Light O' the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl — Page 5
"That we O'Shanaghgans are the proudest and oldest family in the county, and that there is scarcely an Englishman across the water who would not give all he possesses to change places with us."
« Que nous, les O'Shanaghgan, sommes la famille la plus fière et la plus ancienne du comté, et qu'il n'y a guère un Anglais de l'autre côté de l'eau qui ne donnerait pas tout ce qu'il possède pour échanger sa place avec la nôtre. »
"You talk like a silly child," said Mrs. O'Shanaghgan; "and please remember that I am English."
« Vous parlez comme un enfant stupide, » dit Mme O'Shanaghgan ; « et veuillez vous rappeler que je suis anglaise. »
"Oh, mummy, I am so sorry!" said the girl.
« Oh, maman, je suis tellement désolée ! » dit la jeune fille.
She laid her soft head down on the sofa, pressing it against her mother's shoulder.
Elle posa sa tête douce sur le canapé, en l'appuyant contre l'épaule de sa mère.
"I cannot think of you as English," she said.
« Je ne peux pas vous considérer comme anglaise, » dit-elle.
"You have lived here all, all my life.
« Vous avez vécu ici durant toute, toute ma vie.
You belong to father, and you belong to Terence and me--what have you to do with the cold English?"
Vous appartenez à père, et vous appartenez à Terence et à moi — qu'avez-vous à voir avec les froids Anglais ? »
"I remember a time," said Mrs. O'Shanaghgan, "when I thought Ireland the most desolate and God-forsaken place on the earth.
« Je me souviens d'une époque, » dit Mme O'Shanaghgan, « où je pensais que l'Irlande était l'endroit le plus désolé et le plus abandonné de Dieu sur la terre.
It is true I have become accustomed to it now.
Il est vrai que je m'y suis habituée maintenant.
But, Nora, if you only could realize what my old home was really like."
Mais, Nora, si seulement vous pouviez vous rendre compte de ce qu'était vraiment mon ancienne maison. »
"I don't want to realize any home different from this," said the girl, a cloud shading her bright eyes for the moment.
« Je ne veux pas me représenter un foyer différent de celui-ci, » dit la jeune fille, un nuage voilant un instant ses yeux brillants.
"You are silly and prejudiced," said Mrs. O'Shanaghgan.
« Vous êtes stupide et pleine de préjugés, » dit Mme O'Shanaghgan.
"It is a great trial to me to have a daughter so unsympathetic."
« C'est une grande épreuve pour moi d'avoir une fille si peu compatissante. »
"Oh, mummy! I don't mean to be unsympathetic.
« Oh, maman ! Je ne veux pas être insensible.
There now, we are quite cozy together.
Là, nous sommes tout à fait bien ensemble.
Tell me one of the old stories; I do so love to listen."
Racontez-moi une des vieilles histoires ; j'aime tellement écouter. »
The frown cleared from Mrs. O'Shanaghgan's forehead, and the peevish lines went out of her face.
Le froncement de sourcils disparut du front de Mme O'Shanaghgan, et les traits irrités s'effacèrent de son visage.
Vocabulary
- Que
- That; introduces a clause or exclamation.
- nous
- We; first-person plural subject pronoun.
- les
- The; definite article for plural nouns.
- sommes
- Are; first-person plural of être.
- la
- The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
- famille
- Family; a group of related people.
- plus
- More; used in comparisons or intensification.
- fière
- Proud; feeling deep satisfaction or honor.
- et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking elements.
- ancienne
- Old, ancient; existing since a long time.
- du
- Of the; contraction of de and le.
- comté
- County; an administrative region or district.
- qu'il
- That he; contraction of que and il.
- n'y
- There not; negation with the pronoun y.
- a
- Has; third-person singular of avoir.
- guère
- Hardly, scarcely; used in negative expressions.
- un
- A, an; indefinite article for masculine nouns.
- Anglais
- Englishman; a male person from England.
- de
- Of, from; preposition indicating origin or possession.
- l'autre
- The other; referring to a different one.
- côté
- Side; a lateral direction or part of something.
- l'eau
- The water; liquid essential for life.
- qui
- Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun.
- ne
- Not; negative particle used with pas or other negators.
- donnerait
- Would give; conditional tense of donner.
- pas
- Not; negation particle paired with ne.
- tout
- Everything, all; referring to the whole amount.
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- possède
- Owns, possesses; third-person singular of posséder.
- pour
- For, in order to; preposition indicating purpose.
- échanger
- To exchange, swap; trade one thing for another.
- sa
- His, her, its; possessive adjective for singular nouns.
- place
- Place, position; a specific location or situation.
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
- nôtre
- Ours; possessive pronoun for first-person plural.
- Vous
- You; second-person plural or formal pronoun.
- parlez
- Speak; second-person plural of parler.
- comme
- Like, as; conjunction or preposition of comparison.
- enfant
- Child; a young person, boy or girl.
- stupide
- Stupid; lacking intelligence or good judgment.
- dit
- Said; third-person singular past tense of dire.
- Mme
- Mrs.; abbreviation for Madame, a polite title.
- veuillez
- Please; polite imperative form of vouloir.
- vous
- You; second-person pronoun, plural or formal.
- rappeler
- To remember, recall; bring something back to mind.
- que
- That; conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.
- je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun.
- suis
- Am; first-person singular of être.
- anglaise
- English; feminine adjective denoting English nationality.
- Oh
- Oh; exclamation expressing surprise or emotion.
- maman
- Mom, mum; informal word for mother.
- tellement
- So, so much; intensifier expressing a high degree.
- désolée
- Sorry; feeling regret or apologizing for something.
- jeune
- Young; being in an early stage of life.
- fille
- Girl, daughter; a young female person.
- Elle
- She; third-person feminine singular subject pronoun.
- posa
- Placed, put; third-person singular simple past of poser.
- tête
- Head; the upper part of the human body.
- douce
- Gentle, soft; tender and mild in manner.
- sur
- On, upon; preposition indicating position above something.
- sur
- On, upon; preposition indicating position above something.
- le
- The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
- canapé
- Sofa, couch; upholstered seat for multiple people.
- en
- In, by; preposition indicating manner or location.
- l'appuyant
- Leaning it; gerund of appuyer, to press or lean.
- contre
- Against; preposition indicating contact or opposition.
- l'épaule
- The shoulder; upper part of the arm joint.
- mère
- Mother; a female parent of a child.
- Je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun.
- peux
- Can; first-person singular of pouvoir.
- considérer
- To consider; think carefully about something.
- dit-elle
- She said; inverted form used in narration.
- avez
- Have; second-person plural of avoir.
- vécu
- Lived; past participle of vivre.
- ici
- Here; adverb indicating this place.
- durant
- During, throughout; preposition indicating time span.
- toute
- All, entire; feminine form of tout.
- ma
- My; possessive adjective for feminine singular nouns.
- vie
- Life; the existence of a living being.
- appartenez
- Belong; second-person plural of appartenir.
- à
- To, at, in; common preposition indicating various relations.
- père
- Father; a male parent of a child.
- moi
- Me, I; stressed first-person singular pronoun.
- qu'avez-vous
- What do you have; interrogative construction with avoir.
- voir
- To see; infinitive indicating visual perception.
- froids
- Cold; plural adjective meaning lacking warmth or feeling.
- me
- Me, myself; first-person singular object pronoun.
- souviens
- Remember; first-person singular of se souvenir.
- d'une
- Of a; contraction of de and une.
- époque
- Era, time, period; a distinct time in history.
- où
- Where, when; relative adverb of place or time.
- pensais
- Thought; first-person singular imperfect of penser.
- l'Irlande
- Ireland; island country in the British Isles.
- était
- Was; third-person singular imperfect of être.
- l'endroit
- The place, the spot; a specific location.
- désolé
- Desolate, sorry; barren or expressing regret.
- abandonné
- Abandoned, forsaken; left alone without support.
- Dieu
- God; the supreme being in monotheistic religions.
- terre
- Earth, land, ground; the surface of the world.
- Il
- He, it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun.
- est
- Is; third-person singular of être.
- vrai
- True; conforming to fact or reality.
- m'y
- To it, there; me combined with the pronoun y.
- habituée
- Accustomed, used to; feminine past participle of habituer.
- maintenant
- Now; at the present time or moment.
- Mais
- But; conjunction expressing contrast or opposition.
- si
- If, so; conditional conjunction or intensifying adverb.
- seulement
- Only, just; limiting to one thing alone.
- pouviez
- Could; second-person plural imperfect of pouvoir.
- rendre
- To render, make, return; cause something to become.
- compte
- Account, realization; used in rendre compte, to realize.
- qu'était
- What was; contraction of que and était.
- vraiment
- Really, truly; adverb emphasizing truth or sincerity.
- mon
- My; possessive adjective for masculine singular nouns.
- maison
- House, home; a building where people live.
- veux
- Want; first-person singular of vouloir.
- représenter
- To represent, depict; stand for or portray something.
- foyer
- Home, hearth, foyer; a place of warmth and belonging.
- différent
- Different; not the same, distinct from another.
- celui-ci
- This one; masculine demonstrative pronoun pointing nearby.
- nuage
- Cloud; a mass of condensed water vapor in sky.
- voilant
- Veiling; present participle of voiler, to veil or obscure.
- instant
- Instant, moment; a very brief period of time.
- ses
- Her, his, its; possessive adjective for plural nouns.
- yeux
- Eyes; the organs of sight, plural of œil.
- brillants
- Bright, shining; sparkling with light or intelligence.
- êtes
- Are; second-person plural of être.
- pleine
- Full; feminine adjective meaning completely filled.
- préjugés
- Prejudices; preconceived unfair opinions about others.
- C'est
- It is, that is; common contraction of ce and est.
- une
- A, an; indefinite article for feminine nouns.
- grande
- Great, big; feminine adjective meaning large or important.
- épreuve
- Trial, ordeal; a difficult test or challenge.
- d'avoir
- Of having; contraction of de and avoir infinitive.
- peu
- Little, few; a small amount or degree.
- compatissante
- Compassionate; showing sympathy and concern for others.
- être
- To be; fundamental infinitive linking subject to attribute.
- insensible
- Insensitive, unfeeling; lacking empathy or awareness.
- Là
- There; adverb indicating a place or moment.
- fait
- Done, makes; past participle or third-person of faire.
- bien
- Well, good; adverb indicating quality or approval.
- ensemble
- Together; in company or combination with others.
- Racontez-moi
- Tell me; imperative of raconter with indirect object.
- des
- Some, of the; partitive or plural article.
- vieilles
- Old; feminine plural adjective denoting age.
- histoires
- Stories, tales; narratives recounting events.
- j'aime
- I love, I like; first-person singular of aimer.
- écouter
- To listen; pay attention to sounds or speech.
- Le
- The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
- froncement
- Furrowing, frowning; the act of wrinkling one's brow.
- sourcils
- Eyebrows; the arched hairs above the eyes.
- disparut
- Disappeared; third-person singular simple past of disparaître.
- front
- Forehead; the part of the face above eyebrows.
- traits
- Features; the distinctive lines of a person's face.
- irrités
- Irritated, annoyed; showing displeasure or anger.
- s'effacèrent
- Faded away; third-person plural simple past of s'effacer.
- son
- His, her, its; possessive adjective for singular nouns.
- visage
- Face; the front part of a person's head.
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