Ulysses — Page 11
Give up the moody brooding.
Abandonne cette maussade rêverie.
His head vanished but the drone of his descending voice boomed out of the stairhead:
Sa tête disparut mais le bourdonnement de sa voix descendante résonna depuis le haut de l'escalier :
And no more turn aside and brood Upon love's bitter mystery For Fergus rules the brazen cars.
Et ne te détourne plus pour méditer Sur l'âpre mystère de l'amour Car Fergus règne sur les chars d'airain.
Woodshadows floated silently by through the morning peace from the stairhead seaward where he gazed.
Des ombres de bois dérivaient silencieusement dans la paix matinale depuis le haut de l'escalier vers la mer où il regardait.
Inshore and farther out the mirror of water whitened, spurned by lightshod hurrying feet.
Près du rivage et plus au large le miroir de l'eau blanchissait, fouetté par des pieds pressés aux pas légers.
White breast of the dim sea.
Blanc sein de la mer obscure.
The twining stresses, two by two.
Les accents entrelacés, deux par deux.
A hand plucking the harpstrings, merging their twining chords.
Une main pinçant les cordes de la harpe, fondant leurs accords entrelacés.
Wavewhite wedded words shimmering on the dim tide.
Des mots unis, blancs comme les vagues, scintillant sur la marée obscure.
A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly, shadowing the bay in deeper green.
Un nuage commença à couvrir le soleil lentement, entièrement, plongeant la baie dans un vert plus profond.
It lay beneath him, a bowl of bitter waters.
Elle s'étendait sous lui, une coupe d'eaux amères.
Fergus' song: I sang it alone in the house, holding down the long dark chords.
La chanson de Fergus : je la chantais seul dans la maison, maintenant les longs accords sombres.
Her door was open: she wanted to hear my music.
Sa porte était ouverte : elle voulait entendre ma musique.
Silent with awe and pity I went to her bedside.
Silencieux, saisi de crainte et de pitié, je m'approchai de son lit.
She was crying in her wretched bed.
Elle pleurait dans son misérable lit.
For those words, Stephen: love's bitter mystery.
À cause de ces mots, Stephen : l'âpre mystère de l'amour.
Where now?
Où maintenant ?
Her secrets: old featherfans, tasselled dancecards, powdered with musk, a gaud of amber beads in her locked drawer.
Ses secrets : de vieux éventails de plumes, des cartons de bal à glands, poudrés de musc, un clinquant de perles d'ambre dans son tiroir fermé à clef.
A birdcage hung in the sunny window of her house when she was a girl.
Une cage à oiseaux pendait à la fenêtre ensoleillée de sa maison quand elle était petite fille.
She heard old Royce sing in the pantomime of Turko the Terrible and laughed with others when he sang:
Elle entendit le vieux Royce chanter dans la pantomime de Turko le Terrible et rit avec les autres quand il chanta :
I am the boy That can enjoy Invisibility.
Je suis le garçon Qui peut jouir De l'invisibilité.
Phantasmal mirth, folded away: muskperfumed.
Gaieté fantasmatique, repliée, rangée : parfumée de musc.
And no more turn aside and brood.
Et ne te détourne plus pour méditer.
Vocabulary
- Abandonne
- Abandons; leaves behind or gives up completely.
- cette
- This; that (feminine singular demonstrative adjective).
- maussade
- Gloomy, sullen, or bad-tempered in mood.
- rêverie
- Daydream or reverie; state of dreamy meditation.
- Sa
- His, her, or its (possessive adjective, feminine).
- tête
- Head; the upper part of human body.
- disparut
- Disappeared; vanished from sight or existence.
- mais
- But; however; yet (conjunction expressing contrast).
- le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- bourdonnement
- Humming, buzzing sound; resonant vibration or drone.
- de
- Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- sa
- His, her, or its (possessive adjective, feminine).
- voix
- Voice; sound produced in speaking or singing.
- descendante
- Descending; going downward or decreasing in pitch.
- résonna
- Resonated; echoed or rang out loudly.
- depuis
- Since; from; preposition indicating time or origin.
- haut
- High, tall, or upper; elevated in position.
- escalier
- Staircase; stairs connecting different levels or floors.
- Et
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
- ne
- Not; negative particle in French negation.
- te
- You; object pronoun (informal, second person).
- détourne
- Turn away; divert attention or change direction.
- plus
- More; anymore; no longer (negation context).
- pour
- For; in order to; preposition expressing purpose.
- méditer
- Meditate; think deeply or contemplate thoughtfully.
- Sur
- On; upon; above; preposition indicating position.
- âpre
- Harsh, bitter, or rough in quality.
- mystère
- Mystery; something unknown or difficult to understand.
- amour
- Love; affection or romantic feeling toward someone.
- Car
- For; because; conjunction explaining reason or cause.
- règne
- Reigns; rules or governs over kingdom.
- sur
- On; upon; preposition indicating position or location.
- les
- The; plural definite article masculine or feminine.
- chars
- Chariots; wheeled vehicles pulled by horses.
- Des
- Some; of the; plural indefinite or partitive article.
- ombres
- Shadows; dark shapes or spirits.
- bois
- Wood; forest; trees or wooded area.
- dérivaient
- Drifted; moved slowly without power or control.
- silencieusement
- Silently; without making any sound whatsoever.
- dans
- In; inside; preposition indicating location or time.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- paix
- Peace; state of calm or tranquility.
- matinale
- Morning; relating to early hours of day.
- vers
- Toward; verses; preposition indicating direction or poetry.
- mer
- Sea; ocean; large body of saltwater.
- où
- Where; at which; relative adverb of location.
- il
- He; it; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- regardait
- Looked at; watched or gazed steadily.
- Près
- Near; close to; preposition indicating proximity.
- du
- Of the; from the; contraction.
- rivage
- Shore; bank; edge of sea or river.
- et
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
- au
- At the; to the; contraction.
- large
- Wide; broad; or at sea open water.
- miroir
- Mirror; reflective surface showing image.
- eau
- Water; clear liquid essential for life.
- blanchissait
- Whitened; became white or grew pale.
- fouetté
- Whipped; struck or beaten with force.
- par
- By; through; preposition indicating agent or means.
- des
- Some; of the; plural article.
- pieds
- Feet; lower extremities of human body.
- pressés
- Pressed; hurried; moved with urgency or haste.
- aux
- To the; at the; plural contraction.
- pas
- Steps; paces; movements of feet in walking.
- légers
- Light; slight; not heavy in weight.
- Blanc
- White; pale color; or proper name.
- sein
- Breast; bosom; or within (archaic).
- obscure
- Dark; unclear; not easily understood or seen.
- Les
- The; plural definite article.
- accents
- Accents; emphasis in speech or musical stress.
- entrelacés
- Interlaced; woven together in intricate pattern.
- deux
- Two; number between one and three.
- Une
- A; an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- main
- Hand; the appendage at end of arm.
- pinçant
- Pinching; plucking strings of musical instrument.
- cordes
- Strings; cords; thin flexible lines.
- harpe
- Harp; musical instrument with many strings.
- fondant
- Melting; dissolving; blending smoothly together.
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