Coniston — Volume 01 — Page 4
Behind it is the long shed, and in front, rising out of the milkweed and the flowering thistle, the horse block of the first meeting-house, where many a pillion has left its burden in times bygone.
Derrière se trouve le long hangar, et devant, surgissant des asclépiades et des chardons en fleurs, le montoir de la première salle de réunion, où bien des coussins de croupe ont déposé leur charge en des temps révolus.
Honest Jock Hallowell built that second meeting-house--was, indeed, still building it at the time of which we write.
L'honnête Jock Hallowell construisit cette deuxième salle de réunion — il était d'ailleurs encore en train de la construire au moment dont nous écrivons.
He had hewn every beam and king post in it, and set every plate and slip.
Il avait taillé chaque poutre et chaque poinçon, et posé chaque sablière et chaque liteau.
And Jock Hallowell is the man who, unwittingly starts this chronicle.
Et c'est Jock Hallowell qui, sans le savoir, donne le coup d'envoi de cette chronique.
At noon, on one of those madcap April days of that Coniston country, Jock descended from his work on the steeple to perceive the ungainly figure of Jethro Bass coming toward him across the green.
À midi, lors d'une de ces folles journées d'avril dans la région de Coniston, Jock descendit de son travail sur le clocher pour apercevoir la silhouette disgracieuse de Jethro Bass qui s'avançait vers lui à travers le pré communal.
Jethro was about thirty years of age, and he wore a coonskin cap even in those days, and trousers tacked into his boots.
Jethro avait environ trente ans, et il portait déjà à cette époque un bonnet en peau de raton laveur, et un pantalon rentré dans ses bottes.
He carried his big head bent forward, a little to one aide, and was not, at first sight, a prepossessing-looking person.
Il portait sa grosse tête penchée en avant, légèrement de côté, et n'était pas, à première vue, quelqu'un d'avenant.
As our story largely concerns him and we must get started somehow, it may as well be to fix a little attention on him.
Comme notre histoire le concerne en grande partie et que nous devons bien commencer quelque part, autant lui accorder un peu d'attention.
"Heigho!" said Jock, rubbing his hands on his leather apron.
« Ohé ! » dit Jock en se frottant les mains sur son tablier de cuir.
"H-how be you, Jock?" said Jethro, stopping.
« C-comment allez-vous, Jock ? » dit Jethro en s'arrêtant.
"Heigho!" cried Jock, "what's this game of fox and geese you're a-playin' among the farmers?"
« Ohé ! » s'écria Jock, « à quel jeu du renard et des oies jouez-vous donc avec les fermiers ? »
"C-callate to git the steeple done before frost?" inquired Jethro, without so much as a smile. "B-build it tight, Jock--b-build it tight."
« C-comptez-vous finir le clocher avant le gel ? » demanda Jethro, sans l'ombre d'un sourire. « C-construisez-le solide, Jock — c-construisez-le solide. »
Vocabulary
- Derrière
- Behind; at the rear of something.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself.
- trouve
- Finds; is located; third person singular of trouver.
- le
- The; definite article masculine singular.
- long
- Long; extended in length or duration.
- hangar
- Warehouse; large structure for storing goods or vehicles.
- et
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
- devant
- In front of; ahead; opposite of behind.
- des
- Of the; some; indefinite article plural.
- en
- In; on; made of; preposition or pronoun.
- fleurs
- Flowers; blooms; plural of fleur.
- de
- Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- la
- The; definite article feminine singular.
- première
- First; earliest; feminine form of premier.
- salle
- Room; hall; large interior space.
- réunion
- Meeting; gathering; assembly of people.
- où
- Where; in which place or situation.
- bien
- Well; good; properly; adverb or adjective.
- coussins
- Cushions; soft pillows for comfort or decoration.
- ont
- Have; third person plural of avoir.
- déposé
- Deposited; placed; set down; past participle.
- leur
- Their; to them; third person plural pronoun.
- charge
- Load; burden; responsibility; something carried.
- temps
- Time; weather; period; duration.
- honnête
- Honest; honorable; fair; respectable in character.
- construisit
- Built; constructed; past tense of construire.
- cette
- This; that; demonstrative adjective feminine singular.
- deuxième
- Second; next after first; ordinal number.
- il
- He; it; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- était
- Was; past tense of être; imperfect tense.
- ailleurs
- Elsewhere; in another place; besides.
- encore
- Still; yet; again; additionally.
- train
- Train; pace; manner; series of connected things.
- construire
- To build; to construct; to erect structures.
- au
- At the; to the; contraction of à le.
- moment
- Moment; instant; brief period of time.
- dont
- Of which; whose; relative pronoun.
- nous
- We; us; first person plural pronoun.
- écrivons
- Write; are writing; first person plural present.
- Il
- He; it; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- avait
- Had; past tense of avoir; imperfect.
- taillé
- Cut; carved; shaped; past participle of tailler.
- chaque
- Each; every; all individual ones.
- poutre
- Beam; large timber used in construction.
- posé
- Posed; placed; set down; calm.
- Et
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
- est
- Is; third person singular of être.
- qui
- Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
- sans
- Without; lacking; preposition negating presence.
- savoir
- To know; to understand; to be aware.
- donne
- Gives; provides; third person singular of donner.
- coup
- Blow; hit; stroke; sudden action or event.
- envoi
- Sending; dispatch; shipment of goods.
- chronique
- Chronicle; chronic; regular column; recurring issue.
- midi
- Noon; midday; twelve o'clock in daytime.
- une
- A; an; one; indefinite article feminine.
- ces
- These; those; demonstrative adjective plural.
- folles
- Crazy; mad; wild; feminine plural of fou.
- journées
- Days; daytime periods; plural of journée.
- avril
- April; fourth month of the year.
- dans
- In; inside; within; preposition of location.
- région
- Region; area; territory; geographical district.
- descendit
- Descended; went down; past tense of descendre.
- son
- His; her; its; possessive adjective singular.
- travail
- Work; labor; job; employment; effort.
- sur
- On; upon; over; above; preposition.
- clocher
- Bell tower; steeple; church tower.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →