Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 12

English → Fr Full Text Level 8/10

and the grand hall, with its gilding, its azure, its statues, its pointed arches, its pillars, its immense vault, all fretted with carvings?

et la grande salle, avec sa dorure, son azur, ses statues, ses arcs en ogive, ses piliers, son immense voûte, toute ciselée de sculptures ?

and the gilded chamber?

et la chambre dorée ?

and the stone lion, which stood at the door, with lowered head and tail between his legs, like the lions on the throne of Solomon, in the humiliated attitude which befits force in the presence of justice?

et le lion de pierre, qui se tenait à la porte, la tête baissée et la queue entre les jambes, comme les lions du trône de Salomon, dans l'attitude humiliée qui convient à la force en présence de la justice ?

and the beautiful doors?

et les belles portes ?

and the stained glass?

et les vitraux ?

and the chased ironwork, which drove Biscornette to despair?

et la ferronnerie ciselée, qui désespérait Biscornette ?

and the delicate woodwork of Hancy?

et la délicate menuiserie de Hancy ?

What has time, what have men done with these marvels?

Qu'a fait le temps, qu'ont fait les hommes de ces merveilles ?

What have they given us in return for all this Gallic history, for all this Gothic art?

Que nous ont-ils donné en échange de toute cette histoire gauloise, de tout cet art gothique ?

The heavy flattened arches of M. de Brosse, that awkward architect of the Saint-Gervais portal.

Les lourds arcs aplatis de M. de Brosse, ce maladroit architecte du portail Saint-Gervais.

So much for art; and, as for history, we have the gossiping reminiscences of the great pillar, still ringing with the tattle of the Patru.

Voilà pour l'art ; et, quant à l'histoire, nous avons les souvenirs bavards du grand pilier, encore tout retentissant des cancans du Patru.

It is not much.

Ce n'est pas grand-chose.

Let us return to the veritable grand hall of the veritable old palace.

Revenons à la véritable grande salle du véritable vieux palais.

The two extremities of this gigantic parallelogram were occupied, the one by the famous marble table, so long, so broad, and so thick that, as the ancient land rolls—in a style that would have given Gargantua an appetite—say, "such a slice of marble as was never beheld in the world";

Les deux extrémités de ce gigantesque parallélogramme étaient occupées, l'une par la fameuse table de marbre, si longue, si large et si épaisse que, comme disent les anciens terriers — dans un style qui eût donné de l'appétit à Gargantua —, « telle tranche de marbre ne fut jamais vue au monde » ;

the other by the chapel where Louis XI.

l'autre par la chapelle où Louis XI.

Vocabulary

grande: Large or great in size, extent, or importance.
salle: A large room or hall in a building.
dorure: Gold decoration or gilding applied to a surface.
azur: Bright blue color resembling a clear sky.
statues: Three-dimensional sculptures representing figures or forms.
arcs: Curved architectural structures spanning an opening.
ogive: Pointed arch characteristic of Gothic architecture.
piliers: Large columns or pillars supporting a structure.
immense: Extremely large or vast in scale or extent.
voûte: An arched ceiling or vault in architecture.
ciselée: Finely carved or chiseled with intricate decorative detail.
sculptures: Three-dimensional artistic works carved or modeled.
chambre: A room, especially a bedroom or chamber.
dorée: Gilded or covered with gold decoration.
lion: Large wild cat, symbol of strength and royalty.
pierre: Stone, a hard natural material used in construction.
tenait: Past tense of 'tenir', meaning 'held' or 'stood'.
porte: A door or gate serving as an entrance.
tête: Head, the upper part of the human body.
baissée: Lowered, referring to a head bowed downward.
queue: A tail of an animal or a waiting line.
jambes: Legs, the lower limbs of the human body.
lions: Plural of 'lion', large powerful wild cats.
trône: A throne, the ceremonial seat of a monarch.
Salomon: Solomon, the biblical king renowned for wisdom.
attitude: A posture or position of the body; demeanor.
humiliée: Humiliated, in a state of submission or degradation.
convient: Is suitable or fitting for a purpose or context.
force: Strength or power, physical or figurative energy.
présence: The state of being present; a commanding personal aura.
justice: Fairness, the moral principle of rightness and equity.
belles: Beautiful or lovely (feminine plural adjective).
portes: Doors or gates serving as building entrances.
vitraux: Stained glass windows found typically in churches.
ferronnerie: Ironwork, decorative or structural metalwork craftsmanship.
désespérait: Past tense of 'désespérer', meaning 'drove to despair'.
délicate: Delicate, fine, or intricate in craftsmanship or quality.
menuiserie: Woodworking or carpentry, the craft of fine woodwork.
temps: Time or weather, a fundamental concept in French.
hommes: Men or humans in general; the plural of 'homme'.
merveilles: Marvels or wonders, things causing great admiration.
donné: Past participle of 'donner', meaning 'given'.
échange: An exchange or swap between parties or things.
histoire: History or a story; a narrative of events.
gauloise: Relating to the Gauls or traditional French culture.
art: Creative expression through painting, sculpture, or architecture.
gothique: Gothic, relating to medieval European architectural style.
lourds: Heavy or burdensome (masculine plural adjective).
aplatis: Flattened or squashed, lacking height or relief.
maladroit: Clumsy or unskilled; lacking grace or dexterity.
architecte: An architect, a professional who designs buildings.
portail: A grand entrance door or portal of a building.
Voilà: There it is; an expression pointing to something present.
quant: Used in 'quant à', meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'.
souvenirs: Memories or mementos kept as reminders of events.
bavards: Talkative or gossipy people; chatterboxes (masculine plural).
grand: Great or large in size, importance, or degree.
pilier: A pillar or column supporting a structure.
encore: Still, yet, or again; also used for 'more'.
retentissant: Resounding or echoing loudly; making a loud noise.
cancans: Gossip or rumor; idle talk about others' affairs.
chose: A thing or matter; something unspecified or general.
Revenons: Let us return or come back (first-person plural imperative).
véritable: Real, genuine, or true; not false or imitation.
vieux: Old (masculine adjective), referring to age or antiquity.
palais: A palace or grand official building.
extrémités: Extremities or ends of something; outermost points.
gigantesque: Gigantic or enormous in size; of immense proportions.
parallélogramme: A four-sided geometric shape with parallel opposite sides.
occupées: Occupied or taken up (feminine plural past participle).
fameuse: Famous or renowned; well-known for a particular quality.
table: A flat-surfaced piece of furniture used for various activities.
marbre: Marble, a hard crystalline rock used in construction.
longue: Long in length or duration (feminine adjective).
large: Wide or broad in extent or measurement.
épaisse: Thick or dense (feminine adjective describing depth).
disent: Third-person plural of 'dire', meaning 'they say'.
anciens: Old or ancient ones; former inhabitants or predecessors.
terriers: Old land registers or title deeds recording property ownership.
style: A distinctive manner or mode of expression or design.
eût: Subjunctive past form of 'avoir', meaning 'had'.
appétit: Appetite or desire for food; hunger.
Gargantua: Rabelais's giant character known for enormous appetite.
telle: Such or of that kind (feminine form of 'tel').
tranche: A slice or portion cut from something larger.
fut: Simple past of 'être', meaning 'was'.
jamais: Never; used in negation or meaning 'ever'.
vue: Seen; past participle of 'voir', or a view.
monde: The world; all people or the entire earth.
autre: Other or another; a different one from the present.
chapelle: A small chapel or place of worship within a building.

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