Aug 21, 2008 06:45
15 yrs ago
French term
notes posées, un instant, sur leur portée musicale
French to English
Other
Poetry & Literature
This is from a short story. A child is lying in a field, enjoying nature. I don't really follow the final section: "... notes posées, un instant, sur leur portée musicale."
Anyone able to explain it? Thanks in advance for any suggestions...
Il saisit du regard les traversées d’oiseaux dont il aimerait connaître le nom, il suit leurs trajectoires tissées dans la trame des branches, notes posées, un instant, sur leur portée musicale.
Anyone able to explain it? Thanks in advance for any suggestions...
Il saisit du regard les traversées d’oiseaux dont il aimerait connaître le nom, il suit leurs trajectoires tissées dans la trame des branches, notes posées, un instant, sur leur portée musicale.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | notes, poised for an instant, on their musical trajectory |
arrathoonlaa
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| 4 | peaceful, short notes in their musical range |
axies
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| 3 | like notes alighting for a moment on a musical staff |
Susan Nicholls
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References
| The author compares the branches of tre... |
Patrick Fischer (X)
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Proposed translations
7 hrs
arrathoonlaa
Native in English
Specializes in field
professional author/editor French/Eng.
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, English to French, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
notes, poised for an instant, on their musical trajectory
Declined
The musical notes, stopping briefly, before they take off again are the birds, who stop momentarily before they fly off. That trajectory or arc is imagined as a musical passage. I can see this through the mind of a child lying in a meadow.
1 day 2 hrs
peaceful, short notes in their musical range
Declined
I immagine the scenery as described and seen through the eyes of a child to be a very peaceful, tranquile and serene and happy environment. Music is there in the form of sounds but what seems to be more important than sound is vision, smell and touch, as we see things, smell things and touch the same things as the child does as Philip Taylor inform us. Thanks for the context Philip.
1 day 14 hrs
Susan Nicholls
Native in English
Specializes in field
Meticulous attention to detail
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, Catalan to English
Related KudoZ points
:
48
like notes alighting for a moment on a musical staff
Declined
Given the reference suggestion above, something like this would be a possibility I imagine
Reference comments
17 mins
Reference:
The author compares the branches of trees to the lines of a staff of a musical score. And the birds are the notes (noteheads) on these lines.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, this was the perfect answer. Not sure why your answer was provided as a reference rather than a standard answer, but I'm unable to award points to it, otherwise I would. Thanks to everyone who answered/commented. |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
B D Finch
19 mins
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Anna Quail
: Lovely image :-)
26 mins
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Stephen Chalk
: like it. "portée musicale" could also have the meaning of "musical value", that is to say like a musician who emphasizes certain notes in a musical phrase, and we are seeing the birdy "notes", playing themselves on the stave ?!
51 mins
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possibly, yes...♪ thank you
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| agree |
Cervin
53 mins
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Helen Shiner
1 hr
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
1 hr
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Janet Cannon
: Teaching "solfège" to children, we often use this image...
2 hrs
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not an easy task ♪ thank you
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| agree |
Jean-Louis S.
3 hrs
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
lachacel
: Absolutly. Portée is the French word for sataff/stave, and here the image is perfectly clear.
11 hrs
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♪ thank you
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| agree |
Myriam Dupouy
: Oh, dear, I hadn't seen your "reference" and was about to post the same explanation...Totally agree !!!!!!
2 days 7 hrs
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♪ thank you
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