My friend is a scholar of French and the learning of French (and some other languages). She got intrigued by my mention of Pascal's (1623-1662) reflections on the nature of (male) jumpiness and diversion-seeking. She writes:
"Quand je m'y suis mis quelquefois à considérer les diverses agitations des hommes, et les périls, et les peines où ils s'exposent dans la Cour, dans la guerre d'où naissent tant de querelles, de passions, d'entreprises hardies et souvent mauvaises, etc., J'AI DIT SOUVENT QUE TOUT LE MALHEUR DES HOMMES VIENT D'UNE SEULE CHOSE, QUI EST DE NE SAVOIR PAS DEMEURER EN REPOS DANS UNE CHAMBRE. UN HOMME QUI A ASSEZ DE BIEN POUR VIVRE, S'IL SAVAIT DEMEURER CHEZ SOI AVEC PLAISIR N'EN SORTIRAIT PAS POUR ALLER SUR LA MER OU . . ..
"Just since you mentioned it, a rather literal (but not necessarily literary) translation of the capitalized words would be the following: "I have often said that all the unhappiness of men comes from only one thing, which is not to know how to remain tranquilly (literally, "at rest") in a room. A man who has enough wealth to live, if he knew how to stay home with pleasure, would not go out to go to the sea . . . (etc.)" I think that your translation is good in putting across the sense of the text--and better than my literal one in its style. The smoothness of Pascal's style is a part of his writing just like the literal meaning of the words. A translation is always a compromise between expressing the style and the flavor of the author as well as the literal meaning of the words.
"The basic meaning of the verb "savoir" (followed by the infinitive) is "know how", as in "know how to swim." It therefore also has the sense of "to be able" or "can"--in the sense of a skill one has learned. ("I can speak French"--because I've learned how). However if I want to say "I can hold my breath for an hour," then I'd need a different verb, since that would be the result of remarkable lung capacity rather than training. (Well, maybe that is a poor example since perhaps a yogi could have learned the technique of not breathing, and then he or she could use a form of "savoir." You get the point though.)
"The word used for "stay" (or "remain") is "demeurer", which is also the verb for "to reside"--as in a house or even a town. As you said, Pascal didn't use "sit", and I imagine that he just meant being in one's room, rather than being in a chair. Just possibly, however, he didn't say "sit" because French doesn't have a verb for "sit" in the way we do. The French can say "sit down"--the action itself, or they can say "seated" describing the condition. So, whereas an American mother might say to her child, "You sit there and wait for me," a French mother would say something like "stay there" or "stay seated." The French don't seem to have the concept of "sitting" as something we do actively. That being said, I have not been around French meditators, and would be interested to know how they express (and thereby understand) what they are "doing" when they meditate in a seated position. Maybe they are doing less than we are!
"And that's my reflection on Pascal for the morning."
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
