Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 15
A goodly number of curious, good people had been shivering since daybreak before the grand staircase of the palace; some even affirmed that they had passed the night across the threshold of the great door, in order to make sure that they should be the first to pass in.
Un bon nombre de curieux, de braves gens grelottaient depuis l'aube devant le grand escalier du palais ; quelques-uns affirmaient même avoir passé la nuit en travers du seuil de la grande porte, afin d'être sûrs d'être les premiers à entrer.
The crowd grew more dense every moment, and, like water, which rises above its normal level, began to mount along the walls, to swell around the pillars, to spread out on the entablatures, on the cornices, on the window-sills, on all the salient points of the architecture, on all the reliefs of the sculpture.
La foule devenait plus dense à chaque instant, et, pareille à l'eau qui dépasse son niveau ordinaire, commençait à monter le long des murs, à gonfler autour des piliers, à déborder sur les entablements, sur les corniches, sur les appuis des fenêtres, sur tous les points saillants de l'architecture, sur tous les reliefs de la sculpture.
Hence, discomfort, impatience, weariness, the liberty of a day of cynicism and folly, the quarrels which break forth for all sorts of causes—a pointed elbow, an iron-shod shoe, the fatigue of long waiting—had already, long before the hour appointed for the arrival of the ambassadors, imparted a harsh and bitter accent to the clamor of these people who were shut in, fitted into each other, pressed, trampled upon, stifled.
Aussi, le malaise, l'impatience, l'ennui, la licence d'un jour de cynisme et de folie, les querelles qui éclatent à tout propos—un coude pointu, un soulier ferré, la fatigue d'une longue attente—avaient déjà, bien avant l'heure fixée pour l'arrivée des ambassadeurs, imprimé un accent âpre et amer à la clameur de ces gens enfermés, entassés les uns dans les autres, pressés, piétinés, étouffés.
Vocabulary
- bon
- Good; of satisfactory quality or character.
- nombre
- Number; a quantity or count of things.
- curieux
- Curious people; those eager to see something.
- braves
- Good, decent, brave people; worthy individuals.
- gens
- People; a group of persons.
- grelottaient
- Were shivering; trembling from cold.
- depuis
- Since; from a point in time until now.
- aube
- Dawn; the first light of day.
- devant
- In front of; before a place or person.
- grand
- Grand, large; of impressive size or importance.
- escalier
- Staircase; a flight of steps in a building.
- palais
- Palace; a grand official royal residence.
- quelques-uns
- Some; a few of a group of people.
- affirmaient
- Were claiming; asserting something as true.
- même
- Even; also used to emphasize a statement.
- avoir
- To have; auxiliary verb used in past tense.
- passé
- Spent; having passed time in a place.
- nuit
- Night; the period of darkness after sunset.
- travers
- Across; lying across a space or threshold.
- seuil
- Threshold; the doorstep or entrance of a building.
- grande
- Large, great; feminine form of 'grand'.
- porte
- Door; an entrance or gate to a building.
- afin
- In order to; so as to achieve a goal.
- être
- To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or state.
- sûrs
- Sure, certain; confident about something.
- premiers
- First; coming before all others.
- entrer
- To enter; to go inside a place.
- foule
- Crowd; a large group of gathered people.
- devenait
- Was becoming; gradually turning into something else.
- plus
- More; indicating a greater degree or quantity.
- dense
- Dense; closely packed together in a space.
- chaque
- Each; every individual one of a group.
- instant
- Instant, moment; a very brief period of time.
- pareille
- Similar, like; resembling something else closely.
- eau
- Water; the liquid essential for life.
- dépasse
- Exceeds, surpasses; goes beyond a normal level.
- niveau
- Level; the height or degree of something.
- ordinaire
- Ordinary; usual, normal, or common level.
- commençait
- Was beginning; starting to do something.
- monter
- To rise, climb; to go upward.
- long
- Along; following the length of something.
- murs
- Walls; vertical structures enclosing a building.
- gonfler
- To swell, inflate; to expand in size.
- autour
- Around; encircling or surrounding something.
- piliers
- Pillars; vertical columns supporting a structure.
- déborder
- To overflow; to spill over the edges.
- corniches
- Cornices; decorative projecting ledges on buildings.
- appuis
- Windowsills, ledges; supports on a building facade.
- fenêtres
- Windows; openings in walls allowing light in.
- tous
- All; every one of a group.
- points
- Points; specific spots or projecting features.
- saillants
- Projecting, protruding; jutting outward from a surface.
- architecture
- Architecture; the design and structure of buildings.
- reliefs
- Relief carvings; raised sculptural decorations on surfaces.
- sculpture
- Sculpture; three-dimensional artistic carved works.
- Aussi
- Thus, also; therefore, used to introduce consequence.
- malaise
- Unease, discomfort; a general feeling of unease.
- impatience
- Impatience; inability to wait calmly.
- ennui
- Boredom; a feeling of tedium and restlessness.
- licence
- Licentiousness; excessive freedom or unruly behavior.
- cynisme
- Cynicism; distrustful, scornful attitude toward others.
- folie
- Madness, folly; wild or reckless behavior.
- querelles
- Quarrels; heated disagreements or arguments between people.
- éclatent
- Break out; burst forth suddenly.
- tout
- All, every; used in expressions meaning 'all around'.
- propos
- Talk, remarks; words or conversations exchanged.
- coude
- Elbow; the joint in the middle of the arm.
- pointu
- Pointed, sharp; having a sharp or pointed end.
- soulier
- Shoe; a foot covering worn for walking.
- ferré
- Iron-shod, fitted with iron; reinforced with metal.
- fatigue
- Fatigue; extreme tiredness from exertion or waiting.
- longue
- Long; extending a great distance or duration.
- attente
- Wait, waiting; the act of waiting for something.
- avaient
- Had; past tense of 'avoir' (to have).
- déjà
- Already; by this or a previous time.
- bien
- Well; used to emphasize degree or quality.
- avant
- Before; earlier in time or place.
- heure
- Hour; a unit of time, sixty minutes.
- fixée
- Fixed, set; determined or established in advance.
- arrivée
- Arrival; the act of reaching a destination.
- ambassadeurs
- Ambassadors; official diplomatic representatives of a country.
- imprimé
- Imprinted, stamped; given a distinct quality or character.
- accent
- Accent, tone; a distinctive quality given to something.
- âpre
- Harsh, bitter; rough and unpleasant in tone.
- amer
- Bitter; having a sharp unpleasant feeling or taste.
- clameur
- Clamor; a loud and confused noise from a crowd.
- enfermés
- Enclosed, shut in; confined within a tight space.
- entassés
- Piled up, crammed together; crowded in a heap.
- autres
- Others; different or additional people or things.
- pressés
- Pressed together; squeezed or pushed tightly.
- piétinés
- Trampled; stepped on or crushed underfoot by others.
- étouffés
- Suffocated, stifled; unable to breathe freely.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →