Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 8
and the breath of the whale is frequently attended with such an insupportable smell, as to bring on a disorder of the brain." —_Ulloa's South America_.
et l'haleine de la baleine s'accompagne fréquemment d'une odeur si insupportable qu'elle provoque un désordre du cerveau." —_Ulloa's South America_.
"To fifty chosen sylphs of special note, We trust the important charge, the petticoat.
"À cinquante sylphes choisis de renom particulier, Nous confions la charge importante, le jupon.
Oft have we known that seven-fold fence to fail, Tho' stuffed with hoops and armed with ribs of whale." —_Rape of the Lock_.
Souvent nous avons vu cette barrière septuple faillir, Bien que bourrée de cerceaux et armée de baleines." —_Rape of the Lock_.
"If we compare land animals in respect to magnitude, with those that take up their abode in the deep, we shall find they will appear contemptible in the comparison.
"Si nous comparons les animaux terrestres en ce qui concerne leur taille avec ceux qui élisent domicile dans les profondeurs, nous constaterons qu'ils paraîtront méprisables dans la comparaison.
The whale is doubtless the largest animal in creation." —_Goldsmith, Nat. Hist_.
La baleine est sans aucun doute le plus grand animal de la création." —_Goldsmith, Nat. Hist_.
"If you should write a fable for little fishes, you would make them speak like great whales." —_Goldsmith to Johnson_.
"Si vous deviez écrire une fable pour les petits poissons, vous leur feriez parler comme de grandes baleines." —_Goldsmith to Johnson_.
"In the afternoon we saw what was supposed to be a rock, but it was found to be a dead whale, which some Asiatics had killed, and were then towing ashore.
"Dans l'après-midi, nous vîmes ce qui était supposé être un rocher, mais on découvrit que c'était une baleine morte, que des Asiatiques avaient tuée et remorquaient alors vers le rivage.
They seemed to endeavor to conceal themselves behind the whale, in order to avoid being seen by us." —_Cook's Voyages_.
Ils semblaient s'efforcer de se dissimuler derrière la baleine, afin d'éviter d'être vus par nous." —_Cook's Voyages_.
"The larger whales, they seldom venture to attack.
"Les baleines les plus grandes, ils n'osent guère les attaquer.
They stand in so great dread of some of them, that when out at sea they are afraid to mention even their names, and carry dung, lime-stone, juniper-wood, and some other articles of the same nature in their boats, in order to terrify and prevent their too near approach.
Ils ont une si grande crainte de certaines d'entre elles que, lorsqu'ils sont en mer, ils ont peur de prononcer même leur nom, et emportent dans leurs bateaux du fumier, de la pierre calcaire, du bois de genévrier et quelques autres articles de même nature, afin de les terrifier et d'empêcher qu'elles n'approchent de trop près.
Vocabulary
- et
- and; used to connect words or clauses
- haleine
- breath; exhalation from the mouth or nose
- de
- of; from; indicates possession or origin
- la
- the; feminine singular definite article
- baleine
- whale; large marine mammal of cetacean order
- accompagne
- accompanies; goes together with something
- fréquemment
- frequently; often; at regular or short intervals
- une
- a; an; feminine singular indefinite article
- odeur
- odor; smell; scent perceived by olfaction
- si
- so; if; to such a degree or extent
- insupportable
- unbearable; intolerable; impossible to endure
- qu
- that; which; relative pronoun or conjunction
- elle
- she; her; feminine personal pronoun
- provoque
- provokes; causes or brings about something
- un
- a; an; masculine singular indefinite article
- désordre
- disorder; confusion; lack of organization or arrangement
- du
- of the; from the; contraction of de+le
- cerveau
- brain; organ in skull controlling body functions
- cinquante
- fifty; number equal to 5×10
- choisis
- chosen; selected from several options or possibilities
- renom
- renown; fame; widespread reputation or recognition
- particulier
- particular; special; distinct from others or unusual
- Nous
- we; us; first person plural pronoun
- confions
- entrust; commit to someone's care or responsibility
- charge
- charge; burden; responsibility entrusted to someone
- importante
- important; significant; of great consequence or value
- le
- the; masculine singular definite article
- Souvent
- often; frequently; at many times or occasions
- avons
- have; first person plural present of avoir
- vu
- seen; past participle of voir; witnessed
- cette
- this; that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- barrière
- barrier; fence; obstacle preventing passage or movement
- faillir
- fail; almost happen; come close to something
- Bien
- well; good; in a satisfactory manner
- armée
- armed; equipped with weapons or military equipment
- baleines
- whales; plural of baleine; large marine mammals
- Si
- if; in case; supposing that something occurs
- comparons
- compare; examine similarities and differences between things
- les
- the; plural definite article for all genders
- animaux
- animals; plural of animal; living creatures
- terrestres
- terrestrial; of or relating to earth or land
- en
- in; on; preposition indicating location or manner
- ce
- this; that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- qui
- who; which; relative pronoun connecting clauses
- concerne
- concerns; relates to; is of importance to
- leur
- their; to them; possessive or indirect pronoun
- taille
- size; height; stature of a person or thing
- avec
- with; accompanied by; in company of something
- ceux
- those; those ones; plural demonstrative pronoun
- élisent
- elect; choose; select by voting or decision
- domicile
- domicile; residence; place where one lives permanently
- dans
- in; inside; within the limits of something
- profondeurs
- depths; deep places; parts far below surface
- constaterons
- will observe; will notice; will establish as fact
- ils
- they; masculine third person plural pronoun
- paraîtront
- will appear; will seem; will look to someone
- méprisables
- despicable; contemptible; worthy of scorn or disdain
- comparaison
- comparison; act of examining similarities or differences
- La
- the; feminine singular definite article or pronoun
- est
- is; third person singular of être verb
- sans
- without; lacking; in the absence of something
- aucun
- any; no; not a single one of something
- doute
- doubt; uncertainty; lack of conviction or belief
- plus
- more; greater in quantity or degree than
- grand
- great; large; of considerable size or extent
- animal
- animal; living creature; organism distinct from plants
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