# I'd sell my soul just to breathe in her sighs.



## transient_itch

I'm trying to translate this:

"I'd sell my soul just to breathe in her sighs."


So far I have:

Je vendrais mon âme juste pour aspirer 
ses soupirs.

I'm not sure if I should use respirer, inspirer, or inhaler instead. Or if they would all work.


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## cropje_jnr

I would go for "respirer", but you'll need a native speaker or two to confirm whether the same imagery is successfully conveyed in French


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## Gil

I vote for "aspirer", because once you get those sighs into your chest, you'll want to keep them there forever.


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## transient_itch

Yea when I look up respirer is say "to breathe" but aspirer means "to breathe in". I know if I use some crap translator it'll give me "pour respirer dans ses soupirs" which isn't correct.


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## OxyK

hi everyone,

Je m'éloignerais un peu pour dire:

_Je vendrais mon âme juste pour pouvoir recueillir ses soupirs._


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## Moon Palace

Welcome to the forum, transient_itch ,
I'd go with oxyK's suggestion, or something similar: 

je vendrais mon âme, ne serait-ce que pour recueillir ses soupirs.
Je vendrais mon âme pour m'emplir de ses soupirs. 

'respirer' or 'inhaler' which are verbs for 'breathe' would sound much too technical here and there would be no figurative meaning as in English. 
Hope it helps.


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## Gil

I don't think "breathe in" is very figurative.  It's rather explicit.


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## transient_itch

Thanks for the help guys.

Yea I chose to be explicit mostly because it sounded better. To say, in English at least, that I want to "fill" or "collect" her sighs didn't work. I want to "breathe in" her sighs because it works in the theme of exhalation/inhalation. Maybe I'd rather "drown" in her sighs? Hmm 

However, to my novice French ear, i think some of the suggestions made here "sound" better than what I proposed. 
I'm feeling Moon Palace's second suggestion as well as Oxyk's post.

Unfortunately, there is no clear winner for me yet. 
Any other versions of the translation is greatly appreciated.


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## OxyK

I want to be the winneeeeeeeeer !! )

if you really want to be explicit, I would suggest:
_Je vendrais mon âme juste pour pouvoir inhaler ses soupirs._

which is still more poetical than _respirer/aspirer_ ....


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## OxyK

I did not mean  but


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## Red Bull

_Je vendrais mon âme juste pour m'enivrer de ses soupirs._


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## sHak.

I will go with OnyK

You cannot say respirer or inhaler. It is something romantic and you have to be less technical and goes with 
*Je vendrais mon ame pour sentir son souffle contre moi.*


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## sHak.

I love redbull translation!


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## Moon Palace

Red Bull said:


> _Je vendrais mon âme juste pour m'enivrer de ses soupirs._


Welcome to the forum, Red Bull 
That is indeed very romantic , but too strong for a translation of 'breathe' in my view. Up to oxyK to decide what freedom he/ she has. 

As for my second suggestion, I had originally thought of 'je vendrais mon âme juste pour emplir mes poumons de ses soupirs', but dropped it for being too 'technical' to apply to a somewhat romantic context.


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## Red Bull

Thanks sHak 

... sorry OxyK ...


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## Moon Palace

sHak. said:


> *Je vendrais mon ame pour sentir son souffle contre moi.*


That one gets my vote


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## Red Bull

Moon Palace said:


> Welcome to the forum, Red Bull



Thank you Moon Palace, very interesting place here!

RB.


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## sHak.

Moon Palace said:


> That one gets my vote


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## Canaveral

I'd like to add to sHak's proposal "rien que " to translate "just". 

Je vendrais mon âme rien que pour sentir son souffle contre moi.


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## transient_itch

Damn. Great work guys. Now it's going to be even harder for me to choose one.


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## transient_itch

Canaveral said:


> I'd like to add to sHak's proposal "rien que " to translate "just".
> 
> Je vendrais mon âme rien que pour sentir son souffle contre moi.


 
I like your addition.

I might have to combine the suggestions and try:

_Je vendrais mon âme rien que pour m'enivrer de ses soupirs._

_or _

_Je vendrais mon âme rien que pour aspirer ses soupirs._

It's important that I use "sighs" as opposed to "breath".


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## sHak.

I dont like "aspirer" !
"m'enivrer" is better!


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## Moon Palace

sHak. said:


> I dont like "aspirer" !
> "m'enivrer" is better!


'aspirer' is indeed ugly or at least very clumsy, but 'm'enivrer' is much too strong as an equivalent of 'breathe'.
What's wrong with 'sentir son souffle' or 'recueillir ses soupirs'? I thought these two had been praised for their relevance?


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## Cath.S.

Sorry guys, I much prefer
_pour respirer ses soupirs_, for several reasons:
1. it is what the original sentence says, and uses the same simple but effective image;
2. it scans rather well;
3. it doesn't sound bombastic.


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## transient_itch

Moon Palace said:


> 'aspirer' is indeed ugly or at least very clumsy, but 'm'enivrer' is much too strong as an equivalent of 'breathe'.
> What's wrong with 'sentir son souffle' or 'recueillir ses soupirs'? I thought these two had been praised for their relevance?


 
"Sentir son souffle" doesn't work because it's not the type of mood I want. To want to feel her breath against me is too...overused? I want to use "sighs" because of what a "sigh" represents: disinterest.

As for "recueillir"...well I just don't like how that word sounds and it doesn't seem strong enough to "gather" one's sighs. Although I'm on the fence about whether or not "m'enivrer" is too strong. 

I think egueule has stated some good points .


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## Gil

transient_itch said:


> Maybe I'd rather "drown" in her sighs? Hmm



If you want "to  drown", say so, and we'll suggest something else.


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## transient_itch

Gil said:


> If you want "to  drown", say so, and we'll suggest something else.



Heh I don't think "drown" will make much sense anymore



I'm starting to feel that I should omit "just" and use:

_Je vendrais mon âme pour respirer ses soupirs._


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## Gil

transient_itch said:


> Heh I don't think "drown" will make much sense anymore
> 
> 
> 
> I'm starting to feel that I should omit "just" and use:
> 
> _Je vendrais mon âme pour respirer ses soupirs._


Looks good to me.  You're the boss


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## transient_itch

Gil said:


> Looks good to me. You're the boss


 
It's good to be the  king.


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## Nicomon

What first came to mind was ..._me nourrir de ses soupirs, _but don't think this is what you're looking for.

I agree with _respirer _and egueule's points, but wonder if _inspirer_ (breathe *in*) wouldn't work as well? Which could double as a play on word, and sort of pun, since _inspirer_ is the exact antonym of _soupirer._ _Je vendrais mon âme pour inspirer ses soupirs._ 
Just my 5 cents... probably too late.


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## transient_itch

Nicomon said:


> What first came to mind was ..._me nourrir de ses soupirs, _but don't think this is what you're looking for.
> 
> I agree with _respirer _and egueule's points, but wonder if _inspirer_ (breathe *in*) wouldn't work as well? Which could double as a play on word, and sort of pun, since _inspirer_ is the exact antonym of _soupirer._ _Je vendrais mon âme pour inspirer ses soupirs._
> Just my 5 cents... probably too late.


 
See I thought "aspirer" also meant to "breathe in" as well. I do like the idea of using the exact antonym though.


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## Gil

Faute d'inspiration, j'aspire à me vautrer dans ses soupirs...


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## coeurdenids

J'arrive apres le feu. Vendre is also too commercial and unpoetic.  "Je vendrais" would sound better as 

"Je me cederais de mon ame afin de m'en tenir a ses souffles." 

When you try to go for literal translations, especially in French, it begins to sound like a manual for a lawnmower, and it's hard to set music to words that don't really carry the message.

Hope this helps, however late my suggestion!


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## Cath.S.

coeurdenids said:


> J'arrive apres le feu. Vendre is also too commercial and unpoetic. "Je vendrais" would sound better as
> 
> "Je me cederais de mon ame afin de m'en tenir a ses souffles."


"Se céder de" is not correct French, so we should write _je céderais mon âme_ instead, and _s'en tenir à_ means _se contenter de._


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