Letter 034 — XXXIV
Original French
Ostende, le 14 août1804.
Mon amie, je n’ai pas reçu de tes nouvelles depuis plusieurs jours; cependant j’aurais été fort aise d’être instruit du bon effet des eaux et de la manière dont tu passes ton temps. Je suis depuis huit jours à Ostende. Je serai après-demain à Boulogne pour une fête assez brillante. Instruis-moi, par le courrier, de ce que tu comptes faire, et de l’époque où tu dois terminer tes bains. Je suis très satisfait de l’armée et des flottilles. Eugène est toujours à Blois. Je n’entends pas plus parler d’Hortense que si elle était au Congo. Je lui écris pour la gronder. Mille choses aimables pour tous.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean English translated from the French of the 172 Napoleon letters selected from Tancrède Martel, ed., Œuvres littéraires de Napoléon Bonaparte, tome 1 (Albert Savine, Paris, 1888). French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The transcription is CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; this adapted text and translations are shared under the same license. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes; selected transcription repairs were checked against print images.
Ostend, August 14, 1804.
My friend, I have had no news of you for several days; yet I would have been very glad to learn of the good effect of the waters and how you spend your time. I have been in Ostend for eight days. The day after tomorrow I shall be at Boulogne for a rather splendid celebration. Tell me by courier what you intend to do and when you are to finish your baths. I am very satisfied with the army and the flotillas. Eugène is still at Blois. I hear no more of Hortense than if she were in the Congo. I am writing to scold her. Many kind regards to everyone.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation from the 1888 Martel French edition, not a historical English translation. French Wikisource contributors supplied the scan-backed transcription: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:Bonaparte_-_Œuvres_littéraires,_tome_1,_1888.djvu (page histories credit contributors). The adapted transcription and translation are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Extraction removes markup and editorial notes and makes documented transcription repairs. French-source model review is not human specialist certification or a complete scan collation.
Ostend, August 14, 1804.
My dear, I have had no news from you for several days, although I would have been very glad to hear how the waters were helping you and how you spend your time. I have spent eight days here in Ostend; the day after tomorrow I shall attend a fairly splendid celebration at Boulogne. Let me know by courier what you plan to do and when your baths will end. I am very pleased with the army and the flotillas. Eugène is still in Blois. I hear as little about Hortense as though she were in the Congo; I am writing to tell her off. Kind regards to everyone.
About this section
Letter 034 — XXXIV is part of Letters to Josephine by Napoléon Bonaparte. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 34 of 172 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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