A Tale of Two Cities — Page 6
At first, he slept heavily, but, by degrees, began to roll and surge in bed, until he rose above the surface, with his spiky hair looking as if it must tear the sheets to ribbons.
D'abord, il dormit profondément, mais, peu à peu, commença à se retourner et à s'agiter dans son lit, jusqu'à ce qu'il émergeât à la surface, ses cheveux hérissés ayant l'air de devoir mettre les draps en lambeaux.
At which juncture, he exclaimed, in a voice of dire exasperation:
Sur quoi, il s'écria, d'une voix d'exaspération terrible :
"Bust me, if she ain't at it agin!"
« Que je sois pendu, si elle ne recommence pas ! »
A woman of orderly and industrious appearance rose from her knees in a corner, with sufficient haste and trepidation to show that she was the person referred to.
Une femme d'apparence ordonnée et laborieuse se releva des genoux dans un coin, avec assez de hâte et de trouble pour montrer qu'elle était la personne en question.
"What!" said Mr. Cruncher, looking out of bed for a boot. "You're at it agin, are you?"
« Quoi ! » dit M. Cruncher, cherchant une botte du regard depuis son lit. « Tu recommences, hein ? »
After hailing the morn with this second salutation, he threw a boot at the woman as a third.
Après avoir salué le matin avec cette deuxième apostrophe, il lança une botte à la femme en guise de troisième.
It was a very muddy boot, and may introduce the odd circumstance connected with Mr. Cruncher's domestic economy, that, whereas he often came home after banking hours with clean boots, he often got up next morning to find the same boots covered with clay.
C'était une botte très boueuse, et cela peut introduire la curieuse circonstance liée à l'économie domestique de M. Cruncher, à savoir que, s'il rentrait souvent chez lui après les heures de banque avec des bottes propres, il se levait souvent le lendemain matin pour trouver ces mêmes bottes couvertes d'argile.
"What," said Mr. Cruncher, varying his apostrophe after missing his mark--"what are you up to, Aggerawayter?"
« Que, » dit M. Cruncher, variant son apostrophe après avoir manqué sa cible, « que fabriques-tu, Exaspératrice ? »
"I was only saying my prayers."
« Je ne faisais que dire mes prières. »
"Saying your prayers! You're a nice woman! What do you mean by flopping yourself down and praying agin me?"
« Dire tes prières ! Tu es une belle femme ! Qu'est-ce que tu veux dire en te prosternant ainsi et en priant contre moi ? »
"I was not praying against you; I was praying for you."
« Je ne priais pas contre toi ; je priais pour toi. »
"You weren't. And if you were, I won't be took the liberty with. Here! your mother's a nice woman, young Jerry, going a praying agin your father's prosperity.
« C'est faux. Et quand bien même, je ne veux pas qu'on se permette cette liberté avec moi. Tiens ! elle est belle, ta mère, jeune Jerry, d'aller prier contre la prospérité de ton père.
Vocabulary
- abord
- abor — First, initially; used in 'd'abord' meaning 'first of all'
- dormit
- dormi — Past historic of 'dormir'; he slept
- profondément
- profondémɑ̃ — Deeply, soundly; describes depth of sleep or thought
- commença
- koɱɑ̃sa — Past historic of 'commencer'; he/she began
- retourner
- rəturne — To turn over, to return, to flip around
- agiter
- aʒite — To agitate, to stir, to move restlessly
- émergeât
- emerʒea — Imperfect subjunctive of 'émerger'; that it might emerge
- surface
- syrfas — Surface, top layer; the outer face of something
- cheveux
- ʃəvø — Hair (plural); strands of hair on the head
- hérissés
- erise — Bristling, standing on end; said of hair or fur
- ayant
- ejɑ̃ — Present participle of 'avoir'; having
- air
- ɛr — Air, appearance, look; to have the air of something
- devoir
- dəvwar — To have to, must; expresses obligation or likelihood
- mettre
- mɛtr — To put, to place, to set something somewhere
- draps
- dra — Sheets; bed linen used for covering a mattress
- lambeaux
- lɑ̃bo — Rags, shreds, tatters; torn pieces of fabric
- écria
- ekria — Past historic of 's'écrier'; he/she cried out
- voix
- vwa — Voice; the sound produced when speaking or singing
- exaspération
- egzasperasjɔ̃ — Exasperation; intense irritation or frustration
- terrible
- tɛribl — Terrible, dreadful; causing fear or extreme unpleasantness
- sois
- swa — Subjunctive of 'être'; that I be
- pendu
- pɑ̃dy — Hanged, hung; past participle of 'pendre'
- recommence
- rəkoɱɑ̃s — Starts again, begins anew; third person singular present
- apparence
- aparɑ̃s — Appearance, look; the way someone or something looks
- ordonnée
- ordone — Orderly, tidy, neat; well-organized in appearance
- laborieuse
- laborjøz — Hardworking, industrious; diligent in one's work
- releva
- rəlva — Past historic of 'relever'; she lifted or raised up
- genoux
- ʒənu — Knees; joints connecting the thigh and lower leg
- coin
- kwɛ̃ — Corner, nook; angle or hidden part of a space
- assez
- ase — Enough, quite, rather; indicates sufficient degree
- hâte
- ɑt — Haste, hurry; doing something quickly or urgently
- trouble
- trubl — Disturbance, trouble, confusion; state of disorder
- montrer
- mɔ̃tre — To show, to demonstrate; to make something visible
- cherchant
- ʃɛrʃɑ̃ — Present participle of 'chercher'; searching, looking for
- botte
- bɔt — Boot; sturdy footwear covering the foot and leg
- regard
- rəgar — Gaze, look; the act of looking or one's glance
- depuis
- dəpɥi — Since, from; indicates a starting point in time
- recommences
- rəkoɱɑ̃s — You start again; second person singular present tense
- hein
- ɛ̃ — Huh, eh; informal interjection seeking confirmation
- salué
- salɥe — Greeted, saluted; past participle of 'saluer'
- deuxième
- døzjɛm — Second; ordinal number indicating second in a sequence
- apostrophe
- apɔstrɔf — Apostrophe; direct address or punctuation mark
- lança
- lɑ̃sa — Past historic of 'lancer'; he/she launched or threw
- guise
- giz — Guise, manner; used in 'en guise de' meaning 'as a'
- troisième
- trwazjɛm — Third; ordinal number indicating third in a sequence
- boueuse
- buøz — Muddy; covered with or full of mud
- introduire
- ɛ̃trɔdɥir — To introduce, to bring in; to present something new
- curieuse
- kyrjøz — Curious, strange; interesting or unusual (feminine form)
- circonstance
- sirkɔ̃stɑ̃s — Circumstance; a fact or condition surrounding an event
- liée
- lje — Linked, connected, tied; related to something else
- économie
- ekonomi — Economy; management of household or financial resources
- domestique
- dɔmɛstik — Domestic; relating to the home or household
- savoir
- savwar — To know; to have knowledge or be aware of something
- rentrait
- rɑ̃trɛ — Imperfect of 'rentrer'; used to come home, returned
- souvent
- suvɑ̃ — Often, frequently; happening many times
- chez
- ʃe — At the home of; preposition indicating someone's place
- banque
- bɑ̃k — Bank; financial institution for managing money
- bottes
- bɔt — Boots (plural); sturdy footwear covering foot and leg
- propres
- prɔpr — Clean, own; free from dirt or belonging to oneself
- levait
- ləvɛ — Imperfect of 'se lever'; used to get up, would rise
- lendemain
- lɑ̃dmɛ̃ — The next day, the day after; following morning
- trouver
- truve — To find; to discover or encounter something
- mêmes
- mɛm — Same; identical or very; used for emphasis
- couvertes
- kuvɛrt — Covered (feminine plural); having a surface layer of
- argile
- arʒil — Clay; a fine-grained earth used in pottery or mud
- variant
- varjɑ̃ — Varying; present participle indicating change or difference
- manqué
- mɑ̃ke — Missed, failed; past participle of 'manquer'
- cible
- sibl — Target; an object or goal aimed at
- fabriques
- fabrik — Factories, makes; workshops or second person singular present
- Exaspératrice
- egzasperatris — She who exasperates; feminine noun for a maddening person
- faisais
- fəzɛ — Imperfect of 'faire'; I was doing, I used to do
- prières
- prijɛr — Prayers; spoken appeals or petitions to a deity
- belle
- bɛl — Beautiful, fine; feminine form of 'beau'
- prosternant
- prɔstɛrnɑ̃ — Prostrating; bowing down low in submission or worship
- ainsi
- ɛ̃si — Thus, so, in this way; adverb indicating manner
- priant
- prijɑ̃ — Praying; present participle of 'prier'
- contre
- kɔ̃tr — Against; preposition indicating opposition or contact
- priais
- prijɛ — Imperfect of 'prier'; I was praying, I used to pray
- faux
- fo — False, fake, wrong; not genuine or incorrect
- même
- mɛm — Even, same; used for emphasis or indicating identity
- permette
- pɛrmɛt — Subjunctive of 'permettre'; that one allow or permit
- liberté
- libɛrte — Liberty, freedom; the state of being free
- Tiens
- tjɛ̃ — Here, hold on; interjection expressing surprise or offering
- prier
- prije — To pray; to address a deity or make a request
- prospérité
- prɔsperite — Prosperity; the state of being successful or wealthy
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