Heart of Darkness — Page 5
"And this also," said Marlow suddenly, "has been one of the dark places of the earth."
« Cela aussi, » dit Marlow soudainement, « a été l'un des endroits sombres de la terre. »
He was the only man of us who still "followed the sea."
Il était le seul d'entre nous qui « suivait encore la mer. »
The worst that could be said of him was that he did not represent his class.
Le pire que l'on pût dire de lui était qu'il ne représentait pas sa classe.
He was a seaman, but he was a wanderer, too, while most seamen lead, if one may so express it, a sedentary life.
Il était marin, mais il était aussi un vagabond, tandis que la plupart des marins mènent, si l'on peut s'exprimer ainsi, une vie sédentaire.
Their minds are of the stay-at-home order, and their home is always with them—the ship; and so is their country—the sea.
Leurs esprits sont de l'ordre casanier, et leur foyer les accompagne toujours — le navire ; et il en va de même pour leur pays — la mer.
One ship is very much like another, and the sea is always the same.
Un navire ressemble beaucoup à un autre, et la mer est toujours la même.
In the immutability of their surroundings the foreign shores, the foreign faces, the changing immensity of life, glide past, veiled not by a sense of mystery but by a slightly disdainful ignorance; for there is nothing mysterious to a seaman unless it be the sea itself, which is the mistress of his existence and as inscrutable as Destiny.
Dans l'immuabilité de leur environnement, les rivages étrangers, les visages étrangers, l'immensité changeante de la vie, défilent, voilés non par un sentiment de mystère mais par une ignorance légèrement dédaigneuse ; car il n'y a rien de mystérieux pour un marin à moins que ce ne soit la mer elle-même, qui est la maîtresse de son existence et aussi insondable que le Destin.
For the rest, after his hours of work, a casual stroll or a casual spree on shore suffices to unfold for him the secret of a whole continent, and generally he finds the secret not worth knowing.
Pour le reste, après ses heures de travail, une promenade nonchalante ou une petite fête sur le rivage suffit à lui dévoiler le secret d'un continent entier, et généralement il trouve que ce secret ne vaut pas la peine d'être connu.
The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut.
Les récits des marins ont une simplicité directe, dont tout le sens tient dans la coquille d'une noix fêlée.
Vocabulary
- Cela
- That; this thing or situation
- aussi
- Also; as well; too
- dit
- Said; told; named or called
- soudainement
- Suddenly; abruptly; without warning
- été
- Summer; past participle of être (been)
- un
- A; an; one (masculine singular article)
- des
- Some; of the (plural indefinite article)
- endroits
- Places; spots; locations or areas
- sombres
- Dark; gloomy; somber or dim
- de
- Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- terre
- Earth; land; ground or soil
- Il
- He; it (masculine singular pronoun)
- était
- Was; imperfect tense of être
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- seul
- Only; sole; alone or single
- entre
- Between; among; in the midst of
- nous
- We; us (first person plural pronoun)
- qui
- Who; which; that (relative pronoun)
- suivait
- Followed; pursued; was following
- encore
- Still; yet; again or furthermore
- mer
- Sea; ocean; large body of saltwater
- Le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- pire
- Worst; the worst or most bad
- que
- That; which; what (relative/subordinate conjunction)
- on
- One; people; you (impersonal pronoun)
- pût
- Could; might (subjunctive of pouvoir)
- dire
- To say; to tell; to speak
- lui
- Him; to him; he (indirect object pronoun)
- il
- He; it (masculine singular subject pronoun)
- ne
- Not; no (negation particle)
- représentait
- Represented; stood for; portrayed or depicted
- pas
- Not; step (negation adverb or noun)
- sa
- His; her; its (possessive adjective)
- classe
- Class; group; social rank or category
- marin
- Sailor; marine; relating to the sea
- mais
- But; however; yet or nevertheless
- vagabond
- Vagrant; wanderer; person without fixed home
- tandis
- While; whereas; at the same time
- plupart
- Most; majority; greater part of something
- marins
- Sailors; seamen; maritime workers or persons
- mènent
- Lead; conduct; carry on or pursue
- si
- If; so; whether (conditional or intensifier)
- peut
- Can; may; is able to
- exprimer
- To express; to state; to convey meaning
- ainsi
- Thus; so; in this manner or way
- une
- A; an; one (feminine singular article)
- vie
- Life; existence; way or manner of living
- sédentaire
- Sedentary; stationary; settled in one place
- Leurs
- Their; theirs (plural possessive adjective)
- esprits
- Spirits; minds; souls or intellect
- sont
- Are (third person plural of être)
- ordre
- Order; arrangement; command or sequence
- casanier
- Homebody; stay-at-home; fond of domestic life
- et
- And; plus; used to connect words
- foyer
- Home; hearth; household or family dwelling
- les
- The (plural definite article)
- accompagne
- Accompanies; goes with; joins or attends
- toujours
- Always; ever; still or continually
- navire
- Ship; vessel; large boat for sea transport
- en
- In; on; some (preposition or pronoun)
- va
- Goes; travels; proceeds or travels forth
- même
- Same; even; very or self
- pour
- For; in order to; during or by
- pays
- Country; nation; land or region
- Un
- A; an; one (masculine singular article)
- ressemble
- Resembles; looks like; bears similarity to
- beaucoup
- Much; very; a lot or greatly
- autre
- Other; another; different or else
- Dans
- In; within; inside or during
- environnement
- Environment; surroundings; setting or circumstances
- rivages
- Shores; coasts; banks or beaches
- étrangers
- Strangers; foreigners; unknown or foreign persons
- visages
- Faces; countenances; appearances or expressions
- immensité
- Immensity; vastness; great size or extent
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