Jan 21, 2005 12:32
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term

cadran

French to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting Italian gardens
In a text on Venetian villas and gardens.

This particular passage is on the Valsanzibio gardens. The word cadran comes up twice:

Dans cet univers ludique baroque, le magnifique labyrinthe de buis constitue a lui seul un des **cadrans** du jardin. Il symbolise, à travers le jeu trompeur des apparences, la conception hédoniste de la vie où chacun s'évertue à rester maître de son destin. Ce divertissement subtil offert au visiteur qui s'aventure dans l'enchevêtrement des allées taillées au cordeau est bien plus sérieux qu'il n'y parait. Le labyrinthe est bien une allégorie de la vie dont chacun ici-bas suit tant bien que mal les méandres jusqu'au dénouement final de la mort. Lorsque l'on parvient enfin au Belvédère qui marque le centre du labyrinthe, c'est un peu comme si l'on atteignait l'âge ultime, celui de la vieillesse sereine d'où l'on peut revoir, en se retournant sur son passé, toutes les erreurs de jeunesse que l'on a su éviter. Mais le Belvédère est aussi le lieu à partir duquel on peut aider ceux qui s'aventurent à leur tour dans le dédale de buis à trouver le chemin de la sagesse...

Au centre d'un autre **cadran** envahi par une végétation luxuriante, un vieille volière se dresse sur l'île des lapins, symbole d'un paradis perdu désormais inaccessible.

I just don't understand the use of cadran here. I far as I see it, these are simply two distinct, theme-based areas of the garden. I thought maybe cadran as dial-shaped areas, but I went to the garden's web site, and couldn't find anything that would lead me to this conclusion.
Talking about the different "faces" of a garden sounds strange here, as in " magnificent boxwood maze is one of the faces of the garden". But just calling it a "section" falls flat.

Any suggestions? Ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Change log

Feb 6, 2011 11:08: Stéphanie Soudais changed "Term asked" from "cadran (in this context)" to "cadran "

Discussion

Anthony Chalkley (X) Jan 21, 2005:
Not an answer, but I did find another meaning for cadran, which is the thing jewellers use to hold a stone for facetting. I haven't time to find what that would be in English, but it might be a lead.
Non-ProZ.com Jan 21, 2005:
Ah, Francis! That would make sense! I should have posted this question hours ago and it would have saved me a lot of strife :-)
Non-ProZ.com Jan 21, 2005:
But aubonmot, can an entire maze be considered a garden dial? I'm missing something ...

Proposed translations

+9
8 mins
French term (edited): cadran (in this context)
Selected

area / quadrant

I feel it should be "quadrant" instead of "quadrant" even in french

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Note added at 9 mins (2005-01-21 12:41:15 GMT)
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sorry, instead of \"cadran\"
Peer comment(s):

agree Vicky Papaprodromou
10 mins
agree Charlie Bavington : sounds extremely plausible to me!
30 mins
agree Sara Freitas
44 mins
agree Assimina Vavoula
1 hr
agree lien
1 hr
agree Ian Burley (X)
3 hrs
agree Didier Fourcot : I belive this is a typo: http://www.uni-saarland.de/~ref61hby/0-IT-Valsanzibio2.jpg
3 hrs
j'appelle ça une faute d'orthographe ;-)
agree Martine Brault
4 hrs
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne : Absolutely, see the piccie I found below and the standard UK rendering
1 day 3 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Yes, this makes much more sense now. Thanks also to Nikki for the piccie :-)"
11 mins
French term (edited): cadran (in this context)

garden dial

Faerie Central... all except a herd-boy, and a little girl, his sister, who were lounging beside one of the cottages; when, just as the shadow of the garden-dial had fallen on ...
faerie.monstrous.com/ - 55k - Cached - Similar pages


Ask The Alstones... muck’). For loafing in the garden Dial 3: for Smellors (recognises a spade on a good day but hasn’t used one in 30 years). For ...
www.nicebites.com/nicebites2/ask_the_alstones.htm - 3k - Cached - Similar pages


British Sundial Society - Newsletter... Literature relating to a garden dial on which a German airman landed during the War (the dial still exists but is at its original location in the village ...

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18 mins
French term (edited): cadran (in this context)

attraction

The Germans use the word Drehscheibe (cadran) in this sense.
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20 mins
French term (edited): cadran (in this context)

attraction

The German use the word Drehscheibe (cadran) in this sense.
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1 hr
French term (edited): cadran (in this context)

garden maze

I believe that the text is just using "cadran" as another word --in addition to "labyrinth"-- to describe the Garden Mazes, which, the author believes, were laid out to "symbolise" various things.

Apparently "cadran" can be used in this context because certain mazes have the appearance of sundials (which latter objects are *not* what is being referred to here, obviously).

Here's the Trésor de la lang. Fr. on "CADRAN" in this particular context :

CADRAN : ....[EN SYLVICULTURE:] "Série de fentes transversales rayonnant du centre à la circonférence dans les vieux arbres malades et donnant au tronc, lorsqu'il est coupé transversalement, l'apparence d'un cadran".

(Perhaps this url will work for that :
http://atilf.atilf.fr/Dendien/scripts/tlfiv5/affart.exe?65;s... )
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1 day 4 hrs
French term (edited): quadrant

quadrant, quad

I agree that this should read « quadrant » like « quad », ie : « quadrangle », inner enclosed/walled court/garden. Those who know Oxford will get this.

« Quadrangle : a rectangular court yard or grassy area enclosed by buildings, most often used in conjunction with academic or civic building groupings. »
(Source : Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture, Burden E., Ed. McGraw Hill, 2002)

http://www.valsanzibiogiardino.it/pag5.htm

Aerial shot of the maze.
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