On Liberty — Page 5
He died in 1873, his last years being spent peacefully in the pleasant society of his step-daughter, from whose tender care and earnest intellectual sympathy he caught maybe a far-off reflection of the light which had irradiated his spiritual life.
Il mourut en 1873, ses dernières années étant passées paisiblement dans l'agréable compagnie de sa belle-fille, dont les tendres soins et la sincère sympathie intellectuelle lui permirent peut-être de saisir un reflet lointain de la lumière qui avait illuminé sa vie spirituelle.
II.
II.
The circumstances under which John Stuart Mill wrote his _Liberty_ are largely connected with the influence which Mrs. Taylor wielded over his career.
Les circonstances dans lesquelles John Stuart Mill écrivit sa _Liberté_ sont largement liées à l'influence que Mme Taylor exerça sur sa carrière.
The dedication is well known.
La dédicace est bien connue.
It contains the most extraordinary panegyric on a woman that any philosopher has ever penned.
Elle contient le panégyrique le plus extraordinaire qu'un philosophe ait jamais écrit sur une femme.
"Were I but capable of interpreting to the world one-half the great thoughts and noble feelings which are buried in her grave, I should be the medium of a greater benefit to it than is ever likely to arise from anything that I can write, unprompted and unassisted by her all but unrivalled wisdom."
« Si j'étais seulement capable de transmettre au monde la moitié des grandes pensées et des nobles sentiments qui sont ensevelis dans sa tombe, je serais l'instrument d'un bienfait plus grand pour lui qu'il n'est susceptible de résulter de tout ce que je puis écrire, sans être inspiré ni assisté par sa sagesse quasi sans rivale. »
It is easy for the ordinary worldly cynicism to curl a sceptical lip over sentences like these.
Il est facile pour le cynisme mondain ordinaire de tordre une lèvre sceptique devant de telles phrases.
There may be exaggeration of sentiment, the necessary and inevitable reaction of a man who was trained according to the "dry light" of so unimpressionable a man as James Mill, the father; but the passage quoted is not the only one in which John Stuart Mill proclaims his unhesitating belief in the intellectual influence of his wife.
Il peut y avoir exagération de sentiment, la réaction nécessaire et inévitable d'un homme qui fut formé selon la « lumière sèche » d'un homme aussi peu impressionnable que James Mill, le père ; mais le passage cité n'est pas le seul dans lequel John Stuart Mill proclame sa foi sans hésitation dans l'influence intellectuelle de sa femme.
The treatise on _Liberty_ was written especially under her authority and encouragement, but there are many earlier references to the power which she exercised over his mind.
Le traité sur la _Liberté_ fut écrit notamment sous son autorité et ses encouragements, mais il existe de nombreuses références antérieures au pouvoir qu'elle exerçait sur son esprit.
Vocabulary
- mourut
- Past simple of 'mourir'; he died
- dernières
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final' (feminine plural)
- années
- Noun meaning 'years' (feminine plural)
- étant
- Present participle of 'être'; meaning 'being'
- passées
- Past participle of 'passer'; meaning 'spent' or 'passed'
- paisiblement
- Adverb meaning 'peacefully' or 'quietly'
- agréable
- Adjective meaning 'pleasant' or 'agreeable'
- compagnie
- Noun meaning 'company' or 'companionship'
- belle-fille
- Noun meaning 'daughter-in-law' or 'stepdaughter'
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', 'from which'
- tendres
- Adjective meaning 'tender' or 'affectionate' (plural)
- soins
- Noun meaning 'care' or 'attention' (plural)
- sincère
- Adjective meaning 'sincere' or 'genuine'
- sympathie
- Noun meaning 'sympathy' or 'fellow feeling'
- intellectuelle
- Adjective meaning 'intellectual' (feminine form)
- permirent
- Past simple of 'permettre'; they allowed or permitted
- peut-être
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- saisir
- Verb meaning 'to grasp', 'seize', or 'catch'
- reflet
- Noun meaning 'reflection' or 'glimmer'
- lointain
- Adjective meaning 'distant' or 'faraway'
- lumière
- Noun meaning 'light'
- illuminé
- Past participle of 'illuminer'; meaning 'illuminated' or 'lit up'
- vie
- Noun meaning 'life'
- spirituelle
- Adjective meaning 'spiritual' or 'of the spirit' (feminine)
- circonstances
- Noun meaning 'circumstances' or 'conditions' (plural)
- lesquelles
- Relative pronoun meaning 'in which' or 'which' (feminine plural)
- écrivit
- Past simple of 'écrire'; he wrote
- largement
- Adverb meaning 'largely', 'widely', or 'greatly'
- liées
- Past participle of 'lier'; meaning 'linked' or 'connected' (feminine plural)
- influence
- Noun meaning 'influence' or 'effect'
- Mme
- Abbreviation of 'Madame'; title equivalent to 'Mrs'
- exerça
- Past simple of 'exercer'; she exerted or exercised
- carrière
- Noun meaning 'career' or 'professional life'
- dédicace
- Noun meaning 'dedication' in a book or text
- connue
- Past participle of 'connaître'; meaning 'known' (feminine)
- contient
- Third person singular of 'contenir'; meaning 'contains'
- panégyrique
- Noun meaning 'panegyric'; a formal speech of praise
- extraordinaire
- Adjective meaning 'extraordinary' or 'remarkable'
- philosophe
- Noun meaning 'philosopher'
- ait
- Subjunctive form of 'avoir'; meaning 'has' (subjunctive)
- jamais
- Adverb meaning 'ever' or 'never'
- écrit
- Past participle of 'écrire'; meaning 'written'
- femme
- Noun meaning 'woman' or 'wife'
- étais
- Imperfect of 'être'; meaning 'was' or 'were' (first person)
- seulement
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely'
- capable
- Adjective meaning 'capable' or 'able'
- transmettre
- Verb meaning 'to transmit', 'convey', or 'pass on'
- monde
- Noun meaning 'world' or 'people'
- moitié
- Noun meaning 'half'
- pensées
- Noun meaning 'thoughts' or 'ideas' (plural)
- nobles
- Adjective meaning 'noble' or 'elevated' (plural)
- sentiments
- Noun meaning 'feelings' or 'sentiments' (plural)
- ensevelis
- Past participle of 'ensevelir'; meaning 'buried' or 'entombed'
- tombe
- Noun meaning 'tomb' or 'grave'
- serais
- Conditional of 'être'; meaning 'would be'
- instrument
- Noun meaning 'instrument' or 'tool'
- bienfait
- Noun meaning 'benefit', 'good deed', or 'blessing'
- susceptible
- Adjective meaning 'likely to', 'capable of', or 'susceptible'
- résulter
- Verb meaning 'to result' or 'to follow from'
- puis
- First person singular of 'pouvoir'; meaning 'can' or 'am able'
- écrire
- Verb meaning 'to write'
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- inspiré
- Past participle of 'inspirer'; meaning 'inspired'
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither'
- assisté
- Past participle of 'assister'; meaning 'assisted' or 'helped'
- sagesse
- Noun meaning 'wisdom' or 'good sense'
- quasi
- Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'
- rivale
- Noun or adjective meaning 'rival' (feminine form)
- facile
- Adjective meaning 'easy' or 'simple'
- cynisme
- Noun meaning 'cynicism' or 'cynical attitude'
- mondain
- Adjective meaning 'worldly', 'of society', or 'social'
- ordinaire
- Adjective meaning 'ordinary' or 'common'
- tordre
- Verb meaning 'to twist' or 'to contort'
- lèvre
- Noun meaning 'lip'
- sceptique
- Adjective or noun meaning 'skeptical' or 'skeptic'
- devant
- Preposition meaning 'before', 'in front of', or 'faced with'
- telles
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' (feminine plural)
- phrases
- Noun meaning 'sentences' or 'phrases' (plural)
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'in it'
- exagération
- Noun meaning 'exaggeration' or 'overstatement'
- sentiment
- Noun meaning 'feeling' or 'sentiment'
- réaction
- Noun meaning 'reaction' or 'response'
- nécessaire
- Adjective meaning 'necessary' or 'essential'
- inévitable
- Adjective meaning 'inevitable' or 'unavoidable'
- homme
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being'
- fut
- Past simple of 'être'; meaning 'was' (third person singular)
- formé
- Past participle of 'former'; meaning 'formed' or 'shaped'
- selon
- Preposition meaning 'according to' or 'following'
- sèche
- Adjective meaning 'dry', 'arid', or 'austere' (feminine)
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little' or 'not very'
- impressionnable
- Adjective meaning 'impressionable' or 'easily influenced'
- père
- Noun meaning 'father'
- passage
- Noun meaning 'passage' or 'excerpt' from a text
- cité
- Past participle of 'citer'; meaning 'quoted' or 'cited'
- seul
- Adjective meaning 'alone', 'only', or 'single'
- lequel
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'in which' (masculine)
- proclame
- Third person singular of 'proclamer'; meaning 'proclaims'
- foi
- Noun meaning 'faith' or 'belief'
- hésitation
- Noun meaning 'hesitation' or 'indecision'
- traité
- Noun meaning 'treatise', 'treaty', or 'work'
- notamment
- Adverb meaning 'notably' or 'in particular'
- sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'
- autorité
- Noun meaning 'authority' or 'power'
- encouragements
- Noun meaning 'encouragements' or 'support' (plural)
- existe
- Third person singular of 'exister'; meaning 'exists'
- nombreuses
- Adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many' (feminine plural)
- références
- Noun meaning 'references' or 'citations' (plural)
- antérieures
- Adjective meaning 'prior', 'earlier', or 'previous' (feminine plural)
- pouvoir
- Verb meaning 'to be able to' or noun meaning 'power'
- exerçait
- Imperfect of 'exercer'; meaning 'was exerting' or 'exercised'
- esprit
- Noun meaning 'mind', 'spirit', or 'wit'
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