Spoon River Anthology — Page 6

English → Fr Full Text Level 4/10

Robert Fulton Tanner

If a man could bite the giant hand

Si un homme pouvait mordre la main géante

That catches and destroys him,

Qui le saisit et le détruit,

As I was bitten by a rat

Comme je fus mordu par un rat

While demonstrating my patent trap,

Tandis que je faisais la démonstration de mon piège breveté,

In my hardware store that day.

Dans ma quincaillerie ce jour-là.

But a man can never avenge himself

Mais un homme ne peut jamais se venger

On the monstrous ogre Life.

Sur le monstrueux ogre qu'est la Vie.

You enter the room—that's being born;

Vous entrez dans la pièce — c'est naître ;

And then you must live—work out your soul,

Et puis vous devez vivre — forger votre âme,

Aha! the bait that you crave is in view:

Ah ! l'appât que vous convoitez est en vue :

A woman with money you want to marry,

Une femme fortunée que vous voulez épouser,

Prestige, place, or power in the world.

Le prestige, le rang, ou le pouvoir dans le monde.

But there's work to do and things to conquer—

Mais il y a du travail à faire et des choses à conquérir —

Oh, yes! the wires that screen the bait.

Oh, oui ! les fils qui protègent l'appât.

At last you get in—but you hear a step:

Enfin vous entrez — mais vous entendez un pas :

The ogre, Life, comes into the room,

L'ogre, la Vie, entre dans la pièce,

(He was waiting and heard the clang of the spring)

(Il attendait et a entendu le claquement du ressort)

To watch you nibble the wondrous cheese,

Pour vous regarder grignoter le merveilleux fromage,

And stare with his burning eyes at you,

Et vous fixer de ses yeux brûlants,

And scowl and laugh, and mock and curse you,

Et vous foudroyer du regard et rire, vous railler et vous maudire,

Running up and down in the trap,

Courant en tous sens dans le piège,

Until your misery bores him.

Jusqu'à ce que votre misère l'ennuie.

Cassius Hueffer

They have chiseled on my stone the words:

Ils ont gravé sur ma pierre ces mots :

"His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him

« Sa vie fut douce, et les éléments si bien mêlés en lui

That nature might stand up and say to all the world,

Que la nature pourrait se lever et dire au monde entier,

This was a man."

Celui-ci était un homme. »

Those who knew me smile

Ceux qui me connurent sourient

As they read this empty rhetoric.

En lisant cette rhétorique creuse.

My epitaph should have been:

Mon épitaphe aurait dû être :

"Life was not gentle to him,

« La vie ne fut pas douce envers lui,

And the elements so mixed in him

Et les éléments si bien mêlés en lui

That he made warfare on life

Qu'il livra guerre à la vie

In the which he was slain.

Dans laquelle il fut tué.

Vocabulary

Si: If; also used for emphasis or contradiction.
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
homme: A man or human being.
pouvait: Imperfect tense of 'pouvoir': was able to.
mordre: To bite something or someone.
la: Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'her'.
main: The hand, part of the human body.
géante: Giant, enormous, or very large (feminine).
Qui: Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who'.
le: Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'him'.
saisit: Seizes, grabs, or takes hold of something.
et: Coordinating conjunction meaning 'and'.
détruit: Destroys or ruins something completely.
Comme: As, like, or just as; comparison word.
je: First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
fus: Simple past of 'être': was (first person singular).
mordu: Bitten; past participle of 'mordre'.
par: Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'.
rat: A rat, a small rodent pest.
Tandis: While, whereas; used in 'tandis que'.
que: Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
faisais: Imperfect of 'faire': was doing or making.
démonstration: A demonstration or display of something.
de: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
mon: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (masculine).
piège: A trap or snare set to catch animals.
breveté: Patented; officially registered as an invention.
Dans: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside'.
ma: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine).
quincaillerie: A hardware store selling tools and supplies.
ce: Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'.
jour: A day or daytime period.
là: Adverb meaning 'there' or 'that place'.
Mais: Conjunction meaning 'but'; expresses contrast.
ne: Negation particle used with 'pas' or alone.
peut: Present tense of 'pouvoir': can or is able.
jamais: Never; at no time whatsoever.
se: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves'.
venger: To avenge or take revenge on someone.
Sur: Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'over'.
monstrueux: Monstrous, horrible, or of enormous size.
ogre: An ogre; a fearsome giant from folklore.
qu': Contracted form of 'que' before a vowel.
est: Third-person singular of 'être': is.
Vie: Life; the state of being alive.
Vous: Second-person pronoun meaning 'you' (plural/formal).
entrez: You enter; second-person plural of 'entrer'.
dans: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
pièce: A room, piece, or theatrical play.
c': Contracted form of 'ce' before a vowel.
naître: To be born; to come into existence.
Et: Conjunction meaning 'and'; links clauses or words.
puis: Then, next; indicates a sequence of events.
vous: Second-person pronoun 'you' (formal or plural).
devez: You must; second-person plural of 'devoir'.
vivre: To live; to be alive and experience life.
forger: To forge, shape, or build something with effort.
votre: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (formal/plural).
âme: The soul or innermost spirit of a person.
Ah: Exclamation expressing surprise, recognition, or emotion.
l': Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before vowel.
appât: Bait used to lure animals or attract someone.
convoitez: You covet or desire something strongly (formal).
en: Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'of it'.
vue: Sight, view, or vision; also 'in sight of'.
Une: Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
femme: A woman or wife.
fortunée: Wealthy, affluent, or having great fortune (feminine).
voulez: You want; second-person plural of 'vouloir'.
épouser: To marry; to take someone as a spouse.
Le: Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
prestige: Prestige; high respect and admiration from others.
rang: Rank, social standing, or position in hierarchy.
ou: Conjunction meaning 'or'; presents an alternative.
pouvoir: Power, ability; also the verb 'to be able'.
monde: The world or society; people in general.
il: Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
y: Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'of it'.
a: Third-person singular of 'avoir': has or there is.
du: Contracted form of 'de le'; some or of the.
travail: Work, labor, or a job to be done.
à: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'for'.
faire: To do or to make something.
des: Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
choses: Things; objects or matters of any kind.
conquérir: To conquer or overcome by force or effort.
Oh: Exclamation expressing surprise, wonder, or emotion.
oui: Yes; affirmative response in French.
les: Plural definite article meaning 'the' (all genders).
fils: Son or sons; male offspring.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.
protègent: They protect or defend someone or something.
Enfin: Finally, at last, or in short.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but'; introduces contrast.
entendez: You hear or listen; second-person plural of 'entendre'.
pas: Negation particle meaning 'not'; also a step.
L': Contracted definite article before a vowel sound.
entre: Between; enters; preposition indicating position between things.
Il: Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
attendait: Imperfect of 'attendre': was waiting for something.
entendu: Heard; past participle of 'entendre'.
claquement: A snap, clap, or clicking sound.
ressort: A spring mechanism; also 'resilience' or jurisdiction.
Pour: Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to'.
regarder: To watch, look at, or observe something.
grignoter: To nibble or gnaw on food in small bites.
merveilleux: Marvelous, wonderful, or extraordinary.
fromage: Cheese; a dairy product made from milk.
fixer: To fix, stare at, or fasten something.
ses: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
yeux: Eyes; the plural of 'œil'.
brûlants: Burning, blazing, or intensely hot (masculine plural).
foudroyer: To strike down like lightning; to overwhelm completely.
regard: A look, gaze, or glance directed at something.
rire: To laugh; laughter as a noun.
railler: To mock, taunt, or scoff at someone.
maudire: To curse or damn someone or something.
Courant: Running; current; flowing (present participle of 'courir').
tous: All, every; masculine plural of 'tout'.
sens: Directions, senses, or meanings.
Jusqu': Until, up to; contracted before a vowel.
misère: Misery, poverty, or extreme hardship.
ennuie: Bores or annoys; third-person singular of 'ennuyer'.
Ils: Third-person plural masculine pronoun meaning 'they'.
ont: Third-person plural of 'avoir': they have.
gravé: Engraved or carved into a surface.
sur: Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'over'.
pierre: Stone or rock; also a French given name.
ces: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those'.
mots: Words; units of language used in writing.
Sa: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
vie: Life; the state or experience of living.
fut: Simple past of 'être': was (third person singular).
douce: Sweet, gentle, or soft (feminine adjective).
éléments: Elements; basic components or natural forces.
si: So, such; also 'if' as a conjunction.
bien: Well; good; expressing quality or manner.
mêlés: Mixed or blended together (masculine plural participle).
lui: Him or her; third-person singular disjunctive pronoun.
Que: Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', 'what'.
nature: Nature; the natural world or inherent character.
pourrait: Conditional of 'pouvoir': could or would be able.
lever: To raise or get up; to lift something.
dire: To say or tell; to express in words.
au: Contracted 'à le': to the (masculine singular).
entier: Entire, whole, or complete (masculine adjective).
Celui: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this one' or 'that one'.
ci: Here; used in compounds like 'celui-ci' (this one).
était: Imperfect of 'être': was (third person singular).
Ceux: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (masculine plural).
me: First-person object pronoun meaning 'me'.
connurent: Simple past of 'connaître': they knew or met.
sourient: They smile; third-person plural of 'sourire'.
En: Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'while', 'of it'.
lisant: Reading; present participle of 'lire'.
cette: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine).
rhétorique: Rhetoric; elaborate or insincere language and speech.
creuse: Hollow, empty, or shallow (feminine adjective).
Mon: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (masculine singular).
épitaphe: An epitaph; inscription on a tomb or gravestone.
aurait: Conditional of 'avoir': would have (third person).
dû: Past participle of 'devoir': should have, ought.
être: To be; the fundamental verb of existence.
La: Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
envers: Toward, against; also the reverse side of something.
Qu': Contracted form of 'que' before a vowel.
livra: Simple past of 'livrer': delivered or waged (war).
guerre: War; armed conflict between nations or groups.
laquelle: Which (feminine); relative or interrogative pronoun.
tué: Killed; past participle of 'tuer'.

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