Glossary entry

Portuguese term or phrase:

qual princesa (in this context)

English translation:

as a princess

Added to glossary by lexical
Aug 16, 2009 13:46
14 yrs ago
Portuguese term

qual princesa (in this context)

Portuguese to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
This is part of a line from the poem "Camoes e D. Branca" by Almeida Garrett. My problem is that I'm not sure I'm interpreting "qual" correctly in this context.

Here's the whole extract:
"Em tôda a pompa e luxo de suas galas
Sintra, a formosa Sintra se amostrava
Ao monarca das luzes - **qual princesa**
Do Oriente ao régio noivo se apresenta,
Voluptuosos perfumes exalando
Das longas sêdas com que brinca o zéfiro."

Which I am rendering so far as:
"In all the pomp and luxury of her formal dress
Sintra, comely Sintra, displays herself
To the monarch of the lights – which princess
From the East displays herself to the royal bridegroom,
..."

In other words, "which princess from the East" is equivalent to "who".
Opinions - and suggestions for making "which princess" less clumsy - would be gratefully received.

Discussion

Adriana Maciel Aug 18, 2009:
It can't be "as"... it is a comparison!!!
delveneto Aug 17, 2009:
Oh, that is not a minor misunderstanding, it is a big one :-).
So, Sintra is actually the city where the famous Castelo de Sintra is? How didn't i think of that? :-)

Nesse caso, penso que "like" é mais adequado que "as". "Qual" está funcionando como a palavra "como". A cidade se apresentava ao monarca das luzes da mesma forma que uma princesa do oriente ao régio noivo se apresenta.... etc. ou "como uma princesa do oriente...".

"As" não seria incorreto, a meu ver, mas eu optaria por "like" ou algum outro tipo de construção tipo "... the same way...", etc.
lexical (asker) Aug 17, 2009:
Just to clear up a minor misunderstanding that seems to have crept in, Sintra is not a person, it's a famous hilltop town in Portugal not far from Lisbon. So it can be compared to a princess but cannot be one (except metaphorically).
lexical (asker) Aug 16, 2009:
You're quite right, and in fact I changed it earlier.
kashew Aug 16, 2009:
A gentle suggestion. Try to avoid "displays" twice: there are two different verbs in the source.

Proposed translations

+5
3 mins
Selected

as a princess

My guess.

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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2009-08-17 17:22:53 GMT) Post-grading
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You're welcome, lexical.
Thank you, too.
Peer comment(s):

agree Thais Castanheira : acho que soa mais de acordo com o texto, mais poético :)
11 mins
Obrigado, Thais.
agree Silvia Aquino
23 mins
Obrigado, Silvia.
agree Vitals
7 hrs
Thank you, Vitals.
agree Evans (X) : it is "as" in the sense of "in the same way as". Suggesting Sintra displays itself much as a princess would... so it is not really that the town is being compared directly to the princess, i.e. that it is like a princess.
18 hrs
Grato Gilla.
agree axies : qual e tal, therefore ''as''
22 hrs
Obrigado, Manuel. Ou "tal como".
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I think "as" is the best solution in the context, as Gilla explains. Thanks for your help and interest."
+4
4 mins

like a princess

"qual" in this context does not mean "which" - it is a comparison
Note from asker:
Thank you for filling a lamentable hole in my knowledge, Adriana.
Peer comment(s):

agree Marlene Curtis
1 hr
Obrigada
agree Katarina Peters
1 hr
Obrigada
neutral kashew : Is she a princess or not?
3 hrs
I don't think so. I believe she's being compared to one.
agree Vitals
7 hrs
Obrigada
agree José Crespo : no doubt
21 hrs
Something went wrong...
22 hrs

what a princess

Another option maybe?

Something went wrong...
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