A Tale of Two Cities — Page 2

English → Fr CHAPTER II. Level 8/10

Whenever the leader made this rattle, the passenger started, as a nervous passenger might, and was disturbed in mind.

Chaque fois que le meneur produisait ce bruit de ferraille, le voyageur tressaillait, comme peut le faire un voyageur nerveux, et son esprit était troublé.

There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none.

Il y avait une brume fumante dans tous les creux, et elle avait erré dans sa désolation jusqu'au sommet de la colline, comme un esprit malin, cherchant le repos sans en trouver.

A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do.

Une brume humide et intensément froide, elle se frayait lentement un chemin dans l'air en ondulations qui se suivaient et se recouvraient visiblement les unes les autres, comme pourraient le faire les vagues d'une mer malsaine.

It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all.

Elle était assez épaisse pour tout dérober à la lumière des lanternes de la diligence, à l'exception de ses propres mouvements et de quelques mètres de route ; et l'odeur âcre des chevaux qui peinaient s'y répandait en vapeur, comme s'ils en avaient été les seuls artisans.

Two other passengers, besides the one, were plodding up the hill by the side of the mail.

Deux autres voyageurs, outre celui-là, gravissaient péniblement la colline aux côtés de la malle-poste.

All three were wrapped to the cheekbones and over the ears, and wore jack-boots.

Tous trois étaient enveloppés jusqu'aux pommettes et par-dessus les oreilles, et portaient des bottes à revers.

Not one of the three could have said, from anything he saw, what either of the other two was like; and each was hidden under almost as many wrappers from the eyes of the mind, as from the eyes of the body, of his two companions.

Aucun des trois n'aurait pu dire, d'après ce qu'il voyait, à quoi ressemblait l'un ou l'autre des deux autres ; et chacun était dissimulé sous presque autant d'enveloppes aux yeux de l'esprit qu'aux yeux du corps de ses deux compagnons.

In those days, travellers were very shy of being confidential on a short notice, for anybody on the road might be a robber or in league with robbers.

En ce temps-là, les voyageurs se gardaient bien de se confier à quelqu'un à brève échéance, car n'importe qui sur la route pouvait être un brigand ou de connivence avec des brigands.

Vocabulary

Chaque: Each; every one without exception.
fois: Time; occasion or instance of something.
que: That; which; relative or subordinating conjunction.
le: The; definite article for masculine singular.
meneur: Leader; person who leads or drives.
produisait: Produced; made or created something.
ce: This; that; demonstrative determiner or pronoun.
bruit: Noise; sound or loud disturbance.
de: Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
voyageur: Traveler; person who travels or journeys.
comme: Like; as; used for comparison or manner.
peut: Can; is able to; third person present.
faire: Make; do; perform an action or create.
un: A; an; indefinite article for masculine.
nerveux: Nervous; anxious or easily agitated person.
et: And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
son: His; her; its; possessive adjective.
esprit: Mind; spirit; intellectual or mental capacity.
était: Was; past tense of être third person.
troublé: Troubled; disturbed or confused mentally.
Il: He; it; masculine singular subject pronoun.
avait: Had; past tense of avoir third person.
une: A; an; indefinite article feminine singular.
dans: In; inside; within a place or time.
tous: All; every; complete or entire group.
les: The; definite article plural masculine feminine.
elle: She; it; feminine singular subject pronoun.
sa: His; her; its; possessive adjective feminine.
jusqu: Until; up to; preposition of extent.
au: To the; at the; contraction.
sommet: Summit; peak; top of mountain.
la: The; definite article feminine singular.
colline: Hill; small mountain or elevated ground.
cherchant: Seeking; searching for or looking for.
repos: Rest; sleep; relaxation or peace.
sans: Without; lacking; in absence of something.
en: In; on; preposition or object pronoun.
trouver: Find; locate or discover something.
Une: A; an; indefinite article feminine singular.
humide: Humid; damp; containing moisture or wetness.
froide: Cold; cool; low in temperature or unfriendly.
se: Self; oneself; reflexive pronoun in French.
lentement: Slowly; in slow manner or speed.
chemin: Road; path; way or route.
air: Air; atmosphere; appearance or manner.
qui: Who; which; relative pronoun in French.
suivaient: Followed; came after or accompanied something.
recouvraient: Covered; concealed or hid something completely.
visiblement: Visibly; clearly; in obvious or apparent manner.
autres: Others; different ones; other people or things.
pourraient: Could; might; conditional of pouvoir verb.
vagues: Waves; vague; unclear or indefinite things.
mer: Sea; ocean; body of salt water.
Elle: She; it; feminine singular subject pronoun.
assez: Enough; quite; sufficient or rather.
épaisse: Thick; dense; having great depth or width.
pour: For; in order to; preposition of purpose.
tout: All; everything; whole or complete thing.
lumière: Light; illumination; brightness or daylight.
exception: Exception; exclusion; case not included.
ses: His; her; its; possessive adjective plural.
propres: Own; proper; clean or characteristic of.
mouvements: Movements; motions; physical actions or changes.

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