At the beginning of chapter 22 of George Eliot's "Middlemarch," there
is an epigraph which is a quotation from Alfred de Musset.  What does
it mean in English?

gusbastien --

In my edition of Middlemarch, the following translation of the de
Musset poem is given in a footnote:

"We talked for a long time; she was simple and kind.
Knowing no evil, she did only good:
She gave me alms from the riches of her heart,
And listening intently as she poured out her heart,
Scarcely daring to think, I gave her mine;
Thus she carried off my life, and never even knew it."

"Une Bonne Fortune," by Alfred de Musset (1834).


Source:

"Middlemarch," by George Eliot, fn 104, p. 844 (Penguin Books,1994)



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markj-ga

This is the literal translation. 

Nous causames longtemps; elle etait simple et bonne.
Ne sachant pas le mal, elle faisait le bien;
Des richesses du coeur elle me fit l'aumone,
Et tout en ecoutant comme le coeur se donne,
Sans oser y penser je lui donnai le mien;
Elle emporta ma vie, et n'en sut jamais rien.

We causames a long time;  it was simple and good. 
Not knowing the evil, it made the good; 
Richnesses of the heart it made me alms, 
And while listening as the heart is given, 
Without daring to think of it I gave him mine;  
It carried my life, and never nothing knew any.

Please let me know if this answers your question.

Best regards,
Rainbow

gusbastien --

Thanks for the rating and the tip.

markj-ga