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So for my french assignment this week, we have to translate a short poem into French, keeping as far as possible to the meter and so forth. I imagine poetic language won't be a major requirement, but it might gain me extra marks. Anyway, stupid me thought, aha, I'll try and be clever, I'll do Lewis Carrol's Jabberwocky. Only then I had a thought, all those invented words would have to be translated into French as well.
Cos one of the few things I remember from school-french is that French has different words for animal sounds like "quack quack", "moo" and "****-a-doodle-do" [edit, no wait cock-a-doodle-do], onomatapaeic words like "bruuum bruuun" (cars) and so on. So I'd need accurate sounding French words for thing like 'brillig' and 'toves'.
Anyway, here's the poem, if someone has any good french translations of the words in bold, it would be much appreciated.
The creatures are ok as they are I think. Unless anyone has a really good Francification.
Thanks.
Cos one of the few things I remember from school-french is that French has different words for animal sounds like "quack quack", "moo" and "****-a-doodle-do" [edit, no wait cock-a-doodle-do], onomatapaeic words like "bruuum bruuun" (cars) and so on. So I'd need accurate sounding French words for thing like 'brillig' and 'toves'.
Anyway, here's the poem, if someone has any good french translations of the words in bold, it would be much appreciated.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe
Thanks.
I'll give it a try... but you'll have to translate to english first.
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