The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete — Page 6
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He was not the Model Boy of the village.
Il n'était pas le Garçon Modèle du village.
He knew the model boy very well though—and loathed him.
Il connaissait pourtant très bien le garçon modèle — et le détestait.
Within two minutes, or even less, he had forgotten all his troubles.
En moins de deux minutes, voire moins encore, il avait oublié tous ses soucis.
Not because his troubles were one whit less heavy and bitter to him than a man's are to a man, but because a new and powerful interest bore them down and drove them out of his mind for the time—just as men's misfortunes are forgotten in the excitement of new enterprises.
Non pas parce que ses soucis étaient le moindrement moins lourds et amers pour lui qu'ils ne le sont pour un homme, mais parce qu'un intérêt nouveau et puissant les avait écrasés et chassés de son esprit pour un temps — tout comme les malheurs des hommes sont oubliés dans l'enthousiasme de nouvelles entreprises.
This new interest was a valued novelty in whistling, which he had just acquired from a negro, and he was suffering to practise it undisturbed.
Ce nouvel intérêt était une nouveauté précieuse en matière de sifflement, qu'il venait d'acquérir auprès d'un Noir, et il mourait d'envie de la pratiquer sans être dérangé.
It consisted in a peculiar bird-like turn, a sort of liquid warble, produced by touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth at short intervals in the midst of the music—the reader probably remembers how to do it, if he has ever been a boy.
Elle consistait en un tour particulier semblable au chant d'un oiseau, une sorte de gazouillis fluide, produit en touchant la langue au palais à intervalles courts au milieu de la musique — le lecteur se souvient probablement de la façon de le faire, s'il a jamais été un garçon.
Diligence and attention soon gave him the knack of it, and he strode down the street with his mouth full of harmony and his soul full of gratitude.
L'assiduité et l'attention lui en donnèrent bientôt le tour de main, et il descendit la rue à grands pas, la bouche pleine d'harmonie et l'âme pleine de gratitude.
He felt much as an astronomer feels who has discovered a new planet—no doubt, as far as strong, deep, unalloyed pleasure is concerned, the advantage was with the boy, not the astronomer.
Il ressentait à peu près ce que ressent un astronome qui a découvert une nouvelle planète — sans aucun doute, en ce qui concerne le plaisir fort, profond et sans mélange, l'avantage était du côté du garçon, et non de l'astronome.
The summer evenings were long.
Les soirées d'été étaient longues.
It was not dark, yet.
Il ne faisait pas encore nuit.
Presently Tom checked his whistle.
Bientôt, Tom interrompit son sifflement.
A stranger was before him—a boy a shade larger than himself.
Un inconnu se trouvait devant lui — un garçon légèrement plus grand que lui.
Vocabulary
- Il
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
- n'
- Contraction of 'ne', part of French negation.
- était
- Past imperfect of 'être'; he/she/it was.
- pas
- Negation particle meaning 'not' in French.
- le
- Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine nouns.
- Garçon
- Boy or waiter; young male person.
- Modèle
- Model or example; someone exemplary to imitate.
- du
- Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the'.
- village
- Small rural settlement or community.
- connaissait
- Imperfect of 'connaître'; he knew or was acquainted with.
- pourtant
- Yet, however; introduces a contrasting idea.
- très
- Very; intensifier used before adjectives and adverbs.
- bien
- Well; adverb indicating good quality or manner.
- garçon
- Boy; young male person or child.
- modèle
- Model; ideal example worthy of imitation.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
- détestait
- Imperfect of 'détester'; he hated or strongly disliked.
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within' a time/context.
- moins
- Less; comparative adverb indicating reduced quantity.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
- deux
- The number two.
- minutes
- Units of time, sixty seconds each.
- voire
- Indeed, even; used to strengthen or extend a statement.
- encore
- Still, yet, again; indicates continuation or repetition.
- il
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
- avait
- Imperfect of 'avoir'; he had.
- oublié
- Past participle of 'oublier'; forgotten.
- tous
- All, every; masculine plural form of 'tout'.
- ses
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- soucis
- Worries, cares; plural of 'souci'.
- Non
- No; negation or refusal.
- parce
- Part of 'parce que', meaning 'because'.
- que
- That, which, because; subordinating conjunction.
- étaient
- Imperfect plural of 'être'; they were.
- moindrement
- In the least; to the smallest degree.
- lourds
- Heavy; plural masculine adjective indicating weight or burden.
- amers
- Bitter; plural masculine adjective indicating bitterness.
- pour
- For; preposition indicating purpose or intended recipient.
- lui
- Him, her; third person singular disjunctive pronoun.
- qu'
- Contraction of 'que'; conjunction meaning 'that' or 'than'.
- ils
- They; third person plural masculine pronoun.
- ne
- Negation particle used with 'pas' to mean 'not'.
- sont
- Present tense plural of 'être'; they are.
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- homme
- Man; adult male human being.
- mais
- But; conjunction expressing contrast or opposition.
- intérêt
- Interest; curiosity or attention toward something.
- nouveau
- New; masculine adjective indicating novelty or freshness.
- puissant
- Powerful, strong; having great force or influence.
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
- écrasés
- Crushed, overwhelmed; past participle of 'écraser'.
- chassés
- Chased away, driven out; past participle of 'chasser'.
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- esprit
- Mind, spirit; one's intellect or mental state.
- temps
- Time or weather; duration or meteorological conditions.
- tout
- All, everything; indicating totality or completeness.
- comme
- Like, as; conjunction or preposition of comparison.
- malheurs
- Misfortunes, miseries; plural of 'malheur'.
- des
- Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
- hommes
- Men; plural of 'homme', adult male humans.
- oubliés
- Forgotten; plural past participle of 'oublier'.
- dans
- In, inside; preposition indicating location or time.
- l'
- Contracted definite article before vowel sounds.
- enthousiasme
- Enthusiasm; eager excitement or passionate interest.
- nouvelles
- New (feminine plural) or news; fresh and recent things.
- entreprises
- Undertakings, ventures; projects or businesses pursued.
- Ce
- This, that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
- nouvel
- New; masculine form before vowel, meaning fresh or recent.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- nouveauté
- Novelty; something new or recently introduced.
- précieuse
- Precious, valuable; highly prized or treasured.
- en
- In, on; preposition indicating location, manner, or time.
- matière
- Matter, subject; material or topic under consideration.
- sifflement
- Whistling; the act or sound of whistling.
- venait
- Imperfect of 'venir'; he/she was coming or had just.
- d'
- Contraction of 'de' before a vowel, meaning 'of' or 'from'.
- acquérir
- To acquire, obtain; to gain a skill or possession.
- auprès
- Near, beside; close to someone or in comparison with.
- Noir
- Black; color adjective or reference to a Black person.
- mourait
- Imperfect of 'mourir'; he/she was dying.
- envie
- Desire, urge; a strong wish or craving.
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- pratiquer
- To practice, to carry out; to exercise a skill.
- sans
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
- être
- To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or state.
- dérangé
- Disturbed, bothered; past participle of 'déranger'.
- Elle
- She, it; third person singular feminine pronoun.
- consistait
- Imperfect of 'consister'; it consisted of something.
- tour
- Turn, trick; a particular technique or maneuver.
- particulier
- Particular, specific; distinctive or unique characteristic.
- semblable
- Similar, like; resembling something else.
- au
- Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
- chant
- Song, singing; vocal music or melodious sound.
- oiseau
- Bird; feathered flying animal.
- sorte
- Sort, kind; a type or variety of something.
- gazouillis
- Chirping, warbling; soft bird sounds or babbling.
- fluide
- Fluid, flowing; smooth and continuous in motion.
- produit
- Produced; past participle or present tense of 'produire'.
- touchant
- Touching; present participle or touching emotionally.
- langue
- Tongue or language; speech organ or linguistic system.
- palais
- Palate or palace; roof of the mouth or grand building.
- à
- To, at, in; versatile preposition of place or direction.
- intervalles
- Intervals; spaces or gaps between events or sounds.
- courts
- Short; brief in duration or length.
- milieu
- Middle, environment; center or surrounding context.
- musique
- Music; organized sound for artistic or emotional effect.
- lecteur
- Reader; person who reads a text or book.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'.
- souvient
- Present tense of 'se souvenir'; remembers.
- probablement
- Probably; likely to be true or expected.
- façon
- Way, manner; method or style of doing something.
- faire
- To do, to make; fundamental action verb.
- s'
- Reflexive pronoun contraction before a vowel sound.
- a
- Has; third person singular present tense of 'avoir'.
- jamais
- Never or ever; negation of frequency.
- été
- Been; past participle of 'être', or summer season.
- L'
- Contracted definite article before vowel sounds.
- assiduité
- Diligence, perseverance; steady application and effort.
- attention
- Attention, care; focused mental concentration.
- donnèrent
- Simple past plural of 'donner'; they gave.
- bientôt
- Soon; in a short time, shortly.
- main
- Hand; the human hand used for grasping.
- descendit
- Simple past of 'descendre'; he/she went down.
- rue
- Street; a road in an urban area.
- grands
- Big, great; plural masculine adjective of 'grand'.
- bouche
- Mouth; the opening used for eating and speaking.
- pleine
- Full; feminine adjective meaning filled or complete.
- harmonie
- Harmony; pleasing combination of musical notes or elements.
- âme
- Soul; the spiritual or emotional inner self.
- gratitude
- Gratitude; feeling of thankfulness toward someone.
- ressentait
- Imperfect of 'ressentir'; he/she was feeling or experiencing.
- peu
- Little, few; small amount or degree.
- près
- Near, close; at a short distance.
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- ressent
- Present tense of 'ressentir'; feels or experiences.
- astronome
- Astronomer; scientist who studies celestial bodies.
- qui
- Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun.
- découvert
- Discovered; past participle of 'découvrir'.
- nouvelle
- New (feminine) or short story; recent or fictional narrative.
- planète
- Planet; large celestial body orbiting a star.
- aucun
- No, none; negative determiner indicating absence.
- doute
- Doubt; uncertainty or lack of conviction.
- concerne
- Concerns; relates or pertains to something.
- plaisir
- Pleasure; enjoyment or satisfaction from something.
- fort
- Strong, very; adjective or intensifying adverb.
- profond
- Deep, profound; extending far or intensely meaningful.
- mélange
- Mixture, blend; combination of different elements.
- avantage
- Advantage; benefit or favorable condition.
- côté
- Side; one of the surfaces or aspects of something.
- non
- No; negation or refusal in French.
- Les
- Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- soirées
- Evenings; the later part of the day or evening gatherings.
- longues
- Long; feminine plural adjective indicating length or duration.
- faisait
- Imperfect of 'faire'; he/she was doing or making.
- nuit
- Night; the dark period between sunset and sunrise.
- Bientôt
- Soon; in a short time or shortly afterward.
- interrompit
- Simple past of 'interrompre'; he interrupted or stopped.
- Un
- A, an; masculine indefinite article.
- inconnu
- Unknown person, stranger; someone not recognized.
- trouvait
- Imperfect of 'trouver'; found or was located.
- devant
- In front of, before; preposition indicating position ahead.
- légèrement
- Slightly, lightly; to a small or gentle degree.
- plus
- More; comparative adverb indicating greater quantity.
- grand
- Tall, big, great; adjective of large size or importance.
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