Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 6
It must be stated, in honor of the good sense of the loungers of Paris, that the greater part of this crowd directed their steps towards the bonfire, which was quite in season, or towards the mystery play, which was to be presented in the grand hall of the Palais de Justice (the courts of law), which was well roofed and walled; and that the curious left the poor, scantily flowered maypole to shiver all alone beneath the sky of January, in the cemetery of the Chapel of Braque.
Il faut dire, à l'honneur du bon sens des badauds de Paris, que la plus grande partie de cette foule dirigeait ses pas vers le bûcher, qui était tout à fait de saison, ou vers le mystère, qui devait être représenté dans la grand-salle du Palais de Justice, bien couverte et bien murée ; et que les curieux laissaient le pauvre mai, peu garni de fleurs, frissonner tout seul sous le ciel de janvier, dans le cimetière de la Chapelle de Braque.
The populace thronged the avenues of the law courts in particular, because they knew that the Flemish ambassadors, who had arrived two days previously, intended to be present at the representation of the mystery, and at the election of the Pope of the Fools, which was also to take place in the grand hall.
Le peuple se pressait surtout dans les avenues du Palais de Justice, parce qu'il savait que les ambassadeurs flamands, arrivés deux jours auparavant, avaient l'intention d'assister à la représentation du mystère et à l'élection du Pape des Fous, qui devait également avoir lieu dans la grand-salle.
It was no easy matter on that day, to force one's way into that grand hall, although it was then reputed to be the largest covered enclosure in the world (it is true that Sauval had not yet measured the grand hall of the Château of Montargis). The palace place, encumbered with people, offered to the curious gazers at the windows the aspect of a sea; into which five or six streets, like so many mouths of rivers, discharged every moment fresh floods of heads.
Ce n'était pas chose aisée, ce jour-là, de se frayer un chemin dans cette grand-salle, bien qu'elle fût alors réputée être le plus grand espace couvert du monde (il est vrai que Sauval n'avait pas encore mesuré la grand-salle du château de Montargis). La place du Palais, encombrée de monde, offrait aux curieux qui regardaient par les fenêtres l'aspect d'une mer, dans laquelle cinq ou six rues, comme autant d'embouchures de fleuves, déversaient à chaque instant de nouveaux flots de têtes.
Vocabulary
- faut
- Impersonal verb form of 'falloir,' meaning 'it is necessary'.
- dire
- To say or to tell something.
- honneur
- Honor; a sense of pride or moral integrity.
- sens
- Sense or judgment; ability to reason practically.
- badauds
- Idle onlookers or gawkers in a crowd.
- partie
- A part or portion of a whole.
- foule
- A crowd or large group of people.
- dirigeait
- Imperfect tense of 'diriger,' meaning 'was directing' or 'was heading'.
- pas
- Steps or footsteps; also used in negation.
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around'.
- bûcher
- A bonfire or funeral pyre; a stake for burning.
- saison
- Season; a particular time of year.
- mystère
- A mystery play; medieval dramatic religious performance.
- devait
- Imperfect of 'devoir,' meaning 'was supposed to' or 'had to'.
- représenté
- Past participle of 'représenter,' meaning 'performed' or 'represented'.
- grand-salle
- Great hall; a large main room in a building.
- Palais
- Palace; a large, grand official building.
- Justice
- Justice; fairness or the legal system.
- couverte
- Covered or enclosed; past participle of 'couvrir'.
- murée
- Walled in; enclosed by walls (feminine past participle).
- curieux
- Curious people; onlookers eager to see something.
- laissaient
- Imperfect of 'laisser,' meaning 'were leaving' or 'were letting'.
- pauvre
- Poor; unfortunate or lacking in resources.
- mai
- May; the fifth month, also a maypole or May tree.
- garni
- Adorned or furnished; decorated with something.
- fleurs
- Flowers; blossoms of a plant.
- frissonner
- To shiver or tremble, often from cold or fear.
- seul
- Alone; solitary or by oneself.
- ciel
- Sky or heaven; the expanse above the earth.
- janvier
- January; the first month of the year.
- cimetière
- Cemetery; a burial ground or graveyard.
- Chapelle
- Chapel; a small Christian place of worship.
- peuple
- The people; a nation or common population.
- pressait
- Imperfect of 'presser'; was pressing or crowding forward.
- surtout
- Adverb meaning 'especially,' 'above all,' or 'mostly'.
- avenues
- Wide roads or thoroughfares leading somewhere.
- savait
- Imperfect of 'savoir,' meaning 'knew'.
- ambassadeurs
- Ambassadors; official diplomatic representatives of a country.
- flamands
- Flemish; people or things from Flanders region.
- auparavant
- Adverb meaning 'beforehand,' 'previously,' or 'before'.
- intention
- Intention; a plan or aim to do something.
- assister
- To attend or be present at an event.
- représentation
- A performance or theatrical representation of something.
- élection
- An election; the process of choosing by vote.
- Pape
- The Pope; head of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Fous
- Fools; mad or foolish people; jester figures.
- également
- Adverb meaning 'also,' 'equally,' or 'likewise'.
- lieu
- Place; used in 'avoir lieu' meaning 'to take place'.
- chose
- A thing; an object or matter.
- aisée
- Easy; without difficulty (feminine adjective).
- jour-là
- That day; referring to a specific day mentioned.
- frayer
- To clear a path; to make one's way through a crowd.
- chemin
- A path, road, or way from one place to another.
- fût
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'être,' meaning 'was' or 'were'.
- alors
- Adverb meaning 'then,' 'at that time,' or 'so'.
- réputée
- Reputed or considered; regarded as having a quality.
- espace
- Space; an area or expanse of room.
- couvert
- Covered or enclosed; sheltered from the outside.
- monde
- World or people; 'tout le monde' means 'everyone'.
- vrai
- True; real or correct.
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still,' 'yet,' or 'again'.
- mesuré
- Measured; having calculated the dimensions of something.
- château
- Castle or stately mansion; a large French manor.
- place
- A public square or open area in a town.
- encombrée
- Cluttered or congested; filled with an obstructing crowd.
- offrait
- Imperfect of 'offrir,' meaning 'was offering' or 'presented'.
- regardaient
- Imperfect of 'regarder'; were looking or watching.
- fenêtres
- Windows; openings in a wall with glass panes.
- aspect
- Appearance or aspect; the way something looks.
- mer
- The sea; a large body of salt water.
- laquelle
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' (feminine singular).
- rues
- Streets; roads in a town or city.
- autant
- As many or as much; an equal quantity.
- embouchures
- Mouths of rivers; where rivers meet a larger body of water.
- fleuves
- Large rivers that flow into the sea.
- déversaient
- Imperfect of 'déverser'; were pouring out or discharging.
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'.
- instant
- A moment or instant; a very brief period of time.
- flots
- Waves or floods; flowing streams of people or water.
- têtes
- Heads; also used to mean people in a crowd.
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