Heart of Darkness — Page 13
I am ready to do anything, anything for you.
Je suis prête à faire n'importe quoi, n'importe quoi pour vous.
It is a glorious idea.
C'est une idée glorieuse.
I know the wife of a very high personage in the Administration, and also a man who has lots of influence with,' etc.
Je connais la femme d'un très haut personnage de l'Administration, et aussi un homme qui a beaucoup d'influence auprès de,' etc.
She was determined to make no end of fuss to get me appointed skipper of a river steamboat, if such was my fancy.
Elle était bien décidée à remuer ciel et terre pour me faire nommer capitaine d'un bateau à vapeur fluvial, si tel était mon désir.
I got my appointment—of course; and I got it very quick.
J'obtins ma nomination — bien entendu ; et je l'obtins très rapidement.
It appears the Company had received news that one of their captains had been killed in a scuffle with the natives.
Il apparaît que la Compagnie avait reçu la nouvelle qu'un de ses capitaines avait été tué dans une rixe avec les indigènes.
This was my chance, and it made me the more anxious to go.
C'était ma chance, et cela me rendait d'autant plus impatient de partir.
It was only months and months afterwards, when I made the attempt to recover what was left of the body, that I heard the original quarrel arose from a misunderstanding about some hens.
Ce n'est que des mois et des mois plus tard, lorsque je tentai de récupérer ce qu'il restait du corps, que j'appris que la querelle initiale était née d'un malentendu à propos de quelques poules.
Yes, two black hens.
Oui, deux poules noires.
Fresleven—that was the fellow's name, a Dane—thought himself wronged somehow in the bargain, so he went ashore and started to hammer the chief of the village with a stick.
Fresleven — tel était le nom du bonhomme, un Danois — se croyait lésé d'une façon ou d'une autre dans le marché, alors il débarqua et se mit à rouer de coups le chef du village avec un bâton.
Oh, it didn't surprise me in the least to hear this, and at the same time to be told that Fresleven was the gentlest, quietest creature that ever walked on two legs.
Oh, cela ne m'étonna pas le moins du monde d'apprendre cela, et en même temps qu'on me dise que Fresleven était la créature la plus douce, la plus tranquille qui eût jamais marché sur deux jambes.
No doubt he was; but he had been a couple of years already out there engaged in the noble cause, you know, and he probably felt the need at last of asserting his self-respect in some way.
Sans doute l'était-il ; mais il avait déjà passé quelques années là-bas à servir la noble cause, vous savez, et il avait probablement fini par ressentir le besoin d'affirmer son amour-propre d'une façon ou d'une autre.
Vocabulary
- prête
- Ready or willing to do something
- importe
- Matters; used in n'importe quoi meaning anything
- quoi
- What; used in various expressions and questions
- idée
- A thought or concept; an idea
- glorieuse
- Magnificent, splendid, or full of glory
- connais
- To know a person or place personally
- femme
- A woman or wife
- haut
- High in rank, position, or elevation
- personnage
- An important or notable person or character
- Administration
- Government or organizational administrative body
- aussi
- Also, too, or likewise
- beaucoup
- A large amount; much or many
- influence
- The power to affect or sway others
- auprès
- Near or with; in the estimation of someone
- était
- Third person singular imperfect of être: was
- bien
- Well, quite, or very; emphasizes certainty
- décidée
- Determined or resolved to do something
- remuer
- To move, stir, or shake vigorously
- ciel
- The sky or heaven above
- terre
- Earth, ground, or land
- nommer
- To appoint or name someone to a position
- capitaine
- A captain, leader of a ship or military unit
- bateau
- A boat or watercraft
- vapeur
- Steam; bateau à vapeur means steamboat
- fluvial
- Relating to or found in rivers
- tel
- Such, as such, or of that kind
- désir
- A strong wish or longing for something
- obtins
- Past historic of obtenir: I obtained or got
- nomination
- An official appointment to a role or position
- entendu
- Understood; bien entendu means of course
- rapidement
- Quickly or swiftly, in a rapid manner
- apparaît
- Third person singular of apparaître: appears
- Compagnie
- A company or business organization
- avait
- Third person singular imperfect of avoir: had
- reçu
- Past participle of recevoir: received
- nouvelle
- News or a piece of new information
- capitaines
- Plural of capitaine: captains of ships or units
- tué
- Past participle of tuer: killed
- rixe
- A brawl or violent street fight
- indigènes
- Indigenous or native inhabitants of a region
- chance
- Luck or fortune; a fortunate circumstance
- cela
- That or that thing; a demonstrative pronoun
- rendait
- Imperfect of rendre: made or rendered something
- autant
- As much or as many; equally so
- impatient
- Restless or eager, unable to wait calmly
- partir
- To leave or depart from a place
- mois
- Month; a unit of time
- tard
- Late; at a later time than expected
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning when, at the time that
- tentai
- Past historic of tenter: I attempted or tried
- récupérer
- To recover or retrieve something lost
- restait
- Imperfect of rester: remained or was left
- corps
- A body, either living or dead
- appris
- Past participle of apprendre: learned or found out
- querelle
- A quarrel or dispute between people
- initiale
- Initial or original; happening at the start
- née
- Born from; originated or arose from something
- malentendu
- A misunderstanding between people
- propos
- Talk or remarks; à propos de means about
- quelques
- A few or some; a small number of
- poules
- Hens or chickens kept for eggs or meat
- noires
- Feminine plural of noir: black in color
- nom
- A name or noun
- bonhomme
- A simple, good-natured fellow or man
- Danois
- Danish; a person or thing from Denmark
- croyait
- Imperfect of croire: believed or thought
- lésé
- Wronged or treated unjustly in a transaction
- façon
- A manner, way, or method of doing something
- autre
- Other or another; a different one
- marché
- A market or a deal or bargain made
- alors
- Then, so, or at that time
- débarqua
- Past historic of débarquer: disembarked or landed
- mit
- Past historic of mettre: put or set
- rouer
- To beat or thrash someone repeatedly
- coups
- Blows or hits struck against someone
- chef
- A chief, leader, or head of a group
- village
- A small rural settlement or community
- bâton
- A stick or rod used as a weapon or tool
- étonna
- Past historic of étonner: astonished or surprised
- moins
- Less; used in comparisons or expressions
- monde
- The world or people in general
- apprendre
- To learn or to teach someone something
- même
- Same or even; used for emphasis or comparison
- temps
- Time or weather; a period or duration
- on
- Indefinite subject pronoun: one, we, or people
- dise
- Subjunctive of dire: that one says or tell
- créature
- A creature or being, often gentle or pitiable
- douce
- Gentle, soft, or mild in character
- tranquille
- Calm, quiet, or peaceful in manner
- eût
- Imperfect subjunctive of avoir: had
- jamais
- Never; at no time, or ever in questions
- jambes
- Legs; the lower limbs of a person
- Sans
- Preposition meaning without
- doute
- Doubt or uncertainty; sans doute means probably
- déjà
- Already or before; by this or that time
- passé
- Spent or passed; past participle of passer
- années
- Years; plural of année, a year's duration
- là
- There; indicating a place or point
- bas
- Low or down; là-bas means over there
- servir
- To serve or be of service to someone
- noble
- Morally admirable, elevated, or aristocratic
- cause
- A cause or reason motivating action
- savez
- Second person plural of savoir: you know
- probablement
- Probably; with a high degree of likelihood
- fini
- Finished or ended; past participle of finir
- ressentir
- To feel or experience an emotion deeply
- besoin
- A need or necessity; avoir besoin means to need
- affirmer
- To assert or affirm something strongly
- amour
- Love or deep affection for someone
- propre
- Own; amour-propre means self-esteem or pride
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →