TR1. 449 Fŏr áy thĕ nér thĕ fír, thĕ hóttĕr ís --
TR1. 450 Thĭs, trówe Ĭ, knówĕth ál thĭs cómpăignýĕ;
TR1. 451 Bŭt wére hĕ fér ŏr nér, Ĭ dár sĕy thís:
TR1. 452 By̆ nýght ŏr dáy, fŏr wísdŏm ór fŏlýĕ,
TR1. 453 Hĭs hértĕ, whích thăt ís hĭs bréstĕz ýĕ,
TR1. 454 Wăs áy ŏn híre, thăt fáirĕr wás tŏ sénĕ
TR1. 455 Thăn éverĕ wére Ĕléyne ŏr Pólĭxénĕ.

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translations (Windeatt: 1998): For always, the nearer the fire, the hotter it is—this whole company knows that, I believe—but whether he were near or far, I dare say this: by night or day, for wisdom or folly, his heart (which is the eye of his breast) was always set upon her, who was more beautiful to see than Helen or Polyxena ever were.
• Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 常に火に近づけば近づくほど、熱くなる、この理屈をここにお集まりの皆さん方はご存じだと思います。しかしあえて申し上げる、彼には遠い近いなど関係なかった。賢いためか愚かなためか分からないが、昼も夜も、胸の目たる彼の心は、ヘレネーやポリュクセネよりも、はるかに見目麗しい彼女に占められたのである。
• Chinese translations (Fang: 1956):
• 离火越近，哪有不更觉得灼热之理。但我敢说，无论远近，不管昼夜，是智是愚，他心目中老是追寻着她，任凭你是海伦也好，是璞丽生妮也好，在他看去，总比不上她那样美丽。

Word Information

• Etymology: OE
• Addresser: Narrator
• Addressee: N/A
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): 1.42
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: human beings
• Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: Not quoted
• MED: 1. (c) in proverbs (s.v. nẹ̄̆r(re,adj.)

• Commented in other previous works:
• Windeatt (2003: 23): ner: nearer
• Fisher (1989): N/A
• Benson (1987): N/A
• Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
• Donaldson (1975): N/A
• Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

nearer (in space)

Comments from the Editor

See my comment of ‘fair’ (adj., Tr1.454).