Great Expectations — Page 6
It was as if I had to make up my mind to leap from the top of a high house, or plunge into a great depth of water.
C'était comme si j'avais dû me décider à sauter du haut d'une grande maison, ou à plonger dans une grande profondeur d'eau.
And it was made the more difficult by the unconscious Joe.
Et cela était rendu d'autant plus difficile par l'inconscient Joe.
In our already-mentioned freemasonry as fellow-sufferers, and in his good-natured companionship with me, it was our evening habit to compare the way we bit through our slices, by silently holding them up to each other's admiration now and then,—which stimulated us to new exertions.
Dans notre franc-maçonnerie déjà mentionnée en tant que compagnons d'infortune, et dans sa compagnie bienveillante avec moi, nous avions l'habitude le soir de comparer la façon dont nous mordions dans nos tranches, en les tenant silencieusement à l'admiration l'un de l'autre de temps en temps, — ce qui nous stimulait à de nouveaux efforts.
To-night, Joe several times invited me, by the display of his fast diminishing slice, to enter upon our usual friendly competition; but he found me, each time, with my yellow mug of tea on one knee, and my untouched bread and butter on the other.
Ce soir, Joe m'invita plusieurs fois, en montrant sa tranche qui diminuait rapidement, à entamer notre habituelle et amicale compétition ; mais il me trouva, à chaque fois, avec ma tasse jaune de thé sur un genou, et mon pain beurré intact sur l'autre.
At last, I desperately considered that the thing I contemplated must be done, and that it had best be done in the least improbable manner consistent with the circumstances.
Finalement, je considérai désespérément que ce que j'envisageais devait être fait, et qu'il valait mieux le faire de la manière la moins improbable compatible avec les circonstances.
I took advantage of a moment when Joe had just looked at me, and got my bread and butter down my leg.
Je profitai d'un moment où Joe venait juste de me regarder, et glissai mon pain beurré le long de ma jambe.
Joe was evidently made uncomfortable by what he supposed to be my loss of appetite, and took a thoughtful bite out of his slice, which he didn't seem to enjoy.
Joe était visiblement mis mal à l'aise par ce qu'il supposait être mon manque d'appétit, et prit une bouchée pensive dans sa tranche, qu'il ne sembla pas apprécier.
He turned it about in his mouth much longer than usual, pondering over it a good deal, and after all gulped it down like a pill.
Il la retourna dans sa bouche beaucoup plus longtemps que d'habitude, y réfléchissant longuement, et finit par l'avaler comme une pilule.
Vocabulary
- était
- Past tense of 'être'; was or were
- comme
- As, like, or such as
- si
- If, whether, or so
- avais
- Past tense of 'avoir'; had
- dû
- Past participle of 'devoir'; had to, must have
- me
- Reflexive or object pronoun; me, myself
- décider
- To decide or make a decision
- sauter
- To jump or leap
- haut
- Top, height, or high up
- grande
- Large, big, or tall (feminine form)
- maison
- House or home
- plonger
- To plunge, dive, or immerse
- profondeur
- Depth or profundity of something
- eau
- Water
- cela
- That, referring to something previously mentioned
- rendu
- Past participle of 'rendre'; made or rendered
- autant
- As much, as many, or equally
- plus
- More, most, or no longer
- difficile
- Difficult, hard, or challenging
- inconscient
- Unconscious, unaware, or oblivious person
- notre
- Our, possessive adjective for first person plural
- franc-maçonnerie
- Freemasonry, a fraternal brotherhood organization
- déjà
- Already or previously
- mentionnée
- Mentioned or referred to (feminine past participle)
- tant
- So much, as much, or in the capacity of
- compagnons
- Companions, fellows, or partners
- infortune
- Misfortune, bad luck, or adversity
- compagnie
- Company, companionship, or a business entity
- bienveillante
- Benevolent, kind, or well-meaning (feminine adjective)
- avions
- Imperfect tense of 'avoir'; we had
- habitude
- Habit, custom, or usual practice
- soir
- Evening or night time
- comparer
- To compare or contrast two things
- façon
- Way, manner, or fashion of doing something
- dont
- Whose, of which, or about which
- mordions
- Imperfect tense of 'mordre'; we were biting
- tranches
- Slices, especially of bread or food
- tenant
- Holding or keeping (present participle of 'tenir')
- silencieusement
- Silently, quietly, without making any sound
- admiration
- Admiration, wonder, or appreciation for something
- autre
- Other, another, or different
- temps
- Time, weather, or tense (grammatical)
- stimulait
- Imperfect of 'stimuler'; was stimulating or encouraging
- nouveaux
- New, novel (masculine plural adjective)
- efforts
- Efforts, attempts, or exertions
- invita
- Past tense of 'inviter'; invited or prompted
- plusieurs
- Several or multiple
- fois
- Time(s) or occasion(s)
- montrant
- Showing (present participle of 'montrer')
- tranche
- Slice, as of bread or cake
- diminuait
- Imperfect of 'diminuer'; was decreasing or shrinking
- rapidement
- Rapidly, quickly, or swiftly
- entamer
- To start, begin, or make the first cut
- habituelle
- Usual, habitual, or customary (feminine adjective)
- amicale
- Friendly or amicable (feminine adjective)
- compétition
- Competition or contest between parties
- trouva
- Past tense of 'trouver'; found or discovered
- chaque
- Each or every
- tasse
- Cup, as for tea or coffee
- jaune
- Yellow (color adjective)
- thé
- Tea, a common hot beverage
- genou
- Knee, part of the leg
- pain
- Bread, a staple baked food
- beurré
- Buttered, spread with butter
- intact
- Intact, untouched, or undamaged
- Finalement
- Finally, ultimately, or in the end
- considérai
- Past tense of 'considérer'; I considered or reflected
- désespérément
- Desperately or hopelessly
- envisageais
- Imperfect of 'envisager'; I was contemplating or considering
- devait
- Imperfect of 'devoir'; had to or was supposed to
- être
- To be (infinitive of the verb 'être')
- fait
- Done or made (past participle of 'faire')
- valait
- Imperfect of 'valoir'; was worth or merited
- mieux
- Better or best
- faire
- To do or make
- manière
- Manner, way, or method
- moins
- Less, fewer, or minus
- improbable
- Unlikely, improbable, or not expected
- compatible
- Compatible or consistent with something
- circonstances
- Circumstances or conditions surrounding a situation
- profitai
- Past tense of 'profiter'; took advantage of
- moment
- Moment, instant, or point in time
- venait
- Imperfect of 'venir'; was coming or had just
- juste
- Just, right, or fair
- regarder
- To look at or watch
- glissai
- Past tense of 'glisser'; I slipped or slid
- long
- Long or along; beside something
- jambe
- Leg, part of the human body
- visiblement
- Visibly, evidently, or clearly
- mis
- Past participle of 'mettre'; put or placed
- mal
- Bad, evil, or discomfort or pain
- aise
- Ease or comfort; at ease
- supposait
- Imperfect of 'supposer'; was assuming or supposed
- manque
- Lack, absence, or shortage of something
- appétit
- Appetite or desire to eat food
- prit
- Past tense of 'prendre'; took or grabbed
- bouchée
- A bite or mouthful of food
- pensive
- Pensive, thoughtful, or reflective (feminine adjective)
- sembla
- Past tense of 'sembler'; seemed or appeared
- apprécier
- To appreciate, enjoy, or value something
- retourna
- Past tense of 'retourner'; turned over or went back
- bouche
- Mouth, the opening in the face
- beaucoup
- A lot, much, or many
- longtemps
- For a long time or a long while
- y
- There or it (adverbial pronoun referring to place)
- réfléchissant
- Reflecting or pondering (present participle of 'réfléchir')
- longuement
- At length, for a long time, thoroughly
- finit
- Past tense of 'finir'; finished or ended up
- avaler
- To swallow or gulp down food
- pilule
- Pill or tablet; also metaphorically a hard truth
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