Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 9
" —_Uno Von Troil's Letters on Banks's and Solander's Voyage to Iceland in_ 1772.
« —_Lettres d'Uno Von Troil sur le voyage de Banks et Solander en Islande en_ 1772.
"The Spermacetti Whale found by the Nantuckois, is an active, fierce animal, and requires vast address and boldness in the fishermen." —_Thomas Jefferson's Whale Memorial to the French minister in_ 1778.
« La baleine Spermacetti trouvée par les Nantuckois est un animal actif et féroce, qui exige une grande adresse et de l'audace de la part des pêcheurs. » —_Mémoire de Thomas Jefferson sur la baleine, adressé au ministre français en_ 1778.
"And pray, sir, what in the world is equal to it?" —_Edmund Burke's reference in Parliament to the Nantucket Whale-Fishery_.
« Et, je vous prie, monsieur, qu'y a-t-il au monde qui lui soit comparable ? » —_Allusion d'Edmund Burke au Parlement à la pêche à la baleine de Nantucket_.
"Spain—a great whale stranded on the shores of Europe." —_Edmund Burke_. (_somewhere_.)
« L'Espagne — une grande baleine échouée sur les rivages de l'Europe. » —_Edmund Burke_. (_quelque part_.)
"A tenth branch of the king's ordinary revenue, said to be grounded on the consideration of his guarding and protecting the seas from pirates and robbers, is the right to _royal_ fish, which are whale and sturgeon. And these, when either thrown ashore or caught near the coast, are the property of the king." —_Blackstone_.
« Une dixième branche des revenus ordinaires du roi, que l'on dit fondée sur la considération de sa protection des mers contre les pirates et les voleurs, est le droit aux poissons _royaux_, qui sont la baleine et l'esturgeon. Et ceux-ci, qu'ils soient rejetés sur le rivage ou capturés près des côtes, sont la propriété du roi. » —_Blackstone_.
"Soon to the sport of death the crews repair: Rodmond unerring o'er his head suspends The barbed steel, and every turn attends." —_Falconer's Shipwreck_.
« Bientôt vers le jeu de la mort les équipages se rendent : Rodmond, infaillible, au-dessus de sa tête suspend L'acier barbelé, et guette chaque tournant. » —_Le Naufrage de Falconer_.
"Bright shone the roofs, the domes, the spires, And rockets blew self driven, To hang their momentary fire Around the vault of heaven.
« Les toits, les dômes, les flèches brillaient de mille feux, Et des fusées s'élançaient d'elles-mêmes, Pour accrocher leur feu éphémère Autour de la voûte des cieux.
"So fire with water to compare, The ocean serves on high, Up-spouted by a whale in air, To express unwieldy joy." —_Cowper, on the Queen's Visit to London_.
« Ainsi pour comparer le feu à l'eau, L'océan s'élève dans les airs, Projeté par une baleine en l'air, Pour exprimer une joie débordante. » —_Cowper, sur la visite de la reine à Londres_.
"Ten or fifteen gallons of blood are thrown out of the heart at a stroke, with immense velocity." —_John Hunter's account of the dissection of a whale_. (_A small sized one_.)
« Dix ou quinze gallons de sang sont éjectés du cœur en un seul battement, avec une vitesse immense. » —_Récit de John Hunter sur la dissection d'une baleine_. (_Un spécimen de petite taille_.)
Vocabulary
- Lettres
- Letters; written correspondence or literary works.
- d'
- Contraction of 'de'; of or from.
- sur
- Preposition meaning on, upon, or about.
- le
- Definite article meaning the (masculine singular).
- voyage
- A journey or trip to a distant place.
- de
- Preposition meaning of, from, or about.
- et
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or clauses.
- en
- Preposition meaning in, to, or while.
- Islande
- Iceland; an island nation in the North Atlantic.
- La
- Definite article meaning the (feminine singular).
- baleine
- A large marine mammal; a whale.
- trouvée
- Found; past participle of trouver, to find.
- par
- Preposition meaning by, through, or per.
- les
- Definite article meaning the (plural).
- est
- Third-person singular of être; is.
- un
- Indefinite article meaning a or one (masculine).
- animal
- A living creature; a non-human living being.
- actif
- Active; full of energy and movement.
- féroce
- Fierce; extremely violent or aggressive in nature.
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning who, which, or that.
- exige
- Requires or demands; third-person singular of exiger.
- une
- Indefinite article meaning a or one (feminine).
- grande
- Great or large; feminine form of grand.
- adresse
- Skill or dexterity; also means address or direction.
- l'
- Elided definite article the before a vowel sound.
- audace
- Audacity; bold daring or fearless courage.
- la
- Definite article meaning the (feminine singular).
- part
- Part or share; also side, as in de la part de.
- des
- Contraction of de les; of the (plural).
- pêcheurs
- Fishermen; people who catch fish professionally.
- Mémoire
- A memoir or formal written report on a subject.
- adressé
- Addressed or directed to someone; past participle.
- au
- Contraction of à le; to the or at the.
- ministre
- A minister; a senior government official or diplomat.
- français
- French; relating to France, its language or people.
- Et
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting clauses or ideas.
- je
- First-person singular pronoun; I.
- vous
- Second-person pronoun meaning you (formal or plural).
- prie
- Beg or request; first-person singular of prier.
- monsieur
- Mister or sir; polite address for a man.
- qu'
- Elided form of que; that or what.
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning there or in it.
- a-t-il
- Is there; inverted interrogative form of il y a.
- monde
- World; also refers to people or society in general.
- lui
- Personal pronoun meaning him, her, or to him/her.
- soit
- Subjunctive form of être; be, whether, or so be it.
- comparable
- Comparable; able to be likened or measured against.
- Allusion
- An allusion; an indirect reference to something else.
- Parlement
- Parliament; a legislative governmental assembly.
- à
- Preposition meaning to, at, in, or for.
- pêche
- Fishing; the activity of catching fish.
- Espagne
- Spain; a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe.
- échouée
- Stranded or run aground; failed or washed ashore.
- rivages
- Shores or banks; the edges of a sea or river.
- Europe
- Europe; the western peninsula of Eurasia continent.
- quelque
- Some or a few; indicating an approximate quantity.
- Une
- Indefinite article meaning a or one (feminine).
- dixième
- Tenth; the ordinal number corresponding to ten.
- branche
- Branch; a division of a larger organization or tree.
- revenus
- Revenues or income; money received regularly.
- ordinaires
- Ordinary or regular; usual, standard, not special.
- roi
- King; the male monarch of a kingdom.
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning one, we, or people generally.
- dit
- Says or said; third-person singular of dire.
- fondée
- Founded or based; established on a certain basis.
- considération
- Consideration; regard, thought, or careful attention.
- sa
- Possessive adjective meaning his, her, or its (feminine).
- protection
- Protection; defense or safeguarding from harm.
- mers
- Seas; plural of mer, large bodies of salt water.
- contre
- Preposition meaning against or opposite to.
- pirates
- Pirates; sea robbers who attack and plunder ships.
- voleurs
- Thieves or robbers; people who steal from others.
- droit
- Right or law; a legal entitlement or legal system.
- aux
- Contraction of à les; to the or at the (plural).
- poissons
- Fish; plural of poisson, aquatic vertebrate animals.
- royaux
- Royal; plural adjective relating to a king or monarchy.
- sont
- Are; third-person plural present tense of être.
- esturgeon
- Sturgeon; a large prehistoric fish prized for caviar.
- ceux-ci
- These ones; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby things.
- ils
- They; third-person plural masculine subject pronoun.
- soient
- Subjunctive plural of être; be or are.
- rejetés
- Rejected or thrown back; cast aside or washed ashore.
- rivage
- Shore or bank; the edge of a sea, lake, or river.
- ou
- Conjunction meaning or, offering an alternative choice.
- capturés
- Captured; caught or seized, past participle of capturer.
- près
- Near or close; preposition indicating proximity.
- côtes
- Coasts or ribs; shorelines bordering sea or ocean.
- propriété
- Property; ownership of something or legal entitlement.
- Bientôt
- Soon; in a short time, before long.
- vers
- Toward; also means verse or poetic lines.
- jeu
- Game or play; an activity for amusement or sport.
- mort
- Death; the end of life.
- équipages
- Crews; the teams manning a ship or vehicle.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, or themselves.
- rendent
- Go or render; third-person plural of rendre.
- infaillible
- Infallible; incapable of making errors, unerring.
- au-dessus
- Above or overhead; at a higher position or level.
- tête
- Head; the uppermost part of the human body.
- suspend
- Suspends or hangs; holds in place above something.
- acier
- Steel; a strong alloy of iron and carbon.
- barbelé
- Barbed; having sharp projecting points, as in wire.
- guette
- Watches or lurks; waits and observes stealthily.
- chaque
- Each or every; referring to individual items in a group.
- tournant
- Turn or turning; a bend or rotation in a path.
- Le
- Definite article meaning the (masculine singular).
- Naufrage
- Shipwreck; the destruction or sinking of a vessel.
- Les
- Definite article meaning the (plural form).
- toits
- Roofs; the upper coverings of buildings or houses.
- dômes
- Domes; rounded roof structures on large buildings.
- flèches
- Spires or arrows; pointed architectural towers or projectiles.
- brillaient
- Shone or sparkled; imperfect tense of briller.
- mille
- Thousand; the number 1000 in French.
- feux
- Fires or lights; plural of feu, flames or lights.
- fusées
- Rockets or flares; projectiles propelled upward by fire.
- s'
- Elided reflexive pronoun se before a vowel sound.
- élançaient
- Shot or darted; imperfect tense of s'élancer, to spring.
- elles-mêmes
- Themselves; emphatic feminine pronoun for a group.
- Pour
- For or in order to; preposition expressing purpose.
- accrocher
- To hook or catch; to attach or snag onto something.
- leur
- Their or to them; possessive or indirect object pronoun.
- feu
- Fire; combustion producing heat, light, and flames.
- éphémère
- Ephemeral; lasting only a very short time, fleeting.
- Autour
- Around; encircling or surrounding something.
- voûte
- Vault or arch; a curved ceiling or dome-like structure.
- cieux
- Heavens or skies; poetic plural of ciel, sky.
- Ainsi
- Thus or so; in this way, therefore.
- comparer
- To compare; to examine the similarities of two things.
- eau
- Water; the clear liquid essential for life.
- océan
- Ocean; a vast body of salt water on Earth.
- élève
- Rises or lifts; third-person singular of s'élever.
- dans
- In or inside; preposition indicating location or time.
- airs
- Airs; plural of air, atmosphere or manner of bearing.
- Projeté
- Projected or launched; thrown forward into the air.
- air
- Air; the invisible gaseous mixture surrounding Earth.
- exprimer
- To express; to convey thoughts, feelings, or ideas.
- joie
- Joy; a feeling of great happiness and delight.
- débordante
- Overflowing; abundant, brimming over with emotion.
- visite
- Visit; a trip to see a person or place.
- reine
- Queen; the female monarch or king's consort.
- Londres
- London; the capital city of England and the UK.
- Dix
- Ten; the cardinal number 10.
- quinze
- Fifteen; the cardinal number 15.
- gallons
- Gallons; units of liquid volume measurement.
- sang
- Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body.
- éjectés
- Ejected or expelled; forcefully pushed out of something.
- cœur
- Heart; the organ that pumps blood through the body.
- seul
- Alone or only; single, by oneself, solitary.
- battement
- Beat or heartbeat; a rhythmic pulsation of the heart.
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
- vitesse
- Speed or velocity; the rate at which something moves.
- immense
- Immense; extremely large, vast, or enormous in scale.
- Récit
- Account or narrative; a story or factual description.
- dissection
- Dissection; the cutting open of a body for examination.
- Un
- Indefinite article meaning a or one (masculine).
- spécimen
- Specimen; an individual example used for examination.
- petite
- Small or little; feminine adjective indicating small size.
- taille
- Size or height; the dimensions or stature of something.
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