Yau

J'apprends la parole de L'internationale maintenant mais je ne peut pas en comprendre tout.

There's some sentence structures that i haven't learnt yet, some other are what i can't understand well after checking dictionary.

Could you translate the following sentences to me? Hmm...Literal translation will be great! (Sorry that I can't type in accent symbol.)

1. Du passe faison table rase

2. Pour que le voleur rende gorge

3. Soufflons nous-memes notre forge

4. La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes

5. l'oisif ira loger alleurs

6. Combien de nos chairs se repaissent!

7. Un de ces matins, disparaissent.

Merci d'avance!

gliamo

Yo, Yau!

1. Du passe faison table rase

Let us forget about the past

2. Pour que le voleur rende gorge

So that the thief die [maybe: give back (what he's taken from us)]

3. Soufflons nous-memes notre forge

Let us stir up our fire [fig.] [this is in relation to the next line which uses the idiom battre le fer tant qu'il est chaud]

4. La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes

The soil belongs to men only [i.e. not companies, not rich idle men]

5. l'oisif ira loger ailleurs

The idle will have to live elsewhere

6. Combien de nos chairs se repaissent!

How many [people] are gorgeing on our flesh

7. Un de ces matins, disparaissent.

One morning, disappear.

Be sure someone else will come up with better ideas!

G.

Yau

Gliamo, merci beaucoup de votre aide! I can understand much better now with your explanation, but please explain some more to me. (sorry for my poor french knowledge. Alors, even worse, I realized that "ira" is the conjugation of "aller" just a few mins ago..)

1. Du passe faison table rase
Let us forget about the past

i don't really understand the word "du passe" and the exactly meaning of "table rase"

2. La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes.
It seems to me that "ne.... qu'aux" suggests a negation, and the meaning would be "the land doesn't belong to men." I feel quite confused with it.

Merci encore de votre aide!

Titiping

Hello!
Yau : "du passé faisons table rase" is not a usual syntax because it's a song, so it must sound a bit like a poem, with rhythm and rhymes. It's a thematic fronting. The usual clause would be : "Faisons table rase du passé" (imperative, "du passé" is an object complement).
"Faire table rase" is an expression we often use. In fact, "une table" is a table, and "rase" comes from "to raze" in english. "Faire table rase" might come from "to throw away all that was on the table", which became "to destroy everything". I make it a bit simple, it might be a naïve explanation but it could give you a concrete idea of what the expression means.

2. The French language is highly complex! Indeed, "ne... pas" means "not", but it is not the case of "ne... que". In fact, litteraly "la terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes" means "la terre n'appartient seulement aux hommes" (Soil only belongs to men), without the "ne" the sentence would not be correct.
"ne... que" is a colocation which means only.

Hope that helps!

The_FD

I have a very slight correction to titiping nice explanantion post

The sentence "la terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes"
is the same that "la terre appartient seulement aux hommes"
an not "la terre n'appartient seulement aux hommes" which is a non sense

so long

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Yau

Gliamo, Titiping et FD, tres bien! I peut en comrpendre maintenant mais je perds la confiance sur mon dictionnaire. Je pense que Francais est trop difficile. Le dictionnaire n'est pas assez.

Btw, are there any special meaning for the word "L'internationale" in French? I think "L'internationale" means the word in "international news" or "international organization". Does it mean exactly the same when we're talking "L'internationale sera le genre humain"?

The_FD

Yes no problem at least in France... "l'Iinternationale" can only mean what we are talking about.. nothing else

And you are true that spoken french is much different that the one found in the dictionaries... though do not desesperate french people know it and make an effort toward foreigners... we do know that french is tough to speak for you

We'll always be glad to hear foreigners trying to speak our language

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L'histoire de la famille Bourdillon
Les fêtes d'Hébé
The flying dancer dancing