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Scene 1 · Intermediate
Le miroir du méchant magicien
The wicked magician's mirror
French
Écoutons : notre histoire commence, et sa fin nous en apprendra davantage. Il était une fois un magicien d’une méchanceté extrême, ravi de sa dernière invention. Son miroir réduisait à presque rien tout ce qui était beau et bon ; à l’inverse, il rendait les choses laides ou inutiles dix fois pires.
English translation
Listen: our story is beginning, and its ending will teach us more. Once upon a time, there was an extremely wicked magician, delighted with his latest invention. His mirror reduced everything beautiful and good to almost nothing; by contrast, it made ugly or useless things ten times worse.
French
Les plus beaux paysages y ressemblaient à des épinards cuits, les visages étaient déformés jusqu’à devenir méconnaissables. Une tache de rousseur envahissait le nez et la bouche ; une pensée pieuse faisait apparaître une ride. Le magicien en ricanait de plaisir. Ses élèves répandaient la nouvelle : grâce à ce miroir, affirmaient-ils, on voyait enfin le monde tel qu’il était réellement.
English translation
The most beautiful landscapes looked like cooked spinach, and faces were distorted until they were unrecognizable. A freckle spread across a nose and mouth; a pious thought brought out a wrinkle. The magician would chuckle with delight. His students spread the news: thanks to this mirror, they claimed, people could finally see the world as it really was.
Continue with La Reine des neiges
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