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communauté de brigades

Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

à mi-chemin entre ciel et mer

English translation:

where sea and sky converge

Added to glossary by Carol Gullidge
Feb 10, 2011 14:12
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

à mi-chemin entre ciel et mer

French to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature flowery description
Il avait vu le jour à Loguivy-de-la-Mer, petit port maritime des Côtes-du-Nord ******à mi-chemin entre ciel et mer****** à l’embouchure du Trieux.

_________

A biography written towards the end of the 20th century...

I know similar terms have appeared on KudoZ before, but I don't feel that anything involving "sea and sky" or "heaven and sea" is really suitable here - but perhaps I should be more flexible. This is not a travel text, although it might look like it at times! I'm just looking for something simple that reflects the actual meaning. Personally, I think that if it merely means that it's on the edge of the sea ('where sea meets sky'), then nothing would be lost by omitting the whole phrase, as this is already implied in 'port maritime'.
Any explanation of the actual meaning would be very welcome - many thanks!
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 If the author wrote it
4 +2 at the merging of sea and sky
3 +2 nestling between the blue of the sky and the sea
5 set in its sea-and-sky scape
3 +2 poised between sea and sky
4 +1 Turn the sentence round
4 halfway between the sky and the sea
4 suspended between sky and sea
4 midway between-sky-and-sea
4 separating sea from sky
4 in-between heaven and the ocean
3 see comment
3 on the horizon
3 -1 The wide blue yonder

Discussion

Yvonne Gallagher Feb 10, 2011:
Claude-Andrew, thanks for reminding me of that line from that great poem!
claude-andrew Feb 10, 2011:
Reminds me of The Whitsun Weddings (Philip Larkin):

"...the river's level drifting breadth began / where sky and Lincolnshire and water meet"
Carol Gullidge (asker) Feb 10, 2011:
@ Philippa thanks! Even if only indirectly, this was reached with Bourth's help!
Bourth (X) Feb 10, 2011:
Côtes-du-Nord of course being the pre-mid-1980s name of what is now Côtes d'Armor (the change being made because so many people thought Côtes-du-Nord was up Calais way).
Bourth (X) Feb 10, 2011:
Don't overlook the fact that this is in Brittany. While for us landlubbers we will see town in the distance against the sea as we drop down to it, with a large expanse of land before it, Bretons might equally as often approach the town from the sea, i.e. with a large expanse of sea before it and an expanse of sky above, with only a thin line of terre ferme "half way between sea and sky" (until they get closer, that is).
Philippa Smith Feb 10, 2011:
I think you should use your own suggestion, "where the sea meets the sky", it's pretty, evocative and concise. Perfect!

Proposed translations

+3
10 mins
Selected

If the author wrote it

I feel it should be said in English too. Yes, it is sort of blindingly obvious that the place is "half way between the sea and the sky", but I can only imagine it is a way of saying something about the light, the weather, etc. IOW, the sky and the sea are so similar in appearance (colour) that it is not immediately obvious where one ends and the other begins, so the town identifies that place.

Flowery it certainly is, but as a poetic touch I don't think you can leave it out.
Note from asker:
thanks Bourth! This at leads somewhere : "Where sky MEETS sea" perhaps, or 'where sky and sea converge'. I have to get away from that literal translation, which is meaningless to me! I entirely agree with you in principle regarding not omitting the author's words, but unfortunately this text is very longwinded littered with tautology, and repetitive descriptions that could easily be cut by half without losing a single iota of the sense. It's a pity, as the words of the hero himself are simply written, easy to understand, and make a wonderful narrative
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Yes, though it does seem odd to speak of 'sea and sky' — that kind of suggests suspended in mid-air, like he lived in a light-house or summat; or 'where sea meets sky' = the horizon (an offshore island?) I'm puzzled at the author's choice of image
23 mins
I's precisely that "oddness" that make me think something important (in the author's eyes at least) lies concealed, and all I can think of is similitude of colour, whether grey or blue, making the border indistinct. Not enough space: more in Discussion.
agree Natasha Dupuy
1 hr
agree Verginia Ophof
3 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "this has been so hard to grade as there are so many poetic answers! That being the case, I'm awarding the points to Bourth whose early explanations soon led me to my eventual choice "where sea and sky converge", but I realise that several of the other suggestions would have at least been just as suitable. Thanks to everyone, and also for the comments in the Discussion box, which also informed my eventual choice"
9 mins

halfway between the sky and the sea

I have a strictly personal preference for "halfway".
Note from asker:
Thanks Alistair!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : Not I! Sound too clinically precise, as if an actual distance might be involved; like saying 50%, a bit out of place in a literary text ;-)
22 mins
Something went wrong...
15 mins

suspended between sky and sea

Just checked out this village on the Internet. It seems to be a particularly inspiring place... remarkably situated. This is why I am proposing a more poetic translation than "halfway" or "midway" suggests.
Note from asker:
thanks Atelier!
Something went wrong...
+2
16 mins

nestling between the blue of the sky and the sea

Looking at a description of Loguivy-de-la-Mer, which emphasises the blueness of the sea and sky, I think it is a reference to the colour
Note from asker:
thanks Andrea!
Peer comment(s):
agree Allison Wright (X) : or: "nestled halfway between sea and sky". I was going to suggest "perched", but it is not hilly. "Sandwiched between sea and sky" might not be poetic enough, but that is what it looks like in the pictures on the Internet!
8 mins
Thanks Allison! I think the -ed form is better than the -ing form
agree Catherine Gilsenan : Your suggestion is exactly right! Maybe change around sky and sea?
13 mins
Thanks Catherine!
Something went wrong...
8 mins

midway between-sky-and-sea

Eze, between sky and sea ... Located midway between Nice and Monaco in the heart of touristic Cote d'Azur, Eze has nevertheless kept more of a village ...
www.parisvoice.com/-.../384-eze-between-sky-and-sea

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Note added at 19 λεπτά (2011-02-10 14:32:24 GMT)
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midway between sky and sea!
Note from asker:
thanks Constantinis - but what does this actually mean? It can't be floating, as this implies!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Jim Tucker (X) : Why the hyphens? Those are simply part of the web page title!
6 mins
without hyphens
neutral Bourth (X) : Unfortunately "midway", "sea", and "sky" make me think of a certain Pacific island and battle!
53 mins
Something went wrong...
34 mins

see comment

I like your suggestion of 'where sky and sea converge' but if you need something more flowery, how about 'whose blue skies reflect the azure sea'?
Note from asker:
many thanks Sonia! In fact I'm trying to get away from anything too flowery, as much of the text is already swamped with purple prose. So, where I can, I'm trying to avoid introducing any of my own :)
Something went wrong...
34 mins

separating sea from sky

Or "separating sea and sky"

For me this conjures up the image of many a small port such as Loguivy-de-la-Mer which from a distance actually forms the dividing line between the sea and sky in place of the horizon. It works for many of the small ports around here such as St Ives, depending on where your viewpoint is.

There's obviously a lot of choice over words to describe this division, "dividing sea from sky", and you could go into the realms of more poetic language with words such as "cleaving", "sundering" etc, but I would advise against it.

Your own suggestion of "where sea meets sky" fits in with this conception, but doesn't make it quite so clear.


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Note added at 38 mins (2011-02-10 14:50:31 GMT)
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A picture
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://chambres-lannio...
Note from asker:
thanks Gilla! yep, that was pretty much what I had in mind with 'converging...' The image looks idyllic!
Something went wrong...
-1
39 mins

The wide blue yonder

Well, it's lack of specificity should appeal to some!
Note from asker:
many thanks Oliver!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : But that rather suggests 'somewhere far away', whereas here we know exactly which village it is..
8 mins
Well, somewhere in the distance, without bothering with co-ordinates
neutral Bourth (X) : Yeehiiii pardner! / We were all young once (the older of us anyway) ;-)
21 mins
You've been watching too many John Wayne films!
disagree Atelier de Mots : Heavy nuances there for Americans who know the US Airforce song: "Off we go, into the wild blue yonder!" This text is NOT a marching band! --- Apologies if my comment came across as flip and for my misreading of it. Still find it off the mark.
18 hrs
No, it isn't , and you aren't very observant either, are you?
Something went wrong...
1 hr

set in its sea-and-sky scape

* Or, set in its sea-and-sky land-scape.
I'm not sure about my hyphening.
(The French is a hackneyed tourist brochure cliché).
Note from asker:
thanks Kashew - you're right about hackneyed!
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

in-between heaven and the ocean

another suggestion
Note from asker:
many thanks Katarina! (tried to post earlier, but couldn't get through!)
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : No hyphen here, and I can't help thinking that 'heaven' is out of place here; 'heavens' in the plural could work, but is still a bit pretentious, I feel for what appears to be the register here; and this isn't really literally the 'ocean' yet
3 mins
As you say...though this description of a place sounded rather poetic to me...
neutral B D Finch : The Channel isn't an ocean and UK usage would refer to the "sea" rather than the "ocean", even if it were the Atlantic.//It would make a difference, rather than the difference. Tony's point about "Heaven" still remains.
5 hrs
As you say...so replacing ocean with sea would make the difference?
Something went wrong...
+2
45 mins

at the merging of sea and sky

or

where sea and sky merge

Download royalty free sea and sky merging together at sunset stock photo from Shutterstock's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, vectors, ...
www.shutterstock.com/.../stock-photo-sea-and-sky-merging-to... - Cached

Specialists in Australian contemporary printmaking, Chrysalis Gallery and Studio exhibits prints, paintings and sculpture by leading Australian artists, ...
www.chrysalis.com.au/Artwork-McLoughlin-TheMergingSeaandSky... - Cached


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Note added at 47 mins (2011-02-10 15:00:14 GMT)
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30 Dec 2010 ... Soft sea and sky colours. Hard to tell which is which.
www.flickr.com/photos/janetedavis/5308145130/ - Cached

Earth, sea and sky merge at Laoshan Mountain. 0 Comments Print E-mail China daily, August 28, 2009. Adjust font size: ...
www.china.org.cn/travel/2009-08/28/content_18421073.htm - Cached


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Note added at 1 hr (2011-02-10 15:23:05 GMT)
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it may be a grey day (not blue skies) when land, sea and sky almost blend together and it's hard to distinguish between them. As Bourth says, especially if ON the sea in a boat but here, esp. West coast it is sometimes hard to tell if one is walking in air, on the sea or on land.

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Note added at 7 hrs (2011-02-10 21:49:51 GMT)
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Carol, yes, thinking alike around same time because the "traffic" stopped my answer posting and I had to reload/reboot and saw your comment! Then Philippa's comment came just AFTER I posted, so I really didn't "steal" the idea! Was thinking of places on West coast here, and I was a seafarer for 7 years so have similar image imprinted...
Note from asker:
thanks gallagy! great minds think alike - see my comment below Bourth's answer!
I know that feeling, as I've had to post one note at a time, log off and then post the next one! But don't worry, I didn't think you were stealing, although it had occurred to me that you might not have seen my comment amongst all the rest here! That would have been quite understandable!
Peer comment(s):
neutral kashew : That would be on the horizon, I think?
26 mins
ok, LAND, sea and sky... as in 1 of the links
agree philgoddard : I like this.
1 hr
thanks Phil!
neutral Andrew Bramhall : The point where the sea and sky merge is known as the horizon, as Kashew points out.And he's no nut !
2 hrs
read my response to him
agree Rachel Fell : or 'where sea and sky meet at the mouth of the river' or whatever - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericflexyourhead/5430950434/ http://www.sandayorkney.co.uk/souvenirs.php
2 days 5 hrs
thanks Rachel for links, yes, have taken some similar photos!
Something went wrong...
+2
8 hrs

poised between sea and sky

Another suggestion.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2011-02-10 22:55:16 GMT)
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I do think that "sea and sky" flows better than "sky and sea".
Note from asker:
thanks Barbara - and I agree re the word order!
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Nice one! And I agree — if nothing else, for reasons of euphony: 'seand' runs on better than 'skyyand'
26 mins
Thanks Tony
agree Sonia Geerlings : nice!
7 hrs
Thanks Sonia
Something went wrong...
+1
10 hrs

Turn the sentence round

He was born in the small port of Loguivy-de-la-Mer in Côtes-du-Nord, little more than a line of houses linking sea and sky at the mouth of the River Trieux.

This gets in the full meaning of the French and if you google images of Loguivy, you'll see that this is what it looks like from the seaward side.
Note from asker:
thanks ACOZ - I hadn't thought of this solution!
Peer comment(s):
agree Marian Vieyra
16 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 day 8 hrs

on the horizon

" HORIZON, apparent horizon, visible horizon, sensible horizon, skyline (the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet) "
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=horizon

I'd say "hovering on the horizon..."

This expression does not identify any "halfway points" with the use of words but should conjure up the correct image in the readers eye as a horizon is a very picturesque and beautiful thing. There are also many ways this word can be incorporated into the description of the seascape and the day/daylight.
Note from asker:
thanks Lara for your suggestion!
Something went wrong...
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