Question

External Since: Oct 18, 2005 Posts: 49

Hello everybody,

Remember me? I'm translating "Heirs of Empire" for publication in France
(the two first volumes already came out in French).

There's a sentence by Jiltanith I wan't to make sure I understand
perfectly...

Page 38 of Baen Books' paperback edition (1999), middle of the page: Colin
is having trouble deciding to have Cohanna's intelligent dogs killed; he
says he is not looking forward to making that decision. Jiltanith tells him:
"Nor shouldst thou. Logic, as thou hast said time without number, my love,
may be naught but a way to err wi' confidence."

I understand it as follows: "It is normal that you aren't (there is no
reason why you SHOULD be looking forward to it). Reason, as you said so many
times before, might be nothing but one way of erring through condifence."

In other words, she is telling him that it is perfectly normal that his
feelings should go against his logic, and that too much logic shows that the
person is TOO self-confident.

Is all this right?

Thank you so much in advance!

Lucas

External Since: Aug 04, 2004 Posts: 67

In article <43c26a86$1_2@news.bluewin.ch>,
Lucas Moreno <lucas.moreno DeleteThis @bluewin.ch> wrote:
>Hello everybody,
>
>Remember me? I'm translating "Heirs of Empire" for publication in France
>(the two first volumes already came out in French).
>
>There's a sentence by Jiltanith I wan't to make sure I understand
>perfectly...
>
>Page 38 of Baen Books' paperback edition (1999), middle of the page: Colin
>is having trouble deciding to have Cohanna's intelligent dogs killed; he
>says he is not looking forward to making that decision. Jiltanith tells him:
>"Nor shouldst thou. Logic, as thou hast said time without number, my love,
>may be naught but a way to err wi' confidence."
>
>I understand it as follows: "It is normal that you aren't (there is no
>reason why you SHOULD be looking forward to it). Reason, as you said so many
>times before, might be nothing but one way of erring through condifence."

"erring ->with<- confidence", I would say.

>In other words, she is telling him that it is perfectly normal that his
>feelings should go against his logic, and that too much logic shows that the
>person is TOO self-confident.

I would say that she is reminding him that, as he himself has said
many times, is not guaranteed to lead you to a ->correct<- answer. She
is not dismissing logic nor is she saying anything about "too much
logic", she is reminding him of the limits of logic.

>Is all this right?
>
>Thank you so much in advance!

Also note that the use of "shouldst", "thou" and "hast." These are
archaic forms of the verb, and correspond to the familiar in romance
languages such as french (the English "you" used to be the formal, and
"thou" the familiar; the latter was lost). Since French should have
archaic and/or familiar forms, you might want to use them to render
her speech.

--
======================================================================
"It's not denial. I'm just very selective about
what I accept as reality."
--- Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes")
======================================================================

Arturo Magidin
magidin DeleteThis @math.berkeley.edu