The Angel in the House — Page 6

English → Fr Book I. Level 7/10

In shape no slender Grace,

De forme, non pas une Grace svelte,

But Venus; milder than the dove;

Mais Vénus ; plus douce que la colombe ;

Her mother's air; her Norman face;

L'air de sa mère ; son visage normand ;

Her large sweet eyes, clear lakes of love.

Ses grands yeux doux, lacs limpides d'amour.

Mary I knew. In former time

Marie, je la connaissais. Autrefois

Ailing and pale, she thought that bliss

Souffrante et pâle, elle croyait que la béatitude

Was only for a better clime,

N'était réservée qu'à un monde meilleur,

And, heavenly overmuch, scorn'd this.

Et, trop céleste, méprisait celui-ci.

I, rash with theories of the right,

Moi, téméraire avec mes théories du juste,

Which stretch'd the tether of my Creed,

Qui étiraient la laisse de ma foi,

But did not break it, held delight

Sans la rompre, je tenais le plaisir

Half discipline. We disagreed.

Pour moitié discipline. Nous n'étions pas d'accord.

She told the Dean I wanted grace.

Elle dit au Doyen que je manquais de grâce.

Now she was kindest of the three,

Or elle était la plus douce des trois,

And soft wild roses deck'd her face.

Et de douces roses sauvages ornaient son visage.

And, what, was this my Mildred, she

Et quoi, était-ce là ma Mildred, elle

To herself and all a sweet surprise?

Une douce surprise pour elle-même et pour tous ?

My Pet, who romp'd and roll'd a hoop?

Ma chérie, qui gambadait et faisait rouler un cerceau ?

I wonder'd where those daisy eyes

Je me demandais où ces yeux de marguerite

Had found their touching curve and droop.

Avaient trouvé leur courbe touchante et leur langueur.

Unmannerly times! But now we sat

Temps discourtois ! Mais nous voilà assis

Stranger than strangers; till I caught

Plus étrangers que des étrangers ; jusqu'à ce que je surprisse

And answer'd Mildred's smile; and that

Et répondisse au sourire de Mildred ; et cela

Spread to the rest, and freedom brought.

Se répandit aux autres, et apporta la liberté.

The Dean talk'd little, looking on,

Le Doyen parlait peu, regardant,

Of three such daughters justly vain.

Justement fier de trois telles filles.

What letters they had had from Bonn,

Quelles lettres ils avaient reçues de Bonn,

Said Mildred, and what plums from Spain!

Dit Mildred, et quels pruneaux d'Espagne !

By Honor I was kindly task'd

Par Honor on me demanda aimablement

To excuse my never coming down

D'excuser de n'être jamais descendu

From Cambridge; Mary smiled and ask'd

De Cambridge ; Mary sourit et demanda

Were Kant and Goethe yet outgrown?

Si Kant et Goethe étaient désormais dépassés ?

And, pleased, we talk'd the old days o'er;

Et, ravis, nous évoquâmes le temps jadis ;

And, parting, I for pleasure sigh'd.

Et, en partant, je soupirai de bonheur.

Vocabulary

De: Preposition indicating possession, origin, or composition.
forme: Shape, form, or physical appearance of something.
non: Negation; no or not in responses.
pas: Step, pace, or negation with verb (ne pas).
une: Indefinite article feminine singular; a or an.
Grace: Grace, elegance, or charm in bearing.
svelte: Slender, graceful, and elegant in figure.
Mais: Conjunction introducing contrast; but or however.
plus: More; used for comparatives and superlatives.
douce: Soft, gentle, sweet, or mild in manner.
que: Conjunction for comparison; that or than.
la: Definite article feminine singular; the.
colombe: Dove; symbol of peace and gentleness.
air: Air, atmosphere, or appearance or manner.
sa: Possessive adjective feminine singular; her or its.
mère: Mother; female parent or origin.
son: Possessive adjective singular; his, her, or its.
visage: Face; front of human head.
normand: Norman; relating to Normandy region of France.
Ses: Possessive adjective plural; his, her, or its.
grands: Large, great, big in size or importance.
yeux: Eyes; organs of sight.
doux: Soft, gentle, sweet, or mild.
lacs: Lakes; large bodies of freshwater.
limpides: Clear, transparent, or easy to understand.
amour: Love; affection or romantic attachment.
je: First person singular pronoun; I.
connaissais: Knew; past imperfect of connaître.
Autrefois: Formerly, in the past, long ago.
Souffrante: Suffering, ailing, or in pain.
et: Conjunction; and joining words or clauses.
pâle: Pale, light in color, or wan.
elle: Third person feminine singular pronoun; she or it.
croyait: Believed; past imperfect of croire.
béatitude: Beatitude, supreme blessedness, or perfect happiness.
était: Was; past imperfect of être.
réservée: Reserved, kept for, or distant.
qu: Contraction of que; that or which.
un: Indefinite article masculine singular; a or an.
monde: World; the earth or a sphere.
meilleur: Better or best; superior in quality.
Et: Conjunction; and joining words or ideas.
trop: Too much, excessively, or overly.
céleste: Celestial, heavenly, or relating to sky.
méprisait: Despised; past imperfect of mépriser.
celui: That one, the one; demonstrative pronoun.
ci: This or here; demonstrative suffix.
Moi: Me; first person singular stressed pronoun.
téméraire: Reckless, bold, or rashly daring.
avec: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
mes: Possessive adjective plural; my belonging to me.
théories: Theories; systems of ideas or principles.
du: Contraction of de and le; of the.
juste: Just, fair, right, or correct.
Qui: Who, which; relative pronoun.
étiraient: Stretched; past imperfect of étirer.
laisse: Lets, allows, or leaves something.
ma: Possessive adjective feminine singular; my.
foi: Faith, belief, or trust in something.
Sans: Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
rompre: To break, rupture, or terminate.
tenais: Held; past imperfect of tenir.
le: Definite article masculine singular; the.
plaisir: Pleasure, enjoyment, or satisfaction.
Pour: For; preposition indicating purpose or destination.
moitié: Half; fifty percent or equal division.
discipline: Discipline, training, or system of rules.
Nous: We; first person plural pronoun.
étions: Were; past imperfect of être.
accord: Agreement, accord, or harmony.
Elle: She; third person feminine singular pronoun.
dit: Said; past tense of dire.
au: Contraction of à and le; to the.
Doyen: Dean; senior member of institution.
manquais: Lacked; past imperfect of manquer.
grâce: Grace, favor, elegance, or pardon.
Or: Gold; precious metal or conjunction.

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