French term
bouche ombrée de noir
"Il frappe sa poitrine déjà velue, et de sa bouche déjà ombrée de noir, ouverge comme un trou dans son visage olivâtre, sorte des sons que je comprends mal."
My guess the "bouche déjà ombrée de noir" is meant to refer to signs of the boy's pubescent state, growing into manhood, akin to his chest already growing hair. However, I have no clue how a shadowed/dark mouth would have anything to do with this.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Non-PRO (1): Tony M
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Proposed translations
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
the beginnings of a (dark) moustache/ the grey shadow of a moustache
Italy
English to Italian the straightest way
Native in: Italian
Works in: English to Italian, French to Italian
First intimation of a mustache
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Tony M
: Fuzz, like 5 o'c shadow
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Merci
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Verginia Ophof
5 hrs
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Merci
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mouth shadowed by a moustache
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Tony M
: I think that sounds too well developed (= big enough to actually cast a shadow); this would be more like early fuzz, '5 o'c shadow', etc.
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Maybe you're right :) However, to me it's just what the french text is saying, isn't '5 o' c shadow, regrowth? I can't imagine that this boy actually shaves his moustache, maybe that's because the asker mentioned Lord of the Flies...
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South Africa
mouth darkened by a pubescent shadow
For the sentence as a whole, the repetition of "already" is heavier in En than it is in Fr; how could one streamline it a bit?
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Note added at 2 heures (2013-03-01 11:40:15 GMT)
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Or how about "mouth darkened by a primitive shadow", to fit with the boy's primal savagery?
He strikes his chest already covered with hair, and from his mouth already darkened by a pubescent shadow, gaping open like a hole in his olive-skinned face, come sounds I can hardly understand.
He strikes his already hirsute chest, and from his mouth already darkened by a pubescent shadow, gaping open like a hole in his olive-skinned face, come sounds I can barely understand.
United Kingdom
Thorough, knowledgeable and resourceful
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, Italian to English, and 4 more.
dark shadow of an incipient moustache
Excerpt from Bullwhip -- Carlos Rubio
www.carlosrubioalbet.com/exbw.html
Her upper lip was covered by the dark shadow of an incipient moustache. Protruding from her mouth, and held firmly between her teeth, a massive and offensive ...
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Yolanda Broad
2 hrs
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Thank you Yolanda :-)
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Claire Mercier
7 hrs
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Thank you + merci + bienvenue Claire :-)
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