Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 8

English → Fr CHAPTER II. Level 7/10

And whatever happened either in your country or in ours, or in any other region of which we are informed--if any action which is noble or great, or in any other way remarkable has taken place, all that has been written down of old, and is preserved in our temples;

Et quoi qu'il se soit passé soit dans votre pays soit dans le nôtre, ou dans toute autre région dont nous avons connaissance -- si quelque action noble ou grande, ou remarquable de quelque autre façon, a eu lieu, tout cela a été consigné par écrit depuis longtemps, et est conservé dans nos temples ;

whereas you and other nations are just being provided with letters and the other things which States require;

tandis que vous et les autres nations êtes tout juste en train de vous voir pourvus de l'écriture et des autres choses dont les États ont besoin ;

and then, at the usual period, the stream from heaven descends like a pestilence, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education;

et puis, à l'époque habituelle, le flot venu du ciel descend comme une pestilence, et ne laisse subsister parmi vous que ceux qui sont dépourvus d'écriture et d'instruction ;

and thus you have to begin all over again as children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.

et ainsi vous devez tout recommencer comme des enfants, et vous ne savez rien de ce qui s'est passé dans les temps anciens, ni parmi nous ni parmi vous-mêmes.

As for those genealogies of yours which you have recounted to us, Solon, they are no better than the tales of children;

Quant à ces généalogies que vous nous avez retracées, Solon, elles ne valent pas mieux que des contes d'enfants ;

for, in the first place, you remember one deluge only, whereas there were many of them;

car, en premier lieu, vous ne vous souvenez que d'un seul déluge, alors qu'il y en eut beaucoup ;

and, in the next place, you do not know that there dwelt in your land the fairest and noblest race of men which ever lived, of whom you and your whole city are but a seed or remnant.

et, en second lieu, vous ignorez que dans votre pays habitait la plus belle et la plus noble race d'hommes qui ait jamais existé, dont vous et toute votre cité n'êtes qu'une graine ou un vestige.

And this was unknown to you, because for many generations the survivors of that destruction died and made no sign.

Et cela vous était inconnu, parce que pendant de nombreuses générations les survivants de cette destruction moururent sans laisser de traces.

Vocabulary

quoi: Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'.
soit: Subjunctive form of 'être', meaning 'be' or 'whether'.
passé: Noun or adjective referring to the past or past events.
pays: Noun meaning 'country' or 'region'.
nôtre: Possessive pronoun meaning 'ours'.
région: Noun meaning 'region' or 'area' of a territory.
dont: Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'from which'.
connaissance: Noun meaning 'knowledge' or 'awareness' of something.
quelque: Adjective meaning 'some' or 'any' before a noun.
action: Noun meaning 'action' or 'deed' performed by someone.
noble: Adjective meaning 'noble', 'honorable', or 'distinguished'.
remarquable: Adjective meaning 'remarkable' or 'noteworthy' in quality.
façon: Noun meaning 'way', 'manner', or 'fashion' of doing.
lieu: Noun meaning 'place'; in 'avoir lieu', means 'to take place'.
cela: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'all that'.
consigné: Past participle meaning 'recorded', 'noted down', or 'logged'.
écrit: Noun or adjective meaning 'writing' or 'written' form.
depuis: Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time.
longtemps: Adverb meaning 'for a long time' or 'long ago'.
conservé: Past participle meaning 'preserved' or 'kept safe'.
temples: Noun meaning 'temples', sacred buildings of worship.
tandis: Used in 'tandis que', meaning 'while' or 'whereas'.
nations: Noun meaning 'nations' or 'peoples' of the world.
juste: Adjective or adverb meaning 'just', 'only', or 'fair'.
train: Used in 'en train de', meaning 'in the process of'.
voir: Infinitive verb meaning 'to see' or 'to observe'.
pourvus: Adjective meaning 'provided with' or 'equipped with' something.
écriture: Noun meaning 'writing' or 'script' as a system.
États: Noun meaning 'states' or 'nations' as political entities.
besoin: Noun meaning 'need'; 'avoir besoin de' means 'to need'.
puis: Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next' in a sequence.
époque: Noun meaning 'era', 'epoch', or 'period' of time.
habituelle: Adjective meaning 'usual', 'habitual', or 'customary' (feminine).
flot: Noun meaning 'flood', 'flow', or 'stream' of liquid.
ciel: Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven' above the earth.
descend: Third-person singular present of 'descendre', meaning 'descends'.
pestilence: Noun meaning 'pestilence' or deadly epidemic disease.
laisse: Third-person singular of 'laisser', meaning 'leaves' or 'lets'.
subsister: Infinitive meaning 'to subsist', 'to survive', or 'to remain'.
parmi: Preposition meaning 'among' or 'amongst' a group.
ceux: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'the ones' (masculine).
dépourvus: Adjective meaning 'devoid of', 'lacking', or 'deprived of'.
instruction: Noun meaning 'instruction', 'education', or 'learning'.
ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
recommencer: Infinitive meaning 'to start over' or 'to begin again'.
rien: Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'anything' in negative contexts.
temps: Noun meaning 'time', 'weather', or 'era'.
anciens: Adjective meaning 'ancient', 'old', or 'former' (masculine plural).
ni: Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither' in negative constructions.
vous-mêmes: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'yourselves', emphasizing the subject.
Quant: Used in 'quant à', meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'.
généalogies: Noun meaning 'genealogies' or family lineage records.
retracées: Past participle meaning 'retraced' or 'recounted' (feminine plural).
valent: Third-person plural of 'valoir', meaning 'are worth'.
mieux: Adverb meaning 'better', comparative form of 'bien'.
contes: Noun meaning 'tales', 'stories', or 'fairy tales'.
car: Conjunction meaning 'for', 'because', or 'since'.
souvenez: Part of 'se souvenir', meaning 'remember' (second-person plural).
seul: Adjective meaning 'alone', 'only', or 'single'.
déluge: Noun meaning 'deluge', 'great flood', or 'torrent'.
alors: Adverb meaning 'then', 'at that time', or 'so'.
y: Pronoun meaning 'there' or replacing a previously mentioned place.
eut: Third-person singular simple past of 'avoir', meaning 'had'.
second: Adjective meaning 'second' in a series of two things.
ignorez: Second-person plural of 'ignorer', meaning 'are unaware of'.
habitait: Third-person singular imperfect of 'habiter', meaning 'lived' or 'inhabited'.
race: Noun meaning 'race', 'breed', or 'kind' of beings.
ait: Third-person singular present subjunctive of 'avoir', meaning 'has'.
jamais: Adverb meaning 'ever' or 'never' depending on context.
existé: Past participle of 'exister', meaning 'existed' or 'lived'.
cité: Noun meaning 'city' or 'city-state' in ancient context.
graine: Noun meaning 'seed' or 'grain' of a plant.
vestige: Noun meaning 'vestige', 'trace', or 'remnant' of something.
inconnu: Adjective meaning 'unknown' or 'unfamiliar' to someone.
pendant: Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a period of time.
nombreuses: Adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many' (feminine plural form).
générations: Noun meaning 'generations' of people across time.
survivants: Noun meaning 'survivors', those who outlived a disaster.
destruction: Noun meaning 'destruction' or 'ruin' of something.
moururent: Third-person plural simple past of 'mourir', meaning 'died'.
sans: Preposition meaning 'without' someone or something.
laisser: Infinitive meaning 'to leave' or 'to let' something remain.
traces: Noun meaning 'traces', 'marks', or 'signs' left behind.

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