Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — Page 1
We went tiptoeing along a path amongst the trees back towards the end of the widow's garden, stooping down so as the branches wouldn't scrape our heads.
Nous avancions à pas de loup sur un sentier parmi les arbres en direction du fond du jardin de la veuve, courbés pour que les branches ne nous égratignent pas la tête.
When we was passing by the kitchen I fell over a root and made a noise.
Quand nous passions près de la cuisine, je trébuchai sur une racine et fis du bruit.
We scrouched down and laid still.
Nous nous accroupîmes et restâmes immobiles.
Miss Watson's big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him.
Le grand nègre de Miss Watson, qui s'appelait Jim, était assis sur le pas de la porte de la cuisine ; nous pouvions le voir assez nettement, car il y avait de la lumière derrière lui.
He got up and stretched his neck out about a minute, listening.
Il se leva et tendit le cou pendant environ une minute, à l'écoute.
Then he says:
Puis il dit :
"Who dah?"
« Qui est là ? »
He listened some more; then he come tiptoeing down and stood right between us; we could a touched him, nearly.
Il écouta encore ; puis il descendit à pas de loup et se plaça juste entre nous ; nous aurions presque pu le toucher.
Well, likely it was minutes and minutes that there warn't a sound, and we all there so close together.
Eh bien, il y eut sans doute de longues minutes sans le moindre bruit, tous là si proches les uns des autres.
There was a place on my ankle that got to itching, but I dasn't scratch it; and then my ear begun to itch; and next my back, right between my shoulders.
Il y avait un endroit sur ma cheville qui s'était mis à démanger, mais je n'osais pas me gratter ; puis mon oreille commença à démanger ; et ensuite mon dos, juste entre les épaules.
Seemed like I'd die if I couldn't scratch.
J'avais l'impression que j'allais mourir si je ne pouvais pas me gratter.
Well, I've noticed that thing plenty times since.
Eh bien, j'ai remarqué cette chose bien des fois depuis.
If you are with the quality, or at a funeral, or trying to go to sleep when you ain't sleepy—if you are anywheres where it won't do for you to scratch, why you will itch all over in upwards of a thousand places.
Si vous êtes en bonne compagnie, ou à des funérailles, ou que vous essayez de vous endormir sans avoir sommeil — si vous vous trouvez en quelque lieu que ce soit où il ne convient pas de se gratter, eh bien vous aurez des démangeaisons partout, dans plus de mille endroits.
Pretty soon Jim says:
Bientôt Jim dit :
"Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn' hear sumf'n.
« Dis donc, qui c'est vous ? Où c'est vous ? Que le diable m'emporte si j'ai pas entendu quelque chose.
Vocabulary
- Nous
- We; first-person plural pronoun.
- avancions
- We were advancing; imperfect tense of avancer.
- pas
- Steps; not (negation); footsteps.
- de
- Of; from; about; preposition indicating possession.
- loup
- Wolf; a wild canine animal.
- sur
- On; upon; over; preposition of position.
- un
- A; an; one; indefinite article.
- sentier
- Path; trail; narrow way through countryside.
- parmi
- Among; amidst; in the middle of.
- les
- The; definite article for plural nouns.
- arbres
- Trees; plural of arbre, woody plants.
- en
- In; into; preposition indicating location or direction.
- direction
- Direction; the course toward which something moves.
- du
- Of the; from the; contraction of de+le.
- fond
- Bottom; back; rear part of something.
- jardin
- Garden; cultivated area with plants and flowers.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- veuve
- Widow; woman whose husband has died.
- courbés
- Bent; curved; past participle of courber.
- pour
- For; in order to; preposition of purpose.
- que
- That; which; what; relative or conjunctive pronoun.
- branches
- Branches; plural of branche, tree limbs.
- ne
- Not; negative particle used in negation.
- égratignent
- Scratch; present tense third-person plural of égratigner.
- tête
- Head; upper part of human body.
- Quand
- When; at what time; conjunction.
- passions
- We were passing; imperfect tense of passer.
- près
- Near; close to; at hand.
- cuisine
- Kitchen; room where food is prepared.
- je
- I; first-person singular pronoun.
- trébuchai
- I stumbled; past tense of trébucher.
- racine
- Root; part of plant underground.
- et
- And; conjunction linking words or clauses.
- fis
- Made; did; past tense of faire.
- bruit
- Noise; sound; disturbance of silence.
- accroupîmes
- We crouched; past tense of accroupir.
- restâmes
- We remained; past tense of rester.
- immobiles
- Motionless; still; not moving.
- Le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- grand
- Great; large; tall; adjective of size.
- Miss
- Miss; English title for unmarried woman.
- qui
- Who; which; relative pronoun.
- appelait
- Called; was calling; imperfect of appeler.
- était
- Was; imperfect tense of être.
- assis
- Seated; sitting; past participle of asseoir.
- le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- porte
- Door; opening in wall of building.
- pouvions
- We could; imperfect of pouvoir.
- voir
- See; perceive with eyes; infinitive.
- assez
- Enough; sufficiently; rather; adequately.
- nettement
- Clearly; distinctly; sharply; in clear manner.
- car
- Because; for; conjunction of cause.
- il
- He; it; third-person masculine singular pronoun.
- avait
- Had; imperfect tense of avoir.
- lumière
- Light; illumination; radiant energy.
- derrière
- Behind; at the back of.
- lui
- Him; to him; indirect object pronoun.
- Il
- He; masculine singular subject pronoun.
- se
- Himself; reflexive pronoun; oneself.
- leva
- Rose; got up; past tense of lever.
- tendit
- Stretched; extended; past tense of tendre.
- cou
- Neck; part connecting head to body.
- pendant
- During; for; hanging; preposition of time.
- environ
- About; approximately; roughly; adverb of quantity.
- minute
- Minute; sixty seconds; unit of time.
- écoute
- Listening; listens; present of écouter.
- Puis
- Then; next; afterwards; adverb of sequence.
- dit
- Said; tells; past tense of dire.
- Qui
- Who; which person; interrogative pronoun.
- est
- Is; third-person singular of être.
- là
- There; in that place; adverb.
- écouta
- Listened; past tense of écouter.
- encore
- Again; still; yet; another time.
- descendit
- Descended; went down; past tense of descendre.
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