Beyond Good and Evil — Page 1

English → Fr CHAPTER I. PREJUDICES OF PHILOSOPHERS Level 9/10

The Will to Truth, which is to tempt us to many a hazardous enterprise, the famous Truthfulness of which all philosophers have hitherto spoken with respect, what questions has this Will to Truth not laid before us!

La Volonté de Vérité, qui doit nous tenter vers bien des entreprises hasardeuses, cette fameuse Véracité dont tous les philosophes ont jusqu'ici parlé avec respect, que de questions cette Volonté de Vérité ne nous a-t-elle pas posées !

What strange, perplexing, questionable questions!

Quelles étranges, déconcertantes et douteuses questions !

It is already a long story; yet it seems as if it were hardly commenced.

C'est déjà une longue histoire ; et pourtant il semble qu'elle ait à peine commencé.

Is it any wonder if we at last grow distrustful, lose patience, and turn impatiently away?

Est-il étonnant que nous finissions par devenir méfiants, perdre patience et nous détourner avec impatience ?

That this Sphinx teaches us at last to ask questions ourselves?

Que ce Sphinx nous apprenne enfin à poser nous-mêmes des questions ?

WHO is it really that puts questions to us here?

QUI est-ce qui vraiment nous pose ici des questions ?

WHAT really is this "Will to Truth" in us?

QU'EST-CE vraiment que cette « Volonté de Vérité » en nous ?

In fact we made a long halt at the question as to the origin of this Will--until at last we came to an absolute standstill before a yet more fundamental question.

En fait, nous nous sommes longuement arrêtés sur la question de l'origine de cette Volonté — jusqu'à ce que nous nous trouvions enfin dans une impasse totale devant une question encore plus fondamentale.

We inquired about the VALUE of this Will.

Nous nous sommes interrogés sur la VALEUR de cette Volonté.

Granted that we want the truth: WHY NOT RATHER untruth?

Admettons que nous voulions la vérité : POURQUOI PAS PLUTÔT le mensonge ?

And uncertainty?

Et l'incertitude ?

Even ignorance?

Voire l'ignorance ?

The problem of the value of truth presented itself before us--or was it we who presented ourselves before the problem?

Le problème de la valeur de la vérité s'est présenté à nous — ou bien est-ce nous qui nous sommes présentés devant le problème ?

Which of us is the Oedipus here?

Lequel d'entre nous est ici l'Œdipe ?

Which the Sphinx?

Lequel est le Sphinx ?

It would seem to be a rendezvous of questions and notes of interrogation.

On dirait un rendez-vous de questions et de points d'interrogation.

And could it be believed that it at last seems to us as if the problem had never been propounded before, as if we were the first to discern it, get a sight of it, and RISK RAISING it?

Et pourrait-on croire qu'il nous semble enfin que ce problème n'avait jamais été posé auparavant, comme si nous étions les premiers à le discerner, à l'entrevoir, et à RISQUER DE LE SOULEVER ?

Vocabulary

Volonté: vo-lon-tay — Will, determination, or strong desire to act.
Vérité: vay-ree-tay — Truth; the quality of being true or accurate.
doit: dwah — Third-person singular of 'devoir': must or should.
tenter: ton-tay — To tempt or to attempt something.
vers: vair — Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around'.
bien: byan — Adverb meaning 'well'; noun meaning 'good'.
entreprises: on-truh-preez — Enterprises or undertakings; also businesses or ventures.
hasardeuses: ah-zar-duhz — Risky, hazardous, or perilous in nature.
fameuse: fa-muhz — Famous, renowned, or notorious; often used ironically.
Véracité: vay-ra-see-tay — Veracity; the quality of being truthful or accurate.
dont: don — Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'about which'.
tous: too — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
philosophes: fee-lo-zof — Philosophers; those who study fundamental questions of existence.
jusqu'ici: zhoos-kee-see — Until now, up to this point, so far.
parlé: par-lay — Past participle of 'parler': spoken or talked.
respect: res-peh — Respect; esteem or consideration shown toward someone.
questions: kes-tyon — Questions; inquiries or matters requiring investigation.
posées: po-zay — Past participle of 'poser': raised, posed, or set down.
étranges: ay-tronzh — Strange, odd, or unfamiliar in character or appearance.
déconcertantes: day-kon-sair-tont — Disconcerting, unsettling, or confusing in a disturbing way.
douteuses: doo-tuhz — Dubious, doubtful, or of uncertain reliability or honesty.
déjà: day-zhah — Already; used to indicate something has happened before.
longue: long — Feminine adjective meaning 'long' in duration or length.
histoire: ees-twar — History or story; a narrative of events or past.
pourtant: poor-ton — Yet, however, or nevertheless; introduces a contrasting idea.
semble: som-bluh — Third-person singular of 'sembler': seems or appears to be.
ait: ay — Subjunctive form of 'avoir': 'has' in subjunctive mood.
peine: pen — Hardly or barely; also means sorrow or difficulty.
commencé: ko-mon-say — Past participle of 'commencer': begun or started.
étonnant: ay-to-non — Astonishing, surprising, or remarkable in some way.
finissions: fee-nee-syon — Imperfect subjunctive of 'finir': 'we finish' in subjunctive.
devenir: duh-vuh-neer — To become; to change into a different state.
méfiants: may-fyon — Mistrustful, wary, or suspicious of others or things.
perdre: pair-druh — To lose something or to waste time or resources.
patience: pa-syon — Patience; ability to wait calmly without frustration.
détourner: day-toor-nay — To divert, turn away, or redirect from a path.
impatience: am-pa-syon — Impatience; restlessness or irritation caused by waiting.
Sphinx: sfanks — Sphinx; mythological creature posing unanswerable riddles.
apprenne: ah-pren — Subjunctive of 'apprendre': 'learn' or 'teach' in subjunctive.
enfin: on-fan — Finally, at last, or in the end.
poser: po-zay — To place, put, or pose a question.
nous-mêmes: noo-mem — Ourselves; emphatic first-person plural reflexive pronoun.
vraiment: vray-mon — Really, truly, or genuinely; used for emphasis.
pose: pohz — Third-person singular of 'poser': places, poses, or raises.
ici: ee-see — Here; indicating a specific nearby location or place.
fait: fay — Fact; in the phrase 'en fait' means 'in fact'.
longuement: long-mon — At length, for a long time, or extensively.
arrêtés: ah-reh-tay — Past participle of 'arrêter': stopped or paused on something.
question: kes-tyon — Question; an issue or matter under discussion or inquiry.
l'origine: lo-ree-zheen — The origin; the starting point or source of something.
jusqu'à: zhoos-kah — Until, up to, or as far as a point.
trouvions: troo-vyon — Imperfect of 'trouver': 'we found' or 'we were finding'.
impasse: am-pas — Dead end or deadlock; a situation with no solution.
totale: to-tal — Total or complete; absolute without any exception.
devant: duh-von — In front of; before something in space or order.
encore: on-kor — Still, again, or even more; also 'yet another'.
plus: ploo — More; used in comparatives or meaning 'no more'.
fondamentale: fon-da-mon-tal — Fundamental; basic, essential, or of central importance.
interrogés: an-teh-ro-zhay — Past participle of 'interroger': questioned or interrogated.
VALEUR: va-lur — Value; the worth, importance, or merit of something.
Admettons: ad-me-ton — First-person plural imperative of 'admettre': 'let us admit'.
voulions: voo-lyon — Imperfect of 'vouloir': 'we wanted' or 'we were wanting'.
vérité: vay-ree-tay — Truth; reality or that which corresponds to facts.
POURQUOI: poor-kwah — Why; asking for the reason or purpose of something.
PLUTÔT: ploo-toh — Rather, instead, or preferably; used to express preference.
mensonge: mon-sonzh — Lie or falsehood; a statement known to be untrue.
l'incertitude: lan-sair-tee-tood — Uncertainty; state of being unsure or undecided about something.
Voire: vwar — Indeed, even, or nay; reinforces or escalates a statement.
l'ignorance: leen-yo-rons — Ignorance; lack of knowledge or awareness about something.
problème: pro-blem — Problem; a question or situation requiring a solution.
valeur: va-lur — Value or worth; the importance attributed to something.
présenté: pray-zon-tay — Past participle of 'présenter': presented or appeared before us.
présentés: pray-zon-tay — Plural past participle of 'présenter': presented or introduced.
Lequel: luh-kel — Pronoun meaning 'which one'; refers to one among several.
d'entre: don-truh — Contraction of 'de entre': 'of among' or 'from among'.
l'Œdipe: lay-deep — Oedipus; Greek mythological hero who solved the Sphinx's riddle.
On: on — Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', 'they', or 'people'.
dirait: dee-ray — Conditional of 'dire': 'one would say' or 'it seems'.
rendez-vous: ron-day-voo — Meeting or appointment at a set time and place.
points: pwan — Points; dots or specific items in a list.
d'interrogation: dan-teh-ro-ga-syon — Of interrogation; question marks or questioning marks.
pourrait-on: poo-ray-ton — Conditional inverted form: 'could one' or 'might one'.
croire: krwar — To believe or to think; to have faith in something.
n'avait: na-vay — Negated imperfect of 'avoir': 'had not' in the past.
jamais: zha-may — Never or ever; indicates something has not occurred.
été: ay-tay — Past participle of 'être': 'been'; also means 'summer'.
posé: po-zay — Past participle of 'poser': posed, placed, or raised.
auparavant: o-pa-ra-von — Previously, before, or formerly; referring to an earlier time.
comme: kom — As, like, or as if; used to make comparisons.
si: see — If or as if; also 'yes' in response to a negative.
étions: ay-tyon — Imperfect of 'être': 'we were' in past continuous.
premiers: pruh-myay — First; masculine plural of 'premier', indicating priority.
discerner: dee-sair-nay — To discern, perceive, or distinguish between things carefully.
l'entrevoir: lon-truh-vwar — To catch a glimpse of or partially perceive something.
RISQUER: rees-kay — To risk or to dare; to expose oneself to danger.
SOULEVER: sool-vay — To raise or lift up; to bring up an issue.

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