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Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World — Page 2

English → Fr RICHARD SYMPSON. Level 8/10

Likewise in the account of the academy of projectors, and several passages of my discourse to my master _Houyhnhnm_, you have either omitted some material circumstances, or minced or changed them in such a manner, that I do hardly know my own work.

De même, dans le récit de l'académie des projeteurs, et dans plusieurs passages de mon discours à mon maître _Houyhnhnm_, vous avez soit omis certaines circonstances importantes, soit édulcoré ou modifié celles-ci de telle manière que je reconnais à peine mon propre ouvrage.

When I formerly hinted to you something of this in a letter, you were pleased to answer that you were afraid of giving offence; that people in power were very watchful over the press, and apt not only to interpret, but to punish every thing which looked like an _innuendo_ (as I think you call it).

Lorsque je vous ai autrefois laissé entendre quelque chose à ce sujet dans une lettre, vous avez daigné me répondre que vous craigniez de donner offense ; que les gens au pouvoir surveillaient de très près la presse, et étaient enclins non seulement à interpréter, mais aussi à punir tout ce qui ressemblait à une _insinuation_ (c'est ainsi, je crois, que vous l'appelez).

But, pray how could that which I spoke so many years ago, and at about five thousand leagues distance, in another reign, be applied to any of the _Yahoos_, who now are said to govern the herd; especially at a time when I little thought, or feared, the unhappiness of living under them?

Mais, je vous prie, comment ce que j'ai dit il y a tant d'années, à environ cinq mille lieues de distance, sous un autre règne, pourrait-il être appliqué à l'un quelconque des _Yahoos_, qui sont maintenant censés gouverner le troupeau ; surtout à une époque où je ne pensais guère, ni ne redoutais, le malheur de vivre sous leur joug ?

Have not I the most reason to complain, when I see these very _Yahoos_ carried by _Houyhnhnms_ in a vehicle, as if they were brutes, and those the rational creatures?

N'ai-je pas les meilleures raisons de me plaindre, lorsque je vois ces mêmes _Yahoos_ transportés par des _Houyhnhnms_ dans un véhicule, comme s'ils étaient les brutes, et ceux-ci les êtres doués de raison ?

And indeed to avoid so monstrous and detestable a sight was one principal motive of my retirement hither.

Et en effet, éviter un spectacle aussi monstrueux et détestable fut l'une des principales raisons de ma retraite en ce lieu.

Thus much I thought proper to tell you in relation to yourself, and to the trust I reposed in you.

Voilà ce que j'ai jugé bon de vous dire en ce qui vous concerne, et quant à la confiance que j'avais placée en vous.

Vocabulary

même: mem — Meaning 'same' or 'even'; used for comparison.
dans: dahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside'.
récit: ray-see — A narrative or account of events.
académie: ah-kah-day-mee — An academy or learned society for intellectual pursuits.
projeteurs: proh-zhuh-tuhr — Projectors or schemers; those who devise grand plans.
plusieurs: ploo-zyuhr — Meaning 'several' or 'many'; indicates a plural quantity.
passages: pah-sahzh — Passages or excerpts from a text or speech.
discours: dees-koor — A speech or discourse delivered to an audience.
maître: meh-truh — Master or teacher; a person of authority.
soit: swah — Subjunctive of 'être'; means 'either' or 'whether'.
omis: oh-mee — Past participle of 'omettre'; meaning 'omitted' or 'left out'.
certaines: sehr-ten — Certain or specific (feminine plural); some particular ones.
circonstances: seer-kon-stahns — Circumstances or conditions surrounding an event.
importantes: am-por-tahnt — Important or significant (feminine plural adjective).
édulcoré: ay-dool-ko-ray — Watered down or softened; made less harsh or offensive.
modifié: mo-dee-fyay — Modified or altered; changed from its original form.
celles-ci: sel-see — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these ones' (feminine plural).
telle: tel — Such; used to describe quality or manner (feminine).
manière: mah-nyehr — Manner or way; the style in which something is done.
reconnais: ruh-ko-neh — Recognize; first-person singular of 'reconnaître'.
peine: pen — Difficulty or sorrow; 'à peine' means 'hardly'.
propre: propr — Own or proper; meaning belonging specifically to oneself.
ouvrage: oov-rahzh — A work or piece of writing, art, or craftsmanship.
Lorsque: lor-skuh — Conjunction meaning 'when'; used to introduce time clauses.
autrefois: oh-truh-fwah — Formerly or in the past; referring to a previous time.
laissé: leh-say — Past participle of 'laisser'; meaning 'left' or 'let'.
entendre: ahn-tahn-druh — To hear or understand; also to imply or suggest.
quelque: kel-kuh — Some or a few; an indefinite small quantity.
chose: shohz — Thing; a general word for an object or matter.
sujet: soo-zhay — Subject or topic under discussion or consideration.
lettre: leh-truh — A letter; a written message sent to someone.
daigné: den-yay — Deigned or condescended; past participle of 'daigner'.
répondre: ray-pon-druh — To respond or reply to someone or something.
craigniez: kren-yay — Imperfect of 'craindre'; 'you feared' something happening.
donner: do-nay — To give; an infinitive verb of offering or providing.
offense: oh-fahns — Offense or insult; something causing displeasure or harm.
gens: zhahn — People; a general term for a group of persons.
pouvoir: poov-wahr — Power or ability; also the infinitive 'to be able'.
surveillaient: soor-vay-yay — Were watching or monitoring; imperfect of 'surveiller'.
très: treh — Very; an adverb intensifying adjectives or other adverbs.
près: preh — Near or close; indicating proximity in space or attention.
presse: pres — The press; printed media or news publications collectively.
enclins: ahn-klan — Inclined or prone to; disposed toward a certain behavior.
seulement: suhl-mahn — Only or merely; restricting to one thing or action.
interpréter: an-tehr-pray-tay — To interpret; to explain or understand meaning of something.
aussi: oh-see — Also or too; indicates addition or similarity.
punir: poo-neer — To punish; to impose a penalty for wrongdoing.
tout: too — All or everything; a comprehensive or total amount.
ressemblait: ruh-sahm-bleh — Resembled or looked like; imperfect of 'ressembler'.
_insinuation_: an-see-noo-ah-syohn — An indirect or subtle suggestion implying something negative.
ainsi: an-see — Thus or so; meaning in this manner or therefore.
crois: krwah — First-person singular of 'croire'; meaning 'I believe'.
appelez: ah-puh-lay — Second-person plural of 'appeler'; meaning 'you call'.
prie: pree — First-person of 'prier'; to pray or beg someone.
comment: ko-mahn — How; an interrogative adverb asking about manner or way.
y: ee — Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'to it'.
tant: tahn — So much or so many; indicating a large degree.
années: ah-nay — Years; plural of 'année', a period of twelve months.
environ: ahn-vee-rohn — About or approximately; indicating an estimated quantity.
cinq: sank — The number five in French.
mille: meel — Thousand; the number 1000 in French.
lieues: lyuh — Leagues; old unit of distance roughly three miles.
distance: dees-tahns — Distance; the space between two points or places.
sous: soo — Under or beneath; a preposition indicating lower position.
autre: oh-truh — Other or another; referring to a different person or thing.
règne: ren-yuh — Reign or rule; the period of a monarch's governance.
pourrait-il: poo-reh-eel — Could it; conditional inversion asking whether it could.
être: eh-truh — To be; fundamental linking verb of existence or identity.
appliqué: ah-plee-kay — Applied or directed toward; past participle of 'appliquer'.
quelconque: kel-konk — Any or whatsoever; indicating any one of a kind.
maintenant: man-tuh-nahn — Now; referring to the present moment in time.
censés: sahn-say — Supposed or presumed; expected to do something.
gouverner: goo-vehr-nay — To govern or rule over a people or territory.
troupeau: troo-poh — Herd or flock; a group of animals moving together.
surtout: soor-too — Especially or above all; indicating the most important aspect.
époque: ay-pok — Era or period; a particular time in history.
où: oo — Where or when; relative pronoun for place or time.
pensais: pahn-seh — Imperfect of 'penser'; meaning 'I was thinking'.
guère: gehr — Hardly or scarcely; a literary negative adverb.
ni: nee — Nor; used in negative constructions meaning 'neither...nor'.
redoutais: ruh-doo-teh — Imperfect of 'redouter'; meaning 'I feared' or 'dreaded'.
malheur: mah-luhr — Misfortune or unhappiness; bad luck or a calamity.
vivre: veev-ruh — To live; the infinitive of the verb for living.
leur: luhr — Their (possessive) or 'them' (indirect object pronoun).
joug: zhoog — Yoke; a burden of oppression or domination imposed.
meilleures: meh-yuhr — Better (feminine plural); superlative of 'bon' meaning best.
raisons: reh-zohn — Reasons; logical grounds or justifications for something.
plaindre: plan-druh — To complain or pity; 'se plaindre' means to complain.
lorsque: lor-skuh — When; a conjunction introducing a time-related clause.
vois: vwah — First-person singular of 'voir'; meaning 'I see'.
ces: say — Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those' (plural).
mêmes: mem — Same ones; plural of 'même', used for emphasis.
transportés: trahns-por-tay — Transported or carried; past participle of 'transporter'.
par: par — By or through; a preposition indicating means or agent.
véhicule: vay-ee-kool — Vehicle; a means of transport or conveyance.
comme: kom — Like or as; used for comparison or manner.
brutes: broot — Brutes; irrational animals or brutish persons.
ceux-ci: suh-see — These ones (masculine plural); demonstrative pronoun.
êtres: eh-truh — Beings; creatures or entities, often sentient ones.
doués: doo-ay — Gifted or endowed; possessing a particular talent or quality.
raison: reh-zohn — Reason; rational thinking ability or a logical argument.
effet: eh-feh — Effect or result; 'en effet' means 'indeed' or 'in fact'.
éviter: ay-vee-tay — To avoid or prevent; to keep away from something.
spectacle: spek-tah-kluh — Spectacle or sight; a striking or disturbing visual scene.
monstrueux: mon-stroo-uh — Monstrous or horrifying; something outrageously dreadful.
détestable: day-tes-tah-bluh — Detestable or hateful; deserving strong disgust or loathing.
fut: foo — Past historic of 'être'; meaning 'was' (literary form).
principales: pran-see-pal — Principal or main (feminine plural); most important ones.
retraite: ruh-tret — Retreat or retirement; withdrawal to a secluded place.
lieu: lyuh — Place or location; the spot where something occurs.
Voilà: vwah-lah — There it is; used to present or conclude something.
jugé: zhoo-zhay — Judged or deemed; past participle of 'juger'.
bon: bohn — Good; a common adjective for quality or approval.
dire: deer — To say or tell; fundamental verb of verbal communication.
concerne: kon-sehrn — Concerns or relates to; third-person of 'concerner'.
quant: kahn — As for; used in 'quant à' meaning 'regarding' something.
confiance: kon-fyahns — Trust or confidence; belief in the reliability of someone.
avais: ah-veh — Imperfect of 'avoir'; meaning 'I had' in the past.
placée: plah-say — Placed (feminine); past participle of 'placer'.

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