The Magus
question
De Sade Translations?
Benji
Mar 08, 2012 08:42PM
Could a French-speaker, PLEASE, translate the De Sade quotations that start each part of The Magus into Enlgish? It would be SO helpful to me.
"Un débauché de profession est rarement un homme pitoyable."
"Irrités de ce premier crime, les monstres ne s'en tinrent pas là; ils l'étendirent ensuite nue, à plat ventre sur une grande table, ils allumèrent des cierges, ils placèrent l'image de notre sauveur à sa tête et osèrent consommer sur les reins de cette malheureuse le plus redoutable de nos mystères."
"La triomphe de la philosophie serait de jeter du jour sur l'obscurité des voies dont la providence se sert pour parvenir aux fins qu'elle se propose sur l'homme, et de tracer d'après cela quelque plan de conduite qui pût faire connaitre à ce malheureux individu bipède, perpétuellement ballotté par les caprices de cet être qui dit-on le dirige aussi despotiquement, la manière dont il faut qu'il interprète les décrets de cette providence sur lui."
"Un débauché de profession est rarement un homme pitoyable."
"Irrités de ce premier crime, les monstres ne s'en tinrent pas là; ils l'étendirent ensuite nue, à plat ventre sur une grande table, ils allumèrent des cierges, ils placèrent l'image de notre sauveur à sa tête et osèrent consommer sur les reins de cette malheureuse le plus redoutable de nos mystères."
"La triomphe de la philosophie serait de jeter du jour sur l'obscurité des voies dont la providence se sert pour parvenir aux fins qu'elle se propose sur l'homme, et de tracer d'après cela quelque plan de conduite qui pût faire connaitre à ce malheureux individu bipède, perpétuellement ballotté par les caprices de cet être qui dit-on le dirige aussi despotiquement, la manière dont il faut qu'il interprète les décrets de cette providence sur lui."
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Bullshit, Bill, I still want to know what it means, that's the fun if it.
I'm reading it right now and it drives me mad, the amount of french in this book... why can't you either translate it into English or give translation withing the book... googling translations ruining the experience.
This is what Google translate came up with, I can't vouch for its accuracy
"A debauched profession is rarely a pitiful man."
"Irritated at this first crime, the monsters do not confine themselves there, they then extended naked, face down on a large table, they lit candles, they placed the image of our Saviour to his head and dared to eat on the kidneys of this unfortunate most formidable of our mysteries."
"The triumph of philosophy would be to throw light on the dark paths which Providence uses to achieve the ends it proposes to man, and draw from it some plan of action that might make known to this unfortunate individual biped, perpetually buffeted by the whims of that being who they say also directs despotically, how it must interpret the decrees of providence on him"
"A debauched profession is rarely a pitiful man."
"Irritated at this first crime, the monsters do not confine themselves there, they then extended naked, face down on a large table, they lit candles, they placed the image of our Saviour to his head and dared to eat on the kidneys of this unfortunate most formidable of our mysteries."
"The triumph of philosophy would be to throw light on the dark paths which Providence uses to achieve the ends it proposes to man, and draw from it some plan of action that might make known to this unfortunate individual biped, perpetually buffeted by the whims of that being who they say also directs despotically, how it must interpret the decrees of providence on him"
A better translation of the first one would be, "A professional philanderer is rarely a man to be pitied"--a reference to Nicholas's treatment of Alison.
But I wouldn't worry too much about the significance any of the quotes or references. The point of the book is to lure the reader into a place where unimaginable mysteries lurk just at the corner of his vision, and Fowles spent years coming up with every trick he could think of.
But I wouldn't worry too much about the significance any of the quotes or references. The point of the book is to lure the reader into a place where unimaginable mysteries lurk just at the corner of his vision, and Fowles spent years coming up with every trick he could think of.
deleted member
May 11, 2018 10:09AM
0 votes
I took these directly from the Oxford World Classics translation; I cannot vouch for the accuracy.
"A professional libertine is rarely a compassionate man."
"Excited by this initial crime, the monsters did not stop there. They then made her lie face down, unclothed, upon a large table, lit candles, placed a figure of Our Lord next to her head, and dared celebrate the most awful of our mysteries upon her bare back."
"The ultimate triumph of philosophy would be to cast light upon the mysterious ways in which Providence moves to achieve the designs it has for man, and then to deduce therefrom some plan of conduct which would enable that two-legged wretch, forever buffeted by the whims of the Supreme Being who is said to direct his steps no less despotically, to know how to interpret what Providence decrees for him and to select a path to follow which would forestall the bizarre caprices of fate to which a score of different names are given but whose nature is still uncertain."
"A professional libertine is rarely a compassionate man."
"Excited by this initial crime, the monsters did not stop there. They then made her lie face down, unclothed, upon a large table, lit candles, placed a figure of Our Lord next to her head, and dared celebrate the most awful of our mysteries upon her bare back."
"The ultimate triumph of philosophy would be to cast light upon the mysterious ways in which Providence moves to achieve the designs it has for man, and then to deduce therefrom some plan of conduct which would enable that two-legged wretch, forever buffeted by the whims of the Supreme Being who is said to direct his steps no less despotically, to know how to interpret what Providence decrees for him and to select a path to follow which would forestall the bizarre caprices of fate to which a score of different names are given but whose nature is still uncertain."
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