Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 8
If it could be granted to us, the men of 1830, to mingle in thought with those Parisians of the fifteenth century, and to enter with them, jostled, elbowed, pulled about, into that immense hall of the palace, which was so cramped on that sixth of January, 1482, the spectacle would not be devoid of either interest or charm, and we should have about us only things that were so old that they would seem new.
S'il nous était donné, à nous hommes de 1830, de nous mêler en pensée à ces Parisiens du quinzième siècle, et d'entrer avec eux, secoués, coudoyés, tiraillés, dans cette immense salle du palais, si à l'étroit en ce sixième janvier 1482, le spectacle ne serait dépourvu ni d'intérêt ni de charme, et nous n'aurions autour de nous que des choses si vieilles qu'elles nous sembleraient nouvelles.
With the reader's consent, we will endeavor to retrace in thought, the impression which he would have experienced in company with us on crossing the threshold of that grand hall, in the midst of that tumultuous crowd in surcoats, short, sleeveless jackets, and doublets.
Avec le consentement du lecteur, nous essaierons de retracer en pensée l'impression qu'il aurait éprouvée en notre compagnie en franchissant le seuil de cette grande salle, au milieu de cette foule tumultueuse en surcots, courtes vestes sans manches et pourpoints.
And, first of all, there is a buzzing in the ears, a dazzlement in the eyes.
Et, tout d'abord, un bourdonnement dans les oreilles, un éblouissement dans les yeux.
Above our heads is a double ogive vault, panelled with wood carving, painted azure, and sown with golden fleurs-de-lis; beneath our feet a pavement of black and white marble, alternating.
Au-dessus de nos têtes, une double voûte en ogive, lambrissée de sculptures en bois, peinte d'azur et semée de fleurs de lis dorées ; sous nos pieds, un pavé de marbre noir et blanc en alternance.
A few paces distant, an enormous pillar, then another, then another; seven pillars in all, down the length of the hall, sustaining the spring of the arches of the double vault, in the centre of its width.
À quelques pas de distance, une énorme colonne, puis une autre, puis une autre encore ; sept colonnes en tout, sur la longueur de la salle, soutenant la naissance des arcs de la double voûte, au centre de sa largeur.
Around four of the pillars, stalls of merchants, all sparkling with glass and tinsel; around the last three, benches of oak, worn and polished by the trunk hose of the litigants, and the robes of the attorneys.
Autour de quatre des colonnes, des étals de marchands, tout étincelants de verre et de clinquant ; autour des trois dernières, des bancs de chêne, usés et polis par le haut-de-chausses des plaideurs et les robes des procureurs.
Vocabulary
- donné
- doh-nay — Past participle of 'donner', meaning 'given'
- hommes
- ohm — Plural noun meaning 'men' or 'people'
- mêler
- meh-lay — To mix, mingle, or blend together
- pensée
- pahn-say — Noun meaning 'thought' or 'idea'
- Parisiens
- pah-ree-zyahn — Noun meaning 'Parisians', inhabitants of Paris
- quinzième
- kahn-zyem — Ordinal number meaning 'fifteenth'
- siècle
- syeh-kluh — Noun meaning 'century' or 'age'
- entrer
- ahn-tray — Verb meaning 'to enter' or 'to go in'
- secoués
- suh-kway — Past participle of 'secouer', meaning 'shaken'
- coudoyés
- koo-dwah-yay — Past participle of 'coudoyer', meaning 'elbowed' or 'jostled'
- tiraillés
- tee-rah-yay — Past participle of 'tirailler', meaning 'pulled about' or 'tugged'
- immense
- ee-mahns — Adjective meaning 'immense', 'vast', or 'huge'
- salle
- sal — Noun meaning 'hall', 'room', or 'chamber'
- palais
- pah-leh — Noun meaning 'palace' or 'court of law'
- étroit
- ay-trwah — Adjective meaning 'narrow' or 'tight'
- sixième
- see-zyem — Ordinal number meaning 'sixth'
- janvier
- zhahn-vyay — Noun meaning 'January', first month of year
- spectacle
- spek-tah-kluh — Noun meaning 'show', 'spectacle', or 'sight'
- dépourvu
- day-poor-vü — Adjective meaning 'devoid of' or 'lacking'
- ni
- nee — Conjunction meaning 'neither' or 'nor'
- intérêt
- ahn-tay-reh — Noun meaning 'interest' or 'concern'
- charme
- shahrm — Noun meaning 'charm', 'appeal', or 'enchantment'
- autour
- oh-toor — Adverb or preposition meaning 'around'
- choses
- shohz — Plural noun meaning 'things' or 'matters'
- vieilles
- vyay — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'old'
- sembleraient
- sahm-bluh-reh — Conditional form of 'sembler', meaning 'would seem'
- nouvelles
- noo-vel — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'new'
- consentement
- kohn-sahnt-mahn — Noun meaning 'consent', 'agreement', or 'permission'
- lecteur
- lek-tuhr — Noun meaning 'reader' (masculine)
- essaierons
- eh-say-rohn — Future tense of 'essayer', meaning 'we will try'
- retracer
- ruh-trah-say — Verb meaning 'to retrace' or 'to reconstruct'
- impression
- ahm-preh-syohn — Noun meaning 'impression' or 'feeling'
- éprouvée
- ay-proo-vay — Past participle of 'éprouver', meaning 'experienced' or 'felt'
- compagnie
- kohm-pah-nyee — Noun meaning 'company' or 'group of people'
- franchissant
- frahn-shee-sahn — Present participle of 'franchir', meaning 'crossing over'
- seuil
- suh-yuh — Noun meaning 'threshold', 'doorstep', or 'entrance'
- milieu
- meel-yuh — Noun meaning 'middle', 'center', or 'environment'
- foule
- fool — Noun meaning 'crowd' or 'throng of people'
- tumultueuse
- tü-mül-tü-uhz — Adjective meaning 'tumultuous', 'noisy', or 'turbulent'
- surcots
- sür-koh — Plural noun for medieval outer garments worn over armor
- courtes
- koort — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'short'
- vestes
- vest — Plural noun meaning 'jackets' or 'short coats'
- manches
- mahnsh — Plural noun meaning 'sleeves' of a garment
- pourpoints
- poor-pwahn — Plural noun for a medieval padded doublet or jacket
- abord
- ah-bor — Noun used in 'd'abord', meaning 'first' or 'at first'
- bourdonnement
- boor-dohn-mahn — Noun meaning 'buzzing', 'humming', or 'drone sound'
- oreilles
- oh-ray — Plural noun meaning 'ears'
- éblouissement
- ay-bloo-ees-mahn — Noun meaning 'dazzling', 'glare', or 'blinding brilliance'
- yeux
- yuh — Plural noun meaning 'eyes'
- Au-dessus
- oh-duh-sü — Prepositional phrase meaning 'above' or 'over'
- têtes
- tet — Plural noun meaning 'heads'
- double
- doo-bluh — Adjective meaning 'double' or 'twofold'
- voûte
- voot — Noun meaning 'vault' or 'arched ceiling'
- ogive
- oh-zheev — Noun meaning 'ogive', a pointed Gothic arch
- lambrissée
- lahm-bree-say — Adjective meaning 'paneled' or 'wainscoted'
- sculptures
- skülp-tür — Plural noun meaning 'sculptures' or 'carvings'
- bois
- bwah — Noun meaning 'wood' or 'forest'
- peinte
- pahnt — Feminine past participle of 'peindre', meaning 'painted'
- azur
- ah-zür — Noun meaning 'azure', a bright sky-blue color
- semée
- suh-may — Feminine past participle of 'semer', meaning 'strewn' or 'scattered'
- fleurs
- fluhr — Plural noun meaning 'flowers' or 'blossoms'
- lis
- lee — Noun meaning 'lily'; 'fleur-de-lis' is a heraldic symbol
- dorées
- doh-ray — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'gilded' or 'golden'
- sous
- soo — Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'
- pieds
- pyay — Plural noun meaning 'feet'
- pavé
- pah-vay — Noun meaning 'paving stone' or 'cobblestone floor'
- marbre
- mahr-bruh — Noun meaning 'marble', a type of stone
- noir
- nwahr — Adjective meaning 'black'
- blanc
- blahn — Adjective meaning 'white'
- alternance
- ahl-tehr-nahns — Noun meaning 'alternation' or 'regular interchange'
- quelques
- kel-kuh — Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- pas
- pah — Noun meaning 'step'; also negation particle with 'ne'
- distance
- dees-tahns — Noun meaning 'distance' or 'space between things'
- énorme
- ay-norm — Adjective meaning 'enormous' or 'huge'
- colonne
- koh-lohn — Noun meaning 'column' or 'pillar'
- puis
- pwee — Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next'
- encore
- ahn-kor — Adverb meaning 'again', 'still', or 'yet'
- sept
- set — Number meaning 'seven'
- colonnes
- koh-lohn — Plural noun meaning 'columns' or 'pillars'
- longueur
- lohn-guhr — Noun meaning 'length' or 'extent'
- soutenant
- soo-tuh-nahn — Present participle of 'soutenir', meaning 'supporting'
- naissance
- neh-sahns — Noun meaning 'birth'; also 'springing point' of an arch
- arcs
- ark — Plural noun meaning 'arches' or 'arcs'
- centre
- sahn-truh — Noun meaning 'center' or 'middle'
- largeur
- lahr-zuhr — Noun meaning 'width' or 'breadth'
- Autour
- oh-toor — Adverb or preposition meaning 'around'
- quatre
- kah-truh — Number meaning 'four'
- étals
- ay-tal — Plural noun meaning 'market stalls' or 'shop counters'
- marchands
- mahr-shahn — Plural noun meaning 'merchants' or 'traders'
- étincelants
- ay-tahn-suh-lahn — Adjective meaning 'sparkling', 'glittering', or 'dazzling'
- verre
- vehr — Noun meaning 'glass' (material or drinking vessel)
- clinquant
- klahn-kahn — Noun meaning 'tinsel', 'glitter', or 'showy decoration'
- trois
- trwah — Number meaning 'three'
- dernières
- dehr-nyehr — Feminine plural adjective meaning 'last' or 'final'
- bancs
- bahn — Plural noun meaning 'benches' or 'pews'
- chêne
- shen — Noun meaning 'oak' (the tree or its wood)
- usés
- ü-zay — Adjective meaning 'worn out', 'used', or 'threadbare'
- polis
- poh-lee — Adjective meaning 'polished' or 'smoothed by use'
- haut-de-chausses
- oh-duh-shohs — Noun for breeches or upper hose worn in medieval times
- plaideurs
- pleh-duhr — Plural noun meaning 'litigants' or 'people pleading in court'
- robes
- rohb — Plural noun meaning 'gowns', 'dresses', or 'robes'
- procureurs
- proh-kü-ruhr — Plural noun meaning 'attorneys' or 'legal prosecutors'
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