# je revenais couver de mon silence la Casbah



## samanthaj95

"je revenais couver de mon silence la Casbah séculaire accroupie plus bas."

I'm struggling to understand this sentence, can anyone tell me what it means?


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## Uncle Bob

Perhaps a comma between "silence" and "la Casbah" would help. (I don't know the book but I get the impression it is an "_exercise de style_" so the author may not go in for commas).
Literally:
I returned to incubate my silence, with the secular Casbah squatting below.
I think!


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## Omelette

I'd would think rather 'cherishing with my silence'.  The protagonist feels tenderly towards the Kasbah.
In the next sentence, he says it reminds him of his mother, whom he greatly loved.


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## Itisi

No comma needed, 'la casbah' is the object of 'couver'.

I think it means 'to cover the Casbah protectively with my silence'.


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## samanthaj95

so you think it means - "I returned to cover the secular Casbah squatting below protectively with my silence"?


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## Itisi

No, 'I returned to cover protectively with my silence the secular Casbah squatting below.'


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## samanthaj95

okay, thanks!


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## Omelette

'je revenais'  means it was something he did before, so I would follow it with an -ing form.  'I returned to/ went back to cherishing (my suggestion)/ covering protectively' (itsi's suggestion)


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## samanthaj95

I'm translating it for seminar prep, though the main aim is to make sure I understand it completely.

So where would you put "with my silence"? Like this- "I returned to cherishing the Casbah with my silence protectively"?


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## Omelette

a)  I went back to/ returned to cherishing with my silence the secular Kasbah squatting below'
b)  I went back to/ returned to covering protectively with my silence the secular Kasbah squatting below'

The choice is in how you translate 'couver'.  I'm sure there are other possibilities too


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## Itisi

You have the choice, if you take up one of our suggestions, between 'cherish' and 'cover protectively, which mean about the same thing'; but 'cherish protectively' is overdoing it!

PS - Snap, *Omelette*!


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## samanthaj95

okay, thank you both!


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## noir_ecaille

Je revenais couver(garder, surveiller) de(par, avec) mon silence la casbah séculaire accroupie(sise, située -- ici, on a une métaphore qui fait écho à couver, pour rappeler une poule qui couve et garde ses oeufs scrupuleusement) plus bas (situation géographique).

Le narrateur revient à la casbah, avec l'idée d'un gardien/veilleur discret (silencieux). La figure de style avec l'image suggérée/sous-entendue de la poule ayant quelque chose de maternelle, le narrateur aime certainement cette casbah.


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## petit1

I came back to/and let the wings of my silence spread over the casbah ...


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## Cath.S.

_I came back to shroud with my silence  the ancient casbah crouching below_ ?


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## noir_ecaille

Maybe you should say "my/this beloved casbah" ? Even though it is subtly hinted 

There is a really strong yet subtle liking connotation in the french sentence.
Moreover, the very way to word it in French fits perfectly with the image of some jealous, silent/discreet, unrequited love/affection.


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## samanthaj95

Cath.S. could I ask why you prefer ancient to secular?
EDIT: I understand now...I have changed secular to "age-old" as I think it's more familiar.

and how about this: "I returned to silently guarding my age-old Casbah nesting below"? I'm pretty happy with that, thank you all again!


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## samanthaj95

although the sentence starts with "Une fois rassasié d’horizons diaprés," would that change the way you'd translate it?


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## petit1

Perhaps "the *venerable* casbah crouching below" if you really feel "*ancient* " is not loving enough.


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## petit1

It wouldn't change the meaning. But I definitely don't like "*my* Casbah"


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## samanthaj95

so you think I should stick with "the Casbah"?


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## noir_ecaille

Why don't you like "my casbah" ? Because there's définitely some possessive-like feeling when/in "Je reviens couver".


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## balzar

Can anyone tell me what the sentence means in either language (or indeed any language)?


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## noir_ecaille

I've already explained here and here.

Sort of : "I returned to sneakily/silently look out for this/[my beloved] secular casbah nesting below."


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## Omelette

As this is an academic (class) exercise - see #9---I would think the idea is to remain as close to the original as possible, while still making it sound like English.
So I would be disinclined to introduce 'my' and 'beloved'.   And translating 'accroupie' as 'nesting'.....that's free, to say the least, but perhaps that might be thought acceptable.


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## petit1

[QUOTEWhy don't you like "my casbah" ? Because there's définitely some possessive-like feeling when/in "Je reviens couver".][/QUOTE]
Difficile à expliquer. Tout d'abord l'auteur de cette phrase n'a pas écrit "_ma_ Casbah". Ensuite, je pense que ce qu'il éprouve pour la vieille ville ressort plus du désir de la protéger que de se l'approprier. Enfin,
_"la" Casbah  _est une manière à la fois naturelle et respectueuse de parler de la ville. C'est presque un "la" avec un L majuscule.


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## noir_ecaille

Je suis d'accord qu'il s'agit d'un _La Casbah_. Par contre c'est ce sentiment de protection presque jalouse qui me semble difficile à traduire dans une phrase anglaise sans le _my_ ou tout autre artifice pour faire transparaître cet attachement distant mais qui sourd.


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## balzar

I know this is just a translation - but still baffled as to how one can protect a town with one's silence - but then I'm a rather pedestrian person!


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## petit1

> 'je revenais'  means it was something he did before



Why not a frequentative form?: "I *would* return and let the wings of my silence spread over the ancient Casbah, squatted below."  ?


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## Itisi

samanthaj95 said:


> although the sentence starts with "Une fois rassasié d’horizons diaprés," would that change the way you'd translate it?


Yes, you have: 'Une fois rassasié etc, je revenais etc', so it's 'Once sated etc, I *would* *return* etc'.

As for 'my' Casbah, if the author had wanted to write 'ma Casbah', that's what s/he would have written; but s/he didn't!

I agree with *Omelette *about sticking to what is there, which is complicated enough!

*balzar*, if you can find a nice, pedestrian translation for 'couver', that would be great!


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## balzar

I belatedly realise that "couver de mon silence" is a variation of "couver des yeux"...would therefore suggest "I would go home and silently gaze at the ancient casbah crouching below"  - this is as pedestrian as I can make it


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## noir_ecaille

Pas assez sentimental. Dans la version française, il y a ces figures de style suggérant la poule maternelle gardant son précieux nid. C'est une connotation affective/jalouse qui transparaît mal dans la dernière proposition. On pourrait même croire qu'il fixe peut-être suspicieusement ou haineusement cette casbah, pour ce que signifie "gaze".


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