Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 3
Ahab did not like Micaiah, because he never prophesied good concerning him, but evil; probably he liked the sycophant son of Chenaanah better; yet might Ahab have escaped a bloody death, had he but stopped his ears to flattery, and opened them to faithful counsel.
Achab n'aimait pas Michée, parce qu'il ne prophétisait jamais de bien à son sujet, mais seulement du mal ; il préférait probablement le fils sycophante de Chenaana ; et pourtant Achab aurait pu échapper à une mort sanglante, s'il avait seulement fermé ses oreilles à la flatterie et les avait ouvertes aux conseils fidèles.
There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before the great ones of society, much as the son of Imlah came before the throned Kings of Judah and Israel; and who speaks truth as deep, with a power as prophet-like and as vital—a mien as dauntless and as daring.
Il est, de nos jours, un homme dont les paroles ne sont pas faites pour flatter de délicates oreilles : qui, à mon sens, se présente devant les grands de la société, tout comme le fils d'Imlah se présenta devant les rois trônant de Juda et d'Israël ; et qui dit des vérités aussi profondes, avec une puissance aussi prophétique et aussi vivante — un maintien aussi intrépide et aussi audacieux.
Is the satirist of "Vanity Fair" admired in high places?
Le satiriste de « Vanity Fair » est-il admiré dans les hautes sphères ?
I cannot tell; but I think if some of those amongst whom he hurls the Greek fire of his sarcasm, and over whom he flashes the levin-brand of his denunciation, were to take his warnings in time—they or their seed might yet escape a fatal Rimoth-Gilead.
Je ne saurais le dire ; mais je pense que si certains de ceux parmi lesquels il lance le feu grégeois de son sarcasme, et sur lesquels il fait éclater la foudre de ses dénonciations, prenaient ses avertissements en temps voulu — eux ou leur descendance pourraient encore échapper à un fatal Ramoth-Galaad.
Why have I alluded to this man?
Pourquoi ai-je fait allusion à cet homme ?
I have alluded to him, Reader, because I think I see in him an intellect profounder and more unique than his contemporaries have yet recognised; because I regard him as the first social regenerator of the day—as the very master of that working corps who would restore to rectitude the warped system of things; because I think no commentator on his writings has yet found the comparison that suits him, the terms which rightly characterise his talent.
Je lui ai fait allusion, Lecteur, parce que je crois voir en lui un intellect plus profond et plus singulier que ses contemporains ne l'ont encore reconnu ; parce que je le considère comme le premier régénérateur social de notre époque — comme le véritable maître de cette troupe laborieuse qui voudrait remettre dans le droit chemin le système des choses faussé ; parce que je pense qu'aucun commentateur de ses écrits n'a encore trouvé la comparaison qui lui convient, les termes qui caractérisent justement son talent.
Vocabulary
- n'
- n — Contraction of 'ne', used in negation
- aimait
- e-meh — Was loving or liked (imperfect tense)
- pas
- pa — Not; used to form negation in French
- parce
- par-suh — Because (used in 'parce que')
- qu'
- k — Contraction of 'que', meaning 'that' or 'because'
- il
- eel — He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- ne
- nuh — Not; first part of French negation
- prophétisait
- pro-fay-tee-zeh — Was prophesying; foretelling future events
- jamais
- zha-meh — Never; at no time
- de
- duh — Of, from; common French preposition
- bien
- byan — Good, well; something positive or favorable
- à
- a — To, at; very common French preposition
- son
- sohn — His, her, its; possessive adjective
- sujet
- sü-zheh — Subject, topic; person or matter discussed
- mais
- meh — But; conjunction showing contrast
- seulement
- suhl-mahn — Only, merely; limiting adverb
- du
- dü — Of the; contracted article and preposition
- mal
- mal — Evil, harm, bad; something negative
- préférait
- pray-fay-reh — Preferred; liked one thing over another
- probablement
- pro-bab-luh-mahn — Probably; in all likelihood
- le
- luh — The; masculine definite article
- fils
- fees — Son; male offspring
- sycophante
- see-ko-fahnt — Sycophant; one who flatters for personal gain
- et
- ay — And; basic coordinating conjunction
- pourtant
- poor-tahn — Yet, nevertheless; shows contrast or surprise
- aurait
- o-reh — Would have; conditional form of 'avoir'
- pu
- pü — Been able; past participle of 'pouvoir'
- échapper
- ay-sha-pay — To escape; to avoid something dangerous
- une
- ün — A, an; feminine indefinite article
- mort
- mor — Death; end of life
- sanglante
- sahn-glahnt — Bloody; involving much blood and violence
- s'
- s — Reflexive pronoun contraction before vowel
- avait
- a-veh — Had; imperfect tense of 'avoir'
- fermé
- fair-may — Closed, shut; past participle of 'fermer'
- ses
- say — His, her, its; plural possessive adjective
- oreilles
- o-ray-yuh — Ears; organs used for hearing
- la
- la — The; feminine definite article
- flatterie
- fla-tree — Flattery; excessive insincere praise
- les
- lay — The; plural definite article
- ouvertes
- oo-vairt — Open; feminine plural adjective from 'ouvrir'
- aux
- o — To the; contraction of 'à les'
- conseils
- kohn-say-yuh — Advice, counsel; guidance offered to someone
- fidèles
- fee-dell — Faithful, loyal; trustworthy and reliable
- Il
- eel — He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- est
- eh — Is; third person singular of 'être'
- nos
- no — Our; first person plural possessive adjective
- jours
- zhoor — Days; plural of 'jour'
- un
- uhn — A, an; masculine indefinite article
- homme
- om — Man; adult male human being
- dont
- dohn — Whose, of which; relative pronoun
- paroles
- pa-rol — Words, speech; spoken utterances or lyrics
- sont
- sohn — Are; third person plural of 'être'
- faites
- fet — Made, done; feminine plural past participle
- pour
- poor — For, in order to; preposition of purpose
- flatter
- fla-tay — To flatter; to praise excessively and insincerely
- délicates
- day-lee-kat — Delicate, sensitive; requiring careful handling
- qui
- kee — Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- mon
- mohn — My; first person singular masculine possessive
- sens
- sahn — Sense, opinion; meaning or perception
- se
- suh — Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun
- présente
- pray-zahnt — Presents himself; appears before others
- devant
- duh-vahn — Before, in front of; spatial preposition
- grands
- grahn — Great ones; powerful or important people
- société
- so-syay-tay — Society; organized community of people
- tout
- too — All, every; completely or entirely
- comme
- kom — Like, as; comparison conjunction
- d'
- d — Of; contraction of 'de' before vowel
- présenta
- pray-zahn-ta — Presented himself; appeared before someone
- rois
- rwa — Kings; plural of 'roi'
- trônant
- tro-nahn — Enthroned, sitting on thrones; reigning
- dit
- dee — Said, told; past tense of 'dire'
- des
- day — Some, of the; plural indefinite article
- vérités
- vay-ree-tay — Truths; things that are true or real
- aussi
- o-see — Also, as; adverb of addition or comparison
- profondes
- pro-fond — Deep, profound; having great depth or insight
- avec
- a-vek — With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- puissance
- pwee-sahns — Power, might; great strength or authority
- prophétique
- pro-fay-teek — Prophetic; relating to prophecy or foresight
- vivante
- vee-vahnt — Living, alive; full of life and energy
- maintien
- man-tyan — Bearing, posture; manner of carrying oneself
- intrépide
- an-tray-peed — Intrepid, fearless; bold and courageous
- audacieux
- o-da-syuh — Audacious, daring; boldly brave or impudent
- Le
- luh — The; masculine definite article
- satiriste
- sa-tee-reest — Satirist; writer who uses satire critically
- est-
- eh — Is; used in inversion questions
- admiré
- ad-mee-ray — Admired; regarded with respect and approval
- dans
- dahn — In, inside; preposition of location
- hautes
- ot — High; feminine plural of 'haut'
- sphères
- sfair — Spheres, circles; social or intellectual domains
- Je
- zhuh — I; first person singular subject pronoun
- saurais
- so-reh — Would know; conditional of 'savoir'
- dire
- deer — To say, to tell; basic verb of speech
- je
- zhuh — I; first person singular subject pronoun
- pense
- pahns — Think, believe; present tense of 'penser'
- que
- kuh — That; subordinating conjunction
- si
- see — If; conditional conjunction
- certains
- sair-tan — Certain, some; a number of people
- ceux
- suh — Those; demonstrative pronoun masculine plural
- parmi
- par-mee — Among; preposition indicating a group
- lesquels
- lay-kel — Which, whom; plural relative pronoun
- lance
- lahns — Launches, throws; hurls at a target
- feu
- fuh — Fire; flames or combustion
- grégeois
- gray-zhwa — Greek fire; ancient incendiary weapon substance
- sarcasme
- sar-kazm — Sarcasm; sharp mocking or ironic remarks
- sur
- sür — On, over; preposition of position
- fait
- feh — Makes, does; third person of 'faire'
- éclater
- ay-kla-tay — To burst, explode; to break out suddenly
- foudre
- foodr — Lightning, thunderbolt; sudden powerful force
- dénonciations
- day-nohn-sya-syon — Denunciations; public accusations or condemnations
- prenaient
- pruh-neh — Were taking; imperfect tense of 'prendre'
- avertissements
- a-vair-tees-mahn — Warnings; notices of danger or wrongdoing
- en
- ahn — In, on; common preposition or pronoun
- temps
- tahn — Time; period or moment in duration
- voulu
- voo-lü — Wanted; past participle of 'vouloir'
- eux
- uh — Them; third person plural stressed pronoun
- ou
- oo — Or; disjunctive coordinating conjunction
- leur
- luhr — Their; third person plural possessive adjective
- descendance
- day-sahn-dahns — Descendants, offspring; one's future generations
- pourraient
- poo-reh — Could; conditional of 'pouvoir'
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still, yet, again; adverb of continuation
- fatal
- fa-tal — Fatal; causing death or disaster
- Pourquoi
- poor-kwa — Why; interrogative adverb of reason
- ai-
- ay — Have I; inverted form of 'avoir'
- allusion
- a-lü-zyon — Allusion; indirect reference to something
- cet
- set — This; masculine singular demonstrative before vowel
- lui
- lwee — Him, to him; third person singular pronoun
- ai
- ay — Have; first person singular of 'avoir'
- Lecteur
- lek-tuhr — Reader; person who reads a text
- crois
- krwa — Believe, think; first person of 'croire'
- voir
- vwar — To see; basic verb of perception
- intellect
- an-tel-ekt — Intellect; capacity for rational thought
- plus
- plü — More; comparative adverb
- profond
- pro-fohn — Profound, deep; having great intellectual depth
- singulier
- san-gü-lyay — Singular, unique; remarkably distinctive
- contemporains
- kohn-tahm-po-ran — Contemporaries; people living at the same time
- l'
- l — The; contracted definite article before vowel
- ont
- ohn — Have; third person plural of 'avoir'
- reconnu
- ruh-ko-nü — Recognized; acknowledged or identified
- considère
- kohn-see-dair — Considers; regards or views something carefully
- premier
- pruh-myay — First, foremost; earliest or most important
- régénérateur
- ray-zhay-nay-ra-tuhr — Regenerator; one who renews or reforms society
- social
- so-syal — Social; relating to society or community
- notre
- notr — Our; first person plural possessive adjective
- époque
- ay-pok — Epoch, era; a particular period in history
- véritable
- vay-ree-tabl — True, genuine; authentic and real
- maître
- metr — Master, teacher; one with authority or skill
- cette
- set — This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- troupe
- troop — Troupe, group; a company or band of people
- laborieuse
- la-bor-yuhz — Industrious, hardworking; diligent and hardworking
- voudrait
- voo-dreh — Would want; conditional of 'vouloir'
- remettre
- ruh-metr — To put back, restore; to return to order
- droit
- drwa — Right, straight; correct path or direction
- chemin
- shuh-man — Path, way, road; route to a destination
- système
- sees-tem — System; organized set of principles or methods
- choses
- shoz — Things; objects or matters in general
- faussé
- fo-say — Distorted, falsified; twisted from the truth
- aucun
- o-kuhn — No, none; negative indefinite adjective
- commentateur
- ko-mahn-ta-tuhr — Commentator; one who analyzes and explains texts
- écrits
- ay-kree — Writings; written works or texts
- a
- a — Has; third person singular of 'avoir'
- trouvé
- troo-vay — Found; past participle of 'trouver'
- comparaison
- kohm-pa-ray-zohn — Comparison; act of examining similarities and differences
- convient
- kohn-vyan — Suits, fits; is appropriate for something
- termes
- tairm — Terms; words or expressions used specifically
- caractérisent
- ka-rak-tay-reez — Characterize; describe the distinctive features of
- justement
- zhüst-mahn — Exactly, precisely; in a fitting manner
- talent
- ta-lahn — Talent; natural ability or skill
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