Don Quixote — Chapter 80 in French
By Miguel de Cervantes
Quand le brave s’enfuit, c’est que l’embuscade est découverte, et l’homme prudent doit se garder pour une meilleure occasion. When the brave man flees, treachery is manifest and it is for wise men to reserve themselves for better occasions. Cette vérité trouva sa preuve en Don Quichotte, lequel, laissant le champ libre à la furie du village persiflé, et aux méchantes intentions d’une troupe en courroux, prit, comme on dit, de la poudre d’escampette, et, sans se rappeler Sancho, ni le péril où il le laissait, s’éloigna autant qu’il lui parut nécessaire pour se mettre en sûreté. This proved to be the case with Don Quixote, who, giving way before the fury of the townsfolk and the hostile intentions of the angry troop, took to flight and, without a thought of Sancho or the danger in which he was leaving him, retreated to such a distance as he thought made him safe. Sancho le suivait, comme on l’a rapporté, posé de travers sur son âne ; il arriva enfin, revenu tout à fait à lui, et en arrivant, il se laissa tomber du grison aux pieds de Rossinante, haletant, moulu et rompu. Sancho, lying across his ass, followed him, as has been said, and at length came up, having by this time recovered his senses, and on joining him let himself drop off Dapple at Rocinante's feet, sore, bruised, and belaboured. Don Quichotte mit aussitôt pied à terre pour visiter ses blessures ; mais, le trouvant sain des pieds à la tête, il lui dit, avec un mouvement de colère : « À la malheure vous vous êtes pris à braire, Sancho. Don Quixote dismounted to examine his wounds, but finding him whole from head to foot, he said to him, angrily enough, "In an evil hour didst thou take to braying, Sancho! Où donc avez-vous trouvé qu’il était bon de parler de corde dans la maison du pendu ? Where hast thou learned that it is well done to mention the rope in the house of the man that has been hanged? À musique de braiment, quel accompagnement pouvait-on faire, si ce n’est de coups de gaule ? To the music of brays what harmonies couldst thou expect to get but cudgels? Et rendez grâces à Dieu, Sancho, de ce qu’au lieu de vous mesurer les côtes avec un bâton, ils ne vous aient pas fait le per signum crucis avec une lame de cimeterre. Give thanks to God, Sancho, that they signed the cross on thee just now with a stick, and did not mark thee per signum crucis with a cutlass."
— Je ne suis pas en train de répondre, répondit Sancho, car il me semble que je parle par les épaules. Montons à cheval et éloignons-nous d’ici. "I'm not equal to answering," said Sancho, "for I feel as if I was speaking through my shoulders; let us mount and get away from this; I'll keep from braying, but not from saying that knights-errant fly and leave their good squires to be pounded like privet, or made meal of at the hands of their enemies."
J’imposerai désormais silence à mes envies de braire, mais non à celles de dire que les chevaliers errants fuient, et laissent leurs bons écuyers moulus comme plâtre au pouvoir de leurs ennemis. — Se retirer n’est pas fuir, répliqua Don Quichotte ; car il faut que tu saches que la valeur qui n’est pas fondée sur la base de la prudence s’appelle témérité, et les exploits du téméraire s’attribuent plutôt à la bonne fortune qu’à son courage. "He does not fly who retires," returned Don Quixote; "for I would have thee know, Sancho, that the valour which is not based upon a foundation of prudence is called rashness, and the exploits of the rash man are to be attributed rather to good fortune than to courage; and so I own that I retired, but not that I fled; and therein I have followed the example of many valiant men who have reserved themselves for better times; the histories are full of instances of this, but as it would not be any good to thee or pleasure to me, I will not recount them to thee now."
Sancho s’était enfin remis à cheval, aidé par Don Quichotte, lequel était également remonté sur Rossinante ; et, peu à peu, ils gagnèrent un petit bois qui se montrait à un quart de lieue de là. Sancho was by this time mounted with the help of Don Quixote, who then himself mounted Rocinante, and at a leisurely pace they proceeded to take shelter in a grove which was in sight about a quarter of a league off. De temps en temps, Sancho jetait de profonds soupirs et des gémissements douloureux. Don Quichotte lui demanda la cause d’une si amère affliction. Every now and then Sancho gave vent to deep sighs and dismal groans, and on Don Quixote asking him what caused such acute suffering, he replied that, from the end of his back-bone up to the nape of his neck, he was so sore that it nearly drove him out of his senses.