George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1871-72 Harriet locked herself in her

George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1871-72
Harriet locked herself in her room. She needed time to get used to her maimed
consciousness, before she could walk steadily to the place allotted her. A new searching light
had fallen on her husband’s character, and she could not judge him leniently: the twenty
years in which she had believed in him and venerated him by virtue of his concealments
came back with particulars that made them seem an odious deceit. He had married her with
that bad past life hidden behind him and she had no faith left to protest his innocence of the
worst that was imputed to him. Her honest nature made the sharing of a merited dishonour as
bitter as it could be to anyone.
[But this imperfectly-taught woman, whose phrases and habits were an odd
patchwork, had a loyal spirit within her. The man whose prosperity she had shared through
nearly half a life, and who had unvaryingly cherished her –now that punishment had befallen
him it was not possible to her in any sense to forsake him. She knew, when she locked her
door, that she should unlock it ready to go down to her unhappy husband and espouse his
sorrow. But she needed time to gather up her strength; she needed to sob out her farewell to
all the gladness and pride of her life. When she had resolved to go down, she prepared herself
by some little acts which might seem mere folly; they were her way of expressing to all
spectators visible or invisible that she had begun a new life in which she embraced
humiliation. She took off all her ornaments and put on a plain black gown; she brushed her
hair down and put on a plain bonnet-cap.
Bulstrode, who knew that his wife had been out and had come in saying that she was
not well, had spent the time in an agitation equal to hers. He had looked forward to her
learning the truth from others, and had acquiesced in that probability, as something easier to
him than any confession. But now that he imagined the moment of her knowledge come, he
awaited the result in anguish.] Though he had allowed some food to be brought to him, he
had not touched it. Perhaps he should never see his wife’s face with affection in it again. And
if he turned to God there seemed to be no answer but the pressure of retribution.
It was eight o’clock in the evening before the door opened and his wife entered. He
dared not look up at her. He sat with his eyes bent down, and as she went towards him she
thought he looked smaller –he seemed so withered and shrunken. A movement of new
compassion and old tenderness went through her like a great wave, and putting one hand on
his which rested on the arm of the chair, and the other on his shoulder, she said, solemnly but
kindly –
“Look up, Nicholas.”
He raised his eyes with a little start and looked at her half-amazed for a moment: her
pale face, her changed, mourning dress, the trembling about her mouth, all said, “I know”;
and her hands and eyes rested gently on him. He burst out crying and they cried together, she
sitting at his side. They could not yet speak to each other of the shame which she was bearing
with him, or of the acts which had brought it down on them. His confession was silent, and
her promise of faithfulness was silent.
I. VERSION: Vous proposerez une traduction du passage entre crochets
II. QUESTION: Analyse the way in which Harriet’s reactions are conveyed.
I. VERSION : traduction commentée
But this imperfectly-taught woman, whose phrases and habits were an odd patchwork, had a
loyal spirit within her.
Mais cette femme peu instruite, dont le langage et les habitudes formaient un assemblage
curieux/disparate, avait un cœur loyal.
▲ “phrase” en anglais est un faux-ami = « expression » en français, et non « phrase ».
The man whose prosperity she had shared through nearly half a life, and who had
unvaryingly cherished her –now that punishment had befallen him it was not possible to her
in any sense to forsake him.
Cet homme dont elle avait partagé la prospérité pendant presque la moitié d’une vie et qui
l’avait chérie sans défaillance, maintenant que le châtiment le frappait, elle ne pouvait
absolument pas l’abandonner.
Rappels :
- possibilité de traduire les adverbe en -ly par un groupe prépositionnel : « unvaryingly » =
sans défaillance.
- ne pas conserver le tiret « her –now », remplacé ici par une virgule.
She knew, when she locked her door, that she should unlock it ready to go down to her
unhappy husband and espouse his sorrow.
Elle savait, en fermant sa porte à clef, qu’elle l’ouvrirait bientôt, prête à descendre vers son
mari malheureux, à épouser son chagrin.
« lock » : ne pas oublier « à clef », pour le différencier de la traduction de « to shut » =
fermer.
But she needed time to gather up her strength; she needed to sob out her farewell to all the
gladness and pride of her life.
Mais elle avait besoin d’un certain temps pour rassembler ses forces ; elle avait besoin
d’exhaler en sanglots ses adieux à toute la joie et à tout l’orgueil de son existence.
« sob out » est traduit par un chassé-croisé1 : la particule « out » est rendue par le verbe
« exhaler », le verbe « sob » par le groupe nominal « en sanglots ».
When she had resolved to go down, she prepared herself by some little acts which might
seem mere folly; they were her way of expressing to all spectators visible or invisible that she
had begun a new life in which she embraced humiliation.
Quand elle se fut résolue à/eut résolu de descendre, elle s’y prépara par quelques petits actes qui
pourraient passer pour de la folie/de l’enfantillage ; c’était sa manière de montrer à tous les
spectateurs visibles ou invisibles qu’elle venait de commencer une vie nouvelle où elle
embrassait l’humiliation.
Chassé-croisé incomplet : to go down = descendre.
1
Voir l’exercice d’application à la fin de la traduction.
She took off all her ornaments and put on a plain black gown; she brushed her hair down
and put on a plain bonnet-cap.
Elle enleva toutes ses parures, passa une modeste robe noire ; elle brossa ses cheveux en arrière
et mit une simple coiffe.
Bulstrode, who knew that his wife had been out and had come in saying that she was not
well, had spent the time in an agitation equal to hers.
Bustrode, qui savait que sa femme était sortie et qu’en rentrant elle avait déclaré n’être pas
bien, avait passé ce temps dans une agitation égale à la sienne.
He had looked forward to her learning the truth from others, and had acquiesced in that
probability, as something easier to him than any confession.
Il avait prévu qu’elle apprendrait la vérité par d’autres et accepté cela comme plus facile à
supporter qu’une confession.
But now that he imagined the moment of her knowledge come, he awaited the result in
anguish.
Mais à présent qu’il croyait/pensait qu’elle savait tout, il attendait les suites avec angoisse.
Though he had allowed some food to be brought to him, he had not touched it. Perhaps he
should never see his wife’s face with affection in it again.
Bien qu’il eût permis/accepté qu’on lui apportât un peu de nourriture, il n’y avait pas touché.
Peut-être ne verrait-il jamais plus une trace de tendresse sur le visage de sa femme.
And if he turned to God there seemed to be no answer but the pressure of retribution.
Et s’il se tournait vers Dieu, il lui semblait n’y trouver d’autre réponse/pour réponse que //
aucune réponse si ce n’est la pression du châtiment.
II. QUESTION : Analyze the way Harriet’s reactions are conveyed
The text is a complete insight into Harriet Bulstrode in crisis, with commentary,
investigation of consciousness and reaction. The use of the word “locked” in the first sentence
carries a peculiar force; Harriet is symbolically locking herself away from the world in order
to think, but she –and Bulstrode– are already locked in the prison of the past, the present and
the future because of the revelations and suspicions. Linking imagery is used like “lopped”
(=to cut sthg off in one quick movement) and “maimed” (=to injure somebody so severely
that a part of their body will no longer work as it should), both physical terms which here
convey mental and emotional suffering, the idea of injury which is permanent, the first
associated with trees and the lopping of branches, integral to them; the second with wounding,
again perhaps permanent. The word “allotted” has the force of “prescribed”, and is therefore
connected with the “prison” of the future.
Harriet uses effectively simple words like “bad” and “worst” to convey the obloquy of
Bulstrode’s conduct –the last sentence of the paragraph leaves the reader in doubt as to how
she will react and thus moves him/her towards the tension of decision. The narrator too seems
to have doubt about her. Words like “imperfectly-taught” and “patchwork” are offset by
“loyal spirit”, which in fact is the moral index to Harriet’s love; “patchwork” also underlines
the simple domesticity of Harriet’s domestic habits. This whole scene is important in its moral
structure: his “cherished” balances her “venerated” in the first paragraph; “twenty years”
balances the “half a life” in the second. Both are redolent (=having qualities that make you
think of sthg else) of loyalty and love.
The unlocking of the door is factual and symbolic, indicating her choosing to embrace
giving rather than indulging in rejection or self-pity. The use of the word “espouse” is
particularly fine, since in a sense she is marrying again –making her vows again– to this guilty
husband.
Harriet’s change of clothing and her putting on of the bonnet-cap symbolise her
acceptance of humiliation; they do more than that for they are at once mourning for the past
and the reordered life of the present. Later, there is again a blending of the past and the
present in Harriet’s “new compassion” and “old tenderness”, symbolic of the new life having
to subsume the past one, while the “wave” (water imagery = giving life) can either submerge
or hold up. As the image is of Harriet, the reader has no doubt that she will sustain her
husband, and her first words endorse this. “Look up” implies “Carry your head high”, i.e. be
brave enough to face life, with the unvoiced qualification that Harriet will support her
husband. Silence is effective in conveying the mutuality of their suffering, and poignantly the
mutuality of their love and dependence. The use of the word “gently” almost carries the force
of her forgiveness and her blessing of her husband, while the tears are more eloquent than
words. There is a strong implication that there is a time for words and a time for silence, and
that words in fact might have undermined Harriet’s profession of faithfulness.
Harriet responds to adversity with love, faith, practicality and, above all, the human
sympathy so needed by her husband. Her decision represents rightness of conduct. These
movements of humanity and compassion correspond to a belief in practical and sympathetic
altruism which is enhanced not only through the images and repetitions, but also as much by
what is not said.