Translation:French poem/Charles Baudelaire/Correspondances

Here is a translation of a French poem from a famous French poet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Baudelaire This poem is from his most famous book of poems: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Fleurs_du_mal Les Fleurs du mal (1861), Charles Baudelaire CORRESPONDANCES La Nature est un temple où de vivants piliers Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles ; L’homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles Qui l’observent avec des regards familiers. Comme de longs échos qui de loin se confondent Dans une ténébreuse et profonde unité, Vaste comme la nuit et comme la clarté, Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent. Il est des parfums frais comme des chairs d’enfants, Doux comme les hautbois, verts comme les prairies, - Et d’autres, corrompus, riches et triomphants, Ayant l’expansion des choses infinies, Comme l’ambre, le musc, le benjoin et l’encens, Qui chantent les transports de l’esprit et des sens. Translation Correspondences The Nature is a temple where living pillars Let sometimes come out confused voices ; The man cross it through symbol forests That look at him with familiar looks. Like long echos that confound together from far In a dark and deep unity, Vast as the night and as the clarity, The perfumes, the colors and the sounds respond to eachother. There are perfumes fresh as children fleshes, Soft as oboes, green as the grasslands, - And others, corrupt, rich and triumphing, With the expansion of infinite things, Like the amber, the musk, the benzoin and the incense, That sing the transport of the spirit and the senses. Word by word equivalence 1st paragraph une correspondance = correspondence, match, connection la nature = the nature est = is, from the verb être = to be un temple = a temple où = where vivant = alive, living un pilier = a pillar laisser = to leave, to leave behind to forget, to leave alone to leave with, to give to let, to allow parfois = sometimes sortir = (intransitive) To exit, go out, come out (transitive) To take out, bring out confus = confused (chaotic, jumbled or muddled) confusing confuse (feminine) confuses (plural feminine) une parole = voice, spoken word un homme = a man passer (verb from the 1st group) = to go past, to skip a go, to cross (a border) se passer = to take place, to happen à travers = through, across, throughout une forêt = a forest un symbole = a symbol observer = to observe, to watch un regard = a look, glance familier = familiar 2nd paragraph comme = as / like long = long (but don't pronounce the 'g') un écho = echo qui = that de loin = from far confondre (verbe 3rd group) = to confuse, confound (reflexive, with "avec") to mix up, to get confused (with) dans = in ténébreux (masculin), ténébreuse (feminin) = dark, somber (often used methaforicaly, not really related to the current light) et = and profond (masculin), profonde (féminin) = deep, profound une unité = a unity vaste (adj. same for masculin and feminin, but as usual add a 's' at the end for plural) = vast comme = like / as la nuit = the night et = and comme = as la clarté = clarity, light, illumination un parfum = a perfume une couleur = a color / colour et = and un son = a sound répondre (verb of the 3rd group) = (intransitive) to reply, to answer, to respond se répondre = respond together / mutually, respond to eachother 3rd paragraph il est = there are (poetic form, usually we use "il y a") un parfum = a perfume frais = fresh, cool, recent comme = as la chair = the flesh de / d' = of un enfant = a child doux = sweet, soft, mild, gentle masculin - singulier : doux masculin - pluriel : doux féminin - singulier : douce féminin - pluriel : douces comme = as un hautbois (same for singular and plural) = an oboe vert = green comme = as une prairie = meadow, grassland, pasture, prairie et = and autre = other d’autres = some others corrompu = corrupt riche = rich triomphant = present participle of "triompher" (triumphing) triompher (verb of the 1st group) = to triumph 4th paragraph ayant = present participle of avoir (pronounce : é-i-an, don't pronounce the 't') l’expansion (f.) = expansion une chose = a thing infini m. (adj.) (f. infinie, m. plural infinis, f. plural infinies) = endless, ceaseless, unending l'infini (noun) = the infinity comme l’ambre = as amber (fossil resin) le musc = the musk le benjoin = the benzoin (resine) et = and l’encens = incense (a perfume) qui = that chanter (verb from the 1st group) = to sing un transport = a transport de l’esprit = of spirit un sens = sense (like touch, smell, taste, see, hear)