The Angel in the House — Page 4

English → Fr Book I. Level 7/10

I will not hearken blame or praise;

Je n'écouterai ni blâme ni louange ;

For so should I dishonour do

Car ainsi je ferais déshonneur

To that sweet Power by which these Lays

À ce doux Pouvoir par lequel ces Chants

Alone are lovely, good, and true;

Sont seuls beaux, bons et vrais ;

Nor credence to the world's cries give,

Ni créance aux cris du monde donner,

Which ever preach and still prevent

Qui prêchent toujours et empêchent encore

Pure passion's high prerogative

La haute prérogative de la pure passion

To make, not follow, precedent.

De créer, non de suivre, le précédent.

From love's abysmal ether rare

De l'éther rare et abyssal de l'amour

If I to men have here made known

Si j'ai ici révélé aux hommes

New truths, they, like new stars, were there

De nouvelles vérités, elles, telles de nouvelles étoiles, étaient là

Before, though not yet written down.

Auparavant, bien que pas encore couchées par écrit.

Moving but as the feelings move,

Ne me mouvant qu'au gré des émotions,

I run, or loiter with delight,

Je cours, ou flâne avec délice,

Or pause to mark where gentle Love

Ou m'arrête pour noter là où le doux Amour

Persuades the soul from height to height.

Persuade l'âme de hauteur en hauteur.

Yet, know ye, though my words are gay

Pourtant, sachez-le, bien que mes mots soient joyeux

As David's dance, which Michal scorn'd.

Comme la danse de David, que Mikal méprisait.

If kindly you receive the Lay,

Si vous accueillez aimablement le Chant,

You shall be sweetly help'd and warn'd.

Vous serez doucement aidé et averti.

THE CATHEDRAL CLOSE.

L'ENCEINTE DE LA CATHÉDRALE.

Once more I came to Sarum Close,

Je revins une fois encore à Sarum Close,

With joy half memory, half desire,

Avec une joie faite moitié de souvenir, moitié de désir,

And breathed the sunny wind that rose

Et respirai le vent ensoleillé qui se leva

And blew the shadows o'er the Spire,

Et souffla les ombres sur la Flèche,

And toss'd the lilac's scented plumes,

Et agita les panaches parfumés du lilas,

And sway'd the chestnut's thousand cones,

Et balança les mille cônes du marronnier,

And fill'd my nostrils with perfumes,

Et emplit mes narines de parfums,

And shaped the clouds in waifs and zones,

Et façonna les nuages en traînées et en bandes,

And wafted down the serious strain

Et porta jusqu'à moi le grave son

Of Sarum bells, when, true to time,

Des cloches de Sarum, quand, fidèle à l'heure,

I reach'd the Dean's, with heart and brain

J'atteignis la demeure du Doyen, le cœur et l'esprit

That trembled to the trembling chime.

Qui frémissaient au carillon frémissant.

'Twas half my home, six years ago.

C'était à moitié mon chez-moi, il y a six ans.

The six years had not alter'd it:

Les six années ne l'avaient pas changé :

Red-brick and ashlar, long and low,

Brique rouge et pierre de taille, long et bas,

With dormers and with oriels lit.

Avec des lucarnes et des oriels éclairés.

Vocabulary

écouterai: ay-koo-tuh-ray — Future tense of 'écouter'; will listen.
ni: nee — Negative conjunction meaning 'neither' or 'nor'.
blâme: blahm — Criticism or reproach directed at someone.
louange: loo-ahnzh — Praise or words of admiration for someone.
Car: kar — Conjunction meaning 'for' or 'because'.
ainsi: an-see — Adverb meaning 'thus' or 'in this way'.
ferais: fuh-ray — Conditional form of 'faire'; would do or make.
déshonneur: day-zo-neur — Disgrace or loss of honor and reputation.
doux: doo — Adjective meaning 'sweet', 'soft', or 'gentle'.
Pouvoir: poo-vwar — Noun meaning 'power'; also infinitive 'to be able'.
lequel: luh-kel — Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'whom'.
Chants: shahn — Songs or musical vocal compositions.
seuls: suhl — Adjective meaning 'alone', 'only', or 'sole'.
beaux: boh — Plural of 'beau'; meaning 'beautiful' or 'handsome'.
vrais: vray — Plural of 'vrai'; meaning 'true' or 'real'.
Ni: nee — Negative conjunction meaning 'neither' or 'nor'.
créance: kray-ahns — Belief, credence, or trust given to something.
cris: kree — Plural of 'cri'; shouts, cries, or screams.
monde: mohnd — Noun meaning 'world' or 'people'.
donner: doh-nay — Infinitive verb meaning 'to give'.
prêchent: presh — Third person plural of 'prêcher'; they preach or lecture.
toujours: too-zhoor — Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
empêchent: ahm-pesh — Third person plural of 'empêcher'; they prevent or hinder.
encore: ahn-kor — Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
haute: oht — Feminine adjective meaning 'high', 'lofty', or 'elevated'.
prérogative: pray-ro-ga-teev — Exclusive right or privilege belonging to a person.
pure: pür — Adjective meaning 'pure', 'clean', or 'unmixed'.
passion: pa-syohn — Strong emotion or intense enthusiasm for something.
créer: kray-ay — Infinitive verb meaning 'to create'.
suivre: sweevr — Infinitive verb meaning 'to follow'.
précédent: pray-say-dahn — Noun or adjective meaning 'precedent' or 'previous'.
éther: ay-tair — Ether; a light, rarified substance filling upper space.
rare: rar — Adjective meaning 'rare', 'uncommon', or 'scarce'.
abyssal: ah-bee-sal — Adjective meaning 'abyssal'; relating to vast unfathomable depths.
amour: ah-moor — Noun meaning 'love' or romantic affection.
Si: see — Conjunction meaning 'if'; also 'so' or 'yes'.
ici: ee-see — Adverb meaning 'here' indicating a nearby location.
révélé: ray-vay-lay — Past participle of 'révéler'; revealed or disclosed something.
hommes: om — Plural of 'homme'; meaning 'men' or 'people'.
nouvelles: noo-vel — Plural noun meaning 'news'; adjective meaning 'new'.
vérités: vay-ree-tay — Plural of 'vérité'; meaning 'truths' or 'facts'.
telles: tel — Plural of 'tel'; meaning 'such' or 'like'.
étoiles: ay-twal — Plural of 'étoile'; meaning 'stars' in the sky.
étaient: ay-tay — Imperfect tense of 'être'; meaning 'were' or 'used to be'.
là: lah — Adverb meaning 'there' indicating a distant location.
Auparavant: oh-pa-ra-vahn — Adverb meaning 'before', 'previously', or 'formerly'.
bien: byahn — Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'; adjective meaning 'good'.
couchées: koo-shay — Feminine plural past participle of 'coucher'; laid down or written.
écrit: ay-kree — Past participle of 'écrire'; meaning 'written'.
mouvant: moo-vahn — Present participle of 'mouvoir'; moving or being moved.
gré: gray — Noun meaning 'will', 'pleasure', or 'inclination'.
émotions: ay-mo-syohn — Plural of 'émotion'; feelings or emotional states experienced.
cours: koor — First person of 'courir'; I run; also 'course' or 'class'.
flâne: flahn — First person of 'flâner'; I stroll or wander leisurely.
avec: ah-vek — Preposition meaning 'with'.
délice: day-lees — Noun meaning 'delight' or 'pleasure'.
arrête: ah-ret — First person of 'arrêter'; I stop or pause.
noter: no-tay — Infinitive verb meaning 'to note' or 'to notice'.
où: oo — Relative or interrogative adverb meaning 'where'.
Amour: ah-moor — Noun meaning 'Love', often personified as a force.
Persuade: pair-swad — Third person of 'persuader'; persuades or convinces someone.
âme: ahm — Noun meaning 'soul' or 'spirit' of a person.
hauteur: oh-tur — Noun meaning 'height', 'elevation', or 'haughtiness'.
Pourtant: poor-tahn — Conjunction meaning 'however', 'yet', or 'nevertheless'.
sachez: sa-shay — Imperative of 'savoir'; know (plural/formal command).
mots: moh — Plural of 'mot'; meaning 'words'.
soient: swan — Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'may be' or 'are'.
joyeux: zhwa-yuh — Adjective meaning 'joyful', 'happy', or 'merry'.
Comme: kom — Conjunction or preposition meaning 'like', 'as', or 'how'.
danse: dahns — Noun or verb meaning 'dance' or 'dancing'.
méprisait: may-pree-zay — Imperfect of 'mépriser'; was despising or looked down upon.
accueillez: ah-kuh-yay — Imperative of 'accueillir'; welcome or receive warmly.
aimablement: em-ab-luh-mahn — Adverb meaning 'kindly' or 'in a friendly manner'.
Chant: shahn — Noun meaning 'song', 'chant', or 'singing'.
serez: suh-ray — Future of 'être' second person plural; you will be.
doucement: doos-mahn — Adverb meaning 'gently', 'softly', or 'sweetly'.
aidé: ay-day — Past participle of 'aider'; meaning 'helped' or 'assisted'.
averti: ah-vair-tee — Past participle of 'avertir'; warned or informed about something.
ENCEINTE: ahn-sant — Noun meaning 'enclosure' or 'precinct'; also means pregnant.
CATHÉDRALE: ka-tay-dral — Noun meaning 'cathedral'; large principal church building.
revins: ruh-vahn — Simple past of 'revenir'; I came back or returned.
fois: fwa — Noun meaning 'time' as in an instance or occurrence.
Avec: ah-vek — Preposition meaning 'with'.
joie: zhwa — Noun meaning 'joy' or 'happiness'.
faite: fet — Feminine past participle of 'faire'; made or composed of.
moitié: mwa-tyay — Noun meaning 'half'; one of two equal parts.
souvenir: soov-neer — Noun meaning 'memory', 'remembrance', or 'keepsake'.
désir: day-zeer — Noun meaning 'desire', 'wish', or 'longing'.
respirai: res-pee-ray — Simple past of 'respirer'; I breathed or inhaled air.
vent: vahn — Noun meaning 'wind'.
ensoleillé: ahn-so-lay-yay — Adjective meaning 'sunny' or 'filled with sunshine'.
leva: luh-va — Simple past of 'lever'; rose or lifted up.
souffla: soo-fla — Simple past of 'souffler'; blew or breathed out air.
ombres: ohnbr — Plural of 'ombre'; meaning 'shadows' or 'shades'.
Flèche: flesh — Noun meaning 'arrow' or 'spire' of a cathedral.
agita: ah-zhee-ta — Simple past of 'agiter'; shook or stirred something.
panaches: pa-nash — Plural of 'panache'; plumes, crests, or stylish flourishes.
parfumés: par-fü-may — Plural adjective meaning 'perfumed' or 'fragrant'.
lilas: lee-lah — Noun meaning 'lilac'; a fragrant flowering shrub.
balança: ba-lahn-sa — Simple past of 'balancer'; swayed or rocked gently.
mille: meel — Number meaning 'thousand'; also 'mile' in some contexts.
cônes: kohn — Plural of 'cône'; meaning 'cones' such as pine or chestnut.
marronnier: ma-ro-nyay — Noun meaning 'horse chestnut tree'.
emplit: ahm-plee — Simple past of 'emplir'; filled or filled up completely.
narines: na-reen — Plural of 'narine'; meaning 'nostrils'.
parfums: par-fuhn — Plural of 'parfum'; meaning 'perfumes' or 'fragrances'.
façonna: fa-so-na — Simple past of 'façonner'; shaped or molded something.
nuages: nü-azh — Plural of 'nuage'; meaning 'clouds'.
traînées: tray-nay — Plural of 'traînée'; trails, streaks, or drifting bands.
bandes: bahnd — Plural of 'bande'; bands, strips, or groups.
porta: por-ta — Simple past of 'porter'; carried or brought something.
jusqu: zhüsk — Abbreviated form of 'jusqu'à' meaning 'until' or 'as far as'.
grave: grav — Adjective meaning 'serious' or 'grave'; also deep in sound.
son: sohn — Noun meaning 'sound'; also possessive adjective meaning 'his/her/its'.
cloches: klosh — Plural of 'cloche'; meaning 'bells' as in church bells.
quand: kahn — Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'.
fidèle: fee-del — Adjective meaning 'faithful', 'loyal', or 'accurate'.
heure: ur — Noun meaning 'hour' or 'time'.
atteignis: ah-tay-nyee — Simple past of 'atteindre'; I reached or arrived at.
demeure: duh-mur — Noun meaning 'dwelling', 'residence', or 'abode'.
Doyen: dwa-yahn — Noun meaning 'dean'; head of a cathedral chapter.
cœur: kur — Noun meaning 'heart'.
esprit: es-pree — Noun meaning 'mind', 'spirit', or 'wit'.
frémissaient: fray-mee-say — Imperfect of 'frémir'; were trembling or quivering with emotion.
carillon: ka-ree-yohn — Noun meaning 'chime' or 'carillon'; set of tuned bells.
frémissant: fray-mee-sahn — Present participle of 'frémir'; trembling or quivering.
était: ay-tay — Imperfect of 'être'; was or used to be.
chez: shay — Preposition meaning 'at the home of' someone.
y: ee — Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'to it'.
ans: ahn — Plural of 'an'; meaning 'years'.
années: ah-nay — Plural of 'année'; meaning 'years'.
avaient: ah-vay — Imperfect of 'avoir' third person plural; they had.
changé: shahn-zhay — Past participle of 'changer'; changed or altered something.
Brique: breek — Noun meaning 'brick'; a block used in construction.
rouge: roozh — Adjective meaning 'red'.
pierre: pyair — Noun meaning 'stone' or 'rock'.
taille: tie — Noun meaning 'size', 'cut', or 'waist'.
long: lohn — Adjective meaning 'long' in space or time.

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