vers 1 : SIÞEN þe sege and þe assaut watz sesed at Troye,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Lorsqu’eurent cessé le siège et l’assaut de Troie,

Pons 1945 : QUAND le siège et l’assaut eurent cessé à Troie,

Trainor 2011 : LORSQUE le siège et l’assaut eurent cessé à Troie,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : Once the siege and the assault of Troy had ceased,

Stone 1959 : THE siege and the assault being ceased at Troy,

Stone 1974 : THE siege and the assault being ceased at Troy,*



NOTES

*Stone 1974 : The poem opens with a traditional medieval literary device – the placing of the sotry to come in actual history. But the ‘history’ is a collection of legends, developed gradually since classical times, and given form and authority by such writers as Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth. Nennius (fl. 796) compliled his Historia Britonum on the geography and history of Britain and was chiefly responsible for making Arthur a historical figure, and Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100?–1154), drawing on many sources including Nennius, wrote Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of Kings of Britain), a compendious and mainly fictitious work which created national king-heroes like Cymbeline, Arthur and Lear, and firmly traced English origins to heroic classical times. Romulus, Ticius and Longbeard (‘Langaberde’ in the text) were all legendary racial ancestors who gave their names to their peoples and countries, like Brutus. Nennius gave Longbeard the additional distinction of biblical ancestry tracing his line back to Japhet, ‘the first man after the Flood to come to Europe’ (Gollancz, p. 96).

vers 2 : Þe borȝ brittened and brent to brondeȝ and askez,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Que la cité fut détruite et incendiée, réduite à brandons et cendres,

Pons 1945 : que la ville forte eut été mise en pièces, et réduite en braises et cendres,

Trainor 2011 : La bastide brisée et brûlée, réduite en braises,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : with the city a smoke-heap of cinders and ash,

Stone 1959 : The citadel smashed and smouldering in its ashes,

Stone 1974 : The battlements broken down and burnt to brands and ashes,



NOTES

vers 3 : Þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wroȝt



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Le guerrier qui y avait tissé la trame de la trahison

Pons 1945 : l’homme qui avait là tissé la trame de trahison

Trainor 2011 : Le truchement qui trahit fut traduit en justice



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : the turncoat whose tongue had tricked his own men

Stone 1959 : (The treacherous trickster whose treasons there flourished

Stone 1974 : The treacherous trickster whose treasons there flourished*



NOTES

*Trainor 2011 : Le mot tulk est étymologiquement ‘interprète’, ‘porte-parole’. Malgré l’explication de l’OED que : ‘nothing has been found to connect the Middle English sense, common in alliterative verse, with these [senses]’ la tentation de truquer la traduction avec ‘truchement’ (dans le contexte d’un strophe qui répéte autant de fausses étymologies) a été irrésistible. En jouant sur tongue, Armitage a créé un effet analogue.

**Stone 1974 : The story of the treachery of Antenor and Aeneas at the fall of Troy derives from pseudo-classical writings of early medieval times, purporting to be based on an account of the fall of Troy by Dares Phrygius, a Trojan priest mentioned in the Illiad, and a diary by Dictis Cretensis, a Cretan who served with Idomeneus against Troy. The account of Troy based on these given by Guido del Colonna, a thirteenth-century Sicilian writer of Latin romances, was widely used by English and Scottish medieval writers. Gollancz thinks Antenor is specified here [...] But since Aeneas is clearly implicated [...] and he is mentioned in the poem as the ancestor of Britain’s founder, the opinion of Davis and Waldron that Aeneas is the trickster is to be preferred.

vers 4 : Watz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erthe:



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Fut jugé pour sa traîtrise, lui le plus loyal des hommes de cette terre :

Pons 1945 : fut jugé pour sa félonie, la plus vraie qu’il y eût eu sur terre ;

Trainor 2011 : Pour la traîtrise la plus transparente du monde.



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : was tried for his treason – the truest crime on earth.

Stone 1959 : Was famed afar for malfeasance, falsehood unrivalled)

Stone 1974 : Was famed for his falsehood, the foulest on earth.



NOTES

*Trainor 2011 : Dor prend l’homme plutôt que le crime comme objet de trewest. Il s’agit d’une décision linguistiquement étrange mais qui pourrait élucider le mystère de la présentation apparemment paradoxale du personnage d’Enée.

vers 5 : Hit watz Ennias þe athel, and his highe kynde,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : C’était le noble Énée, dont la haute lignée

Pons 1945 : Ce furent Enéas le gentil, et sa haute lignée,

Trainor 2011 : Ce furent Enée le fier, et sa fratrie auguste,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : Then noble Aeneas and his noble lords

Stone 1959 : Aeneas the noble and his knightly kin

Stone 1974 : Aeneas the noble and his knightly kin



NOTES

vers 6 : Þat siþen depreced prouinces, and patrounes bicome



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Allait s’emparer des provinces et devenir les patrons

Pons 1945 : qui ensuite conquirent des royaumes et devinrent maîtres

Trainor 2011 : Qui dominèrent, depuis, et devinrent les patrons



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : went conquering abroad, laying claim to the crowns

Stone 1959 : Then conquered kingdoms, and kept in their hand

Stone 1974 : Then conquered kingdoms, and kept in their hand



NOTES

vers 7 : Welneȝe of al þe wele in þe west iles.



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : De toutes les richesses des îles de l’ouest, ou peu s’en faut.

Pons 1945 : peu s’en faut de toutes les richesses des îles d’ouest.

Trainor 2011 : De presque tous les pactoles des provinces de l’Ouest.



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : of the wealthiest kingdoms in the western world.

Stone 1959 : Wellnigh all the wealth of the Western Isles.

Stone 1974 : Wellnigh all the wealth of the western lands.



NOTES

vers 8 : Fro riche Romulus to Rome ricchis hym swyþe,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Alors, sans plus attendre, Romulus le Grand se retrouve à Rome,

Pons 1945 : Après que le grand Romulus vite eut gagné Rome

Trainor 2011 : Dès que Romulus se rend à Rome, tout de suite,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : Mighty Romulus quickly careered towards Rome

Stone 1959 : Royal Romulus to Rome first turned

Stone 1974 : Royal Romulus to Rome first turned,



NOTES

vers 9 : With gret bobbaunce þat burȝe he biges vpon fyrst,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Il est le tout premier à fonder la cité avec grand faste,

Pons 1945 : et tout d’abord bâti avec grande jactance la citadelle,

Trainor 2011 : Avec grande fierté il fonde ce forum d’abord,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : and conceived a city in magnificent style

Stone 1959 : And built her battlements; abounding in pride,

Stone 1974 : Set up the city in splendid pomp,



NOTES

vers 10 : And neuenes hit his aune nome, as hit now hat;



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Et il lui donne son propre nom, celui qu’elle porte aujourd’hui.

Pons 1945 : en la nommant de son propre nom, comme elle se nomme encore,

Trainor 2011 : Et lui prête son propre nom, qu’il porte encore ;



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : which from then until now has been known by his name.

Stone 1959 : He named her with his own name, which now she still has:

Stone 1974 : Then named her with his own name, which now she still has:



NOTES

vers 11 : Tirius to Tuskan and teldes bigynnes,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Tirius se rend en Toscane, où il fonde des habitations,

Pons 1945 : Ticius [se tourne] vers la Toscane et se met à bâtir ;

Trainor 2011 : Ticius en Toscane débute temples et villes ;



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : Ticius constructed townships in Tuscany

Stone 1959 : Ticius founded Tuscany, townships raising,

Stone 1974 : Ticius founded Tuscany, townships raising,



NOTES

vers 12 : Langaberde in Lumbardie lyftes vp homes,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Langobard érige des demeures en Lombardie,

Pons 1945 : Langobard en Lombardie dresse des demeures,

Trainor 2011 : Langaberde en Lombardie dresse des logis, et,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : and Langobard did likewise, building homes in Lombardy.

Stone 1959 : Longbeard in Lombardy lifted up homes,

Stone 1974 : Longbeard in Lombardy lifted up homes,



NOTES

vers 13 : And fer ouer þe French flod Felix Brutus



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Et loin au-delà des flots de France, Félix Brutus

Pons 1945 : et au loin, par delà les flots français Felix Brutus

Trainor 2011 : Enfin, par-delà les flots français, Félix Brutus



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : And further afield, over the Sea of France,

Stone 1959 : And far over the French flood Felix Brutus

Stone 1974 : And far over the French flood Felix Brutus*



NOTES

*Stone 1974 : Brutus was the grandson of Aeneas, according to Nennius, but the great-grandson according to Geoffrey. Probably ‘Felix’ is an epithet appropriate to a founder rather than part of Brutus’s name (see discussion in Davis. pp. 71–2). Brutus, according to Geoffrey, landed at Totnes, ‘then called the island Britain from his own name, and his companions he called Britons ... A little later the language of the people, which had up to then been known as Trojan or Crooked Greek, was called British’ (Lewis Thorpe, Bibliography 6, p. 72).

vers 14 : On mony bonkkes ful brode Bretayn he settez



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Assied la Bretagne au milieu de maintes vastes berges,

Pons 1945 : sur maintes vastes rives fonde la Bretagne

Trainor 2011 : Bâti la Bretagne le long des bords nombreux,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : on Britain’s broad hill-tops, Felix Brutus made

Stone 1959 : Set Britain, on bluffs abundant and broad,

Stone 1974 : On many spacious slopes set Britain with joy



NOTES

vers 15 : wyth wynne,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : dans la joie.

Pons 1945 : avec soulas,

Trainor 2011 : plein de plaisir,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : his stand.

Stone 1959 : In joy;

Stone 1974 : And grace;



NOTES

vers 16 : Where werre and wrake and wonder



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : La guerre, la vengeance et d’horribles histoires

Pons 1945 : là où guerre et ruine et prodiges

Trainor 2011 : Où pillage et peste et prodige



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : And wonder, dread and war

Stone 1959 : Where war and woe and wonder

Stone 1974 : Where war and feud and wonder



NOTES

vers 17 : Bi syþez hatz wont þerinne,



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : S’y sont souvent attardées,

Pons 1945 : plus d’une fois ont élu séjour,

Trainor 2011 : Souvent se sont faits subir,



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : have lingered in that land

Stone 1959 : Their power often deploy,

Stone 1974 : Have ruled the realm a space,



NOTES

*Trainor 2011 : a space désigne ‘longtemps’ in Stone 1974.

vers 18 : And oft boþe blysse and blunder



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Et depuis lors, bonheur et émoi

Pons 1945 : et où fortune souvent et infortune

Trainor 2011 : Et béatitudes et bétises



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : where loss and love in turn

Stone 1959 : And bliss and baneful blunder

Stone 1974 : And after, bliss and blunder



NOTES

vers 19 : Ful skete hatz skyfted synne.



FRANCAIS

Dor 1993 : Avec rapidité, sans arrêt, se relaient.

Pons 1945 : vite depuis ont eu leur tour.

Trainor 2011 : Se relaient pour se reproduire.



MODERN ENGLISH VERSE

Armitage 2007 : have held the upper hand.

Stone 1959 : By turns make man their toy.

Stone 1974 : By turns have run their race.



NOTES