were we to be true

French translation: si nous devions nous aimer

22:05 Oct 29, 2005

English to French translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

English term or phrase: were we to be true

Whereupon, forgetting your love for another, I grew enthralled with a sublimity beyond your bodily allure, found in the care you had taken, in the time you had set aside, to make yourself pretty for me, though you had to have known you were perfectly so all along, and therein did I discern your divinity.
I presaged, then, the anguish that would ensue ***were we to be true*** and so forged a covenant with my soul, weighed the fleeting ecstasy of revealing my love against the lifetime we would need spend apart, then lowered my eyelids, leaned near, and pressed my tender lips to your ankle in a kiss.

merci

Sandra C. KudoZ activity Questions: 289 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (15 closed without grading) Answers: 712 France
Local time: 00:12

French translation:si nous devions nous aimer

Explanation:
it's a future conditional: "if we were to be true (to each other): he's weighing up the pros and cons of entering into the relationship. I don't think ""etions" conveys this

Selected response from:

Josephine79
Local time: 00:12

Grading comment

I have spoken to the author and this is mostly what he means... Merci bcp!!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

si nous étions sincères

Georges Tocco

3 +1

si nous étions fidèles

DocteurPC

si nous devions nous engager

CMJ_Trans (X)

3 +1

dussions-nous nous appartenir

Germaine

si nous devions nous aimer

Josephine79

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

si nous étions sincères

Explanation:
si nous étions honnêtes avec nous-mêmes

Georges Tocco
Italy
Local time: 00:12
Native speaker of:

French

48 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

si nous étions fidèles

Explanation:
je pense que true ici, est pour la fidélité de l'un à l'autre: true love = true to each other

DocteurPC
Canada
Local time: 18:12
Works in field
Native speaker of:

French,

English
PRO pts in category: 8

8 hrs confidence:

si nous devions nous aimer

Explanation:
it's a future conditional: "if we were to be true (to each other): he's weighing up the pros and cons of entering into the relationship. I don't think ""etions" conveys this

Josephine79
Local time: 00:12
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

I have spoken to the author and this is mostly what he means... Merci bcp!!!

13 hrs confidence:

si nous devions nous engager

Explanation:
si nous devions nous promettre d'être éternellement fidèles

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 00:12
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 55

17 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

dussions-nous nous appartenir

Explanation:
Je pressentis, alors, l’angoisse qui viendrait dussions-nous nous appartenir, et j’en convins en mon âme, pesai l’extase fugace de révéler mon amour contre l’éternité qui nous tiendrait séparés, puis baissai les yeux…

ou dussions-nous être l'un à l'autre

Germaine
Canada
Local time: 18:12
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 4

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were we to be true

French translation: si nous devions nous aimer

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