The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete — Page 10
In an instant both boys were rolling and tumbling in the dirt, gripped together like cats; and for the space of a minute they tugged and tore at each other's hair and clothes, punched and scratched each other's nose, and covered themselves with dust and glory.
En un instant, les deux garçons roulaient et se débattaient dans la poussière, agrippés l'un à l'autre comme des chats ; et pendant une bonne minute, ils tirèrent et arrachèrent les cheveux et les vêtements l'un de l'autre, se donnèrent des coups de poing et se griffèrent le nez, et se couvrirent de poussière et de gloire.
Presently the confusion took form, and through the fog of battle Tom appeared, seated astride the new boy, and pounding him with his fists.
Bientôt la confusion prit forme, et à travers le brouillard de la bataille Tom apparut, assis à califourchon sur le nouveau garçon, et le frappant à coups de poing.
"Holler 'nuff!" said he.
« Crie grâce ! » dit-il.
The boy only struggled to free himself.
Le garçon ne fit que se débattre pour se libérer.
He was crying—mainly from rage.
Il pleurait — surtout de rage.
"Holler 'nuff!"—and the pounding went on.
« Crie grâce ! » — et les coups continuèrent.
At last the stranger got out a smothered "'Nuff!" and Tom let him up and said:
Finalement l'étranger laissa échapper un étouffé « Grâce ! » et Tom le laissa se relever et dit :
"Now that'll learn you. Better look out who you're fooling with next time."
« Ça t'apprendra. La prochaine fois, fais mieux attention à qui tu te frottes. »
The new boy went off brushing the dust from his clothes, sobbing, snuffling, and occasionally looking back and shaking his head and threatening what he would do to Tom the "next time he caught him out."
Le nouveau garçon s'en alla en brossant la poussière de ses vêtements, sanglotant, reniflant, et regardant parfois en arrière en secouant la tête et en menaçant de ce qu'il ferait à Tom « la prochaine fois qu'il le prendrait dehors ».
To which Tom responded with jeers, and started off in high feather, and as soon as his back was turned the new boy snatched up a stone, threw it and hit him between the shoulders and then turned tail and ran like an antelope.
À quoi Tom répondit par des railleries, et s'en alla tout fier, et dès qu'il eut le dos tourné le nouveau garçon ramassa une pierre, la lança et l'atteignit entre les épaules, puis prit ses jambes à son cou et courut comme une antilope.
Tom chased the traitor home, and thus found out where he lived.
Tom poursuivit le traître jusqu'à chez lui, et découvrit ainsi où il habitait.
He then held a position at the gate for some time, daring the enemy to come outside, but the enemy only made faces at him through the window and declined.
Il resta ensuite un moment posté devant le portail, défiant l'ennemi de sortir, mais l'ennemi se contenta de lui faire des grimaces à travers la fenêtre et refusa.
Vocabulary
- instant
- A moment, a very brief period of time
- garçons
- Boys; young male children or youths
- roulaient
- Were rolling; imperfect tense of rouler
- débattaient
- Were struggling or wrestling; imperfect of débattre
- poussière
- Dust; fine dry particles on a surface
- agrippés
- Gripping, clinging tightly to something or someone
- chats
- Cats; common domestic feline animals
- pendant
- During, for a period of time
- tirèrent
- Pulled, tugged; passé simple of tirer
- arrachèrent
- Tore away, yanked; passé simple of arracher
- cheveux
- Hair; strands of hair on one's head
- vêtements
- Clothes; garments worn on the body
- coups
- Blows, hits; strikes delivered forcefully
- poing
- Fist; a clenched hand used for hitting
- griffèrent
- Scratched, clawed; passé simple of griffer
- nez
- Nose; the facial organ for smelling
- couvrirent
- Covered; passé simple of couvrir
- gloire
- Glory; great honor, fame, or praise
- Bientôt
- Soon; in a short amount of time
- confusion
- Confusion; a state of disorder or bewilderment
- prit
- Took; passé simple of prendre
- forme
- Form, shape; the structure of something
- travers
- Through; across or by way of something
- brouillard
- Fog, mist; thick cloudy obscuring atmosphere
- bataille
- Battle; a fight or combat between opponents
- apparut
- Appeared; passé simple of apparaître
- assis
- Seated, sitting; past participle of asseoir
- califourchon
- Astride; sitting with legs on each side
- garçon
- Boy; a young male child or youth
- frappant
- Hitting, striking; present participle of frapper
- Crie
- Cry out, shout; imperative of crier
- grâce
- Mercy, grace; clemency or forgiveness requested
- fit
- Did, made; passé simple of faire
- débattre
- To struggle, to wrestle; to fight against
- libérer
- To free, to release from a constraint
- pleurait
- Was crying; imperfect tense of pleurer
- surtout
- Especially, above all; mainly or principally
- rage
- Rage, fury; intense uncontrolled anger
- continuèrent
- Continued; passé simple of continuer
- Finalement
- Finally, at last; after a long time
- étranger
- Stranger, foreigner; someone unknown or from elsewhere
- laissa
- Let, allowed; passé simple of laisser
- échapper
- To escape, to slip out; to get free
- étouffé
- Stifled, muffled; suppressed or barely audible
- Grâce
- Mercy; clemency, pardon requested from another
- relever
- To get back up; to raise or lift
- apprendra
- Will teach; future tense of apprendre
- prochaine
- Next; the following occurrence or time
- fois
- Time, instance; an occurrence or occasion
- mieux
- Better; in a more favorable or improved way
- attention
- Attention, care; being watchful or careful
- frottes
- Rub against; second person of frotter
- brossant
- Brushing off; present participle of brosser
- sanglotant
- Sobbing; present participle of sangloter
- reniflant
- Sniffling; present participle of renifler
- regardant
- Looking; present participle of regarder
- parfois
- Sometimes, occasionally; not always but sometimes
- arrière
- Behind, back; toward the rear direction
- secouant
- Shaking; present participle of secouer
- tête
- Head; the uppermost part of the body
- menaçant
- Threatening; present participle of menacer
- ferait
- Would do; conditional tense of faire
- prendrait
- Would take; conditional tense of prendre
- dehors
- Outside; beyond the interior of a place
- répondit
- Replied, answered; passé simple of répondre
- railleries
- Mockery, jeers; scornful or teasing remarks
- fier
- Proud; feeling pride or satisfaction
- dès
- As soon as, from; indicating starting point
- dos
- Back; the rear side of a person's body
- tourné
- Turned; past participle of tourner
- ramassa
- Picked up; passé simple of ramasser
- pierre
- Stone, rock; a solid piece of mineral material
- lança
- Threw, launched; passé simple of lancer
- atteignit
- Hit, reached; passé simple of atteindre
- entre
- Between, among; in the space separating two things
- épaules
- Shoulders; the joints connecting arms to trunk
- puis
- Then, next; indicating sequence of events
- jambes
- Legs; lower limbs used for walking or running
- cou
- Neck; the part connecting head to shoulders
- courut
- Ran; passé simple of courir
- antilope
- Antelope; a swift graceful hoofed animal
- poursuivit
- Chased, pursued; passé simple of poursuivre
- traître
- Traitor; one who betrays trust or allegiance
- chez
- At the home of; at someone's place
- découvrit
- Discovered; passé simple of découvrir
- ainsi
- Thus, so; in this way or manner
- habitait
- Lived, resided; imperfect tense of habiter
- Resta
- Stayed, remained; passé simple of rester
- ensuite
- Then, afterwards; following in sequence
- moment
- Moment; a short indefinite period of time
- posté
- Posted, stationed; positioned at a specific place
- devant
- In front of; ahead or before something
- portail
- Gate, portal; a large entrance door or gateway
- défiant
- Defying, challenging; present participle of défier
- ennemi
- Enemy; a hostile adversary or opponent
- sortir
- To go out, to come outside
- contenta
- Was content to; passé simple of se contenter
- grimaces
- Grimaces, faces; distorted facial expressions
- fenêtre
- Window; an opening in a wall for light
- refusa
- Refused; passé simple of refuser
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