The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 3

English → Fr Preface Level 8/10

As learning advanced, and genius received cultivation, these stories were embellished with the graces of poetry, that they might the better recommend themselves to the attention; they were sung in public, at festivals, for the instruction and delight of the audience; and rehearsed before battle, as incentives to deeds of glory.

À mesure que le savoir progressait et que le génie se cultivait, ces histoires furent embellies des grâces de la poésie, afin de mieux s'imposer à l'attention ; elles étaient chantées en public, lors des fêtes, pour l'instruction et le plaisir de l'auditoire, et récitées avant la bataille, comme des incitations aux actes de gloire.

Thus tragedy and the epic muse were born, and, in the progress of taste, arrived at perfection.

C'est ainsi que la tragédie et la muse épique naquirent et, dans la progression du goût, atteignirent la perfection.

It is no wonder that the ancients could not relish a fable in prose, after they had seen so many remarkable events celebrated in verse by their best poets; we therefore find no romance among them during the era of their excellence, unless the _Cyropædia_ of Xenophon may be so called; and it was not till arts and sciences began to revive after the irruption of the barbarians into Europe, that anything of this kind appeared.

Il n'est pas étonnant que les Anciens n'aient pu goûter une fable en prose, après avoir vu tant d'événements remarquables célébrés en vers par leurs meilleurs poètes ; on ne trouve donc chez eux aucun roman durant l'ère de leur excellence, à moins que la _Cyropédie_ de Xénophon ne puisse être ainsi appelée ; et ce n'est qu'au moment où les arts et les sciences commencèrent à renaître après l'irruption des barbares en Europe que quoi que ce soit de ce genre apparut.

But when the minds of men were debauched by the imposition of priestcraft to the most absurd pitch of credulity, the authors of romance arose, and losing sight of probability, filled their performances with the most monstrous hyperboles.

Mais lorsque les esprits des hommes furent corrompus par l'emprise de la prêtraille jusqu'au degré le plus absurde de crédulité, les auteurs de romans firent leur apparition et, perdant de vue la vraisemblance, remplirent leurs œuvres des hyperboles les plus monstrueuses.

If they could not equal the ancient poets in point of genius they were resolved to excel them in fiction, and apply to the wonder, rather than the judgment, of their readers.

S'ils ne pouvaient égaler les poètes anciens en matière de génie, ils étaient résolus à les surpasser en fiction et à s'adresser à l'émerveillement plutôt qu'au jugement de leurs lecteurs.

Accordingly, they brought necromancy to their aid, and instead of supporting the character of their heroes by dignity of sentiment and practice, distinguished them by their bodily strength, activity, and extravagance of behaviour.

En conséquence, ils eurent recours à la nécromancie, et au lieu de soutenir le caractère de leurs héros par la dignité du sentiment et de la conduite, ils les distinguèrent par leur force physique, leur vigueur et l'extravagance de leur comportement.

Vocabulary

mesure: muh-zyur — Measure; extent; degree of something.
savoir: sa-vwar — Knowledge; to know facts or information.
progressait: pro-greh-seh — Was progressing; was advancing gradually over time.
génie: zhay-nee — Genius; exceptional intellectual or creative talent.
cultivait: kul-tee-veh — Was cultivating; was developing or refining something.
histoires: ees-twar — Stories; histories; accounts of events or narratives.
embellies: om-beh-lyee — Embellished; adorned; made more beautiful or elaborate.
grâces: grahs — Graces; charms; elegance or pleasing qualities.
poésie: po-eh-zee — Poetry; literary art form using verse and rhythm.
afin: a-fan — In order to; so as to achieve a purpose.
mieux: myuh — Better; more effectively; comparative of 'bien.'
imposer: am-po-zay — To impose; to force attention or compliance on others.
attention: a-ton-syon — Attention; focused mental awareness directed at something.
chantées: shon-tay — Sung; performed vocally in musical form.
public: pyoo-bleek — Public; an audience or people gathered together.
lors: lor — At the time of; during a particular moment.
fêtes: fet — Festivals; celebrations; festive public gatherings.
instruction: an-struk-syon — Instruction; education; teaching provided to an audience.
plaisir: pleh-zeer — Pleasure; enjoyment; a feeling of satisfaction or delight.
auditoire: o-dee-twar — Audience; group of listeners or spectators assembled together.
récitées: reh-see-tay — Recited; spoken aloud from memory before an audience.
avant: a-von — Before; prior to a time or event.
bataille: ba-ty — Battle; armed conflict between opposing forces.
incitations: an-see-ta-syon — Incitements; encouragements to take bold or heroic action.
actes: akt — Acts; deeds; actions performed by a person.
gloire: glwar — Glory; honor; fame earned through great deeds.
ainsi: an-see — Thus; in this way; therefore.
tragédie: tra-zhay-dee — Tragedy; dramatic genre depicting suffering and downfall.
muse: myuz — Muse; divine source of artistic or poetic inspiration.
épique: ay-peek — Epic; relating to grand heroic narrative poetry.
naquirent: na-keer — Were born; came into existence; past tense of 'naître.'
progression: pro-greh-syon — Progression; gradual development or advancement over time.
goût: goo — Taste; aesthetic sensibility or appreciation of beauty.
atteignirent: a-teh-nyeer — Reached; attained a goal or level of achievement.
perfection: pehr-fek-syon — Perfection; highest possible standard of quality or excellence.
étonnant: ay-to-non — Surprising; astonishing; causing wonder or amazement.
Anciens: on-syan — The Ancients; classical Greek and Roman authors or peoples.
goûter: goo-tay — To taste; to appreciate or enjoy something fully.
fable: fa-bluh — Fable; short moral story often featuring fictional characters.
prose: proz — Prose; ordinary written language without poetic meter.
après: a-preh — After; following a time, event, or action.
tant: ton — So many; so much; such a great quantity.
événements: ay-ven-mon — Events; notable occurrences or happenings worth recounting.
remarquables: ruh-mar-kabl — Remarkable; noteworthy; deserving attention or admiration.
célébrés: say-lay-bray — Celebrated; honored; commemorated through artistic expression.
vers: vehr — Verse; lines of poetry; poetic form of writing.
meilleurs: meh-yur — Best; finest; superlative of 'bon,' meaning good.
poètes: po-et — Poets; writers who compose verse and poetry.
trouve: troov — Finds; encounters; discovers something in a place.
donc: donk — Therefore; so; consequently; logical conclusion marker.
chez: shay — Among; in the works of; at the home of.
aucun: o-kan — No; none; not a single one of something.
roman: ro-mon — Novel; a long work of prose fiction.
durant: dyoo-ron — During; throughout the course of a period.
ère: ehr — Era; a distinct historical period or age.
excellence: ek-seh-lonss — Excellence; the quality of being outstandingly superior.
moins: mwan — Less; fewer; except; unless; comparative of reduction.
puisse: pwees — Can; may; subjunctive of 'pouvoir' meaning to be able.
appelée: a-puh-lay — Called; named; referred to by a particular title.
moment: mo-mon — Moment; a particular point or period in time.
où: oo — Where; when; relative pronoun of place or time.
arts: ar — Arts; creative disciplines including painting, music, and literature.
sciences: syon ss — Sciences; fields of systematic knowledge and inquiry.
commencèrent: ko-mon-sehr — Began; started; past tense of 'commencer.'
renaître: ruh-netr — To be reborn; to revive after a period of decline.
irruption: ee-rup-syon — Irruption; sudden violent invasion or bursting in.
barbares: bar-bar — Barbarians; uncivilized peoples who invaded European lands.
quoi: kwa — What; whatever; interrogative or relative pronoun.
soit: swa — Be; may be; subjunctive of 'être.'
genre: zhon-ruh — Genre; category or type of literary or artistic work.
apparut: a-pa-ryoo — Appeared; came into being; past tense of 'apparaître.'
lorsque: lors-kuh — When; at the time that an event occurred.
esprits: es-pree — Minds; spirits; intellectual faculties of human beings.
hommes: om — Men; human beings; people in general.
corrompus: ko-rom-pyoo — Corrupted; morally debased or degraded by influence.
emprise: om-preez — Grip; hold; dominating influence over minds or people.
prêtraille: preh-try — Priesthood rabble; derogatory term for corrupt clergy.
jusqu': zhyoos-k — Until; up to; as far as a certain point.
degré: duh-gray — Degree; level; extent of a quality or condition.
absurde: ab-syurd — Absurd; completely unreasonable or contrary to logic.
crédulité: kray-dyoo-lee-tay — Credulity; tendency to believe things too easily.
auteurs: o-tur — Authors; writers who create literary or artistic works.
romans: ro-mon — Novels; long fictional prose narratives.
apparition: a-pa-ree-syon — Appearance; emergence; the act of appearing or arriving.
perdant: pehr-don — Losing; forgetting; abandoning sight of something important.
vue: vyoo — Sight; view; the faculty or act of seeing.
vraisemblance: vreh-som-blonss — Verisimilitude; the appearance of being true or real.
remplirent: rom-pleer — Filled; stuffed; past tense of 'remplir,' to fill.
œuvres: uh-vruh — Works; literary or artistic creations by an author.
hyperboles: ee-pehr-bol — Hyperboles; extreme exaggerations used for dramatic effect.
monstrueuses: mon-stroo-uhz — Monstrous; grotesque; shockingly unnatural or excessive.
égaler: ay-ga-lay — To equal; to match the standard of someone else.
anciens: on-syan — Ancients; the classical writers of Greece and Rome.
matière: ma-tyehr — Matter; subject matter; material content of a work.
résolus: ray-zo-lyoo — Resolved; determined; firmly decided to do something.
surpasser: syur-pa-say — To surpass; to exceed or go beyond another's achievement.
fiction: feek-syon — Fiction; invented narrative not based on real events.
adresser: a-dreh-say — To address; to direct something toward a specific audience.
émerveillement: ay-mehr-veh-yuh-mon — Wonder; amazement; a feeling of delighted astonishment.
plutôt: plyoo-to — Rather; instead; preferably one thing over another.
jugement: zhy-zhuh-mon — Judgment; critical faculty of discerning or evaluating things.
lecteurs: lek-tur — Readers; people who read literary or written works.
conséquence: kon-say-konss — Consequence; result; outcome following a cause or action.
recours: ruh-koor — Recourse; resort to a means or method for help.
nécromancie: nay-kro-mon-see — Necromancy; magic involving communication with the dead.
lieu: lyuh — Place; lieu; instead of; in place of something else.
soutenir: soo-tuh-neer — To sustain; to support or maintain something over time.
caractère: ka-rak-tehr — Character; the moral nature or personality of a person.
héros: ay-ro — Hero; a person of great courage or noble qualities.
dignité: dee-nyee-tay — Dignity; the quality of being worthy of respect.
sentiment: son-tee-mon — Feeling; sentiment; an emotional attitude or perception.
conduite: kon-dweet — Conduct; behavior; the manner in which one acts.
distinguèrent: dee-stan-gehr — Distinguished; set apart; past tense of 'distinguer.'
force: forss — Force; strength; physical or moral power.
physique: fee-zeek — Physical; relating to the body or material strength.
vigueur: vee-gur — Vigor; energy; forceful strength and vitality.
extravagance: eks-tra-va-gonss — Extravagance; excessive and wildly unreasonable behavior or style.
comportement: kom-port-mon — Behavior; conduct; the way a person acts.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →