Translation of short French stanzas about Venice...

Thread: Translation of short French stanzas about Venice...

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  1. Crisa said:

    Post Translation of short French stanzas about Venice...

    Hello !
    I wonder if could anybody help me with a translation of these stanzas that are found in Oscar Wilde novel The Picture of Dorian Grey.....

    "Sur un gamme cromatique
    Le sein de perles ruisselant
    La Venus de l'Adriatique
    Sort de leau son corps rose et blanc

    Les dômes, sur l'azur des ondes
    Suivant la phrase au pur contour,
    S'enflent comme des gorges rondes
    Que soulève un soupir d'amour.

    L'esquif aborde et me dépose,
    Jetant son amarre au pilier,
    Devant unde façade rose,
    Sur le marbre d'un escalier."
     
  2. Crisa said:

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    Please can anybody translate the stanzas?
     
  3. jivago said:

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    Sur un gamme chromatique,
    On (a background of) a chromatic range*,

    Le sein de perles ruisselant,
    Pearls* flowing along her breasts,

    La Venus de l'Adriatique
    The Adriatic’s Venus*

    Sort de l’eau son corps rose et blanc.
    Emerge (from the water) her rosy and white body

    Les dômes, sur l'azur des ondes,
    The domes*, on the azur water,

    Suivant la phrase au pur contour,
    Because of the contour’s purety of the phrase*,

    S'enflent comme des gorges* rondes
    Are swelling so as the plumpness of breasts

    Que soulève un soupir d'amour.
    rise up for a love sigh.

    L'esquif aborde et me dépose,
    The boat accost and land me,

    Jetant son amarre au pilier,
    After having thrown its hawser at the pillar,

    Devant une façade rose,
    In front of a rosy facade*,

    Sur le marbre d'un escalier.
    On the marble* of stairs


    Chromatic range : range of different colours
    Pearls : drops of water
    Adriac's Venus : the lacustrine city Venice
    Domes : round and bulging church's roof
    Phrase : reference to the circular base of the domes (?)
    Facade : vertical front part of a building
    Gorge : (old and sophisticate way to use "throat" instead of "breasts". Actually in use in the word "soutien-gorge" (bra).
    On the marble : the stairs are made of marble, but French language sometimes use to consider the material rather than the object.
    Last edited by jivago; 07-04-2009 at 11:21 AM.
     
  4. Crisa said:

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    Thank you for the translation and for the meanings explanation.
     
  5. jivago said:

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    Welcome !