Spoon River Anthology — Page 10
Together in this grave lie Benjamin Pantier, attorney at law,
Ensemble dans cette tombe reposent Benjamin Pantier, avocat,
And Nig, his dog, constant companion, solace and friend.
Et Nig, son chien, compagnon fidèle, réconfort et ami.
Down the gray road, friends, children, men and women,
Sur la route grise, amis, enfants, hommes et femmes,
Passing one by one out of life, left me till I was alone
Passant un à un hors de la vie, me laissèrent jusqu'à ce que je fusse seul
With Nig for partner, bed-fellow; comrade in drink.
Avec Nig pour compagnon, camarade de lit ; camarade de boisson.
In the morning of life I knew aspiration and saw glory,
Au matin de la vie je connus l'aspiration et vis la gloire,
The she, who survives me, snared my soul
Celle qui me survit a piégé mon âme
With a snare which bled me to death,
Avec un piège qui m'a saigné jusqu'à la mort,
Till I, once strong of will, lay broken, indifferent,
Jusqu'à ce que moi, jadis fort de volonté, je me retrouvasse brisé, indifférent,
Living with Nig in a room back of a dingy office.
Vivant avec Nig dans une pièce au fond d'un bureau miteux.
Under my Jaw-bone is snuggled the bony nose of Nig
Sous ma mâchoire est blotti le museau osseux de Nig
Our story is lost in silence. Go by, mad world!
Notre histoire se perd dans le silence. Passe ton chemin, monde fou !
I know that he told that I snared his soul
Je sais qu'il a dit que j'avais piégé son âme
With a snare which bled him to death.
Avec un piège qui l'a saigné jusqu'à la mort.
And all the men loved him,
Et tous les hommes l'aimaient,
And most of the women pitied him.
Et la plupart des femmes le plaignaient.
But suppose you are really a lady, and have delicate tastes,
Mais supposez que vous soyez vraiment une dame, et que vous ayez des goûts délicats,
And loathe the smell of whiskey and onions,
Et que vous détestiez l'odeur du whisky et des oignons,
And the rhythm of Wordsworth's "Ode" runs in your ears,
Et que le rythme de l'« Ode » de Wordsworth résonne à vos oreilles,
While he goes about from morning till night
Tandis qu'il va et vient du matin jusqu'au soir
Repeating bits of that common thing;
À répéter des bribes de cette chose vulgaire ;
"Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
« Oh, pourquoi l'esprit du mortel serait-il fier ?
Vocabulary
- Ensemble
- Together, as a group or unit
- dans
- In, inside, or within a place or time
- cette
- This (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- tombe
- Grave or tomb where a body is buried
- reposent
- Rest or lie at rest (third person plural)
- avocat
- Lawyer or attorney; also means avocado
- Et
- And, a basic coordinating conjunction
- son
- His, her, its (possessive adjective, masculine)
- chien
- Dog, a common domestic animal
- compagnon
- Companion, fellow, or partner in life
- fidèle
- Faithful, loyal, or devoted to someone
- réconfort
- Comfort or solace given in difficult times
- et
- And, a basic coordinating conjunction
- ami
- Friend, a close and trusted person
- Sur
- On, upon, or over a surface
- la
- The (feminine definite article)
- route
- Road, path, or route taken while traveling
- grise
- Gray (feminine adjective describing color)
- amis
- Friends, plural of ami
- enfants
- Children, young human beings
- hommes
- Men or humans in general, plural
- femmes
- Women, adult female human beings, plural
- Passant
- Passing by; a passerby on the street
- un
- One or a (masculine indefinite article)
- à
- To, at, or in (preposition)
- hors
- Outside of or beyond a boundary
- de
- Of, from, or about (preposition)
- vie
- Life, the state of being alive
- me
- Me, first person singular object pronoun
- laissèrent
- Left or abandoned (past tense, third plural)
- jusqu'à
- Until or up to a point in time
- ce
- This or that (demonstrative pronoun/adjective)
- que
- That, which, or than (conjunction/pronoun)
- je
- I, first person singular subject pronoun
- fusse
- Were (subjunctive imperfect of être, first person)
- seul
- Alone, only, or solitary
- Avec
- With, together alongside something or someone
- pour
- For, in order to (preposition)
- camarade
- Comrade, companion, or close associate
- lit
- Bed, a piece of furniture for sleeping
- boisson
- Drink or beverage, something consumed liquid
- Au
- At the, to the (contraction of à + le)
- matin
- Morning, the early part of the day
- connus
- Knew or experienced (past tense, first person)
- l'
- The (elided definite article before vowel)
- aspiration
- Aspiration, strong desire or ambition toward something
- vis
- Saw or lived (past tense, first person singular)
- gloire
- Glory, fame, or great honor and renown
- Celle
- The one (feminine demonstrative pronoun)
- qui
- Who or which (relative/interrogative pronoun)
- survit
- Survives, continues living after others
- a
- Has (third person singular of avoir)
- piégé
- Trapped or ensnared by a trick or trap
- mon
- My (masculine possessive adjective, first person)
- âme
- Soul, the spiritual essence of a person
- piège
- Trap or snare set to catch something
- m'
- Me (elided first person object pronoun)
- saigné
- Bled or drained of blood (past participle)
- mort
- Death or dead, the end of life
- Jusqu'à
- Until or up to a moment in time
- moi
- Me or I (stressed first person pronoun)
- jadis
- Once, formerly, or in times long past
- fort
- Strong, powerful, or mighty in character
- volonté
- Will, determination, or strength of purpose
- retrouvasse
- Found again (subjunctive imperfect of retrouver)
- brisé
- Broken, shattered, or emotionally devastated
- indifférent
- Indifferent, unconcerned, or emotionally detached
- Vivant
- Living, alive, or existing in the present
- avec
- With, in the company of someone
- une
- A or one (feminine indefinite article)
- pièce
- Room, piece, or coin depending on context
- au
- At the, to the (contraction of à + le)
- fond
- Back, bottom, or depth of a space
- d'
- Of, from (elided preposition before vowel)
- bureau
- Office or desk used for work
- miteux
- Shabby, seedy, or run-down in appearance
- Sous
- Under or beneath something physically
- ma
- My (feminine possessive adjective, first person)
- mâchoire
- Jaw, the bone structure of the mouth
- est
- Is (third person singular of être)
- blotti
- Nestled, curled up, or snuggled close
- le
- The (masculine definite article)
- museau
- Snout or muzzle of an animal
- osseux
- Bony, consisting of or resembling bone
- Notre
- Our (possessive adjective, first person plural)
- histoire
- Story or history, a narrative of events
- se
- Himself, herself, itself (reflexive pronoun)
- perd
- Gets lost or is lost (third person singular)
- silence
- Silence, the absence of sound or noise
- Passe
- Pass or go (imperative of passer)
- ton
- Your (masculine possessive adjective, informal)
- chemin
- Path, way, or road to follow
- monde
- World or people in general
- fou
- Mad, crazy, or insane person or thing
- Je
- I, first person singular subject pronoun
- sais
- Know (first person singular of savoir)
- qu'
- That (elided conjunction before vowel)
- il
- He or it (third person singular pronoun)
- dit
- Says or said (third person singular of dire)
- j'
- I (elided first person pronoun before vowel)
- avais
- Had (imperfect tense, first person singular)
- tous
- All or everyone (masculine plural pronoun)
- les
- The (plural definite article)
- aimaient
- Loved or liked (imperfect, third person plural)
- plupart
- Most, the majority of people or things
- des
- Some or of the (partitive or plural article)
- plaignaient
- Pitied or felt sorry for (imperfect tense)
- Mais
- But, a conjunction expressing contrast
- supposez
- Suppose or imagine (imperative, second person plural)
- vous
- You (formal or plural second person pronoun)
- soyez
- Be (subjunctive or imperative of être)
- vraiment
- Really, truly, or genuinely (adverb)
- dame
- Lady or woman of refinement and elegance
- ayez
- Have (subjunctive or imperative of avoir)
- goûts
- Tastes, preferences, or aesthetic sensibilities
- délicats
- Delicate, refined, or sensitive in nature
- détestiez
- Hated or detested (imperfect, second person plural)
- odeur
- Smell or odor, a scent perceived by nose
- du
- Of the (contraction of de + le)
- whisky
- Whisky, a distilled alcoholic spirit
- oignons
- Onions, pungent bulb vegetables used in cooking
- rythme
- Rhythm, a regular pattern of beats or sounds
- Ode
- Ode, a type of lyric poem
- résonne
- Resonates or echoes in a space
- vos
- Your (plural possessive adjective, formal)
- oreilles
- Ears, organs used for hearing sound
- Tandis
- While or whereas (used in tandis que)
- va
- Goes (third person singular of aller)
- vient
- Comes (third person singular of venir)
- jusqu'au
- Until the, up to the (contracted form)
- soir
- Evening, the latter part of the day
- À
- To, at, or in (preposition)
- répéter
- To repeat or say something again
- bribes
- Scraps, snatches, or fragments of something
- chose
- Thing, an object or matter in general
- vulgaire
- Vulgar, coarse, or lacking in refinement
- pourquoi
- Why, asking for a reason or cause
- esprit
- Spirit, mind, or wit of a person
- mortel
- Mortal, subject to death; a human being
- serait
- Would be (conditional of être, third person)
- fier
- Proud, feeling satisfaction in one's achievements
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