Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
chair terreuse
English translation:
earthen flesh; earthen womb
Added to glossary by
Carol Gullidge
Dec 9, 2010 17:56
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
chair terreuse
French to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
description of the end of this life
C’est l’heure de l’arrêt brutal du souffle, du mouvement et de l’expression corporelle.
C’est, pense-t-on, la fin définitive d’un être.
C’est l’heure du cercueil, de l’hommage frissonnant qui parle aux murs, de l’enfouissement définitif dans la ******chair terreuse****** de la mère planète.
______________________________
The Foreword to a novel based on near-death experience (NDE). If it weren't for "dans la", I'd consider mortal remains/mortal flesh/... But on top of that, it's "terreuse" and not "terrestre", which I think must preclude "earthly" in favour of "earthy" - quite another thing! OK, the body gets buried in the earth/ground, but where does "chair" fit in? "Buried in the mother planet's earthy flesh" doesn't work for me! At least, not yet!
So I'd be very grateful for any help - more with explaining this than with producing a beautifully-turned phrase - although that never goes amiss, of course!
Many thanks!
PS, register is lofty/literary
This takes place in Provence
C’est, pense-t-on, la fin définitive d’un être.
C’est l’heure du cercueil, de l’hommage frissonnant qui parle aux murs, de l’enfouissement définitif dans la ******chair terreuse****** de la mère planète.
______________________________
The Foreword to a novel based on near-death experience (NDE). If it weren't for "dans la", I'd consider mortal remains/mortal flesh/... But on top of that, it's "terreuse" and not "terrestre", which I think must preclude "earthly" in favour of "earthy" - quite another thing! OK, the body gets buried in the earth/ground, but where does "chair" fit in? "Buried in the mother planet's earthy flesh" doesn't work for me! At least, not yet!
So I'd be very grateful for any help - more with explaining this than with producing a beautifully-turned phrase - although that never goes amiss, of course!
Many thanks!
PS, register is lofty/literary
This takes place in Provence
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | earthy flesh |
Bourth (X)
|
| 4 +4 | to the warm embrace of Mother Earth |
Yvonne Gallagher
|
| 3 | dusty crust |
cc in nyc
|
| 2 | into the pale (palid?) arms of mother earth |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
References
| The Big Bob says |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
Proposed translations
+4
15 mins
Selected
earthy flesh
We are the fruit of the loins of our parents, and we emanate directly from the flesh of our mothers. Since we are talking mère planète I see nothing wrong with this sort of "return-to-the-womb" thing being expressed as the "earthy flesh of our planet-mother".
"Planet-mother" rather than "mother planet" which somehow evokes StarWars, HHGG, etc.
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Note added at 18 mins (2010-12-09 18:15:10 GMT)
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Or "earthy loins", why not?
"Earthly" - except as used Elizabethanly suggests there is a heavenly counterpart, something the devout atheists amongst us will be dead against. Personifying our Planet as our Mother is one thing, referring to mythical supernatural beings to whom we owe some debt quite another.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-12-09 20:25:09 GMT)
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I'm sure atheistic belief - on non-belief! - has nothing to do with it. Just a little gratuitous proselytizing on my part.
For my part I'm prepared to believe that NDEs happen. Not that I see it as aknocking at the doors of life after death, just a sort of euphoria as the body and mind let go of each other, as the brain and every part of the body abandon all the unconscious, involuntary work they have been doing unceasingly, untiringly. Bref, death needs to be looked at in a very different light to that of our own religious institutions. But there I go again ...
"Planet-mother" rather than "mother planet" which somehow evokes StarWars, HHGG, etc.
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Note added at 18 mins (2010-12-09 18:15:10 GMT)
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Or "earthy loins", why not?
"Earthly" - except as used Elizabethanly suggests there is a heavenly counterpart, something the devout atheists amongst us will be dead against. Personifying our Planet as our Mother is one thing, referring to mythical supernatural beings to whom we owe some debt quite another.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2010-12-09 20:25:09 GMT)
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I'm sure atheistic belief - on non-belief! - has nothing to do with it. Just a little gratuitous proselytizing on my part.
For my part I'm prepared to believe that NDEs happen. Not that I see it as aknocking at the doors of life after death, just a sort of euphoria as the body and mind let go of each other, as the brain and every part of the body abandon all the unconscious, involuntary work they have been doing unceasingly, untiringly. Bref, death needs to be looked at in a very different light to that of our own religious institutions. But there I go again ...
Note from asker:
| thanks Bourth - a novel point of view that I shall have to digest! I hadn't thought of "planet-mother". Not sure regarding atheism (haven't read far enough), but these people are convinced that they have experienced life after death, in that during their NDEs they had a glimpse of the after-life before being brought back to earth |
| thanks so much everybody! Another really hard one to grade, there being good points in more than one answer. I'm currently plumping for "earthen womb", and this is closest by a whisker. It seems earthen - very conveniently! - means both earthly/terrestrial and earthy as in made of earth/clay. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Verginia Ophof
23 mins
|
| agree |
Alison Sabedoria (X)
24 mins
|
| agree |
Jonathan MacKerron
: love the word "loins", particularly in association with "fruits of"
57 mins
|
| agree |
B D Finch
6 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Sorry again - put that into the wrong box, not for the first time! Here goes again (scuse repetition, Bourth!):
thanks so much everybody! Another really hard one to grade, there being good points in more than one answer. I'm currently plumping for "earthen womb", and this is closest by a whisker. It seems earthen - very conveniently! - means both earthly/terrestrial and earthy as in made of earth/clay. I also like "loins", and somebody suggested "bosom". I think "buried in the bosom of Mother Earth" would also work well, which is getting extremely close to gallagy's suggestion... "
10 mins
dusty crust
Sorry, no references! Just poetic license.
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Note added at 12 mins (2010-12-09 18:08:34 GMT)
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I think this is describing the earth itself, not the remains of mortals buried therein.
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Note added at 12 mins (2010-12-09 18:08:34 GMT)
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I think this is describing the earth itself, not the remains of mortals buried therein.
Note from asker:
| thanks cc - I'm glad you clarified that last point :) |
+4
20 mins
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
Specializes in field
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK)
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
40
to the warm embrace of Mother Earth
a suggestion, it is poetic after all so equivalence rather than literalism needed
a definitive interring/burial/surrender to the (rather than "in the")...
I see this as the "flesh" personifying the earth making it like a living thing, thus a warm embrace
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 19:14:17 GMT)
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warm embrace of Mother Earth (personified by use of capitals)gets 179, 000 ghits. "Surrendering" gives idea of following natural law, ashes to ashes etc. "Earthen clay" would be too cold and inert imo for equation with "flesh".
This site may give you further ideas about funerals et al
Funeral and Grief Poems:
www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/ - Cached
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 19:15:20 GMT)
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agree with Bourth about planet implying inter-galactic trips!
a definitive interring/burial/surrender to the (rather than "in the")...
I see this as the "flesh" personifying the earth making it like a living thing, thus a warm embrace
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 19:14:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
warm embrace of Mother Earth (personified by use of capitals)gets 179, 000 ghits. "Surrendering" gives idea of following natural law, ashes to ashes etc. "Earthen clay" would be too cold and inert imo for equation with "flesh".
This site may give you further ideas about funerals et al
Funeral and Grief Poems:
www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/ - Cached
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 19:15:20 GMT)
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agree with Bourth about planet implying inter-galactic trips!
Note from asker:
| thanks gallagy2 - lovely and poetic. And, as you say, the warm bit can be amended if need be. I like your idea of "being surrendered" |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
philgoddard
: Good!
10 mins
|
|
thank you Phil for agree and esp. comment
|
|
| agree |
Alison Sabedoria (X)
: Up to Carol to know if the embrace would be "warm" or "cold. =)
21 mins
|
|
thank you, yes, I put "warm" to pair with (living) flesh but up to Carol
|
|
| agree |
SJLD
: loamy (or even muddy) embrace? I think you gotta get the soil image in there.
2 hrs
|
|
`thank you SJLD, loamy/muddy perhaps too gardening-related term? You could be right!loamy nice and fertile for regeneration!
|
|
| agree |
Catherine Gilsenan
18 hrs
|
|
many thanks Catherine
|
1 hr
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
22
into the pale (palid?) arms of mother earth
following the color motif...
Note from asker:
| many thanks Jonathan! The fact that this might be referring to colour hadn't occurred to me, but was definitely worth considering. Another factor in the equation... |
Reference comments
57 mins
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
22
Reference:
The Big Bob says
TERREUX, EUSE [teRø, øz] adj.
- 1. (1265). Qui appartient à la terre, qui est de la nature de la terre (I., 2.). Matière, substance terreuse. Goût terreux. Odeur terreuse.
- 2. (1412). Mêlé, souillé de terre* (I., 2.). Métal, sable terreux. Mains, chaussures terreuses. - Sale. Salade terreuse, mal lavée.
Fig., fam. (vx). Avoir le cul terreux, se disait d'une fille à marier héritière d'une grande fortune foncière, mais de basse naissance. - Mod. (fam.). Un cul-terreux : un paysan. - Bouseux, glaiseux.
- 3. (1690). Qui est d'une couleur (grisâtre, jaunâtre ou brunâtre) dépourvue d'éclat et de fraîcheur. L'uniformité terreuse du ciel (- Horizon, cit. 3). - Couleurs terreuses (- Gris, cit. 19, Delacroix). - Spécialt. Physionomies terreuses et verdâtres (- Enlaidir, cit. 5). Figures terreuses (- Ronger, cit. 6). Visage terreux. - Blafard. Un Barbaresque au teint terreux. - aussi Brun.
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 18:58:24 GMT)
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synonyms:
TERREUX, EUSE [teRø, øz] adj.
- Sale.
- Bouseux, glaiseux.
- Blafard.
- aussi Brun.
- 1. (1265). Qui appartient à la terre, qui est de la nature de la terre (I., 2.). Matière, substance terreuse. Goût terreux. Odeur terreuse.
- 2. (1412). Mêlé, souillé de terre* (I., 2.). Métal, sable terreux. Mains, chaussures terreuses. - Sale. Salade terreuse, mal lavée.
Fig., fam. (vx). Avoir le cul terreux, se disait d'une fille à marier héritière d'une grande fortune foncière, mais de basse naissance. - Mod. (fam.). Un cul-terreux : un paysan. - Bouseux, glaiseux.
- 3. (1690). Qui est d'une couleur (grisâtre, jaunâtre ou brunâtre) dépourvue d'éclat et de fraîcheur. L'uniformité terreuse du ciel (- Horizon, cit. 3). - Couleurs terreuses (- Gris, cit. 19, Delacroix). - Spécialt. Physionomies terreuses et verdâtres (- Enlaidir, cit. 5). Figures terreuses (- Ronger, cit. 6). Visage terreux. - Blafard. Un Barbaresque au teint terreux. - aussi Brun.
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-09 18:58:24 GMT)
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synonyms:
TERREUX, EUSE [teRø, øz] adj.
- Sale.
- Bouseux, glaiseux.
- Blafard.
- aussi Brun.
Discussion
"Well, I think the answer lies in the soil..."
And "clay" might be another idea to work with, too (at least it would leave you free to use "mother earth" rather than "the mother planet", which would have unfortunate sci-fi connotations)
As far as I understand it, the body is returning to the "womb" of Mother Earth (also just the "stuff" of the planet), where transformation can take place, hence the use of "chair". The Latin "mater" (mother), "matrix" (womb) and "materia" (material, stuff) are closely related. In Provence, this notion might have some significance.<p>
Might earthen flesh work?
Could there be a slightly different meaning in Provence, I wonder...