Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
fils de l'air
English translation:
a Will o' the Wisp
Added to glossary by
AllegroTrans
Jul 27, 2012 19:13
12 yrs ago
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French term
France
fils de l'air
Non-PRO
French to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I'm afraid I can't provide much context here because this is a stand-alone title to an article about gypsy jazz musician, Django Reinhardt.
I know two things:
- that 'fils de l'air' is an allusion to 'fille de l'air' as in 'jouer la fille de l'air' (disappear, run off)
- that Jean Cocteau coined this phrase to describe Django Reinhardt (who was famously unreliable)
But I just can't think of a way to capture the same idea in English!!! Can anybody help?
Thank you so much in advance for any ideas you may have!
I know two things:
- that 'fils de l'air' is an allusion to 'fille de l'air' as in 'jouer la fille de l'air' (disappear, run off)
- that Jean Cocteau coined this phrase to describe Django Reinhardt (who was famously unreliable)
But I just can't think of a way to capture the same idea in English!!! Can anybody help?
Thank you so much in advance for any ideas you may have!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +5 | a Will o' the Wisp |
AllegroTrans
|
Change log
Aug 1, 2012 09:05: AllegroTrans Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+5
10 mins
AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Sensible solutions
Native in: English (Variant: Wessexois) 
Works in: French to English, English, English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
119
Selected
a Will o' the Wisp
Just an idea....
Writing of Reinhardt’s death in 1953, Jean Cocteau declared, "Django dying is like one of those gentle big cats who die in a cage. He lived his life the way we all dream of living - in a Gypsy caravan." Even at the height of his fame the legendary guitarist used to leave the showbizz spotlights every night and wend his way home to his simple caravan. Django, the incarnation of freedom and independence, shrugged off the warmth of creature comforts and assumed his Gypsy roots with pride.
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Note added at 2 days21 hrs (2012-07-30 17:05:00 GMT)
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Will-o'-the-wisp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terminology|
Folklore|
Scientific explanation|
In literature
A will-o'-the-wisp / ˌ w ɪ l ə ð ə ˈ w ɪ s p / or ignis fatuus is a ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp - Cached
More results from en.wikipedia.org »
Writing of Reinhardt’s death in 1953, Jean Cocteau declared, "Django dying is like one of those gentle big cats who die in a cage. He lived his life the way we all dream of living - in a Gypsy caravan." Even at the height of his fame the legendary guitarist used to leave the showbizz spotlights every night and wend his way home to his simple caravan. Django, the incarnation of freedom and independence, shrugged off the warmth of creature comforts and assumed his Gypsy roots with pride.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days21 hrs (2012-07-30 17:05:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Will-o'-the-wisp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terminology|
Folklore|
Scientific explanation|
In literature
A will-o'-the-wisp / ˌ w ɪ l ə ð ə ˈ w ɪ s p / or ignis fatuus is a ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp - Cached
More results from en.wikipedia.org »
Note from asker:
| Ah, that's not a bad idea! Very helpful to see a little more of what Cocteau wrote. Thank you very much!! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much for this suggestion. It really hit the nail on the head!!!"
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