Coniston — Volume 01 — Page 1
First I am to write a love-story of long ago, of a time some little while after General Jackson had got into the White House and had shown the world what a real democracy was.
Je dois d'abord écrire une histoire d'amour d'autrefois, d'une époque quelque peu postérieure au moment où le général Jackson était entré à la Maison-Blanche et avait montré au monde ce qu'était une véritable démocratie.
The Era of the first six Presidents had closed, and a new Era had begun.
L'ère des six premiers présidents s'était achevée, et une nouvelle ère avait commencé.
I am speaking of political Eras.
Je parle d'ères politiques.
Certain gentlemen, with a pious belief in democracy, but with a firmer determination to get on top, arose,--and got in top.
Certains messieurs, animés d'une pieuse foi en la démocratie, mais d'une détermination encore plus ferme à prendre le dessus, se levèrent — et prirent le dessus.
So many of these gentlemen arose in the different states, and they were so clever, and they found so many chinks in the Constitution to crawl through and steal the people's chestnuts, that the Era may be called the Boss-Era.
Tant de ces messieurs surgirent dans les différents États, et ils étaient si habiles, et ils trouvèrent tant de failles dans la Constitution pour s'y faufiler et dérober les marrons du peuple, que cette ère peut être appelée l'ère des Patrons.
After the Boss came along certain Things without souls, but of many minds, and found more chinks in the Constitution: bigger chinks, for the Things were bigger, and they stole more chestnuts.
Après les Patrons vinrent certaines Choses sans âme, mais aux esprits multiples, qui trouvèrent davantage de failles dans la Constitution : de plus grandes failles, car les Choses étaient plus grandes, et elles dérobèrent davantage de marrons.
But I am getting far ahead of my love-story--and of my book.
Mais je m'éloigne bien trop de mon histoire d'amour — et de mon livre.
The reader is warned that this first love-story will, in a few chapters, come to an end: and not to a happy end--otherwise there would be no book.
Le lecteur est prévenu que cette première histoire d'amour se terminera, en quelques chapitres, et pas par une fin heureuse — sans quoi il n'y aurait pas de livre.
Lest he should throw the book away when he arrives at this page, it is only fair to tell him that there is another and a much longer love story later on, if he will only continue to read, in which, it is hoped, he may not be disappointed.
De peur qu'il ne jette le livre lorsqu'il arrivera à cette page, il n'est que juste de lui dire qu'il existe une autre histoire d'amour, bien plus longue, plus loin dans l'ouvrage, s'il veut bien continuer à lire, et dans laquelle, on l'espère, il ne sera pas déçu.
Vocabulary
- dois
- First person singular of 'devoir', meaning must or owe
- abord
- Used in 'd'abord', meaning first or firstly
- écrire
- To write, an infinitive verb
- histoire
- A story or history
- amour
- Love, a deep feeling of affection
- autrefois
- In the past, formerly, at an earlier time
- époque
- A period or era in history
- quelque
- Some, a few, or somewhat
- peu
- Little, a small amount or degree
- postérieure
- Later or subsequent in time, feminine form
- moment
- A moment, a specific point in time
- où
- Where or when, a relative adverb
- général
- A high-ranking military officer or general
- était
- Past imperfect of 'être', meaning was or were
- entré
- Past participle of 'entrer', meaning entered
- Maison
- House or home, a dwelling place
- Blanche
- White, feminine adjective; part of 'Maison-Blanche'
- avait
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avoir', meaning had
- montré
- Past participle of 'montrer', meaning shown
- monde
- The world, or people in general
- véritable
- True, real, or genuine
- démocratie
- Democracy, a system of government by the people
- ère
- An era, a long and distinct period of history
- premiers
- First, plural masculine form of 'premier'
- présidents
- Presidents, plural of président
- achevée
- Completed or finished, feminine past participle
- nouvelle
- New, feminine form; or a short story
- commencé
- Past participle of 'commencer', meaning begun or started
- parle
- Third person singular of 'parler', meaning speaks
- ères
- Plural of 'ère', meaning eras or ages
- politiques
- Political, or politics in plural form
- Certains
- Certain ones, some, referring to specific people
- messieurs
- Gentlemen, plural of 'monsieur'
- animés
- Animated or driven, plural past participle of 'animer'
- pieuse
- Pious, devout, feminine form of 'pieux'
- foi
- Faith or belief, often religious conviction
- détermination
- Determination, firm resolve to achieve a goal
- encore
- Still, yet, or again
- plus
- More, or no longer in negative constructions
- ferme
- Firm, strong, or steady; also a farm
- prendre
- To take, an infinitive verb
- dessus
- Above, on top, or the upper part
- levèrent
- Third person plural past historic of 'lever', meaning rose
- prirent
- Third person plural past historic of 'prendre', meaning took
- Tant
- So many, so much, as many as
- surgirent
- Past historic of 'surgir', meaning suddenly appeared or arose
- différents
- Different or various, plural masculine adjective
- États
- States, plural of 'état', political or administrative units
- étaient
- Third person plural imperfect of 'être', meaning were
- si
- So, such, or if in conditional clauses
- habiles
- Skillful, clever, or adept, plural adjective
- trouvèrent
- Third person plural past historic of 'trouver', meaning found
- tant
- So many, so much, referring to a large quantity
- failles
- Flaws, loopholes, or weaknesses in a system
- Constitution
- The constitution, foundational legal document of a state
- y
- Pronoun meaning there or in it
- faufiler
- To slip through or sneak into a narrow space
- dérober
- To steal or to hide away from someone
- marrons
- Chestnuts; figuratively, benefits or gains snatched by others
- peuple
- The people, the common folk of a nation
- peut
- Third person singular of 'pouvoir', meaning can or may
- être
- To be, the infinitive of the verb 'to be'
- appelée
- Called or named, feminine past participle of 'appeler'
- Patrons
- Bosses or patrons, those in positions of power
- Après
- After, following in time or order
- vinrent
- Third person plural past historic of 'venir', meaning came
- certaines
- Certain, some, feminine plural form
- Choses
- Things, plural of 'chose'
- sans
- Preposition meaning without
- âme
- Soul or spirit, the immaterial essence of a person
- esprits
- Minds or spirits, plural of 'esprit'
- multiples
- Multiple or numerous, referring to many different aspects
- davantage
- More, even more so, to a greater degree
- grandes
- Great, large, or tall, feminine plural adjective
- car
- Conjunction meaning because or for
- dérobèrent
- Third person plural past historic of 'dérober', meaning stole
- éloigne
- To move away from or stray from a topic
- bien
- Well, very, or good
- trop
- Too much, excessively, beyond a limit
- livre
- A book; also a pound as a unit of weight
- lecteur
- Reader, a person who reads a text
- prévenu
- Warned or forewarned, past participle of 'prévenir'
- première
- First, feminine form; the beginning part
- terminera
- Will end or finish, future tense of 'terminer'
- quelques
- A few, some, a small number of
- chapitres
- Chapters, sections of a book
- par
- Preposition meaning by, through, or per
- fin
- End or ending; also fine or thin
- heureuse
- Happy, joyful, feminine form of 'heureux'
- quoi
- What, an interrogative or relative pronoun
- aurait
- Conditional of 'avoir', meaning would have
- peur
- Fear, a feeling of fright or worry
- jette
- Third person singular of 'jeter', meaning throws
- lorsqu'
- Contracted form of 'lorsque', meaning when
- arrivera
- Will arrive, future tense of 'arriver'
- page
- A page in a book or document
- juste
- Just, right, or fair; also barely or exactly
- dire
- To say or tell, an infinitive verb
- existe
- Third person singular of 'exister', meaning exists
- autre
- Other or another, referring to a different thing
- longue
- Long, feminine form of 'long'
- loin
- Far away, at a great distance
- ouvrage
- A work, especially a literary or artistic creation
- veut
- Third person singular of 'vouloir', meaning wants
- continuer
- To continue or keep on doing something
- lire
- To read, an infinitive verb
- laquelle
- Which, feminine relative pronoun referring to a noun
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning one, we, or people
- espère
- First or third person singular of 'espérer', meaning hopes
- sera
- Future tense of 'être', meaning will be
- déçu
- Disappointed, past participle of 'décevoir'
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