Apr 16, 2016 16:45
8 yrs ago
French term

sombres profondeurs océanes qui te ceignent

French to English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters In An Autobiography
Context (from French Polynesian song lyrics):

Il t'a crééé, toi Tahiti, tes luxuriances e tes floraisons!
Et dans les sombres profondeurs océanes qui te ceignent
Il a créé d'inépuisables richesses.

Et ces richesses et cette splendeur,
Aboutissement d'une longue histoire, Font aujourd'hui le bonheur de la nation maohi.

Merci Beaucoup,

Barbara

Discussion

Jocelyne Cuenin Apr 18, 2016:
Parce que ceindre n'est pas vraiment moderne, et même plutôt poétique ou solennel.
Daryo Apr 18, 2016:
archaic or not the meaning is easy to guess, so why not?
Jocelyne Cuenin Apr 16, 2016:
For 'ceindre' is 'engird' really too archaic? like here: "It's not difficult to imagine that Bjork's quixotic auralscapes are spawned from the icy blue Atlantic that relentlessly engirds her native Iceland." (thefreedictionary)

Proposed translations

19 hrs
Selected

the veiled/mysterious/unfathomable deep that girds/encircles/surrounds you

This is just a suggestion of ideas and imagery; the actual wording will depend on the rhyme and rhythm you go with.

« Sombres profondeurs océanes » is tautological and probably for repetitive effect and rhythm; maybe translate the meaning (mysterious, enigmatic, mystical, etc) rather than the words?
Example sentence:

You he created, Tahiti, in plenty and abundance / And in the veiled deep that girds you / He created riches beyond measure

You he created, Tahiti, in plenty and abundance / And in the unfathomable deep that surrounds you / He placed boundless riches

Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
27 mins

and in the sombre/dark oceanic depths which embrace you

my idea..
Something went wrong...
+1
15 hrs

the murky, deep oceans encircling/surrounding you... / Depths of the ocean...

My attempt. But isn't "murky" more commonly used for oceans than "sombre" is?

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Note added at 15 hrs (2016-04-17 07:58:54 GMT)
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"Murky depths of the ocean encircling you" - I would go with this !
Example sentence:

"Along with the dark, salty, slimy creatures that inhabited THE MURKY DEEP OCEANS, God called sailors."

"Scientists in Panama have discovered thousands of crabs crawling in the murky depths of the ocean."

Peer comment(s):

agree Daryo
4 hrs
Thank you.
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20 hrs

and in the ocean's unfathomable depth surrounding you

my take
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+1
22 hrs

in your oceans' dark encircling deep

Given that this is a peom of sorts, it does need to flow reasonably well, and it can't be too clunky. Absolute accuracy is probably less important than "meaning"...

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Note added at 22 hrs (2016-04-17 14:53:33 GMT)
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"encompassing" might work too, e.g. "in the encompassing deep of your dark oceans..." or other variants.

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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2016-04-17 17:46:34 GMT)
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To be really poetic (or OTT?) "thine oceans, etc...." is possible, and might work if the song/poem is 18th or 19th century.
Peer comment(s):

agree katsy
1 hr
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