Leviathan — Page 1
That when a thing lies still, unlesse somewhat els stirre it, it will lye still for ever, is a truth that no man doubts of.
Que lorsqu'une chose est immobile, à moins que quelque autre chose ne la mette en mouvement, elle demeurera immobile pour toujours, est une vérité que nul homme ne met en doute.
But that when a thing is in motion, it will eternally be in motion, unless somewhat els stay it, though the reason be the same, (namely, that nothing can change it selfe,) is not so easily assented to.
Mais que lorsqu'une chose est en mouvement, elle sera éternellement en mouvement, à moins que quelque autre chose ne l'arrête, bien que la raison en soit la même, (à savoir que rien ne peut se modifier soi-même,) n'est pas si aisément admis.
For men measure, not onely other men, but all other things, by themselves: and because they find themselves subject after motion to pain, and lassitude, think every thing els growes weary of motion, and seeks repose of its own accord;
Car les hommes se mesurent, non seulement les uns les autres, mais toutes les autres choses, à leur propre aune : et parce qu'ils se trouvent eux-mêmes sujets, après le mouvement, à la douleur et à la lassitude, ils pensent que toute autre chose se lasse du mouvement et cherche le repos de son propre gré ;
little considering, whether it be not some other motion, wherein that desire of rest they find in themselves, consisteth.
considérant peu si ce désir de repos qu'ils trouvent en eux-mêmes ne consiste pas en quelque autre mouvement.
From hence it is, that the Schooles say, Heavy bodies fall downwards, out of an appetite to rest, and to conserve their nature in that place which is most proper for them; ascribing appetite, and Knowledge of what is good for their conservation, (which is more than man has) to things inanimate absurdly.
C'est de là que vient le fait que les Écoles disent que les corps lourds tombent vers le bas par appétit du repos, et pour conserver leur nature dans le lieu qui leur est le plus propre ; attribuant absurdement un appétit et une connaissance de ce qui est bon pour leur conservation, (ce qui dépasse ce que possède l'homme,) à des choses inanimées.
Vocabulary
- Que
- kə — That; introduces a subordinate clause
- lorsqu'une
- lɔʁskyn — When a; contraction of lorsque and une
- chose
- ʃoz — Thing; an object or matter
- est
- ɛ — Is; third person singular of être
- immobile
- imɔbil — Motionless; not moving or stationary
- à
- a — To, at, in; common preposition with many uses
- moins
- mwɛ̃ — Less; fewer; used in comparisons
- que
- kə — That, than, as; conjunction or relative pronoun
- quelque
- kɛlkə — Some, any; an indefinite determiner
- autre
- otʁ — Other, another; different from what was mentioned
- ne
- nə — Not; first element of French negation
- la
- la — Her, it; feminine direct object pronoun
- mette
- mɛt — Puts, sets; subjunctive of mettre
- en
- ɑ̃ — In, into, on; preposition indicating state or manner
- mouvement
- muvmɑ̃ — Movement, motion; act of moving
- elle
- ɛl — She, it; third person feminine singular pronoun
- demeurera
- dəmœʁa — Will remain, will stay; future of demeurer
- pour
- puʁ — For, in order to; preposition of purpose
- toujours
- tuʒuʁ — Always, forever, still; adverb of time
- une
- yn — A, an; feminine indefinite article
- vérité
- veʁite — Truth; fact accepted as universally true
- nul
- nyl — No, none; no one, not any
- homme
- ɔm — Man; adult male human being
- met
- mɛ — Puts, places; third person singular of mettre
- doute
- dut — Doubt; uncertainty or questioning of something
- Mais
- mɛ — But; conjunction indicating contrast or opposition
- sera
- səʁa — Will be; future tense of être
- éternellement
- etɛʁnɛlmɑ̃ — Eternally, forever; lasting without end
- l'arrête
- laʁɛt — Stops it; arrests or halts something
- bien
- bjɛ̃ — Well, good; adverb indicating manner or quality
- raison
- ʁɛzɔ̃ — Reason, rationale; logical basis for something
- soit
- swa — Be; subjunctive of être, meaning let it be
- même
- mɛm — Same, even, itself; emphasizing identity or similarity
- savoir
- savwaʁ — To know; to have knowledge of something
- rien
- ʁjɛ̃ — Nothing; not anything
- peut
- pø — Can, may; third person singular of pouvoir
- se
- sə — Itself, oneself; reflexive pronoun
- modifier
- mɔdifje — To modify, to change; alter something
- soi-même
- swamɛm — Oneself; reflexive pronoun emphasizing the self
- n'est
- nɛ — Is not; contraction of ne and est
- pas
- pa — Not; second element of French negation
- si
- si — So, if; used in comparisons or conditions
- aisément
- ezəmɑ̃ — Easily; without difficulty or effort
- admis
- admi — Admitted, accepted; acknowledged as true
- Car
- kaʁ — For, because; conjunction giving a reason
- les
- le — The; plural definite article
- hommes
- ɔm — Men, people; plural of homme
- mesurent
- məzyʁ — Measure; they assess or evaluate things
- non
- nɔ̃ — Not, no; negation or denial
- seulement
- sølmɑ̃ — Only, merely; exclusively or just
- uns
- œ̃ — Ones, some; plural of un used in expressions
- autres
- otʁ — Others; plural of autre, different people or things
- mais
- mɛ — But; conjunction showing contrast
- toutes
- tut — All, every; feminine plural of tout
- choses
- ʃoz — Things; plural of chose
- leur
- lœʁ — Their, to them; possessive or indirect pronoun
- propre
- pʁɔpʁ — Own, clean; belonging exclusively to someone
- et
- e — And; conjunction joining words or clauses
- parce
- paʁs — Because; used in parce que to give a reason
- qu'ils
- kil — That they; contraction of que and ils
- trouvent
- tʁuv — Find; they discover or locate something
- eux-mêmes
- ømɛm — Themselves; emphatic reflexive pronoun
- sujets
- syʒɛ — Subject to; liable or prone to something
- après
- apʁɛ — After; following in time or order
- le
- lə — The; masculine singular definite article
- douleur
- dulœʁ — Pain, suffering; physical or emotional anguish
- lassitude
- lasityd — Weariness, fatigue; exhaustion from effort
- ils
- il — They; third person masculine plural pronoun
- pensent
- pɑ̃s — Think; they believe or consider something
- toute
- tut — All, every; feminine singular of tout
- lasse
- las — Weary, tired; worn out from exertion
- du
- dy — Of the, some; contraction of de and le
- cherche
- ʃɛʁʃ — Seeks, looks for; tries to find something
- repos
- ʁəpo — Rest, repose; a state of relaxation
- de
- də — Of, from; common preposition indicating origin
- son
- sɔ̃ — Its, his, her; third person singular possessive
- gré
- ɡʁe — Will, liking; one's own accord or wish
- considérant
- kɔ̃sideʁɑ̃ — Considering; taking into account or reflecting upon
- peu
- pø — Little, few; a small amount
- ce
- sə — This, that, it; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- désir
- deziʁ — Desire, wish; a strong longing for something
- consiste
- kɔ̃sist — Consists; is composed of or amounts to
- C'est
- sɛ — It is, this is; identifying or describing something
- là
- la — There; indicating a place or pointing something out
- vient
- vjɛ̃ — Comes; third person singular of venir
- fait
- fɛ — Fact; something known to be true
- Écoles
- ekɔl — Schools; institutions or philosophical traditions
- disent
- diz — Say; they state or claim something
- corps
- kɔʁ — Body; physical matter or substance
- lourds
- luʁ — Heavy; having great weight or density
- tombent
- tɔ̃b — Fall; they drop downward by gravity
- vers
- vɛʁ — Toward, towards; in the direction of
- bas
- ba — Low, down; toward the bottom
- par
- paʁ — By, through; indicating means or agent
- appétit
- apeti — Appetite, desire; craving or inclination toward something
- conserver
- kɔ̃sɛʁve — To preserve, to conserve; to keep unchanged
- nature
- natyʁ — Nature; the essential character of something
- dans
- dɑ̃ — In, inside; preposition of location
- lieu
- ljø — Place, location; a specific spot or position
- qui
- ki — Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun
- plus
- ply — More; indicating greater degree or quantity
- attribuant
- atʁibyɑ̃ — Attributing; assigning a quality to something
- absurdement
- apsyʁdəmɑ̃ — Absurdly; in a ridiculous or unreasonable manner
- un
- œ̃ — A, an, one; masculine indefinite article
- connaissance
- kɔnɛsɑ̃s — Knowledge, awareness; understanding of a subject
- bon
- bɔ̃ — Good; having positive qualities
- conservation
- kɔ̃sɛʁvasjɔ̃ — Conservation, preservation; keeping something intact
- dépasse
- depas — Exceeds, surpasses; goes beyond a limit
- possède
- posɛd — Possesses, owns; has or holds something
- l'homme
- lɔm — Man, mankind; the human being
- des
- de — Some, of the; plural indefinite article
- inanimées
- inanime — Inanimate; lacking life or consciousness
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