Spoon River Anthology — Page 4

English → Fr Full Text Level 4/10

Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily,

Où sont l'oncle Isaac et la tante Emily,

And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton,

Et le vieux Towny Kincaid et Sevigne Houghton,

And Major Walker who had talked

Et le Major Walker qui avait parlé

With venerable men of the revolution?—

Avec de vénérables hommes de la révolution ?—

All, all are sleeping on the hill.

Tous, tous dorment sur la colline.

They brought them dead sons from the war,

Ils leur apportèrent des fils morts à la guerre,

And daughters whom life had crushed,

Et des filles que la vie avait brisées,

And their children fatherless, crying—

Et leurs enfants sans père, pleurant—

All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill.

Tous, tous dorment, dorment, dorment sur la colline.

Where is Old Fiddler Jones

Où est le vieux Fiddler Jones

Who played with life all his ninety years,

Qui joua avec la vie durant ses quatre-vingt-dix ans,

Braving the sleet with bared breast,

Bravant la grêle fondue avec la poitrine nue,

Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin,

Buvant, faisant la fête, ne pensant ni à sa femme ni à ses proches,

Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven?

Ni à l'or, ni à l'amour, ni au paradis ?

Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago,

Voici ! il radote des fritures de poisson d'autrefois,

Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove,

Des courses de chevaux d'autrefois à Clary's Grove,

Of what Abe Lincoln said

De ce qu'Abe Lincoln dit

One time at Springfield._

Un jour à Springfield.

Hod Putt

Here I lie close to the grave

Ici je repose près de la tombe

Of Old Bill Piersol,

Du vieux Bill Piersol,

Who grew rich trading with the Indians, and who

Qui s'enrichit en commerçant avec les Indiens, et qui

Afterwards took the Bankrupt Law

Eut ensuite recours à la loi sur la faillite

And emerged from it richer than ever

Et en sortit plus riche que jamais

Myself grown tired of toil and poverty

Moi-même, las du labeur et de la pauvreté

And beholding how Old Bill and others grew in wealth

Et voyant comment le vieux Bill et d'autres s'enrichissaient

Robbed a traveler one Night near Proctor's Grove,

Je dévalisai un voyageur une nuit près de Proctor's Grove,

Killing him unwittingly while doing so,

Le tuant sans le vouloir ce faisant,

For which I was tried and hanged.

Pour quoi je fus jugé et pendu.

That was my way of going into bankruptcy.

Ce fut ma façon de faire faillite.

Now we who took the bankrupt law in our respective ways

Maintenant nous qui eûmes recours à la loi sur la faillite chacun à notre manière

Sleep peacefully side by side.

Dormons paisiblement côte à côte.

Ollie McGee

Have you seen walking through the village

Avez-vous vu marcher à travers le village

A man with downcast eyes and haggard face?

Un homme aux yeux baissés et au visage hagard ?

Vocabulary

Où: oo — Interrogative adverb meaning 'where' in French.
sont: sɔ̃ — Third person plural of 'être'; means 'are'.
l': l — Contracted definite article before vowel sounds.
oncle: ɔ̃kl — A male sibling of one's parent; uncle.
et: e — Conjunction meaning 'and', linking words or clauses.
la: la — Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
tante: tɑ̃t — A female sibling of one's parent; aunt.
Et: e — Conjunction meaning 'and', linking words or clauses.
le: lə — Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
vieux: vjø — Adjective meaning old, referring to a person or thing.
Major: maʒɔr — Military rank or proper name meaning major.
qui: ki — Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.
avait: avɛ — Third person singular imperfect of 'avoir'; meaning 'had'.
parlé: paʁle — Past participle of 'parler'; meaning 'spoken' or 'talked'.
Avec: avɛk — Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment.
de: də — Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from', very common in French.
vénérables: veneʁabl — Adjective meaning venerable, deserving great respect and reverence.
hommes: ɔm — Plural noun meaning 'men'; human males.
révolution: ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ — Noun meaning a major political or social upheaval.
Tous: tu — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
dorment: dɔʁm — Third person plural present of 'dormir'; meaning 'sleep'.
sur: syʁ — Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon', indicating position.
colline: kɔlin — Noun meaning a small hill or elevated landform.
Ils: il — Third person masculine plural pronoun meaning 'they'.
leur: lœʁ — Indirect object pronoun or possessive meaning 'their' or 'to them'.
apportèrent: apɔʁtɛʁ — Simple past of 'apporter'; meaning 'brought' something to someone.
des: de — Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
fils: fis — Noun meaning 'son' or 'sons'; male offspring.
morts: mɔʁ — Adjective or noun meaning 'dead' or 'the dead'.
à: a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in' in French.
guerre: gɛʁ — Noun meaning 'war'; armed conflict between groups or nations.
filles: fij — Noun meaning 'girls' or 'daughters'; young females.
que: kə — Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', or 'than'.
vie: vi — Noun meaning 'life'; the state of being alive.
brisées: bʁize — Adjective meaning 'broken', especially lives or spirits shattered.
leurs: lœʁ — Plural possessive adjective meaning 'their'.
enfants: ɑ̃fɑ̃ — Noun meaning 'children'; young boys or girls.
sans: sɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'without', indicating absence of something.
père: pɛʁ — Noun meaning 'father'; a male parent.
pleurant: plœʁɑ̃ — Present participle of 'pleurer'; meaning 'crying' or 'weeping'.
est: ɛ — Third person singular present of 'être'; meaning 'is'.
Qui: ki — Relative pronoun meaning 'who', introducing a relative clause.
joua: ʒwa — Simple past of 'jouer'; meaning 'played' music or a game.
avec: avɛk — Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment or association.
durant: dyʁɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'during' or 'throughout' a time period.
ses: se — Plural possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
quatre: katʁ — Cardinal number meaning 'four' in French.
vingt: vɛ̃ — Cardinal number meaning 'twenty' in French.
dix: dis — Cardinal number meaning 'ten' in French.
ans: ɑ̃ — Noun meaning 'years'; units of time measuring age.
Bravant: bʁavɑ̃ — Present participle of 'braver'; meaning 'braving' or 'defying' hardship.
grêle: gʁɛl — Noun meaning 'hail'; frozen precipitation falling from clouds.
fondue: fɔ̃dy — Adjective meaning 'melted'; here poetically indicating sleet or melting hail.
poitrine: pwatʁin — Noun meaning 'chest' or 'breast'; the front torso area.
nue: ny — Adjective meaning 'bare' or 'naked'; uncovered or exposed.
Buvant: byvɑ̃ — Present participle of 'boire'; meaning 'drinking' a beverage.
faisant: fəzɑ̃ — Present participle of 'faire'; meaning 'doing' or 'making'.
fête: fɛt — Noun meaning 'party' or 'celebration'; festive gathering or holiday.
ne: nə — Negation particle used with 'pas' to negate a verb.
pensant: pɑ̃sɑ̃ — Present participle of 'penser'; meaning 'thinking' about something.
ni: ni — Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither', used in negation.
sa: sa — Feminine singular possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
femme: fam — Noun meaning 'woman' or 'wife'; an adult female person.
proches: pʁɔʃ — Noun or adjective meaning 'close ones'; loved ones or relatives.
Ni: ni — Conjunction meaning 'nor', used to continue a negative statement.
or: ɔʁ — Noun meaning 'gold'; precious yellow metal or great wealth.
amour: amuʁ — Noun meaning 'love'; deep affection or romantic feeling.
au: o — Contracted form of 'à le', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
paradis: paʁadi — Noun meaning 'paradise' or 'heaven'; a place of perfect happiness.
Voici: vwasi — Presentative meaning 'here is' or 'behold'; introduces something nearby.
il: il — Third person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
radote: ʁadɔt — Verb meaning 'rambles' or 'talks nonsense'; speaks repetitively in senility.
fritures: fʁityʁ — Noun meaning 'fried food'; dishes cooked in oil or fat.
poisson: pwasɔ̃ — Noun meaning 'fish'; aquatic animal or food source.
d': d — Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel; meaning 'of' or 'from'.
autrefois: otʁəfwa — Adverb meaning 'in the past' or 'formerly'; long ago.
Des: de — Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or introducing plural nouns.
courses: kuʁs — Noun meaning 'races' or 'errands'; competitive running events.
chevaux: ʃəvo — Plural noun meaning 'horses'; large domesticated equine animals.
s': s — Contracted reflexive pronoun 'se' before a vowel sound.
De: də — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about' in French.
ce: sə — Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
qu': k — Contracted conjunction 'que' before a vowel; meaning 'that'.
dit: di — Third person singular simple past of 'dire'; meaning 'said'.
Un: œ̃ — Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
jour: ʒuʁ — Noun meaning 'day'; a 24-hour period of time.
Ici: isi — Adverb meaning 'here'; indicating the present location.
je: ʒə — First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
repose: ʁəpoz — Verb meaning 'rests' or 'lies'; used on tombstones meaning 'lies here'.
près: pʁɛ — Preposition meaning 'near' or 'close to' something.
tombe: tɔ̃b — Noun meaning 'tomb' or 'grave'; burial place for the dead.
Du: dy — Contracted form of 'de le', meaning 'of the' or 'from the'.
enrichit: ɑ̃ʁiʃi — Simple past of 'enrichir'; meaning 'enriched' or 'got rich'.
en: ɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'in', 'by', or 'while'; very common in French.
commerçant: kɔmɛʁsɑ̃ — Noun meaning 'trader' or 'merchant'; one who trades goods commercially.
les: le — Plural definite article meaning 'the'; used before plural nouns.
Indiens: ɛ̃djɛ̃ — Noun meaning 'Indians'; referring to Native American peoples here.
Eut: y — Simple past of 'avoir'; meaning 'had' at a specific moment.
ensuite: ɑ̃sɥit — Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards'; indicating temporal sequence.
recours: ʁəkuʁ — Noun meaning 'recourse' or 'resort'; turning to something for help.
loi: lwa — Noun meaning 'law'; a rule or system of legal rules.
faillite: fajit — Noun meaning 'bankruptcy'; legal state of financial insolvency.
sortit: sɔʁti — Simple past of 'sortir'; meaning 'came out' or 'emerged'.
plus: ply — Adverb meaning 'more' or used in negation meaning 'no more'.
riche: ʁiʃ — Adjective meaning 'rich' or 'wealthy'; having great financial resources.
jamais: ʒamɛ — Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'; used in negative constructions.
Moi: mwa — Strong pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I', used for emphasis.
même: mɛm — Adjective or adverb meaning 'same', 'even', or 'itself'.
las: la — Adjective meaning 'weary' or 'tired'; exhausted from effort.
du: dy — Contracted article 'de le', meaning 'of the' or 'from the'.
labeur: labœʁ — Noun meaning 'toil' or 'hard labor'; strenuous and tiring work.
pauvreté: povʁəte — Noun meaning 'poverty'; the state of being very poor.
voyant: vwajɑ̃ — Present participle of 'voir'; meaning 'seeing' or 'noticing' something.
comment: kɔmɑ̃ — Adverb meaning 'how'; used in questions or indirect speech.
autres: otʁ — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'others'; different or additional people.
enrichissaient: ɑ̃ʁiʃisɛ — Imperfect of 'enrichir'; meaning 'were getting rich' or 'enriching themselves'.
Je: ʒə — First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
dévalisai: devalize — Simple past of 'dévaliser'; meaning 'robbed' or 'plundered' someone.
un: œ̃ — Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
voyageur: vwajagœʁ — Noun meaning 'traveler'; a person making a journey somewhere.
une: yn — Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
nuit: nɥi — Noun meaning 'night'; the period of darkness after sunset.
Le: lə — Masculine definite article meaning 'the'; precedes masculine nouns.
tuant: tyɑ̃ — Present participle of 'tuer'; meaning 'killing' someone.
vouloir: vulwaʁ — Infinitive meaning 'to want'; expressing desire or intention.
Pour: puʁ — Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'; indicating purpose.
quoi: kwa — Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'; used after a preposition.
fus: fy — Simple past of 'être' (first person); meaning 'was'.
jugé: ʒyʒe — Past participle of 'juger'; meaning 'judged' or 'tried' in court.
pendu: pɑ̃dy — Past participle of 'pendre'; meaning 'hanged'; executed by hanging.
Ce: sə — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' or 'that'; often before 'fut'.
fut: fy — Simple past of 'être' (third person); meaning 'was'.
ma: ma — Feminine singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
façon: fasɔ̃ — Noun meaning 'way' or 'manner'; how something is done.
faire: fɛʁ — Infinitive meaning 'to do' or 'to make'; very common French verb.
Maintenant: mɛ̃tnɑ̃ — Adverb meaning 'now'; at the current moment in time.
nous: nu — First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
eûmes: ym — Simple past of 'avoir' (first person plural); meaning 'had'.
chacun: ʃakœ̃ — Indefinite pronoun meaning 'each one' or 'everyone individually'.
notre: nɔtʁ — Possessive adjective meaning 'our'; belonging to us.
manière: manjɛʁ — Noun meaning 'manner' or 'way'; a style or mode of behavior.
Dormons: dɔʁmɔ̃ — First person plural imperative of 'dormir'; meaning 'let's sleep'.
paisiblement: pezibləmɑ̃ — Adverb meaning 'peacefully'; in a calm and undisturbed manner.
côte: kot — Noun meaning 'coast', 'side', or 'rib'; here meaning 'side by side'.
Avez: ave — Second person plural of 'avoir'; meaning 'have' (you all have).
vous: vu — Second person plural or formal pronoun meaning 'you'.
vu: vy — Past participle of 'voir'; meaning 'seen' something or someone.
marcher: maʁʃe — Infinitive meaning 'to walk'; to move on foot at normal pace.
travers: tʁavɛʁ — Noun used in 'à travers' meaning 'through' or 'across' a place.
village: vilaʒ — Noun meaning 'village'; a small rural community or settlement.
homme: ɔm — Noun meaning 'man'; an adult male human being.
aux: o — Contracted form of 'à les', meaning 'to the' before plural nouns.
yeux: jø — Plural noun meaning 'eyes'; the organs of sight.
baissés: bese — Adjective meaning 'lowered' or 'downcast'; directed toward the ground.
visage: vizaʒ — Noun meaning 'face'; the front part of a person's head.
hagard: agaʁ — Adjective meaning 'haggard'; looking wild, gaunt, or distressed.

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