Poetry!

[dhampyresa]

So I hear this is the done thing now? Have a poem, one of the few I know by heart. It's about my favourite historical figure (Hannibal Barca) and since it's in French, have a homebrew translation as well. It's not even the reason I love this poem, even thpugh it's part of it. I think this is the poem that showed me exactly how pretty poetry could be, because I really love the rythm of the last stanza.

La Trebbia

de José-Maria de Heredia

L'aube d'un jour sinistre a blanchi les hauteurs.
Le camp s'éveille. En bas roule et gronde le fleuve
Où l'escadron léger des Numides s'abreuve.
Partout sonne l'appel clair des buccinateurs.

Car malgré Scipion, les augures menteurs,
La Trebbia débordée, et qu'il vente et qu'il pleuve,
Sempronius Consul, fier de sa gloire neuve,
A fait lever la hache et marcher les licteurs.

Rougissant le ciel noir de flamboîments lugubres,
A l'horizon, brûlaient les villages Insubres ;
On entendait au loin barrir un éléphant.

Et là-bas, sous le pont, adossé contre une arche,
Hannibal écoutait, pensif et triomphant,
Le piétinement sourd des légions en marche.

No rhymes or meters, because I have no idea how poetry works in English (or in French). I like it, but I can't do it.

La Trebbia

by José-Maria de Heredia

The dawn of a sinister day has whitened the summits.
The camp awakes. Below rolls and growls the river
Where the light Numidian squadron drinks.
the clear call of buccinators sounds everywhere.

Because despite Scipio, the lying augurs,
The flooded Trebbia and that it winds and that it rains,
Sempronius Consul, proud of his new glory,
Has risen the axe and set the lictors to march.

Reddening the sky with doleful blazes,
On the horizon burned Insubre villages;
In the far ground an elephant bellowed.

And over there, under the bridge, leaning against an arch,
Hannibal listened, thoughtful and triumphant,
To the heavy tread of the marching legions.



Look, you should totally read it in French instead.

Comments

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, gorgeous poem! And I quite like your translation.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I really love this poem and thank you! I've been trying to gt back into writing in French recently, so this was... interesting. I have trouble holding two languages in my head at the same time, I have to admit. Like is "to wind" even a word in the sense I've used it here? Probably not.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I'd imagine! I wish I was fluent enough in another language to say I understand, but instead I can only be jealous of your skills.

Like is "to wind" even a word in the sense I've used it here?

Not really, but it makes sense in context, and anyway, poetry is allowed to use words in unusual ways.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I'm secretly fearing that at some point while writing Benjamin January fic I will just switch to French and not notice as I've been known to do in conversation. (Btw, if you ever need anything translated in French, I will gladly help.)

Well, so long as it makes sense.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ha, well, even if you do, you'll probably catch it on a reread! I'm a native English speaker, and I doubt everything I write makes sense on the first draft.

And thank you for the author! I speak very miniscule, high-school type French, but would not actually trust myself to translate something.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've already caught a couple of turn of phrase that struck me as definitely French.

Open offer! Not even limited to Ben January stuff.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's very kind.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.