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Jean Racine - Esther
108 me cherchant moi-même, "seeking [communion with] myself."
114 A fine antithesis. Cf. Oedipus Rex, l. l: Kudmou tou palai nia trophe. 120 (Heading) Endroit or
lieu is the general word for a "place" or "spot." Place is the place to which a thing belongs.
123 De tous côtes and de toutes parts (l. 148) = both "on all sides" and "from all sides."
126 jusques. See App. I, Metre. The "s" is due to the tendency of adverbial words to assume a
final "s." Cf. sans from sine, alors from ad illam horam.
132 déplorable, a fine etymological use of the word; now only used in the derived meaning "sad" or
"wretched."
139 ta douleur retracée = le recit de ta douleur. This is a Latin construction of frequent
occurrence in this play. Cf. post urbem conditam = "after the founding of the city." The past
participle qualifying the noun takes the place of our abstract substantive.
140 n'occupe. Pas is omitted after si whenever the affirmative idea is predominant. Tr.:
"unless."
146 relever. See App. III.
149 tes peuples. Cf. l. 19, and N. to l. 56.
155 This interview is a departure from the Book of Esther, where Mordecai, in accordance with Eastern
custom, can do no more than "walk before the court of the women's house" (ii. II).
s'ose avancer is an elegant order for ose s'avancer. The peculiarity is that oser is here used
as though it were one of the two auxiliaries avoir and être, which alone must separate the
oblique conjunctives from their governing verb. Cf. ll. 231, 471. We shall find several other such
pseudo-auxiliaries.
156 père, figuratively, of course.
160 enfin must be variously translated. It can have the force of: 1. "at length;" 2. "too," at the end of an
enumeration; 3. "in short;" 4. "still," or, "after all;" 5. "in the end."
164 c'est fait de . . . = actum est de. . . . See also App. V, ii. D.
166 Devoir means 1. "to owe;" 2. "to have to," "must" expressing either physical necessity (e.g., "You
must be tired") or moral obligation; 3. "to be [about] to;" e.g., "I am to be queen of the May."
170 race d'Amalécite, in apposition to Aman, is infinitely more contemptuous than the equally
metrical de race amalécite. Tr. "of the brood of Amalek." Cf. Book of Esther, iii. 1, where Haman
is stated to be descended from Agag, king of the Amalekites.
171 crèdit: - "personal influence," which Haman has used as a weapon to strike down his foes.
173 prévenir means: 1. "to forestall," 2. "to give notice" (l. 203), "to warn," i.e., to forestall the mishap; 3.
"to prejudice," i.e., to forestall impartial judgment, as here.
174 en horreur à. Cf. odio esse alicui, and en proie à (l. 1177). See App. V, i.
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