Help: Translating Napoleon

[pezhetairoi]

Thanks Tellos! I had suspected something of the sort, because I read some subchapters in Clausewitz which sounded a lot like it and also made much of the impressions a general received and what he did with it.

[Tellos Athenaios]

EDIT: I skipped 'en chef' which means "mainly"; secondly it might not be entirely 'clean': it's been some time since I used to read French regularly.

[cmacq]

My French is very bad.

'The most important quality of a commander in chief is a calm demeanor which entertains substance with an exacting sense. He can not be overwhelmed by good news nor laid low by negativity. Successive or simultaneous emotions perceived over the course of a day must be cataloged in his memory so each may be revisited only in a setting reserved for themselves; as interpretation and appreciation of facts result from a precise contrast of the various effects they evoke. There are men who make a singular picture of events according to their morals and physic; also, in spite of their knowledge, their ability, their courage, and all their other skills, they are not called to command armies, nor direct great military operations.’

I hope this helps?

[pezhetairoi]

It certainly does, cmacq. Clearly your bad French is practically literary in comparison to mine... One thing I do know is that 'general en chef' is commander in chief. Hope this helps in return, Tellos!

EDIT: The last one, just a very short sentence on Hannibal's making across the Alps into Insubramrog: 'Cet Annibal... qui ne descend en Italie qu'en payant de la moitie de son armee la seule acquisition de son champ de bataille, le seul droit de se combattre.'

[cmacq]

Right, I may have rounded off a few edges here and there. Just trying to make Napo sound good.

[cmacq]

A bit on the poetic side?

'This Hannibal…
who did not descend into Italy by paying half his army, choose only his battlefield and only his right to fight.’

I'm not totally sure about this?

Would this line have something to do with a New Republic not entirely funding a certain Franco-Italian campaign?

[Horst Nordfink]

I'm unsure about Napoleon. He was a tyranical megalomaniac with ambitions of ruling Europe and caused the deaths of countless thousands (some estimate over 5 million). An unlikely hero. Not even French.

Mind you, how many other respected people could that description fit?

[Nikaïa's tyrannos]

Cet Annibal... qui ne descend en Italie qu'en payant de la moitie de son armee la seule acquisition de son champ de bataille, le seul droit de se combattre.'

If I may help (I'm French)...

'This Hannibal... who came in Italy buying with half of his army the single acquisition of his battlefield, the single right to fight.'

I can assure you that, even for me, this sentence is barely understandable at the first glance.

[pezhetairoi]

It certainly was eccentric, that much I could tell from the context and my limited french. It's a lot clearer now!

As I see it, what he meant was, paraphrased, 'This Hannibal...who, at the price of half his army, bought the right to choose his own battlefield, and the right to come to grips with his enemy.'

[cmacq]

If I may help (I'm French)...

'This Hannibal... who came in Italy buying with half of his army the single acquisition of his battlefield, the single right to fight.'

I can assure you that, even for me, this sentence is barely understandable at the first glance.

Originally Posted by pezhetairoi
As I see it, what he meant was, paraphrased, 'This Hannibal...who, at the price of half his army, bought the right to choose his own battlefield, and the right to come to grips with his enemy.'

Right, very good, I think these are as close as you can get. I just can't get 'ne descend en' or 'descended not into,' within the context of the sentence?

Could it be. 'This Hannibal...who descended not into Italy [save for] half his army paying [the cost] of only his chose of battlefield, and only his right to fight???'


Again, as my French is very bad, yet my spelling is far worse.

[Nikaïa's tyrannos]

The best periphrasis I can make close to the sense of this sentence is:
'This Hannibal... who could only descend in Italy at the cost of half of his army bought only his acquisitition of the battlefield and his right to fight.'

To be clear this sentence doesn t seem to be grammatically correct, so, assuming he was not grammaticaly challenged (but who knows? ), it must be an old syntax.