#if the collige virgo rosas thing sounds familiar but not quite it might be bc it shows up in dead poets society

[persefoneshalott]

LES MIS CENSORSHIP ADVENTURES 8

lm 1.3.9 the horsie chapter :'

First of all, the old spanish translation does "Aspasias was created in the event that Prometheus needed for a mold ". ??? questionable. Aspesias gets described as the 'goddess prostitute' one line before, which I would think is more profane but all right?

(New one is "Aspasias was created in case Prometheus needed a whore." )

The word 'mâtin' in french seems like an equivalent to 'My God!' or 'Heavens!' that is used in surprise (that's why they say it's a "sacramental" word that the cartman barely has time to utter). The old translation cuts it and leaves an equivalent to 'Giddy up' (¡Arre!) instead. The new one goes with '¡Virgen!' which works really well because most of catholicism related exclamations in Spain are more about Virgin Mary than God. Also the 'sacramental word' (old translation) is faithful and good but instead of 'sacramental word' the new translation calls it 'a ritual blasphemy' which I really enjoy < 3 .

Tholomyes' poem is very interesting!! In the old spanish translation, they cut it down to "She was from this world, in which carts and carriages have the same fate." (I relate to the translator not knowing what cuckoo is there bc I don't get it either and going uhhh carts? Is it talking about a cuckoo's clock which turns up as a translation of coucous as well and saying time runs out, so does life or something? Someone help me thx). Anyway, it's similar to hapwood's translation but only keeps the two first lines.

When I copypasted the french poem it led me to a poem of the XVI century, written in memoriam of a father's daughter dying, and that poem had this bit. ""Et rose elle a vécu ce que vivent les roses, L'espace d'un matin." Which I think is something like (trusting google translator and my bad french): "and the rose lived what the roses live, only one morning"

And this is how that bit looks in the les mis chapter "Et, rosse, elle a vécu ce que vivant les rosses,     L’espace d’un mâtin" SO ! He's doing a pun there with "rosse" (nag /work horse) and "rose", as well as "matin" and "mâtin".

(I've been told the Donougher translation talks about these puns in the footnotes fyi)

I'm guessing the cuts happened because of the referenced poem's vibes of 'we will all die', and because the 'collige virgo rosas' literary trope of 'enjoy beauty while you have it because you will DIE' is uhh bad and might lead to sin? Also mentions the Fates as being in charge of death instead of God.

Anyway the poem is called "Consolation à M. Du Périer sur la mort de sa fille" by François de Malherbe if you want to check it out

The new spanish translation tries to keep the puns and the reference to the poem in using the collige, virgo, rosas ('pick up the roses, young woman while you can') literary trope, but with a horse instead of a woman.

"The morning star saw her born a young mare It saw her die a nag the coming night. Cut, virgin, the roses in their first bloom."