FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Love to know more about Cecile. By the way, she and Jackie have a strong resemblance.

I really like this line: Le mouvement chauffe la matière, as it gives me a visual of the work of her hands. But I visualize her preciously “warming” (réchauffe ?) the wood rather than heating it.
Her ending is most precious: L'intimité est en chantier. Intimacy under construction. What a lovely way to describe her work.

Yes, very good side-by-side. Always interesting to know the family and friends! Merci.

I am no one to offer translations, as my French is very poor. However, I notice that when I use the Google translator for emails in French, it really has a problem with pronouns. Often it will translate as 'he' when clearly it is about a female. Are French pronouns so neutral? I didn't think that was the case...

Jean-Marc,
I spent my 50th birthday visiting Avignon and Provence, a trip which fulfilled a lifelong dream. It was the answer to so many of the questions and longings that the milestone date brought forth. I hope you have a fulfilling, adventurous bonne anniversaire!

I am on the web page. I did not see what google would say, but I did now. It wants to make it
Dusting, caressing, feeling it with your fingertips. Google's version is rarely elegant even if more or less correct,
I think. Verb form does not match the poetry of votre belle-soeur.
You can add dépoussiérer to the list of words challenging to pronounce. It is a new word to me, too.
The web page has all the photos, I go to it quickly from the e-mail.

Ouah, I love Cécile's work! I really do. I just started following her Instagram account, too. Et, joyeux anniversaire, Jean-Marc ! I missed that last week. 50 is a good age. :-)

Loved this linguistic exercise! Thanks. Beautiful poem!

J'aime le website reverso.net un petit peu mieux que Google traduit. Leur traduction est ci-dessous; j'ai enlevé tous les synonymes entre parenthèses - fyi. Ou serait-il "P.V.I"? Pour votre information? :)
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Search trucks, unravel tons of steel regurgitated by the industry.

There is an eye which looks,
Which settles, who dictates to the hand
To take: there.
To extirpate of the heap a fragment.
Dust it, cherish it,
Smell it with the fingertips.
Extract from the muddled heap
Not corresponding, out-of-service parts.

There is a grain and a fiber
The tones which come.
There is a smell which accompanies
The hand which cherishes or which hesitates.

Under the bark the patina which opens.
The movement warms the subject,
He offer a brightness.
The wood breathes.

The studio is a lung
Who shelters and gives the holiday cottage.
There are the dirty hands which know,
Smell, touch, embrace,
Or cut but tame.

Fusion of the kinds and the materials.
Alloy of wood and metals.

The intimacy is under construction.
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J'aime toutes les petites différences. Et j'apprécie le français et l'anglais côte à côte, puisque je ceci ai lu sur mon ordinateur et pas à un téléphone.

Merci beaucoup pour partager votre belle-soeur avec nous, vos lecteurs.

I do like the two column approach with the vocabulary. On my computer, when there was an additional space in the left column on a few occasions, the right column became misaligned; but those of us who are familiar with French, could easily discern the correct translation of the terms.

beautiful tables such a talent thank you for sharing

I would start the poem with "dumpster diving"...

I had no problem with side by side except, as another reader noted, they didn't always match up/ What was wonderful was imagining the beauty and warmth of the things Cecile makes. Nothing more beautiful than a handmade "chose" made of a lovely piece of wood. Quelle artiste!

Kristi, here is my interpretation of Cecile's poem:

Fouiller les bennes, Dumpster hunting
démailler les tonnes d'acier Sorting left over pieces of stainless steel recycled from the industry
régurgitées par l'industrie.

Il y a l’œil qui cherche, Your eyes do the searching and tell you this piece is the one you can use
Qui se pose, qui dicte à la main
De prendre : là.
D'extirper de l'amas un fragment. Find a gem in the dumpster, dust it off, touch it, and take it
Le dépoussiérer, le caresser,
Le sentir du bout des doigts.
Extraire du tas enchevêtré
Des pièces non conformes, hors d'usage. Find something others cannot use

Il y a le grain et la fibre There is grain, fiber and variant shades of color and scent blending
Les tons qui se déclinent. together as your hand hesitates to take it or not
Il y a l'odeur qui accompagne
La main qui caresse ou qui hésite.

Sous l'écorce la patine qui éclôt. Pieces aged and improved by time develop a warm glow that explodes
Le mouvement chauffe la matière,
Lui offre un éclat.
Le bois respire. Wood pieces breath with age

L'atelier est un poumon The worshop is like a living thing that makes it your home
Qui abrite et donne le gîte.
Il y a les mains sales qui savent, Your working hands feel, touch and embrace or improvise
Sentent, touchent, embrassent,
Ou coupent mais apprivoisent.

Fusion des genres et matières. Marriage of style and material in concert of wood and metal
Alliage des bois et des métaux.

L'intimité est en chantier. The entire shop is a project and a work in progress