Heart of Darkness — Page 4
It had borne all the ships whose names are like jewels flashing in the night of time, from the _Golden Hind_ returning with her rotund flanks full of treasure, to be visited by the Queen's Highness and thus pass out of the gigantic tale, to the _Erebus_ and _Terror_, bound on other conquests—and that never returned.
Il avait porté tous les navires dont les noms sont comme des joyaux étincelant dans la nuit des temps, depuis le _Golden Hind_ revenant avec ses flancs arrondis pleins de trésors, pour être visité par la Majesté de la Reine et passer ainsi hors de l'immense récit, jusqu'à l'_Erebus_ et la _Terror_, partis pour d'autres conquêtes — et qui ne revinrent jamais.
It had known the ships and the men.
Il avait connu les navires et les hommes.
They had sailed from Deptford, from Greenwich, from Erith—the adventurers and the settlers; kings' ships and the ships of men on 'Change; captains, admirals, the dark "interlopers" of the Eastern trade, and the commissioned "generals" of East India fleets.
Ils avaient appareillé de Deptford, de Greenwich, d'Erith — les aventuriers et les colons ; les navires des rois et les navires des hommes de la Bourse ; des capitaines, des amiraux, les sombres « interlopes » du commerce d'Orient, et les « généraux » accrédités des flottes des Indes orientales.
Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire.
Chasseurs d'or ou pourchasseurs de gloire, ils étaient tous partis sur ce fleuve, portant l'épée, et souvent la torche, messagers de la puissance tapie dans les terres, porteurs d'une étincelle du feu sacré.
What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth!...
Quelle grandeur n'avait pas flotté sur le reflux de ce fleuve vers le mystère d'une terre inconnue !...
The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires.
Les rêves des hommes, la semence des nations, les germes des empires.
The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore.
Le soleil se coucha ; le crépuscule tomba sur le fleuve, et des lumières commencèrent à apparaître le long de la rive.
The Chapman light-house, a three-legged thing erect on a mud-flat, shone strongly.
Le phare de Chapman, une chose à trois pieds dressée sur une vasière, brillait avec force.
Lights of ships moved in the fairway—a great stir of lights going up and going down.
Des feux de navires se déplaçaient dans le chenal — un grand remue-ménage de lumières montant et descendant.
And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars.
Et plus loin vers l'ouest, sur les hauteurs du fleuve, l'emplacement de la ville monstrueuse était encore sinistrement marqué dans le ciel, une sombre mélancolie sous le soleil, une lueur blafarde sous les étoiles.
Vocabulary
- avait
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avoir', meaning 'had'
- porté
- Past participle of 'porter', meaning 'carried' or 'borne'
- tous
- Masculine plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'all'
- navires
- Plural noun meaning 'ships' or 'vessels'
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'from which'
- noms
- Plural noun meaning 'names'
- comme
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like' or 'as'
- joyaux
- Plural noun meaning 'jewels' or 'gems'
- étincelant
- Present participle meaning 'sparkling' or 'glittering brightly'
- nuit
- Noun meaning 'night'
- temps
- Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'
- depuis
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'since' or 'from'
- revenant
- Present participle of 'revenir', meaning 'returning' or 'coming back'
- flancs
- Plural noun meaning 'sides', 'flanks', or 'hulls' of a ship
- arrondis
- Adjective meaning 'rounded' or 'swollen out'
- pleins
- Adjective meaning 'full' or 'filled'
- trésors
- Plural noun meaning 'treasures'
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- visité
- Past participle of 'visiter', meaning 'visited'
- Majesté
- Noun meaning 'Majesty', used as royal honorific title
- Reine
- Noun meaning 'Queen'
- passer
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to pass' or 'to go'
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'
- hors
- Preposition meaning 'outside of' or 'beyond'
- immense
- Adjective meaning 'immense', 'vast', or 'enormous'
- récit
- Noun meaning 'account', 'narrative', or 'story'
- jusqu'
- Preposition meaning 'until', 'up to', or 'as far as'
- partis
- Past participle of 'partir', meaning 'departed' or 'gone out'
- autres
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
- conquêtes
- Plural noun meaning 'conquests'
- revinrent
- Third person plural simple past of 'revenir', meaning 'returned'
- jamais
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'
- connu
- Past participle of 'connaître', meaning 'known' or 'acquainted with'
- hommes
- Plural noun meaning 'men' or 'people'
- avaient
- Third person plural imperfect of 'avoir', meaning 'had'
- appareillé
- Past participle meaning 'set sail' or 'departed by ship'
- aventuriers
- Plural noun meaning 'adventurers' or 'bold explorers'
- colons
- Plural noun meaning 'colonists' or 'settlers'
- rois
- Plural noun meaning 'kings'
- Bourse
- Noun meaning stock exchange or trading hall for merchants
- capitaines
- Plural noun meaning 'captains'
- amiraux
- Plural noun meaning 'admirals'
- sombres
- Adjective meaning 'dark', 'gloomy', or 'shadowy'
- interlopes
- Adjective meaning 'shady', 'illicit', or 'unauthorized traders'
- commerce
- Noun meaning 'trade', 'commerce', or 'business'
- Orient
- Noun meaning 'the East' or 'Orient', referring to Asia
- généraux
- Plural noun meaning 'generals' or 'commanding officers'
- accrédités
- Adjective meaning 'accredited', 'authorized', or 'officially recognized'
- flottes
- Plural noun meaning 'fleets' of ships
- Indes
- Noun meaning 'Indies', referring to India or East Indies
- orientales
- Adjective meaning 'eastern' or 'oriental'
- Chasseurs
- Plural noun meaning 'hunters' or 'chasers'
- or
- Noun meaning 'gold'
- pourchasseurs
- Plural noun meaning 'pursuers' or 'those who chase after'
- gloire
- Noun meaning 'glory' or 'fame'
- étaient
- Third person plural imperfect of 'être', meaning 'were'
- fleuve
- Noun meaning 'river' flowing into the sea
- portant
- Present participle of 'porter', meaning 'carrying' or 'bearing'
- épée
- Noun meaning 'sword'
- souvent
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'
- torche
- Noun meaning 'torch' or 'flaming light carried by hand
- messagers
- Plural noun meaning 'messengers' or 'bearers of messages'
- puissance
- Noun meaning 'power', 'might', or 'strength'
- tapie
- Adjective from 'tapir', meaning 'crouching' or 'lurking hidden'
- terres
- Plural noun meaning 'lands' or 'territories'
- porteurs
- Plural noun meaning 'bearers' or 'carriers'
- étincelle
- Noun meaning 'spark' of fire or light
- feu
- Noun meaning 'fire'
- sacré
- Adjective meaning 'sacred', 'holy', or 'consecrated'
- Quelle
- Interrogative or exclamatory adjective meaning 'what' or 'which'
- grandeur
- Noun meaning 'greatness', 'grandeur', or 'magnitude'
- flotté
- Past participle of 'flotter', meaning 'floated' or 'drifted'
- reflux
- Noun meaning 'ebb tide' or 'flowing back'
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'towards' or 'in the direction of'
- mystère
- Noun meaning 'mystery' or 'enigma'
- terre
- Noun meaning 'land', 'earth', or 'ground'
- inconnue
- Adjective meaning 'unknown' or 'unfamiliar'
- rêves
- Plural noun meaning 'dreams'
- semence
- Noun meaning 'seed' or 'seedling' in figurative sense
- nations
- Plural noun meaning 'nations' or 'peoples'
- germes
- Plural noun meaning 'germs', 'seeds', or 'beginnings'
- empires
- Plural noun meaning 'empires'
- soleil
- Noun meaning 'sun'
- coucha
- Third person singular simple past of 'coucher', meaning 'set' (sun)
- crépuscule
- Noun meaning 'twilight' or 'dusk'
- tomba
- Third person singular simple past of 'tomber', meaning 'fell'
- lumières
- Plural noun meaning 'lights'
- commencèrent
- Third person plural simple past of 'commencer', meaning 'began'
- apparaître
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to appear' or 'to come into view'
- long
- Adjective meaning 'long', or preposition 'le long de' meaning 'along'
- rive
- Noun meaning 'bank' or 'shore' of a river
- phare
- Noun meaning 'lighthouse' or 'beacon light'
- chose
- Noun meaning 'thing'
- trois
- Number meaning 'three'
- pieds
- Plural noun meaning 'feet' as unit of measurement
- dressée
- Adjective from 'dresser', meaning 'erected', 'raised upright'
- vasière
- Noun meaning 'mudflat' or 'tidal muddy area'
- brillait
- Third person singular imperfect of 'briller', meaning 'shone'
- force
- Noun meaning 'force', 'strength', or 'power'
- feux
- Plural noun meaning 'fires' or 'lights'
- déplaçaient
- Third person plural imperfect of 'déplacer', meaning 'moved' or 'shifted'
- chenal
- Noun meaning 'channel' or 'navigable waterway'
- grand
- Adjective meaning 'great', 'large', or 'big'
- remue-ménage
- Noun meaning 'commotion', 'hustle', or 'bustle'
- montant
- Present participle meaning 'going up' or 'rising'
- descendant
- Present participle meaning 'going down' or 'descending'
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'further'
- loin
- Adverb meaning 'far' or 'farther away'
- ouest
- Noun meaning 'west'
- hauteurs
- Plural noun meaning 'heights' or 'elevated areas'
- emplacement
- Noun meaning 'location', 'site', or 'position'
- ville
- Noun meaning 'city' or 'town'
- monstrueuse
- Adjective meaning 'monstrous', 'enormous', or 'frightful'
- était
- Third person singular imperfect of 'être', meaning 'was'
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'
- sinistrement
- Adverb meaning 'sinisterly', 'ominously', or 'gloomily'
- marqué
- Past participle of 'marquer', meaning 'marked' or 'indicated'
- ciel
- Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven'
- sombre
- Adjective meaning 'dark', 'dim', or 'gloomy'
- mélancolie
- Noun meaning 'melancholy' or 'deep sadness'
- sous
- Preposition meaning 'under', 'beneath', or 'below'
- lueur
- Noun meaning 'glow', 'glimmer', or 'faint light'
- blafarde
- Adjective meaning 'pale', 'wan', or 'sickly white'
- étoiles
- Plural noun meaning 'stars'
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →