On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 6
Branches of the trees met overhead at the height of five feet, and under them I saw newly fallen leaves; so I knew that the horse had brushed some of the branches, and was therefore five feet high.
Les branches des arbres se rejoignaient au-dessus de ma tête à une hauteur de cinq pieds, et en dessous j'ai vu des feuilles fraîchement tombées ; j'ai donc su que le cheval avait effleuré quelques-unes des branches, et mesurait par conséquent cinq pieds de haut.
As to his bit, it must have been made of twenty-three carat gold, for he had rubbed it against a stone, which turned out to be a touchstone, with the properties of which I am familiar by experiment.
Quant à son mors, il devait être fait d'or à vingt-trois carats, car il l'avait frotté contre une pierre, qui s'avéra être une pierre de touche, dont je connais les propriétés par expérience.
Lastly, by the marks which his shoes left upon pebbles of another kind, I was led to think that his shoes were of fine silver.'
Enfin, d'après les marques que ses fers avaient laissées sur des cailloux d'une autre nature, j'en suis venu à penser que ses fers étaient d'argent fin.'
"All the judges admired Zadig's profound and subtle discernment; and the fame of it reached even the King and the Queen.
« Tous les juges admirèrent la profonde et subtile perspicacité de Zadig ; et sa renommée parvint jusqu'au Roi et à la Reine.
From the ante-rooms to the presence-chamber, Zadig's name was in everybody's mouth; and, although many of the magi were of opinion that he ought to be burnt as a sorcerer, the King commanded that the four hundred ounces of gold which he had been fined should be restored to him.
Des antichambres jusqu'à la salle du trône, le nom de Zadig était dans toutes les bouches ; et, bien que nombre de mages fussent d'avis qu'il devait être brûlé comme sorcier, le Roi ordonna que les quatre cents onces d'or à quoi il avait été condamné lui fussent restituées.
So the officers of the court went in state with the four hundred ounces; only they retained three hundred and ninety-eight for legal expenses, and their servants expected fees."
Ainsi les officiers de la cour se rendirent en grande pompe avec les quatre cents onces ; seulement ils en retinrent trois cent quatre-vingt-dix-huit pour frais de justice, et leurs serviteurs s'attendaient à des gratifications. »
Vocabulary
- branches
- brahnsh — Branches; limbs extending from a tree trunk.
- arbres
- ar-bruh — Trees; large woody plants with trunks and branches.
- rejoignaient
- ruh-zhwan-yay — Were joining or meeting together at a point.
- dessus
- duh-soo — Above; on top of something.
- tête
- tet — Head; the uppermost part of the human body.
- hauteur
- oh-tuhr — Height; the measurement of how tall something is.
- pieds
- pyay — Feet; unit of measurement or body part below ankles.
- dessous
- duh-soo — Below; underneath something.
- vu
- voo — Past participle of 'voir', meaning 'seen'.
- feuilles
- fuh-yuh — Leaves; flat green parts growing on plants and trees.
- fraîchement
- fresh-mahn — Recently; freshly, in a newly occurring manner.
- tombées
- tom-bay — Fallen; having dropped down from a higher position.
- donc
- donk — Therefore; so, indicating a logical conclusion.
- su
- soo — Past participle of 'savoir', meaning 'known' or 'learned'.
- cheval
- shuh-val — Horse; a large domesticated mammal used for riding.
- effleuré
- ef-luh-ray — Grazed; lightly brushed or touched in passing.
- quelques
- kel-kuh — Some; a few of a certain number of things.
- mesurait
- muh-zoo-ray — Was measuring; had a certain height or dimension.
- conséquent
- kon-say-kahn — Consequently; therefore, as a logical result.
- haut
- oh — High; tall, at a great elevation or height.
- Quant
- kahn — As for; regarding or concerning a particular matter.
- mors
- mor — Bit; metal bar placed in a horse's mouth for control.
- devait
- duh-vay — Had to; was supposed to or must have been.
- or
- or — Gold; a precious yellow metallic element.
- carats
- kah-rah — Carats; unit measuring purity of gold or gemstone weight.
- car
- kar — Because; for, introducing a reason or explanation.
- frotté
- fro-tay — Rubbed; scraped against a surface creating friction.
- contre
- kon-truh — Against; in contact with or in opposition to something.
- pierre
- pyair — Stone; a hard solid mineral or rock material.
- avéra
- ah-vay-rah — Turned out to be; proved or revealed to be something.
- touche
- toosh — Touchstone; used to test gold and precious metals.
- dont
- don — Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'about which'.
- connais
- ko-nay — Know; am familiar with a person or thing.
- propriétés
- pro-pree-ay-tay — Properties; characteristics or qualities of a substance.
- expérience
- ex-pay-ree-ahnss — Experience; knowledge gained through practice or observation.
- Enfin
- ahn-fan — Finally; at last, after a long time or process.
- après
- ah-pray — After; following in time or sequence.
- marques
- mark — Marks; impressions or traces left on a surface.
- fers
- fair — Horseshoes; iron shoes nailed to a horse's hooves.
- laissées
- lay-say — Left behind; allowed to remain in a particular place.
- cailloux
- kah-yoo — Pebbles; small rounded stones found on the ground.
- autre
- oh-truh — Other; different, another one of a different kind.
- nature
- nah-toor — Nature; natural character or kind of something.
- venu
- vuh-noo — Come; past participle of 'venir', meaning 'come'.
- penser
- pahn-say — To think; to consider or reflect mentally on something.
- argent
- ar-zhahn — Silver; a precious white metallic element or money.
- fin
- fan — Fine; of high quality or purity, especially metals.
- Tous
- too — All; every one of a group of people or things.
- juges
- zhoozh — Judges; officials who make legal decisions in court.
- admirèrent
- ad-mee-rair — Admired; expressed great wonder and approval for something.
- profonde
- pro-fond — Deep; profound, going far below the surface intellectually.
- subtile
- soob-teel — Subtle; clever, delicate, and not immediately obvious.
- perspicacité
- pair-spee-kah-see-tay — Perspicacity; keen insight and ability to understand quickly.
- renommée
- ruh-no-may — Renown; widespread fame and high reputation.
- parvint
- par-van — Reached; arrived at or came to a destination.
- jusqu'
- zhoos-kuh — Until; up to, as far as a certain point.
- Roi
- rwah — King; the male monarch of a kingdom.
- Reine
- ren — Queen; the female monarch or king's wife.
- antichambres
- ahn-tee-shahmbruh — Antechambers; waiting rooms before a main audience hall.
- salle
- sal — Hall; a large room used for meetings or audiences.
- trône
- tron — Throne; the ceremonial chair of a king or queen.
- nom
- nom — Name; a word used to identify a person or thing.
- toutes
- toot — All; every one (feminine plural) of a group.
- bouches
- boosh — Mouths; the openings in faces used for speaking and eating.
- bien
- byahn — Well; good, in a satisfactory or positive manner.
- nombre
- nom-bruh — Number; a quantity or count of things or people.
- mages
- mazh — Magi; wise men or sorcerers with magical knowledge.
- fussent
- foo-sahn — Were; third person plural imperfect subjunctive of 'être'.
- avis
- ah-vee — Opinion; a view or judgment formed about something.
- brûlé
- broo-lay — Burned; destroyed or harmed by fire or heat.
- sorcier
- sor-syay — Sorcerer; a person who practices magic or witchcraft.
- ordonna
- or-do-nah — Ordered; gave an official command or instruction.
- onces
- onss — Ounces; units of weight measurement.
- quoi
- kwah — What; an interrogative or relative pronoun.
- condamné
- kon-dam-nay — Condemned; sentenced or judged guilty of an offense.
- restituées
- res-tee-too-ay — Restored; returned or given back to the rightful owner.
- Ainsi
- an-see — Thus; so, in this or that manner.
- officiers
- o-fee-syay — Officers; people holding positions of authority or command.
- cour
- koor — Court; the royal household and its attendants.
- rendirent
- rahn-deer — Returned; gave back or rendered something to someone.
- grande
- grahnd — Great; large, impressive, or of considerable importance.
- pompe
- pomp — Pomp; ceremonial display and splendid formality.
- seulement
- suhl-mahn — Only; merely, no more than a specific amount.
- retinrent
- ruh-tan-rent — Kept back; withheld or retained a portion of something.
- frais
- fray — Costs; expenses or fees charged for a service.
- justice
- zhoos-tees — Justice; the legal system or fair administration of law.
- serviteurs
- sair-vee-tuhr — Servants; people employed to serve and assist others.
- attendaient
- ah-tahn-day — Were waiting for; expected to receive something.
- gratifications
- grah-tee-fee-kah-syon — Gratuities; tips or bonuses given as extra payment.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →