Moby Dick; Or, The Whale — Page 12
"A mariner sat in the shrouds one night, The wind was piping free;
« Un marin était assis dans les haubans une nuit, Le vent soufflait librement ;
Now bright, now dimmed, was the moonlight pale, And the phospher gleamed in the wake of the whale, As it floundered in the sea."
Tantôt brillant, tantôt obscurci, était le clair de lune pâle, Et le phosphore luisait dans le sillage de la baleine, Tandis qu'elle se débattait dans la mer. »
—_Elizabeth Oakes Smith_.
—_Elizabeth Oakes Smith_.
"The quantity of line withdrawn from the boats engaged in the capture of this one whale, amounted altogether to 10,440 yards or nearly six English miles....
« La quantité de ligne retirée des bateaux engagés dans la capture de cette seule baleine s'élevait au total à 10 440 yards, soit près de six milles anglais…
"Sometimes the whale shakes its tremendous tail in the air, which, cracking like a whip, resounds to the distance of three or four miles."
« Parfois la baleine agite sa formidable queue dans l'air, qui, claquant comme un fouet, résonne jusqu'à une distance de trois ou quatre milles. »
—_Scoresby_.
—_Scoresby_.
"Mad with the agonies he endures from these fresh attacks, the infuriated Sperm Whale rolls over and over; he rears his enormous head, and with wide expanded jaws snaps at everything around him; he rushes at the boats with his head; they are propelled before him with vast swiftness, and sometimes utterly destroyed....
« Rendu fou par les tourments qu'il endure de ces nouvelles attaques, le Cachalot furieux se retourne encore et encore ; il dresse son énorme tête, et avec ses mâchoires largement ouvertes il claque sur tout ce qui l'entoure ; il se précipite sur les bateaux avec sa tête ; ceux-ci sont propulsés devant lui à une vitesse prodigieuse, et parfois entièrement détruits…
It is a matter of great astonishment that the consideration of the habits of so interesting, and, in a commercial point of view, so important an animal (as the Sperm Whale) should have been so entirely neglected, or should have excited so little curiosity among the numerous, and many of them competent observers, that of late years, must have possessed the most abundant and the most convenient opportunities of witnessing their habitudes."
Il est extrêmement étonnant que l'étude des habitudes d'un animal aussi intéressant, et, d'un point de vue commercial, aussi important (que le Cachalot) ait été si entièrement négligée, ou n'ait éveillé si peu de curiosité parmi les nombreux observateurs, dont beaucoup étaient compétents, qui, ces dernières années, ont dû posséder les occasions les plus abondantes et les plus propices d'observer leurs mœurs. »
—_Thomas Beale's History of the Sperm Whale_, 1839.
—_Histoire du Cachalot de Thomas Beale_, 1839.
Vocabulary
- Un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- marin
- A sailor or seaman; relating to the sea.
- était
- Past tense of 'être'; 'was' or 'were'.
- assis
- Seated; past participle of 's'asseoir'.
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside'.
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
- haubans
- Shrouds; ropes supporting a ship's mast.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- nuit
- The night; period of darkness.
- Le
- Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
- vent
- Wind; moving air currents.
- soufflait
- Imperfect tense of 'souffler'; was blowing.
- librement
- Freely; without restriction or hindrance.
- Tantôt
- Sometimes; alternately; used to contrast two states.
- brillant
- Shining; bright; sparkling with light.
- obscurci
- Darkened; made dim or hidden from view.
- clair
- Clear; light; bright in quality.
- lune
- The moon; Earth's natural satellite.
- pâle
- Pale; lacking color or brightness.
- phosphore
- Phosphorus; element producing bioluminescent glow at sea.
- luisait
- Imperfect of 'luire'; was gleaming or glowing.
- sillage
- Wake; trail left by a vessel in water.
- baleine
- Whale; large marine mammal.
- Tandis
- While; whereas; used in conjunction 'tandis que'.
- qu'
- Contraction of 'que'; 'that' or 'while'.
- elle
- Third-person feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'herself', 'himself', or 'itself'.
- débattait
- Imperfect of 'se débattre'; was struggling or thrashing.
- mer
- The sea; large body of salt water.
- quantité
- Quantity; amount or number of something.
- ligne
- Line; rope or cord used in fishing or sailing.
- retirée
- Withdrawn; pulled back or removed.
- bateaux
- Boats; small watercraft used for travel or fishing.
- engagés
- Engaged; involved or committed in an activity.
- capture
- Capture; the act of catching or seizing prey.
- élevait
- Imperfect of 's'élever'; amounted to or rose.
- total
- Total; the complete sum or entirety.
- soit
- Meaning 'that is' or 'namely'; equivalent expression.
- près
- Near; close to; approximately.
- milles
- Miles; unit of distance measurement.
- anglais
- English; relating to England or its language.
- Parfois
- Sometimes; occasionally; not always.
- agite
- Agitates; shakes or waves vigorously.
- formidable
- Formidable; tremendous; inspiring awe or fear.
- queue
- Tail; the rear appendage of an animal.
- air
- Air; the atmosphere surrounding the earth.
- claquant
- Slapping; cracking loudly like a whip.
- fouet
- Whip; a flexible instrument for striking.
- résonne
- Resonates; echoes or reverberates with sound.
- distance
- Distance; the space between two points.
- trois
- Three; the number 3.
- quatre
- Four; the number 4.
- Rendu
- Made; rendered; driven to a state.
- fou
- Mad; crazy; driven to insanity.
- tourments
- Torments; severe pain or anguish inflicted.
- endure
- Endures; suffers or bears pain persistently.
- nouvelles
- New; fresh; additional attacks or things.
- attaques
- Attacks; aggressive assaults against someone or something.
- Cachalot
- Sperm whale; large toothed whale species.
- furieux
- Furious; extremely angry or enraged.
- retourne
- Turns back; reverses direction toward attackers.
- encore
- Again; still; once more.
- dresse
- Raises; lifts up or erects upward.
- énorme
- Enormous; very large in size or extent.
- tête
- Head; the uppermost part of a body.
- mâchoires
- Jaws; the bony structures used for biting.
- largement
- Widely; broadly; to a great extent.
- ouvertes
- Open; spread apart; not closed.
- claque
- Snaps shut; slaps or claps loudly.
- entoure
- Surrounds; encircles everything in the vicinity.
- précipite
- Hurls; throws violently or rushes forward.
- ceux-ci
- These; the latter ones previously mentioned.
- propulsés
- Propelled; driven forward with great force.
- devant
- In front of; before; ahead of.
- vitesse
- Speed; velocity; rate of movement.
- prodigieuse
- Prodigious; extraordinary; astonishingly great in degree.
- entièrement
- Entirely; completely; wholly without remainder.
- détruits
- Destroyed; ruined; completely wrecked.
- extrêmement
- Extremely; to a very high degree.
- étonnant
- Astonishing; surprising; causing wonder or amazement.
- étude
- Study; systematic investigation or examination of a subject.
- habitudes
- Habits; customary behaviors or patterns of animals.
- animal
- Animal; a living creature distinct from plants.
- intéressant
- Interesting; engaging attention or curiosity.
- commercial
- Commercial; relating to trade or business activity.
- important
- Important; of great significance or consequence.
- négligée
- Neglected; not given proper attention or care.
- éveillé
- Awakened; aroused; stirred up interest or attention.
- curiosité
- Curiosity; desire to know or learn more.
- nombreux
- Numerous; many; existing in great numbers.
- observateurs
- Observers; those who watch and study carefully.
- compétents
- Competent; having adequate skill or knowledge.
- dernières
- Last; most recent; final in a series.
- années
- Years; periods of twelve months.
- dû
- Must have; past participle of 'devoir'.
- posséder
- To possess; to own or have something.
- occasions
- Occasions; opportunities or chances to do something.
- abondantes
- Abundant; plentiful; existing in great quantity.
- propices
- Favorable; conducive; offering suitable conditions.
- observer
- To observe; to watch carefully and study.
- mœurs
- Customs; habits; social behaviors of a species.
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