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  3. Poetry & Literature

Le bras dirige

English translation: the arm leads

08:57 May 21, 2013
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Feminism
French term or phrase: Le bras dirige
Another Haiku - sorry if you're growing weary of them, I've got 139 to delivery tomorrow and am currently working through all my queries.

Can anyone confirm whether the "bras" here would be referring to the person's arm holding the sword, or the sword's handle. And as for the "dirige" would we say aims, directs, leads, points, directs? The use of "dirige" seems strange to me and nothing I can think of sounds right. I've reached a kind of mental block with some of these now :(

Le bras dirige
Autant que la lame dance
Un pour tous et tous pour elle

As ever, many thanks for your kind input.
Sonya Mountford-Jones
Local time: 03:03
English translation:the arm leads
Explanation:
As it is referring to a dance, I would suggest lead for dirige. Just thinking of traditional ballroom style dancing where the man would 'lead'. But I'm no expert!
Selected response from:

Christiane Tanner
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:03
Grading comment
Thanks Christiane
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2the arm leads
Christiane Tanner
4The arm calls the tune
Carol Gullidge
3The arm controls
B D Finch


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the arm leads


Explanation:
As it is referring to a dance, I would suggest lead for dirige. Just thinking of traditional ballroom style dancing where the man would 'lead'. But I'm no expert!

Christiane Tanner
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:03
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks Christiane

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sandra & Kenneth Grossman
9 mins
agree  Wolf Draeger
10 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The arm calls the tune


Explanation:

As I see it, given the feminist nature of the texts, "dirige" reflects the man in charge whilst the "lame" represents the woman dancing to his tune

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 03:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
The arm controls


Explanation:
The sword blade might almost seem to move of its own volition, but the arm, though its movement is less obvious, controls it.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 04:03
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 43
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