
- accusent
- Accuse, blame; third-person plural of accuser
- vain
- Vain, in vain; futile or without good reason
- Car
- For, because; conjunction providing an explanation
- mal
- Evil, harm, ill; something bad or painful
- alors
- Then, whereas; adverb of time or contrast
- mêmes
- Selves, themselves; used in eux-mêmes for emphasis
- aveuglement
- Blindness, recklessness; acting without foresight or reason
- propres
- Own; emphasizing possession or inherent quality
- cœurs
- Hearts; plural, referring to the seat of feelings
- tirent
- Draw, pull; third-person plural of tirer
- souffrances
- Sufferings, hardships; experiences of pain or distress
- delà
- Beyond; used in au-delà, meaning beyond or exceeding
- ordonné
- Ordered, decreed; past participle of ordonner
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