Nostradamus Quatrains in the Tabloids

Translations of the original Nostradamus quatrains are highly contested, because the seer wrote in a highly symbolic, metaphoric, and even deliberately garbled language that mixed French, Latin, Hebrew, Greek and other dialects. Below are translations by Nijweide, also available on the alt.prophecy.nostradamus group page. Because of the difficulties of rendering Nostradamus' words into intelligible English, any scholar must first defend a translation, then an interpretation of the words. Scholarly discussions of Nostradamus always include reference to the original text.

The following passages, identified by Century and Quatrain, have been cited specifically in the tabloid press:
C1Q17
C1Q46
C1Q67
C1Q69
C2Q43
C2Q65
C2Q67
C2Q89
C9Q55
C9Q83
C10Q71
C10Q72
C10Q74

Century 1, Quatrain 17

Par quarante ans l'iris n'appairaitra XVII. Par quarante ans l'Iris n'apparoistra, Par quarante ans tous les iours sera veu: La terre aride en siccité croistra, Et grands deloges quand sera apperceu. For forty years the rainbow will not be seen. For forty years it will be seen every day. The dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen

Century 1, Quatrain 46

Tout apres d'Aux de Lestore & Mirande
Grand feu du ciel en trois nuicts tombera:
Cause aduiendra bien stupende & mirande,
Bien peu apres la terre tremblera.
 Very near Auch, Lectoure and Mirande
a great fire will fall from the sky for three nights.
The cause will appear both stupefying and marvellous;
shortly afterwards there will be an earthquake.
Sun (28 Jul 1998) quotes this as simply as Prophecy 46, and translates "a great misery, the sky on fire, a rain of blood, famine and disease." This quatrain is said to describe Armaggeddon, when the "meterological holocaust" is intensified because Americans have deserted God and his saints. Note: This may not be the right one, because it is only vaguely appropriate.
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Century 1, Quatrain 67

La grand famine que ie sens approcher,
Souuent tourner, puis estre vniuerselle,
Si grande & longue qu'on viendra arracher
Du bois racine, & l'enfant de mammelle.		 The great famine which I sense approaching
will often turn (in various areas) then become world wide.
It will be so vast and long lasting that (they) will grab
roots from the trees and children from the breast.
Stefan Paulus, according to Weekly World News (7 Jul 1998), uses this quatrain to describe the famine that will occur after the fall of the meteor in 1998 (according C10, Q72).

Century 1, Quatrain 69

La grand montagne ronde de sept stades,
Apres paix, guerre, faim, inodation,
Roulera loin abismant grands contrades,
Mesmes antiques, & grands fondation.		 The great mountain, seven stadia round,
after peace, war, famine, flooding.
It will spread far, drowning great countries,
even antiquities and their might foundations.

Stephan Paulus, reported in the Weekly World News (7 Jul 1998) translates: The great mountain round of seven stadia, Afterwards peace, war, famine, flood, It will roll far away sinking great countries, Even antiquities, and great foundation. Paulus interprets this as a meteor 7 stadia, or 4250 feet in diameter.

Century 2, Quatrain 43
Durant l'estoille cheuelue apparente,
Les trois grands princes seront faits ennemis:
Frappez du ciel paix terre tremulente,
Pau, Timbre vndans, serpent sur le bort mis.		 During the appearance of the bearded star.
The three great princes will be made enemies:
Struck from the sky, peace earth quaking,
Po, Tiber overflowing, serpent placed upon the shore.
Stephan Paulus' translation is excerpted in Weekly World News (7 Jul 1998). His complete text is "During the bearded star's appearance, The three great princes will be made enemies: Hit from the sky, peace earth trembling, Pau, Tiber overflowing, serpent on the brink placed."
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Century 2, Quatrain 47

L'ennemi grand vieil dueil meurt de poison,
Les souverains par infinis subiugues:
Pierres plouvoir, cachez soubs la toison,
Par mort articles en vain sont alleguez.
 The great old enemy mourning dies of poison,
The sovereigns subjugated in infinite numbers:
Stones raining, hidden under the fleece,
Through death articles are cited in vain.

Stephen Paulus (Weekly World News, 7 Jul 1998) translates: "The enemy great old mourning dies of poison, The sovereigns through infinites subjugated: Stones raining, hidden underneath the fleece, Through death articles in vain are cited." Back to Top

Century 2, Quatrain 65

Le pare enclin grande calamité,
Par l'Hesperie & Insubre fera:
Le feu en nef peste & captiuité,
Mercure en l'Arc Saturne fenera.
 The sloping park great calamity
To be done through Hesperia and Insubria:
The fire in the ship, plague and captivity,
Mercury in Sagittarius Saturn will fade.
Sun (28 Jul 1998) cites this simply as Prophecy 65, the famous "American Prophecy," and translate "Great calamity through America, and in Florida the fire. The fire is a pestilence, holding the land captive; This when Mercury is in Sagittarius and Saturn. Be warned."

The key interpretative act is to identify Insubria with Florida, rather than agreeing with previous translators that this meant "Lombardy in France." The reason offered by the Sun: "the computer using the present position of Mercury within the zodiac, tagged this as a completely erroneaous interpretation, a 400-year-old mistake. When you realize this quatrain is one of the seer's 30 or so Last Days prophecies, the reference to the florida conflagration becomes only too clear."

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The tabloid stops its quotation at a point that leaves the astrological meaning vague. The addition of "be warned" relatively harmless, but adds a sensational and cautionary note not in the original.

Century 2, Quatrain 75

La voix ouye de l'insolit oyseau,
Sur le canon du respiral estage:
Si haut viendra du froment le boisteau
Que l'homme d'homme sera Antropophage.
 The voice of the rare bird heard,
On the pipe of the air-vent floor:
So high will the bushel of wheat rise,
That man will be eating his fellow man.

Century 2, Quatrain 89

Vn iour seront demis les deux grands maistres,
Leur grand pouuoir se verra augmenté:
La terre neuue sera en ses hauts estres,
Au sanguinaire le nombre racompté.
 One day the two great masters will be friends,
Their great power will be seen increased:
The new land will be at its high peak,
To the bloody one the number recounted.
Sun (28 July 1998) translates: "Two great leaders will become friends; 'their powers will be seen to grow. The New Land will be at the height of her power. All things are known to the Man of Blood." Operation Prophecy interprets the two leaders as Clinton and the leader of China, the bloody one the Antichrist. Back to Top

Century 9, Quatrain 55

L'horrible guerre qu'en l'Occident s'appreste,
L'an ensuiuant viendra la pestilence
Si fort l'horrible que ieune, vieux, ne beste,
Sang, feu. Mercure, Mars, Iupiter en France.
 The horrible war which is being prepared in the West,
The following year will come the pestilence
So very horrible that young, old, nor beast,
Blood, fire Mercury, Mars, Jupiter in France.
The Sun (28 July 1998) offers this translation: "The holy prophecy comes true. A horrible war; Then will follow terrible pestilence. Neither young nor old nor animal, Will survive the blood and fire." Supposedly the Operation Prophecy computer has identified the "holy prophecy" with the Third Secret of Fatima, a connection often emphasized in the Sun. There is simply no basis for that translation in the original verse, and the Sun or its sources have simply inserted language into Nostradamus' text. Back to Top

Century 9, Quatrain 83

Sol vingt de Taurus si fort de terre trembler,
Le grand theatre remply ruinera:
L'air, ciel & terre obscurcir & troubler,
Lors l'infidelle Dieu & saincts voguera.
 Sun twentieth of Taurus the earth will tremble very mightily,
It will ruin the great theater filled:
To darken and trouble air, sky and land,
Then the infidel will call upon God and saints.
The Sun (28 July 1998) calls this the Earthquake Prophecy, Number 83, and give a similar translation: "When the sun is 20 degrees in Taurus, an earthquake; The great city full of people will be shattered. Darkness and trouble on land and sea. The people desert God and his saints." The Sun claims that this prophecy had been understood to represent the destruction of a crowded theatre in Paris, but offers a millennial interpretation having to do with the United States in later 1998, when a city along the California San Andreas fault will be destroyed. We can supposedly know the relevance of this date because "The sun will enter Taurus later this year, for the first time since 1986." In fact, the sun enters Taurus once a year, on its annual progress through the zodiac, so the Sun's explanation is simply unfounded.
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Century 10, Quatrain 74.

Au reuolu du grand nombre septiesme,
Apparoistra au temps ieux d'Hecatombe:
Non esloigné du grand aage milliesme,
Que les entrez sortiront de leur tombe.
 The year of the great seventh number accomplished,
It will appear at the time of the games of slaughter:
Not far from the great millennial age,
When the buried will go out from their tombs.
The Sun (7 July 1998) also interprets this quatrain as describing the vision of Armageddon, with its "games of slaughter, not far from the age of the great Millennium, when the dead will come out of their burial places."
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Century 10, Quatrain 71

La terre & lair geleront si grand eau,
Lors qu'on viendra pour Ieudy venerer:
Ce qui sera iamais ne fut si beau,
Des quatre parts le viendront honorer.		 The earth and air will freeze a very great sea,
When they will come to venerate Thursday:
That which will be never was it so fair,
From the four parts they will come to honor it.
In WWN 7 July 1998), Stefan Paulus suggests that this quatrain describes the aftermath of the fall of the giant meteor in C10, Q72.
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Century 10, Quatrain 72

L'an mil neuf cens nonante neuf sept mois,
Du ciel viendra vn grand Roy d'effrayeur:
Resusciter le grand Roy d'Angolmois,
Auant apres Mars regner par bon-heur.
 The year 1999, seventh month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror:
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.
This famous quatrain is getting a lot of press as we approach the year 1999. The Weekly World News (7 July 1998) featured Stephan Paulus's interpretation of the "king of terror" as a meteor, an opinion shared by others. Interpreting the celestial king as a church official, Peter Lemesurier offers a somewhat different interpretation on his FAQ page:
in July 1999 a possibly appeasing Pope will in some way stir up a leader with Mongol (or possibly Lombard) connections (some French observers prefer to take the word 'Angolmois' literally, and refer it to the former Francois I, who was duke of Angouleme), with the result that a previously-raging war will accidentally flare up again.
Almost every Nostradamus site will mention this quatrain.