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  3. Poetry & Literature

réduire en poussière...

English translation: Ask that I reduce....

06:04 Jul 23, 2005
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
French term or phrase: réduire en poussière...
Demandez-moi de réduire en poussière
Cette planète où un dieu se perdrait
Elle est pour moi comme une fourmilière
Qu'on écrase du pied

(in a song)
vantrinh
Local time: 07:44
English translation:Ask that I reduce....
Explanation:
Ask that I reduce to dust
This planet that is no place for a god
For me it is like an ant that one crushes under foot.

A quick take on this, My take on "se perdre" is based on its meaning to "lose one's way" (rather than disappear). The conditional suggests that this planet is no place for a god (= some sort of lover/child?
Selected response from:

John Peterson
Local time: 01:44
Grading comment
Thank you all for your kind help.


4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2Ask me to reduce...
Tony M
3 +1Ask that I reduce....
John Peterson


  

Answers


32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Ask that I reduce....


Explanation:
Ask that I reduce to dust
This planet that is no place for a god
For me it is like an ant that one crushes under foot.

A quick take on this, My take on "se perdre" is based on its meaning to "lose one's way" (rather than disappear). The conditional suggests that this planet is no place for a god (= some sort of lover/child?

John Peterson
Local time: 01:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thank you all for your kind help.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sonia Geerlings: great explanation (not forgetting of course Dusty's amendment)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Ask me to reduce...


Explanation:
I entirely endorse John's prior answer, EXCEPT that, please note, it is 'an ant-hill that you crush...' and NOT 'an ant'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 13 mins (2005-07-23 07:17:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\'fourmilière\', to rhyme with \'poussière\'

Tony M
France
Local time: 02:44
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 128

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nicky Over
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Nicky!
neutral  John Peterson: Thanks. You're right, the garbled up letters threw me. In mitigation it was early morning and I was doing some on-line research on Boots the Chemists!
3 hrs
  -> Cheers, John! You know what they say: "These boots were made for walking" Ouch!
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Vicky!
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