Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 4
These visions faded when I perused, for the first time, those poets whose effusions entranced my soul and lifted it to heaven.
Ces visions s'effacèrent lorsque je parcourus, pour la première fois, ces poètes dont les effusions charmèrent mon âme et l'élevèrent jusqu'au ciel.
I also became a poet and for one year lived in a paradise of my own creation;
Je devins poète à mon tour et vécus pendant un an dans un paradis de ma propre création ;
I imagined that I also might obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated.
J'imaginais que je pourrais moi aussi obtenir une place dans le temple où les noms d'Homère et de Shakespeare sont consacrés.
You are well acquainted with my failure and how heavily I bore the disappointment.
Vous connaissez bien mon échec et combien j'ai durement supporté cette déception.
But just at that time I inherited the fortune of my cousin, and my thoughts were turned into the channel of their earlier bent.
Mais c'est précisément à ce moment-là que j'héritai de la fortune de mon cousin, et mes pensées se tournèrent à nouveau vers leur penchant premier.
Six years have passed since I resolved on my present undertaking.
Six ans se sont écoulés depuis que je pris la résolution de mener à bien mon entreprise actuelle.
I can, even now, remember the hour from which I dedicated myself to this great enterprise.
Je me souviens encore, à présent, de l'heure à partir de laquelle je me consacrai à cette grande entreprise.
I commenced by inuring my body to hardship.
Je commençai par endurcir mon corps aux privations.
I accompanied the whale-fishers on several expeditions to the North Sea;
J'accompagnai les pêcheurs de baleines lors de plusieurs expéditions en mer du Nord ;
I voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep;
J'endurai volontairement le froid, la famine, la soif et le manque de sommeil ;
I often worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my nights to the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer might derive the greatest practical advantage.
Je travaillais souvent plus dur que les simples matelots pendant la journée et consacrais mes nuits à l'étude des mathématiques, de la théorie de la médecine et des branches des sciences naturelles dont un aventurier des mers pourrait tirer le plus grand avantage pratique.
Twice I actually hired myself as an under-mate in a Greenland whaler, and acquitted myself to admiration.
À deux reprises, je m'engageai effectivement comme second officier en second à bord d'un baleinier du Groenland, et je m'en acquittai à merveille.
I must own I felt a little proud when my captain offered me the second dignity in the vessel and entreated me to remain with the greatest earnestness, so valuable did he consider my services.
Je dois avouer que je me sentis un peu fier lorsque mon capitaine m'offrit le second rang dans le navire et me supplia de rester avec la plus grande insistance, tant il estimait précieux mes services.
Vocabulary
- visions
- Mental images or imagined scenes seen in the mind.
- effacèrent
- Past tense of 'effacer'; faded away or were erased.
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' introducing a time clause.
- parcourus
- Past tense of 'parcourir'; read through or traveled across.
- première
- Feminine ordinal adjective meaning 'first'.
- fois
- Noun meaning 'time' in the sense of an occurrence.
- poètes
- Plural noun meaning 'poets', writers of verse.
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'of whom'.
- effusions
- Outpourings of emotion or feeling expressed in writing.
- charmèrent
- Past tense of 'charmer'; delighted or enchanted someone.
- âme
- Noun meaning 'soul', the spiritual or inner self.
- élevèrent
- Past tense of 'élever'; lifted up or raised to a higher level.
- jusqu'
- Preposition 'jusqu'à' elided; meaning 'up to' or 'as far as'.
- ciel
- Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven' above the earth.
- devins
- Past tense of 'devenir'; became something or someone.
- poète
- Noun meaning 'poet', a person who writes poetry.
- tour
- Noun meaning 'turn'; used in 'à mon tour' meaning 'in my turn'.
- vécus
- Past tense of 'vivre'; lived or experienced a period of time.
- pendant
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a period of time.
- an
- Noun meaning 'year', a period of twelve months.
- paradis
- Noun meaning 'paradise' or 'heaven', an ideal blissful place.
- propre
- Adjective meaning 'own' when preceding a noun.
- création
- Noun meaning 'creation', something one has made or imagined.
- imaginais
- Imperfect tense of 'imaginer'; used to imagine or picture something.
- pourrais
- Conditional of 'pouvoir'; would be able to or could.
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'as well'.
- obtenir
- Infinitive meaning 'to obtain' or 'to get' something.
- place
- Noun meaning 'place' or 'spot', a position somewhere.
- temple
- Noun meaning 'temple', a place of honor or worship.
- où
- Relative or interrogative adverb meaning 'where'.
- noms
- Plural noun meaning 'names' of people or things.
- consacrés
- Past participle of 'consacrer'; consecrated or enshrined permanently.
- connaissez
- Second person plural of 'connaître'; meaning 'you know' someone or something.
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very well'.
- échec
- Noun meaning 'failure' or 'setback' in an endeavor.
- combien
- Adverb meaning 'how much' or 'how deeply'.
- durement
- Adverb meaning 'harshly' or 'with great difficulty'.
- supporté
- Past participle of 'supporter'; endured or put up with something.
- déception
- Noun meaning 'disappointment', a feeling of unmet expectations.
- précisément
- Adverb meaning 'precisely' or 'exactly at that moment'.
- moment-là
- Noun phrase meaning 'that moment' or 'that particular time'.
- héritai
- Past tense of 'hériter'; inherited money or property from someone.
- fortune
- Noun meaning 'fortune' or 'wealth', a large sum of money.
- cousin
- Noun meaning 'cousin', a relative who shares grandparents.
- pensées
- Plural noun meaning 'thoughts' or 'ideas' in one's mind.
- tournèrent
- Past tense of 'tourner'; turned toward a direction or topic.
- nouveau
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'new' or 'again' in context.
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'.
- penchant
- Noun meaning 'inclination' or 'strong natural tendency toward something'.
- premier
- Masculine ordinal adjective meaning 'first' or 'original'.
- ans
- Plural noun meaning 'years', units of time.
- écoulés
- Past participle of 'écouler'; passed or elapsed, said of time.
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time.
- pris
- Past participle of 'prendre'; taken or made a decision.
- résolution
- Noun meaning 'resolution' or 'firm decision' to do something.
- mener
- Infinitive meaning 'to lead' or 'to carry out' an undertaking.
- entreprise
- Noun meaning 'enterprise' or 'undertaking', a challenging project.
- actuelle
- Feminine adjective meaning 'current' or 'present', not old.
- souviens
- First person singular of 'se souvenir'; meaning 'I remember'.
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
- présent
- Adjective or noun meaning 'present' or 'current moment in time'.
- heure
- Noun meaning 'hour' or 'time', a unit of sixty minutes.
- partir
- Infinitive meaning 'to leave' or 'to depart' from a place.
- laquelle
- Feminine relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'whom' after preposition.
- consacrai
- Past tense of 'consacrer'; devoted or dedicated oneself to a purpose.
- commençai
- Past tense of 'commencer'; began or started an activity.
- endurcir
- Infinitive meaning 'to harden' or 'to toughen' the body.
- corps
- Noun meaning 'body', the physical frame of a person.
- privations
- Plural noun meaning 'hardships' or 'deprivations', lack of necessities.
- accompagnai
- Past tense of 'accompagner'; accompanied or went along with someone.
- pêcheurs
- Plural noun meaning 'fishermen', people who fish professionally.
- baleines
- Plural noun meaning 'whales', large marine mammals.
- lors
- Adverb used in 'lors de' meaning 'during' or 'at the time of'.
- plusieurs
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'several' or 'more than two'.
- expéditions
- Plural noun meaning 'expeditions' or 'voyages' for a purpose.
- mer
- Noun meaning 'sea', a large body of salt water.
- Nord
- Noun meaning 'North', a cardinal direction.
- endurai
- Past tense of 'endurer'; endured or bore suffering willingly.
- volontairement
- Adverb meaning 'voluntarily' or 'willingly', of one's own accord.
- froid
- Noun or adjective meaning 'cold', low temperature or sensation.
- famine
- Noun meaning 'famine' or extreme hunger, severe food shortage.
- soif
- Noun meaning 'thirst', the need or desire to drink.
- manque
- Noun meaning 'lack' or 'shortage' of something necessary.
- sommeil
- Noun meaning 'sleep', the natural state of rest.
- travaillais
- Imperfect tense of 'travailler'; used to work regularly or habitually.
- souvent
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'.
- dur
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'hard' or 'with great effort'.
- simples
- Adjective meaning 'simple' or 'ordinary', without special rank.
- matelots
- Plural noun meaning 'sailors' or 'ordinary seamen' on a ship.
- journée
- Noun meaning 'day' as a full period from morning to evening.
- consacrais
- Imperfect of 'consacrer'; used to devote time regularly to something.
- nuits
- Plural noun meaning 'nights', the dark hours after sunset.
- étude
- Noun meaning 'study' or 'learning', the act of studying.
- mathématiques
- Plural noun meaning 'mathematics', the science of numbers.
- théorie
- Noun meaning 'theory', a set of ideas explaining something.
- médecine
- Noun meaning 'medicine', the science of health and treatment.
- branches
- Plural noun meaning 'branches' or 'fields' of a subject.
- sciences
- Plural noun meaning 'sciences', systematic fields of knowledge.
- naturelles
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'natural', relating to nature.
- aventurier
- Noun meaning 'adventurer', someone who seeks daring experiences.
- mers
- Plural noun meaning 'seas', large bodies of salt water.
- pourrait
- Conditional of 'pouvoir'; meaning 'could' or 'would be able to'.
- tirer
- Infinitive meaning 'to draw' or 'to derive' benefit from something.
- avantage
- Noun meaning 'advantage' or 'benefit' gained from something.
- pratique
- Noun or adjective meaning 'practice' or 'practical application'.
- reprises
- Plural noun in 'à deux reprises' meaning 'on two occasions'.
- engageai
- Past tense of 'engager'; enlisted or signed on for a role.
- effectivement
- Adverb meaning 'indeed' or 'in fact', confirming a statement.
- comme
- Preposition or conjunction meaning 'as' or 'like'.
- second
- Adjective meaning 'second', the one after the first.
- officier
- Noun meaning 'officer', a person of authority on a vessel.
- bord
- Noun meaning 'board'; 'à bord' means 'on board' a ship.
- baleinier
- Noun meaning 'whaling ship', a vessel used for hunting whales.
- acquittai
- Past tense of 's'acquitter'; performed one's duties satisfactorily.
- merveille
- Noun meaning 'marvel'; 'à merveille' means 'wonderfully' or 'perfectly'.
- dois
- First person singular of 'devoir'; meaning 'I must' or 'I have to'.
- avouer
- Infinitive meaning 'to admit' or 'to confess' something openly.
- sentis
- Past tense of 'sentir'; felt an emotion or physical sensation.
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'a little' or 'somewhat', a small amount.
- fier
- Adjective meaning 'proud', feeling satisfaction or self-respect.
- capitaine
- Noun meaning 'captain', the commander of a ship or vessel.
- offrit
- Past tense of 'offrir'; offered a position or gift to someone.
- rang
- Noun meaning 'rank' or 'position' within a hierarchy.
- navire
- Noun meaning 'ship' or 'vessel', a large seafaring boat.
- supplia
- Past tense of 'supplier'; begged or implored someone earnestly.
- rester
- Infinitive meaning 'to stay' or 'to remain' in a place.
- insistance
- Noun meaning 'insistence', the act of persistently urging someone.
- tant
- Adverb meaning 'so much' or 'to such a degree'.
- estimait
- Imperfect of 'estimer'; considered or valued something highly.
- précieux
- Adjective meaning 'precious' or 'valuable', of great worth.
- services
- Plural noun meaning 'services', useful work done for others.
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