HEAVEN #3592
I could not find the meaning of: "It may be tripping the light fantastic" and asked my American friend Robert, who used to be a teacher and who is also a reader of Heavenletters, to enlighten me, and since other translators may also find it difficult, here is his explanation:
Trip The Light Fantastic is a phrase used mostly in slang now. One of it's original meanings and the one most closely associated with it's use in this Heaven Letter is "A going from one place to another, a journey.
In slang, an example that can apply here is. 1. An intense, stimulating or exciting experience or to move in a pattern or dance-like motion expressing the joy experienced in a situation. In a sentence, I might say; I was so excited and overjoyed, I tripped the light fantastic.
I now translated it as: "It may be an exciting journey that makes you dance of joy."
Yes, I believe the
Yes, I believe the expression has to do with dancing with joy.
If I'm not mistaken, Nancy has more to add.
God bless you, Luus.
I agree with Gloria
My understanding is that this phrase means to dance in a delightful manner to watch, like watching Fred Astaire in an old movie. This has become more and more colloquial with time (it is an old phrase) coming more and more to mean having a wonderful time doing something like dancing. It is often used in a romantic sense like taking a date out on the town to wine and dine and dance.
Oh yes
I meant to add, that I think Luus' translation is a good one.
Dearest Luus,
Dearest Luus,
I am referring you to a previous conversation about this topic. I hope it helps clarify.
http://www.heavenletters.org/wanting-to-go-back-to-sleep-20522.html
Love,
Nancy
Dear Gloria, in this same
Dear Gloria,
in this same HL, "Life is about more than your creature comforts". Do you mean "life is about more than what your creature finds comforts in?" What is meant by "your creature"?
Context:
"If the weather is too cold for your liking, put on a sweater. And if it is too hot, take off your sweater. And if it is still too hot, then be hot until the weather cools of its own accord. Let life have its day.
Life is about more than your creature comforts. Life is much more than about you and your preferences. When life does not please you, change your interpretation of it.
And if there is no snow and you cannot ski, then engage in another sport."
Thanks
Hi! Creature comforts would
Hi! Creature comforts would be bodily comforts. How on earth would someone who was not born into the English language know what creature comforts meant. To me, born into English, I simply didn't think at all about how that expression would puzzle a translator.
Dear Gloria, in the last
Dear Gloria,
in the last paragraph of the same letter:
"If your suit of life is not always pressed, why, then, enjoy the wrinkles. You can love a pug dog as easily as you can love a poodle. It is not the surface of life that qualifies it."
Wouldn't be : "…why, then, NOT enjoy the wrinkles."
It could be what you
It could be what you suggest, beloved Normand, but it wasn't! I think I see what the difficulty is. It is the why. Why, in this instance, is not a question. It's more like the word well. "If your suit of life is not always pressed, well, then, enjoy the wrinkles." If in French it makes more sense the way you read it, then that's what to do. God bless you and all the translators. It's beautiful the love and energy translators engender.
It can be expressed as
It can be expressed as easily with why=well…well, when you know why!
Oui!
Oui!