The Brothers Karamazov — Page 2
Fyodor Pavlovitch's first wife, Adelaïda Ivanovna, belonged to a fairly rich and distinguished noble family, also landowners in our district, the Miüsovs.
La première femme de Fiodor Pavlovitch, Adélaïda Ivanovna, appartenait à une famille noble assez riche et distinguée, également propriétaires terriens dans notre district, les Miüsov.
How it came to pass that an heiress, who was also a beauty, and moreover one of those vigorous, intelligent girls, so common in this generation, but sometimes also to be found in the last, could have married such a worthless, puny weakling, as we all called him, I won't attempt to explain.
Comment il se fit qu'une héritière, qui était aussi une beauté, et de plus l'une de ces jeunes filles vigoureuses et intelligentes, si communes dans cette génération, mais que l'on trouvait parfois aussi dans la précédente, ait pu épouser un individu aussi insignifiant, chétif et sans valeur, comme nous l'appelions tous, je ne tenterai pas de l'expliquer.
I knew a young lady of the last "romantic" generation who after some years of an enigmatic passion for a gentleman, whom she might quite easily have married at any moment, invented insuperable obstacles to their union, and ended by throwing herself one stormy night into a rather deep and rapid river from a high bank, almost a precipice, and so perished, entirely to satisfy her own caprice, and to be like Shakespeare's Ophelia.
J'ai connu une jeune femme de la dernière génération « romantique » qui, après quelques années d'une passion énigmatique pour un gentilhomme qu'elle aurait pu fort aisément épouser à n'importe quel moment, inventa des obstacles insurmontables à leur union, et finit par se jeter, par une nuit orageuse, dans une rivière assez profonde et rapide depuis une rive élevée, presque un précipice, et périt ainsi, uniquement pour satisfaire son propre caprice et ressembler à l'Ophélie de Shakespeare.
Indeed, if this precipice, a chosen and favorite spot of hers, had been less picturesque, if there had been a prosaic flat bank in its place, most likely the suicide would never have taken place.
En effet, si ce précipice, un endroit qu'elle avait choisi et qui lui était cher, avait été moins pittoresque, s'il y avait eu à sa place une rive plate et prosaïque, le suicide n'aurait très probablement jamais eu lieu.
This is a fact, and probably there have been not a few similar instances in the last two or three generations.
C'est un fait, et il y a probablement eu bon nombre de cas similaires au cours des deux ou trois dernières générations.
Adelaïda Ivanovna Miüsov's action was similarly, no doubt, an echo of other people's ideas, and was due to the irritation caused by lack of mental freedom.
L'action d'Adélaïda Ivanovna Miüsov était de même, sans aucun doute, un écho des idées d'autrui, et était due à l'irritation provoquée par le manque de liberté d'esprit.
She wanted, perhaps, to show her feminine independence, to override class distinctions and the despotism of her family.
Elle voulait peut-être montrer son indépendance féminine, s'affranchir des distinctions de classe et du despotisme de sa famille.
Vocabulary
- première
- First (feminine form of premier)
- femme
- Woman or wife
- appartenait
- Belonged to (imperfect tense of appartenir)
- famille
- Family, a group of related persons
- noble
- Of aristocratic or high social rank
- assez
- Rather, quite, or sufficiently
- riche
- Wealthy, having great financial resources
- distinguée
- Distinguished, refined, of notable elegance
- également
- Also, equally, or likewise
- propriétaires
- Owners or landowners of property
- terriens
- Landowners, those who own land
- district
- Administrative or geographic subdivision of a region
- Comment
- How, in what way or manner
- fit
- Did or made (passé simple of faire)
- héritière
- Female heir, one who inherits property or title
- aussi
- Also, too, or as well
- beauté
- Beauty, the quality of being attractive
- plus
- More, most, or no longer
- jeunes
- Young, of a youthful age
- filles
- Girls or daughters
- vigoureuses
- Vigorous, strong, full of energy
- intelligentes
- Intelligent, having good mental capacity
- si
- So, such, or if
- communes
- Common, widespread, or ordinary
- génération
- Generation, a group of people born around the same time
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning one or people
- trouvait
- Found or considered (imperfect of trouver)
- parfois
- Sometimes, occasionally
- précédente
- Previous, the one before the current
- ait
- Has (subjunctive form of avoir)
- pu
- Been able to (past participle of pouvoir)
- épouser
- To marry, to wed someone
- individu
- Individual, a single person
- insignifiant
- Insignificant, of little importance or value
- chétif
- Puny, weak, frail in appearance
- sans
- Preposition meaning without
- valeur
- Value, worth, or moral quality
- comme
- As, like, or such as
- appelions
- Called (imperfect of appeler, first person plural)
- tous
- All, everyone, every one of them
- tenterai
- Will try (future tense of tenter)
- expliquer
- To explain, to make something clear
- connu
- Known or met (past participle of connaître)
- jeune
- Young, youthful in age
- dernière
- Last, final, or most recent (feminine)
- romantique
- Romantic, inclined toward idealistic or passionate feelings
- après
- After, following in time or order
- quelques
- A few, some small number of
- années
- Years, plural of année
- passion
- Passion, intense emotional feeling or love
- énigmatique
- Enigmatic, mysterious and difficult to understand
- gentilhomme
- Gentleman, a man of noble birth
- aurait
- Would have (conditional of avoir)
- fort
- Very, strongly, or quite (adverbial use)
- aisément
- Easily, without difficulty or effort
- importe
- Matters; n'importe quel means any whatsoever
- quel
- Which or what (masculine interrogative adjective)
- moment
- Moment, a brief period of time
- inventa
- Invented (passé simple of inventer)
- obstacles
- Obstacles, things blocking progress or passage
- insurmontables
- Insurmountable, impossible to overcome
- leur
- Their, or to them (possessive or indirect object)
- union
- Union, joining together in marriage or alliance
- finit
- Ended (passé simple of finir)
- par
- By, through, or per
- jeter
- To throw or cast something
- nuit
- Night, the dark period after sunset
- orageuse
- Stormy, turbulent weather or atmosphere (feminine)
- rivière
- River, a large natural stream of water
- profonde
- Deep, having great depth (feminine)
- rapide
- Fast, swift in movement
- depuis
- Since or from a point in time
- rive
- Riverbank, the shore alongside a river
- élevée
- High, raised up, elevated (feminine)
- presque
- Almost, nearly but not quite
- précipice
- Precipice, a very steep dangerous cliff
- périt
- Perished, died (passé simple of périr)
- ainsi
- Thus, in this way, therefore
- uniquement
- Only, solely, exclusively
- satisfaire
- To satisfy, to fulfill a desire or need
- propre
- Own (emphatic), or clean (adjective)
- caprice
- Caprice, a sudden impulsive whim
- ressembler
- To resemble, to look or be like
- effet
- Effect; en effet means indeed or in fact
- endroit
- Place, spot, or location
- choisi
- Chosen (past participle of choisir)
- cher
- Dear, beloved, or expensive
- été
- Been (past participle of être) or summer
- moins
- Less, fewer, or minus
- pittoresque
- Picturesque, visually charming or attractive
- y
- There, to it, or in it (pronoun)
- eu
- Had (past participle of avoir)
- place
- Place, space, or square
- plate
- Flat, level, plain (feminine adjective)
- prosaïque
- Prosaic, dull, lacking imagination or beauty
- suicide
- Suicide, the act of taking one's own life
- très
- Very, extremely (intensifying adverb)
- probablement
- Probably, with a high degree of likelihood
- jamais
- Never, or ever (with negation)
- lieu
- Place; avoir lieu means to take place
- fait
- Fact, or done (past participle of faire)
- bon
- Good, of high quality or kindness
- nombre
- Number, a quantity or count
- cas
- Case, instance, or situation
- similaires
- Similar, alike in nature or appearance
- cours
- Course; au cours de means during or in the course of
- deux
- Two, the number 2
- dernières
- Last, most recent (feminine plural adjective)
- générations
- Generations, successive groups born around the same time
- action
- Action, an act or deed
- même
- Same, even, or itself
- aucun
- No, none, not any
- doute
- Doubt, uncertainty about something
- écho
- Echo, a reflection or repetition of something
- idées
- Ideas, thoughts or concepts
- autrui
- Others, other people (formal/literary)
- due
- Due to, owed or caused by (feminine)
- irritation
- Irritation, annoyance or inflammation
- provoquée
- Provoked, caused or triggered (feminine past participle)
- manque
- Lack, shortage, or absence of something
- liberté
- Liberty, freedom from constraint or oppression
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, or wit
- voulait
- Wanted (imperfect tense of vouloir)
- être
- To be; or perhaps as part of peut-être
- montrer
- To show, to demonstrate something
- indépendance
- Independence, freedom from control by others
- féminine
- Feminine, relating to women (adjective)
- affranchir
- To free, to liberate from constraints
- distinctions
- Distinctions, differences in rank or class
- classe
- Class, social group or category
- despotisme
- Despotism, absolute tyrannical power or authority
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →