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Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 9

English → Fr CHAPTER 135. The Chase.—Third Day. Level 9/10

" —_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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