The Angel in the House — Page 2

English → Fr Book I. Level 7/10

Then she: 'What is it, Dear? The Life

Puis elle : « Qu'est-ce donc, Cher ? La Vie

Of Arthur, or Jerusalem's Fall?'

D'Arthur, ou la Chute de Jérusalem ? »

'Neither: your gentle self, my Wife,

« Ni l'un ni l'autre : toi-même, douce épouse,

And love, that grows from one to all.

Et l'amour, qui s'étend de l'un à tous.

And if I faithfully proclaim

Et si je proclame fidèlement

Of these the exceeding worthiness,

De ces sujets l'insigne mérite,

Surely the sweetest wreath of Fame

Assurément la plus douce couronne de Gloire

Shall, to your hope, my brows caress;

Viendra, selon ton espoir, caresser mon front ;

And if, by virtue of my choice

Et si, grâce au choix que j'ai fait

Of this, the most heart-touching theme

De ce thème, le plus émouvant pour le cœur

That ever tuned a poet's voice,

Qui ait jamais accordé la voix d'un poète,

I live, as I am bold to dream,

Je vis, comme j'ose le rêver,

To be delight to many days,

Pour être la joie de bien des jours,

And into silence only cease

Et ne sombrer dans le silence qu'au moment

When those are still, who shared their bays

Où se tairont ceux qui partagèrent leurs lauriers

With Laura and with Beatrice,

Avec Laure et avec Béatrice,

Imagine, Love, how learned men

Imagine, Amour, comme les doctes savants

Will deep-conceiv'd devices find,

Découvriront des stratagèmes profondément conçus,

Beyond my purpose and my ken,

Au-delà de mon dessein et de ma portée,

An ancient bard of simple mind.

En un ancien barde à l'esprit simple.

You, Sweet, his Mistress, Wife, and Muse,

Toi, Douce, sa Maîtresse, Épouse et Muse,

Were you for mortal woman meant?

Étais-tu destinée à n'être qu'une femme mortelle ?

Your praises give a hundred clues

Tes louanges offrent cent indices

To mythological intent!

À une intention mythologique !

And, severing thus the truth from trope,

Et, séparant ainsi la vérité de la métaphore,

In you the Commentators see

En toi les Commentateurs voient

Outlines occult of abstract scope,

Des contours occultes à portée abstraite,

A future for philosophy!

Un avenir pour la philosophie !

Your arm's on mine! these are the meads

Ton bras repose sur le mien ! voici les prairies

In which we pass our living days;

Dans lesquelles nous passons nos jours vivants ;

There Avon runs, now hid with reeds,

Là coule l'Avon, tantôt caché par les roseaux,

Now brightly brimming pebbly bays;

Tantôt débordant brillamment sur les baies caillouteuses ;

Those are our children's songs that come

Ce sont les chants de nos enfants qui parviennent

With bells and bleatings of the sheep;

Avec les clochettes et les bêlements des moutons ;

And there, in yonder English home,

Et là, dans cette demeure anglaise,

We thrive on mortal food and sleep!'

Nous prospérons de nourriture mortelle et de sommeil ! »

She laugh'd. How proud she always was

Elle rit. Comme elle était toujours fière

To feel how proud he was of her!

De sentir combien il était fier d'elle !

But he had grown distraught, because

Mais il était devenu distrait, car

The Muse's mood began to stir.

L'humeur de la Muse commençait à s'éveiller.

Vocabulary

Puis: Then; next; afterwards in sequence or time.
elle: She; feminine third-person singular pronoun.
est-ce: Is it; used in question formation (qu'est-ce que).
donc: Therefore; thus; so; consequently.
Cher: Dear; beloved; cherished; expensive.
La: The; feminine singular definite article.
Vie: Life; existence; way of living.
ou: Or; conjunction offering alternative choices.
la: The; feminine singular definite article.
Chute: Fall; decline; downfall; collapse.
de: Of; from; belonging to; preposition.
Ni: Neither; nor; used in negative constructions.
un: A; an; one; masculine indefinite article.
autre: Other; another; different.
toi: You; stressed form of second-person pronoun.
même: Same; self; even; identical.
douce: Sweet; gentle; soft; mild.
épouse: Wife; spouse; to marry; to embrace.
Et: And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
amour: Love; affection; beloved person.
qui: Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
étend: Extends; spreads; stretches out.
tous: All; everyone; every; complete.
si: If; whether; so; very.
je: I; first-person singular subject pronoun.
proclame: Proclaim; declare; announce publicly.
fidèlement: Faithfully; loyally; with true devotion.
De: Of; from; belonging to; preposition.
ces: These; those; plural demonstrative adjective.
sujets: Subjects; topics; themes; matters.
insigne: Distinguished; notable; remarkable; eminent.
mérite: Merit; worth; deserve; to be worthy.
Assurément: Certainly; surely; definitely; undoubtedly.
plus: More; additional; furthermore; plus sign.
couronne: Crown; wreath; to crown; top.
Gloire: Glory; fame; splendor; honor.
Viendra: Will come; shall come; future tense.
selon: According to; following; in accordance with.
ton: Your; possessive adjective, masculine singular.
espoir: Hope; expectation; prospect for future.
caresser: To caress; to stroke; to cherish.
mon: My; possessive adjective, masculine singular.
front: Front; forehead; face; forward position.
grâce: Grace; favor; charm; thanks.
au: To the; at the; contraction of 'à le'.
choix: Choice; selection; option; preference.
que: That; which; who; what.
ai: Have; first-person singular present tense.
fait: Made; did; deed; fact.
ce: This; that; it; demonstrative pronoun.
thème: Theme; subject; topic; composition.
le: The; masculine singular definite article.
émouvant: Moving; touching; stirring; emotionally affecting.
pour: For; in order to; towards.
cœur: Heart; core; center; feelings.
Qui: Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
ait: Have; subjunctive mood third person singular.
jamais: Never; ever; not once.
accordé: Granted; given; agreed; accorded.
voix: Voice; sound; vote; option.
poète: Poet; one who writes poetry.
Je: I; first-person singular subject pronoun.
vis: Live; lived; I see; visible.
comme: Like; as; while; how.
ose: Dare; dare to; venture; bold.
rêver: To dream; to daydream; to imagine.
Pour: For; in order to; towards.
être: To be; existence; being.
joie: Joy; happiness; delight; gladness.
bien: Well; good; properly; indeed.
des: Of the; some; plural article.
jours: Days; period; time; daylight.
ne: Not; negative particle in French.
sombrer: To sink; to collapse; to darken.
dans: In; into; within; inside.
silence: Silence; quiet; absence of sound.

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