Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 9
The master is a person of an excellent disposition and is remarkable in the ship for his gentleness and the mildness of his discipline.
Le maître est une personne d'une excellente nature et se distingue sur le navire par sa douceur et la modération de sa discipline.
This circumstance, added to his well-known integrity and dauntless courage, made me very desirous to engage him.
Cette circonstance, ajoutée à son intégrité bien connue et à son courage intrépide, me donna le très vif désir de m'attacher ses services.
A youth passed in solitude, my best years spent under your gentle and feminine fosterage, has so refined the groundwork of my character that I cannot overcome an intense distaste to the usual brutality exercised on board ship: I have never believed it to be necessary, and when I heard of a mariner equally noted for his kindliness of heart and the respect and obedience paid to him by his crew, I felt myself peculiarly fortunate in being able to secure his services.
Une jeunesse passée dans la solitude, mes meilleures années écoulées sous votre douce et féminine tutelle, ont à tel point affiné les fondements de mon caractère que je ne puis surmonter une profonde répugnance pour la brutalité habituelle exercée à bord des navires : je n'ai jamais cru qu'elle fût nécessaire, et lorsque j'entendis parler d'un marin également réputé pour la bonté de son cœur et pour le respect et l'obéissance que lui témoignait son équipage, je me sentis singulièrement heureux de pouvoir m'assurer ses services.
I heard of him first in rather a romantic manner, from a lady who owes to him the happiness of her life.
Je l'entendis mentionner pour la première fois d'une façon assez romanesque, par une dame qui lui doit le bonheur de sa vie.
This, briefly, is his story.
Voici, en peu de mots, son histoire.
Some years ago he loved a young Russian lady of moderate fortune, and having amassed a considerable sum in prize-money, the father of the girl consented to the match.
Il y a quelques années, il aima une jeune dame russe de fortune modeste, et ayant amassé une somme considérable grâce aux prises de guerre, le père de la jeune fille consentit à l'union.
He saw his mistress once before the destined ceremony; but she was bathed in tears, and throwing herself at his feet, entreated him to spare her, confessing at the same time that she loved another, but that he was poor, and that her father would never consent to the union.
Il vit sa bien-aimée une fois avant la cérémonie prévue ; mais elle était tout en larmes et, se jetant à ses pieds, le supplia de l'épargner, avouant en même temps qu'elle en aimait un autre, mais que celui-ci était pauvre et que son père ne consentirait jamais à cette union.
My generous friend reassured the suppliant, and on being informed of the name of her lover, instantly abandoned his pursuit.
Mon généreux ami rassura la suppliante et, ayant appris le nom de son amant, abandonna aussitôt sa démarche.
Vocabulary
- maître
- meh-truh — Master or commander in charge of something
- personne
- pehr-son — A human being or individual person
- excellente
- ex-eh-lahnt — Of very high quality or outstanding character
- nature
- nah-toor — Inherent character or disposition of a person
- distingue
- dees-tan-guh — Stands out or differentiates oneself from others
- navire
- nah-veer — A large ship or seafaring vessel
- douceur
- doo-suhr — Gentleness, mildness, or sweetness of manner
- modération
- moh-deh-rah-syohn — Quality of avoiding excess; restraint and balance
- discipline
- dee-see-pleen — Orderly conduct and enforcement of rules
- circonstance
- seer-kohn-stahns — A specific situation or surrounding condition
- ajoutée
- ah-zhoo-teh — Added or combined with something else
- intégrité
- an-teh-gree-teh — Quality of being honest and morally upright
- connue
- koh-noo — Known or widely recognized by others
- courage
- koo-rahzh — Bravery and strength in facing danger
- intrépide
- an-treh-peed — Fearless and bold; not deterred by danger
- vif
- veef — Lively, keen, or intense feeling or desire
- désir
- deh-zeer — A strong wish or longing for something
- attacher
- ah-tah-sheh — To attach, bind, or secure to something
- services
- sehr-vees — Work or duties performed for another person
- jeunesse
- zhuh-nes — The period of being young; youth
- passée
- pah-seh — Spent or passed through a period of time
- solitude
- soh-lee-tood — State of being alone or isolated from others
- meilleures
- meh-yuhr — Best; feminine plural superlative of 'bon'
- écoulées
- eh-koo-leh — Passed or elapsed, referring to time gone by
- douce
- doos — Gentle, soft, or mild in manner
- féminine
- feh-mee-neen — Relating to or characteristic of women
- tutelle
- too-tel — Guardianship or protective supervision over someone
- tel
- tel — Adjective meaning 'such' or 'so great'
- point
- pwahn — Point or degree; used in expressions of extent
- affiné
- ah-fee-neh — Refined or polished in quality or character
- fondements
- fohnd-mahn — Foundations or fundamental bases of something
- caractère
- kah-rahk-tehr — A person's moral and mental qualities
- puis
- pwee — First person singular of 'pouvoir'; 'can'
- surmonter
- soor-mohn-teh — To overcome or get over a difficulty
- profonde
- proh-fohnd — Deep or intense in nature or degree
- répugnance
- reh-poo-nyahns — Strong disgust or aversion toward something
- brutalité
- broo-tah-lee-teh — Savage cruelty or extreme harshness of treatment
- habituelle
- ah-bee-too-el — Usual or customary; done as a regular habit
- exercée
- ex-ehr-seh — Practiced or exerted; applied regularly
- bord
- bor — Edge or side; 'à bord' means 'on board'
- navires
- nah-veer — Ships; plural of 'navire'
- jamais
- zhah-meh — Never; used in negative constructions
- cru
- kroo — Past participle of 'croire'; believed
- fût
- foo — Imperfect subjunctive of 'être'; 'was' (subjunctive)
- nécessaire
- neh-seh-sehr — Required or essential; cannot be done without
- lorsque
- lor-skuh — Conjunction meaning 'when' at a specific moment
- entendis
- ahn-tahn-dee — Past tense of 'entendre'; heard something
- parler
- pahr-leh — To speak or talk about something
- marin
- mah-ran — A sailor or seaman who works at sea
- également
- eh-gahl-mahn — Equally; also or likewise in the same way
- réputé
- reh-poo-teh — Reputed or known for a particular quality
- bonté
- bohn-teh — Goodness or kindness of heart
- cœur
- kuhr — Heart; used literally or to express emotion
- respect
- reh-speh — Admiration and deference shown toward someone
- obéissance
- oh-beh-ee-sahns — Compliance and submission to authority or orders
- témoignait
- teh-mwah-nyeh — Was showing or demonstrating toward someone
- équipage
- eh-kee-pahzh — The crew of a ship or aircraft
- sentis
- sahn-tee — Past tense of 'sentir'; felt or sensed
- singulièrement
- san-goo-lyehr-mahn — Remarkably or unusually in a striking way
- heureux
- uh-ruh — Happy or fortunate; feeling great pleasure
- pouvoir
- poo-vwahr — To be able to; verb expressing ability or possibility
- assurer
- ah-soo-reh — To ensure, secure, or guarantee something
- mentionner
- mahn-syoh-neh — To refer to or bring up something briefly
- première
- pruh-myehr — First; feminine form of 'premier'
- fois
- fwah — Time; instance of an occurrence
- façon
- fah-sohn — Way, manner, or method of doing something
- assez
- ah-seh — Enough; fairly or rather in degree
- romanesque
- roh-mah-nesk — Romantic in a novelistic or fictional sense
- dame
- dahm — A lady or woman of some social standing
- doit
- dwah — Third person singular of 'devoir'; owes or must
- bonheur
- boh-nuhr — Happiness or good fortune in life
- vie
- vee — Life; the state of being alive
- Voici
- vwah-see — Here is; used to introduce or present something
- peu
- puh — A little; a small amount or few
- mots
- moh — Words; plural of 'mot'
- histoire
- ees-twahr — Story or history; an account of events
- quelques
- kel-kuh — A few; some small number of things
- aima
- eh-mah — Past tense of 'aimer'; loved or liked someone
- jeune
- zhuhn — Young; not old in age
- russe
- roos — Russian; relating to Russia or its people
- fortune
- for-toon — Wealth or financial assets; also fate
- modeste
- moh-dest — Modest or humble; not large or showy
- ayant
- eh-yahn — Present participle of 'avoir'; having
- amassé
- ah-mah-seh — Accumulated or gathered a large amount
- somme
- som — Sum or amount of money
- considérable
- kohn-see-deh-rahbl — Large or significant enough to be noteworthy
- grâce
- grahs — Grace; 'grâce à' means 'thanks to'
- prises
- preez — Captures or prizes seized, especially in war
- guerre
- gehr — War; armed conflict between groups or nations
- père
- pehr — Father; a male parent
- fille
- fee-yuh — Girl or daughter
- consentit
- kohn-sahn-tee — Consented or agreed to something (past tense)
- union
- oo-nyohn — A joining together; marriage or alliance
- vit
- vee — Past tense of 'voir'; saw someone or something
- bien-aimée
- byahn-eh-meh — Beloved; a dearly loved person
- avant
- ah-vahn — Before; prior to a time or event
- cérémonie
- seh-reh-moh-nee — A formal event or ritual occasion
- prévue
- preh-voo — Planned or scheduled in advance
- larmes
- lahrm — Tears; drops from crying
- jetant
- zhuh-tahn — Throwing or casting; present participle of 'jeter'
- pieds
- pyeh — Feet; plural of 'pied'
- supplia
- soo-plee-ah — Begged or implored someone earnestly (past tense)
- épargner
- eh-pahr-nyeh — To spare or save someone from something
- avouant
- ah-voo-ahn — Confessing or admitting something openly
- même
- mehm — Same; even; 'même temps' means 'same time'
- temps
- tahn — Time; weather; period or moment
- aimait
- eh-meh — Imperfect tense of 'aimer'; was loving or liked
- autre
- oh-truh — Other; another person or thing
- celui-ci
- suh-lwee-see — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this one' (masculine)
- pauvre
- poh-vruh — Poor; lacking money or resources
- consentirait
- kohn-sahn-tee-reh — Would consent or agree to something (conditional)
- généreux
- zheh-neh-ruh — Generous; willing to give freely to others
- ami
- ah-mee — Friend; a person one knows and likes
- rassura
- rah-soo-rah — Reassured; calmed someone's fears (past tense)
- suppliante
- soo-plee-ahnt — A person who is begging or pleading earnestly
- appris
- ah-pree — Past participle of 'apprendre'; learned or found out
- nom
- nohn — Name; the word by which someone is known
- amant
- ah-mahn — A lover; a person in a romantic relationship
- abandonna
- ah-bahn-doh-nah — Abandoned or gave up on something (past tense)
- aussitôt
- oh-see-toh — Immediately; right away without delay
- démarche
- deh-mahrsh — A step, course of action, or diplomatic approach
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