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Friday, January 21, 2011

Joachim du Bellay: Le Beau Voyage

(View of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal)



Joachim du Bellay, Le Beau Voyage

Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage,
Ou comme cestuy la (1) qui conquit la toison (2),
Et puis est retourné, plein d’usage (3) et raison,
Vivre entre ses parents le reste de son âge !

Quand reverrai-je, hélas, de mon petit village
Fumer la cheminée, et en quelle saison
Reverray je le clos de ma pauvre maison,
Qui m’est une province, et beaucoup davantage ?

Plus me plaist le sejour qu’ont basti mes ayeux,
Que des palais Romains le front audacieux,
Plus que le marbre dur me plaist l’ardoise (4) fine :

Plus mon Loyre (5) gaulois, que le Tybre latin,
Plus mon petit Liré (6), que le mont Palatin,
Et plus que l’air marin la doulceur angevine .


(1) cestuy la = celui-là
(2) la toison = la Toison d'Or
(3) plein d’usage = plein d'expérience
(4) ardoise = les ardoisières d'Anjou
(5) mon Loyre = Joachim du Bellay met ici le masculin parce qu'il est masculin en Latin
(6) Liré = village voisin d'Angers, lieu natal du poète

explications fournies par Louis Petit de Julleville (Morceaux Choisis des Auteurs Français - Moyen Age et Seizième Siècle)

Here is a rendering in English of the poem. I found it on a blog whose author was spending one night with his pipe and a book full of poetry:

Happy the man who, like Ulysses, went
Sailing afar; or him who won the fleece,
Then, wise and worldly grown, returned to Greece,
Amonst his own, to live and die content.

Alas! When shall I end my banishment,
To see my village rooftops smoke, to cease
My wandering, see my humble home, in peace,
More grand to me than realm magnificent?

More do I love the home my fathers made
Than Rome’s bold palaces, in pride arrayed:
More do I love fine slate than marble rare;

More than their Tiber do I love my Loire;
Their Palatine, more my Lire by far;
And more than sea’s salt breeze, Anjou’s soft air



Indian Summer

And here is a rendering in Romanian (file de naivitate):

Fericit cel care, ca si Ulise oarecand, a facut o frumoasa calatorie
Si ca si acesta caierul l-a dobandit
Si apoi plin de indemanare si intelepciune a revenit,
Traind mai apoi impreuna cu parintii sai pe vecie.

Cand voi revedea, vai, micul meu catun,
Soba fumeganda ... si in ce anotimp
voi revedea curtea saracei mele case
ce mi-e acum un tinut atat de indepartat?

Cu mult mai mult iubesc vatra pe care stramosii mei au cladit-o
Decat fatadele impunatoare ale palatelor romane.
Iubesc mai mult ardezia fina decat marmura dura.

Iubesc mai mult Loira galica decat latinul Tibru.
Mai mult imi place micul meu Liré, decat muntele Palatin.
Si cu atat mai mult iubesc angiovina dulceata decat aerul marin.

To be honest, I don't like some lines in this rendering. Let's try a little bit:


Fericit cel care, precum Ulise drumetind,
A dobandit caierul
Si intelept s-a-ntors
Cu-ai sai sa fie pe vecie.

Cand voi revedea, vai, micutul meu catun,
Si vatra fumeganda ... si in ce anotimp
Voi revedea ograda saracei mele case
Ce-acum e un tinut atat de-ndepartat.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Cu mult mai mult iubesc eu vatra ce ai mei buni durara
Decat fatoasele fatade ale palatelor romane.
Si-ardezia fina mi-i draga mult mai mult ca marmura cea dura.

Iubesc mai mult Loara mea galica decat latinul Tibru.
Mai mult imi place micutul meu Liré, ca Palatinul munte.
Si cu atat mai mult mi-i draga dulceata angiovina ca aerul marin.


(Joachim du Bellay)

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