Historymaker: /* Translation notes */

2014-03-02T20:59:36Z

‎Translation notes

Historymaker: /* Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine. */

2014-03-02T20:58:06Z

‎Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.

Historymaker: /* Translation notes */

2014-03-02T20:55:41Z

‎Translation notes

Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 2: Cosette, Book Eighth: Cemeteries Take That Which is Committed Them, Chapter 6: Between Four Planks
(Tome 2: Cosette, Livre huitiè..."

2014-03-02T20:49:55Z

Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 2: Cosette, Book Eighth: Cemeteries Take That Which is Committed Them, Chapter 6: Between Four Planks<br /> (Tome 2: Cosette, Livre huitiè..."

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Les Misérables, Volume 2: Cosette, Book Eighth: Cemeteries Take That Which is Committed Them, Chapter 6: Between Four Planks<br />
(Tome 2: Cosette, Livre huitième: Les cimetières prennent ce qu'on leur donne, Chapitre 6: Entre quatre planches)

==General notes on this chapter==

==French text==

Qui était dans la bière? on le sait. Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean s'était arrangé pour vivre là dedans, et il respirait à peu
près.

C'est une chose étrange à quel point la sécurité de la conscience donne
la sécurité du reste. Toute la combinaison préméditée par Jean Valjean
marchait, et marchait bien, depuis la veille. Il comptait, comme
Fauchelevent, sur le père Mestienne. Il ne doutait pas de la fin. Jamais
situation plus critique, jamais calme plus complet.

Les quatre planches du cercueil dégagent une sorte de paix terrible. Il
semblait que quelque chose du repos des morts entrât dans la
tranquillité de Jean Valjean.

Du fond de cette bière, il avait pu suivre et il suivait toutes les
phases du drame redoutable qu'il jouait avec la mort.

Peu après que Fauchelevent eut achevé de clouer la planche de dessus,
Jean Valjean s'était senti emporter, puis rouler. À moins de secousses,
il avait senti qu'on passait du pavé à la terre battue, c'est-à-dire
qu'on quittait les rues et qu'on arrivait aux boulevards. À un bruit
sourd, il avait deviné qu'on traversait le pont d'Austerlitz. Au premier
temps d'arrêt, il avait compris qu'on entrait dans le cimetière; au
second temps d'arrêt, il s'était dit: voici la fosse.

Brusquement il sentit que des mains saisissaient la bière, puis un
frottement rauque sur les planches; il se rendit compte que c'était une
corde qu'on nouait autour du cercueil pour le descendre dans
l'excavation.

Puis il eut une espèce d'étourdissement.

Probablement les croque-morts et le fossoyeur avaient laissé basculer le
cercueil et descendu la tête avant les pieds. Il revint pleinement à lui
en se sentant horizontal et immobile. Il venait de toucher le fond.

Il sentit un certain froid.

Une voix s'éleva au-dessus de lui, glaciale et solennelle. Il entendit
passer, si lentement qu'il pouvait les saisir l'un après l'autre, des
mots latins qu'il ne comprenait pas:

—''Qui dormiunt in terrae pulvere, evigilabunt; alii in vitam aeternam,
et alii in opprobrium, ut videant semper''.

Une voix d'enfant dit:

—''De profundis''.

La voix grave recommença:

—''Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine''.

La voix d'enfant répondit:

—''Et lux perpetua luceat ei''.

Il entendit sur la planche qui le recouvrait quelque chose comme le
frappement doux de quelques gouttes de pluie. C'était probablement l'eau
bénite.

Il songea: Cela va être fini. Encore un peu de patience. Le prêtre va
s'en aller. Fauchelevent emmènera Mestienne boire. On me laissera. Puis
Fauchelevent reviendra seul, et je sortirai. Ce sera l'affaire d'une
bonne heure.

La voix grave reprit:

—''Requiescat in pace''.

Et la voix d'enfant dit:

—''Amen''.

Jean Valjean, l'oreille tendue, perçut quelque chose comme des pas qui
s'éloignaient.

—Les voilà qui s'en vont, pensa-t-il. Je suis seul.

Tout à coup il entendit sur sa tête un bruit qui lui sembla la chute du
tonnerre.

C'était une pelletée de terre qui tombait sur le cercueil.

Une seconde pelletée de terre tomba.

Un des trous par où il respirait venait de se boucher.

Une troisième pelletée de terre tomba.

Puis une quatrième.

Il est des choses plus fortes que l'homme le plus fort. Jean Valjean
perdit connaissance.

==English text==

Who was in the coffin? The reader knows. Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean had arranged things so that he could exist there, and he
could almost breathe.

It is a strange thing to what a degree security of conscience confers
security of the rest. Every combination thought out by Jean Valjean had
been progressing, and progressing favorably, since the preceding day. He,
like Fauchelevent, counted on Father Mestienne. He had no doubt as to the
end. Never was there a more critical situation, never more complete
composure.

The four planks of the coffin breathe out a kind of terrible peace. It
seemed as though something of the repose of the dead entered into Jean
Valjean's tranquillity.

From the depths of that coffin he had been able to follow, and he had
followed, all the phases of the terrible drama which he was playing with
death.

Shortly after Fauchelevent had finished nailing on the upper plank, Jean
Valjean had felt himself carried out, then driven off. He knew, from the
diminution in the jolting, when they left the pavements and reached the
earth road. He had divined, from a dull noise, that they were crossing the
bridge of Austerlitz. At the first halt, he had understood that they were
entering the cemetery; at the second halt, he said to himself:—

"Here is the grave."

Suddenly, he felt hands seize the coffin, then a harsh grating against the
planks; he explained it to himself as the rope which was being fastened
round the casket in order to lower it into the cavity.

Then he experienced a giddiness.

The undertaker's man and the grave-digger had probably allowed the coffin
to lose its balance, and had lowered the head before the foot. He
recovered himself fully when he felt himself horizontal and motionless. He
had just touched the bottom.

He had a certain sensation of cold.

A voice rose above him, glacial and solemn. He heard Latin words, which he
did not understand, pass over him, so slowly that he was able to catch
them one by one:—

"Qui dormiunt in terrae pulvere, evigilabunt; alii in vitam aeternam, et
alii in approbrium, ut videant semper."

A child's voice said:—

"De profundis."

The grave voice began again:—

"Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine."

The child's voice responded:—

"Et lux perpetua luceat ei."

He heard something like the gentle patter of several drops of rain on the
plank which covered him. It was probably the holy water.

He thought: "This will be over soon now. Patience for a little while
longer. The priest will take his departure. Fauchelevent will take
Mestienne off to drink. I shall be left. Then Fauchelevent will return
alone, and I shall get out. That will be the work of a good hour."

The grave voice resumed

"Requiescat in pace."

And the child's voice said:—

"Amen."

Jean Valjean strained his ears, and heard something like retreating
footsteps.

"There, they are going now," thought he. "I am alone."

All at once, he heard over his head a sound which seemed to him to be a
clap of thunder.

It was a shovelful of earth falling on the coffin.

A second shovelful fell.

One of the holes through which he breathed had just been stopped up.

A third shovelful of earth fell.

Then a fourth.

There are things which are too strong for the strongest man. Jean Valjean
lost consciousness.

==Translation notes==

==Textual notes==

==Citations==
<references />

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:59, 2 March 2014
Line 282:		Line 282:

	Grant him eternal rest, Lord.		Grant him eternal rest, Lord.
		+
		+	==="Et lux perpetua luceat ei."===
		+
		+	And let perpetual light shine on him.
		+
		+	==="Requiescat in pace."===
		+
		+	Rest in peace.

	==Textual notes==		==Textual notes==

@@ Line 279: / Line 279: @@
 Beginning of the psalm 130, De profundis clamavi - I cried out from the depths.
-===Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.===
+==="Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine."===
 ==Textual notes==

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:55, 2 March 2014
Line 270:		Line 270:

	==Translation notes==		==Translation notes==
		+
		+	==="Qui dormiunt in terrae pulvere, evigilabunt; alii in vitam aeternam, et alii in approbrium, ut videant semper."===
		+
		+	Daniel 12:2-3: And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
		+
		+	=== De profundis.===
		+
		+	Beginning of the psalm 130, De profundis clamavi - I cried out from the depths.
		+
		+	===Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.===

	==Textual notes==		==Textual notes==

Volume 2/Book 8/Chapter 6 - Revision history

Historymaker: /* Translation notes */

Historymaker: /* Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine. */

Historymaker: /* Translation notes */

Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 2: Cosette, Book Eighth: Cemeteries Take That Which is Committed Them, Chapter 6: Between Four Planks (Tome 2: Cosette, Livre huitiè..."

Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 2: Cosette, Book Eighth: Cemeteries Take That Which is Committed Them, Chapter 6: Between Four Planks
(Tome 2: Cosette, Livre huitiè..."