Canadian French into English

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sv
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Location: Riga, Latvia

Canadian French into English

Post by sv »

Hello everyone.

I need to translate a part of an old Canadian Voyageur's song. Here it is,

Mais je n'ai trouvé personne
Que le rossignol, chantant la belle rose,
La belle rose du rosier blanc!
Qui me dit dans son langage
Marie-toi, car il est temps, à la belle rose,
A la belle rose du rosier blanc!
Comment veux-tu que je me marie
avec la belle rose
La belle rose du rosier blanc?
Mon pere n'est pa content
de la belle rose
De la belle rose du rosier blanc!
Ni mon père nani ma mère;
Je m'en irai en service pour la belle rose,
La belle rose du rosier blanc!
En service pour un an,
pour ma belle rose,
Ma belle rose du rosier blanc.

I understand more or less what it is about, but I need proper literal translation.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Original scans are here, page 258 page 289
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Maïwenn
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Post by Maïwenn »

Here it is :)

But I did not find anyone
But the nightingale, singing the pretty rose*,
The white rosebush’s pretty rose!
Who tells me in his language
Get married, because it’s high time, to the pretty rose,
To the white rosebush’s pretty rose!
How can I marry
The pretty rose
The white rosebush’s pretty rose?
My father is unhappy with the pretty rose
With the white rosebush’s pretty rose!
Neither my father nor my mother ;
I will go to service for the pretty rose,
The white rosebush’s pretty rose!
To service for one year,
For my pretty rose
My white rosebush’s pretty rose

* chanter is to sing, so I kept it here, but it can also be like "praising"

the service is military service I guess.
Penn ar Bed
The end of the land
Le commencement d'un monde
Katya
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Post by Katya »

J'ai fait quelques changes pour rendre le texte plus poetique en ton. Il me semble que "pretty" veut dire "assez jolie" et pas "belle." Un amant doit dire "beautiful."

But I found no one,
Only the nightingale, singing of the beautiful rose,
The beautiful rose of the white rosebush!
Who tells me in his own language
Marry the beautiful rose, it is time,
the beautiful rose of the white rosebush!
How can I marry
The beautiful rose
The beautiful rose of the white rosebush?
My father is not happy with the beautiful rose
With the beautiful rose of the white rosebush!
Neither my father nor my mother ;
I will join the service for the beautiful rose,
The beautiful rose of the white rosebush!
In service for a year
For my beautiful rose,
My beautiful rose of the white rosebush.
sv
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Location: Riga, Latvia

Post by sv »

Wow! I thank you both so much!
Thank you!
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Maïwenn
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Post by Maïwenn »

you're welcome :jap:

Katya, you destroyed my illusions, I thought I was "belle" when men qualified me as pretty... But then I'm not :cry:

:lol:
Penn ar Bed
The end of the land
Le commencement d'un monde
Katya
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Location: Philadelphia, USA

Post by Katya »

Well, I'm exaggerating the difference. :D To me "pretty" always refers to someone's appearance, while beautiful is a more emotional word. "You're beautiful" can mean "I love you" and have nothing to do with how someone looks.
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