Tu ftémis, stronger than trembles; "you shudder
1016. Dégouttante (from goutU, ''drop'')» must not be oonfonnded with dégoûtoM^ ** disgnsting " (from goût, <*taste'0- Corasmin, thongh very far from being an lago, yet calls forth the hidden fierceness of Orosmane by his question in lines 1009-
loai. Arrêter, >te or cost (a siMi^Ccfon).
1060-61. Du Seigneur, of the Lord, i.e. God, Quand ... ne pourrait, etc., if tMs sairMy priest . . . shmild not he albU to.
1067. Hasarder, putHn pera, risk to lose.
1070. Moi. Cf. note, line 611, as to voi (vois) and moi.
1079. Zaire's langnage is beautiful and touching. It shows that delicacy and sincerity of passion which we are wont to associate with the art of Racine.
1080. Prétendei suivre, aim to foRow, Le. who$e eoDcmpU you try to foUow.
1086. Becognition of nobility of character in an infidel was not quite absent in the thoughts of those times. Thns a troupir^ oî the thirteen oentnry exclaims: Quel l>er8 ce fust s'il «ust c^estienté! '^What a knight he would be, were he of Christian faith I" But Zaîre's remark means more than that.
1104. Que je suis Lusignan, that is, une lAisiflman, '*one of the race of Lusignans."
1117. Fatime's answer cannot appear satisfactory to Zaïre» Considering the love she feels for Orosmane and the knowledge she has of his generosity, we cannot but believe that, wornanlike, she will rather exaggerate this quality of his, instead of doubting it. What décides her to hesitate is her promise to her father» as expressed in this line.
Bodne II* This scène recalls some f eatures of the first scène of the second aot of Bacine's Bajaaet.
1 12S8. There is too mnch self-praise in thèse lines, and some of that ^^enjlure^^ for which Voltaire censnred Corneille. Voltaire loved to prodnce rapidly, and, in trying to f nmish Alexandrines that should be f aultless in f orm, he occasionally sacrificed thought and expression. Trop généreuXy trop grand are examples.
1141. n pourra m'en coûter, tt may go Juurd wUh me, num eost me a terrible effort,
1161-64. Thèse four Unes, ending with the touchingly éloquent Zaïre, voua pileurezf excited the admiration of Byron. Beauties of this sort atone for some faults elsewhere noticeable.
1 166. After gardai, vou8 wonld be reqnired in prose ; se garder de, "be careful not to."
1178. Sens ix^rdlts, stwnned sensés.
1174. Bien démentis, weU or ^IBUdenOy contradicted.
1176. Essuie, shaU endure,
1 181. Serait-ce un artifice? can Uhea ruse (or stratagem) f
1184. Tient de la perfidie, partakes of, is aUied to, treachery,
llOO. Cf. Bacine's Est^er, act II, se. 7.
1204. Je cache à votre oreille, keepfrom your car, an unusual form of expression.
1210. n en coûte à mes sens désolés, en coûter d means <*to go hard with,'* "to be a great strain on.'' Sens dé8olé8="disappointed desires.'*
1226. A moi =/or me {to compla/tn). On m'aime, I am loved. The English language bas no exact équivalent for the Indefinite pronoun on.
1229. Bans détours, wtthout guUe.
1241. Cf. Bacine's Baja/zet, aot IV, se. 6.
1246. Cf. same tragedy, aot IV, se. 5.
1249. Ohdre Zaire. It may be said in reply to critics who bave censnred this form of address that Nérestah could address bis sister thus withont greatly deviating from the nsage which rather pref ers ma chère sceur, Under the circnmstances it was but natnral, perhaps, that he should choose this address, both from tendemess and also because the relationship with a sister was new to him.
1264. Fiddle, that is, ** faithful to your promise not to marry Orosmane until you hâve seen the priest." Zaïre could not fail to understand it so, but for Orosmane this word contained
quite another meaning, i.e. **faithfal in jour love for me (=Nérestan)."
1266. Comble. cMimax.
1262. Qui bleisait, viMch wa» an injury to.
1200. Thèse )erked-out expressions, the incoherenoe and eontradictory character of the langttage used, and the f nry of disappointment that they reveal, admirably paint the passionate émotions which stir in Orosmane's breast. They prépare os for a desperate act.
1282. Faste, oëtentatiom display,
1286. Note the exolamatory qtu in qu'il TA, etc. Sa fourbe. Ma law frcMd,
1287. Que j'ai pu lalaier, that I might Aaoe 1^ (to kinguith^ etc.).
1801. The advice of Corasmin, if followed, must hâve a bad effect. In so far Corasmin answers the purpose for which Shakspeare nsed lago.
1816. Connaître, recoonise.
1888. L'emporte ... les balance, triumphs over my dévotion^ or al Icoêt equals U, Note that the V in remporter is part of the verb.
1840. Ta. The familiar ta shows that the feelings of the lover hâve gradnally asserted themselves dùring his speech. He began coldly, bnt now continues in the affectionate forma of ta,U,
1848. Bst né pour tous braver, waa hom to defy . you. The expression would not be used in English, and we shonld rather translate; *'My heart, if it did not love y on, has the strength to defy yon." There is, however, an allusion to her royal birth in the words est né,
1867. Qu'il préTlnt, that il antielpaUd,
1876. Thèse words are spoken in an aside.
1876. Cf. (HheOo, act V, se. 2, for this and the following Unes.
"... for yon*re fatal then Whenyoureyesrollso.** {Othello.)
1886. Au comble de l'horreur, when she was oompletely under the influence of the horror of the situation (cf. his words» lines 1341-1344).
1896. Sur TOUS en repousse les traits, âigetutroe Ms Oiafte upon you açain^ i.e. eubjeet you açaln to her charme. Ses trait» would be ezpected. Tlie use of ^n with le» is unusual lu suçU a of^so*
1402. As a pnpil of France, a country known for the gallantry of its men, this young man may hâve been over confident. Aura . . . l'insolence, may ïtame dared to indvlge in sigTia (for her). There is some prêdosUé (cf. note, Une 10) in thèse lines (1401-2). Orosmane speaks as a lover who regnrds it quite likely that another may feel exactly as he had felt. This appearsjn the following lines.
1400. There is posstbly no wnâersta/nding between them. This donbt postpones the catastrophe which, by the rules, occnrs in the fif th act.
1421. On l'a fait ayertir. she hoê been informed.
1429. Soustraire, like other verbs of removing, depriving, taking, etc., requires the préposition d="from."
1486. Éclate, (lit. b%MvtfoHh) show thysdf,
1 460. As a woman Fatime j udges rightly of the state of Zalre's feelings. This causes her to use arguments calculated to weaken her love for Orosmane. Cf. lines 883-849. We see with what effect in the f ollowing lines.
1467-68. J'ai soumis, etc., I c<mquered hi8 love-^he aaerifieed to me îiis j)€L88ionate ardor.
1489. DU88é-Je, were Itobe.
1490. Sang dont Je suis née, cf. line 90.
1606. A ses yeux doit se rendre, ia to appear l)efore her.
1607. Ote-toi de mes yeux, be gonefrom my aight.
1618. Ce Jour que Je respiressmy life, Begpirer le jour for vivre is a favorite expression on the stage, evidently an effect of la préeioHtS which called a looking-glass le serviteur de la beauté; et. note, line 1402. Cf. Comeille's Horace^ act I, se. 1, AVDe où j'ai commencé de respirer le jour. Similar expressions were also used by Latin authors.
1622. Mon rangs=??ion empire, by rhetorical substitution.
1626. In this line faire is understood after prétendez.
1628. Orosmane's words show that his mind is wandering. The fearfnl strain on his feelings is making him délirions.
1684. Thèse words are addressed to absent Zaïre.
1640. This fine line, as Gérusez has remarked, is unfortunately weakened by the suooeeding: avantrcovreurs du sang qui va couler (1. 1544).
1642. Cf. Othello:
I must weep But they are eruel tears.
1662. Tombant dans la coulisse. Death on the stage was not permitted by the rules of the classic drama.
1664. Forfait=er{me.
1676. Ordonné, oivenorders /or.
1687. Expiré, wonld not be used to-day.
1689. Sensible, tendery not '^sensible."
1692. D'avoir brûlé pour toi, for her pastionaU love for you.
1608. Tu balançais, you and her Ood Tmd cm equal influence.
1606. The thought j*Hai8 aimé possesses Orosmane so that he scarcely hears any thing else.
1689. Mon bras égaré, my imaaie arm; literally my arm gone Oêtray.
1640. Qui dut, etc., whkh ought to ÎMve heen eaered to me.
ÉPfTRE À MME. LA MARQUISE DU CHÂTELBT
liine 9. Dévots, not "devout people," but those who are merely devoted to formalities of religion, hence almost '^pharisees."
20. Rebut . . . esprit des sots, ecomed by the toise, it is theiott of fools.
