The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete — Page 11
The hero's night in the wood between Bar-le-duc and Chalons was no doubt more blood-curdling to our eighteenth-century ancestors than it is to us, who have become acquainted with scores of similar situations in the small number of exciting romances which belong to literature, and in the greater number which do not.
La nuit du héros dans le bois entre Bar-le-Duc et Châlons était sans doute plus terrifiante pour nos ancêtres du dix-huitième siècle qu'elle ne l'est pour nous, qui avons pris connaissance d'une multitude de situations similaires dans le petit nombre de romans palpitants qui appartiennent à la littérature, et dans le plus grand nombre de ceux qui n'y appartiennent pas.
Still, even to-day, a reader, with his taste jaded by trashy novels, will be conscious of Smollett's power, and of several thrills, likewise, as he reads about Fathom's experience in the loft in which the beldame locks him to pass the night.
Pourtant, même aujourd'hui, un lecteur, dont le goût a été émoussé par des romans de pacotille, sera conscient de la puissance de Smollett, et ressentira plusieurs frissons également, lorsqu'il lira l'expérience de Fathom dans le grenier où la vieille sorcière l'enferme pour passer la nuit.
This situation is melodramatic rather than romantic, as the word is used technically in application to eighteenth and nineteenth-century literature.
Cette situation est mélodramatique plutôt que romantique, au sens technique où ce mot est employé en référence à la littérature des dix-huitième et dix-neuvième siècles.
There is no little in Fathom, however, which is genuinely romantic in the latter sense.
Il n'y a pourtant pas peu de choses dans Fathom qui soient véritablement romantiques au sens de ce dernier mot.
Such is the imprisonment of the Countess in the castle-tower, whence she waves her handkerchief to the young Count, her son and would-be rescuer.
Telle est l'emprisonnement de la Comtesse dans la tour du château, d'où elle agite son mouchoir en direction du jeune Comte, son fils et aspirant sauveur.
And especially so is the scene in the church, when Renaldo (the very name is romantic) visits at midnight the supposed grave of his lady-love.
Et tout particulièrement la scène dans l'église, lorsque Renaldo (le nom lui-même est romantique) rend visite à minuit à la supposée tombe de sa bien-aimée.
While he was waiting for the sexton to open the door, his "soul . . was wound up to the highest pitch of enthusiastic sorrow.
Tandis qu'il attendait que le sacristain ouvre la porte, son « âme . . était tendue jusqu'au plus haut degré d'un chagrin enthousiaste.
The uncommon darkness, . . the solemn silence, and lonely situation of the place, conspired with the occasion of his coming, and the dismal images of his fancy, to produce a real rapture of gloomy expectation, which the whole world could not have persuaded him to disappoint.
L'obscurité inhabituelle, . . le silence solennel, et la situation solitaire du lieu, s'étaient conjurés avec les circonstances de sa venue, et les images funèbres de son imagination, pour produire un véritable ravissement d'attente sombre, dont le monde entier n'aurait pu le persuader de se détourner.
Vocabulary
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- nuit
- Night; the period of darkness
- du
- Of the; from the (contraction)
- héros
- Hero; a brave or important person
- dans
- In; inside; within a space or time
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- bois
- Wood; forest; wooded area
- entre
- Between; among; in the space separating
- et
- And; conjunction connecting words or clauses
- était
- Was; past tense of être
- sans
- Without; lacking; deprived of
- doute
- Doubt; uncertainty; lack of conviction
- plus
- More; to a greater extent or degree
- terrifiante
- Terrifying; causing great fear or dread
- pour
- For; intended to be given to
- nos
- Our; belonging to us (plural)
- ancêtres
- Ancestors; forebears; those who came before
- dix-huitième
- Eighteenth; ordinal number for 18
- siècle
- Century; period of one hundred years
- qu
- That; which (relative pronoun)
- elle
- She; it (feminine singular pronoun)
- ne
- Not; negation particle in French
- est
- Is; present tense of être
- nous
- We; us (first person plural pronoun)
- qui
- Who; which; relative pronoun
- avons
- Have; first person plural of avoir
- pris
- Taken; past participle of prendre
- connaissance
- Knowledge; awareness; acquaintance with
- une
- A; an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- multitude
- Multitude; large number or quantity
- de
- Of; from; indicating possession or origin
- situations
- Situations; circumstances; sets of conditions
- similaires
- Similar; alike; resembling each other
- petit
- Small; little; of limited size
- nombre
- Number; quantity; count of items
- romans
- Novels; fictional prose narratives
- palpitants
- Thrilling; exciting; causing excitement
- appartiennent
- Belong; are owned or related to
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- littérature
- Literature; written works of artistic merit
- grand
- Great; large; of considerable size
- ceux
- Those; that ones (masculine plural)
- pas
- Not; negation; steps or paces
- Pourtant
- However; yet; nevertheless; still
- même
- Same; even; identical or similar
- aujourd
- Today; at the present time (contraction)
- hui
- Today; at the present day (contraction)
- un
- A; an (masculine singular indefinite)
- lecteur
- Reader; person who reads
- dont
- Whose; of which; relative pronoun
- goût
- Taste; sense of flavor or preference
- été
- Been; past participle of être; summer
- émoussé
- Blunted; dulled; made less sharp
- par
- By; through; indicating agent or means
- des
- Some; any (plural indefinite article)
- pacotille
- Trash; cheap goods; shoddy merchandise
- sera
- Will be; future tense of être
- conscient
- Conscious; aware; awake and alert
- puissance
- Power; strength; capability or force
- ressentira
- Will feel; future tense of ressentir
- plusieurs
- Several; many; more than one or two
- frissons
- Shivers; chills; trembling from cold
- également
- Also; equally; in the same way
- lorsqu
- When; at the time that (contraction)
- il
- He; it (masculine singular pronoun)
- lira
- Will read; future tense of lire
- expérience
- Experience; event or occurrence lived through
- grenier
- Attic; upper room or loft space
- où
- Where; in which; at which place
- vieille
- Old; aged; ancient (feminine form)
- sorcière
- Witch; woman accused of sorcery
- enferme
- Locks up; confines; imprisons
- passer
- To pass; to spend time; to go by
- Cette
- This; that (feminine singular demonstrative)
- situation
- Situation; circumstance; set of conditions
- mélodramatique
- Melodramatic; exaggerated; overly emotional
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