Un petit bout d'oreille échappé par malheur Martin fit alors son office. Jeux qui ne savoient pas la ruse et la malice1 Force gens1 font du bruit en France Fait les trois quarts de leur vaillance. 1. Malice: trick. 2. Martin: word already used by La Fontaine. Martin-bâton: borrowed from Rabelais. Littré defines it thus: man armed with a stick, and by extension, the stick personified. 3. Au moulin: back to the mill. 4. Force gens: many people. 5. Un équipage cavalier: a "smart turnout.” Rien ne sert de courir; il faut partir à point1 : Ma commère, il faut vous purger Sage ou non, je parie encore." 1. Rien ne sert, etc.: it is of no use running; one must start on time. 2. En sont un témoignage: are witnesses. 3. Gageons: let us wager. 4. Etes-vous sage: are you in your right senses. 5. Il faut vous purger, etc.: to say "You are somewhat insane:" the ancients, as we know, used ellebore (the kind called orientalis, Grecian plant) as a treatment for insanity. Hence we say: Vous avez besoin d'ellebore as we would say: Vous êtes fou. 6. Enjeux: stakes. Savoir quoi, ce n'est pas l'affaire, Ni de quel juge l'on convint. Notre lièvre n'avoit que quatre pas à faire ; Ayant, dis-je, du temps de reste pour brouter, Elle part, elle s'évertue'; 1. J'entends: I mean. 2. Aux calendes: i. e., aux calendes grecques, which did not exist. Expression used to mean a time which cannot come, since it was the Romans and not the Greeks, who began their months by the calends. 3. Arpenter: properly means to measure land by arpents (one arpent was about one third of a hectare, equivalent to one hundred ares, worth ten thousand square meters.) Beside arpenter means figuratively speaking, to walk taking long steps. 4. De reste: left. 5. D'où vient le vent: expression taken, says Aimé Martin, from the habit which the hare has, through instinct to stop often, to stand on his back legs in order to listen whence the wind blows, to say whence the noise comes, so as to rout his enemies. 6. Train de sénateur: slowly, in a dignified manner. 7. S'évertue: does her best. 8. Elle se hâte avec lenteur: is the Latin proverb: Festina lente; Augustus often used to quote it in Greek. Boileau's precept in his Art Poétique is well known: Hâtez-vous lentement, et sans perdre courage Lui cependant méprise une telle victoire, Que l'autre touchoit presque au bout de la carrière, LE VILLAGEOIS ET LE SERPENT. Esope conte qu'un manant,5 Charitable autant que peu sage, Un jour d'hiver se promenant A l'entour de son héritage, 6 1. Tient la gageure à peu de gloire: considers the wager of little con sequence. 2. Croit qu'il, etc.: thinks that his honor is at stake. 3. Avais-je pas: for n'avais-je pas. 4. Moi l'emporter!: to think that I won the race. adays, meaning a coarse man, lacking refinement. Manant: peasant. Manant synonymous of vilain, roturier. Now 6. Teu sage: foolish. |