The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 3

English → Fr BOOK I Level 9/10

or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain Thee?

Ou bien les remplis-Tu et déborde-Tu encore, puisqu'ils ne Te contiennent pas?

And whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled, pourest Thou forth the remainder of Thyself?

Et où répands-Tu le reste de Toi-même, quand le ciel et la terre sont remplis?

or hast Thou no need that aught contain Thee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest Thou fillest by containing it?

Ou bien n'as-Tu pas besoin que quoi que ce soit Te contienne, Toi qui contiens toutes choses, puisque ce que Tu remplis Tu le remplis en le contenant?

for the vessels which Thou fillest uphold Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out.

Car les vases que Tu remplis ne Te soutiennent pas, puisque, même s'ils venaient à se briser, Tu ne Te répandrais pas.

And when Thou art poured out on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us;

Et quand Tu Te répands sur nous, Tu n'es pas abaissé, mais Tu nous élèves;

Thou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us.

Tu n'es pas dissipé, mais Tu nous rassembles.

But Thou who fillest all things, fillest Thou them with Thy whole self?

Mais Toi qui remplis toutes choses, les remplis-Tu de Toi tout entier?

or, since all things cannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part of Thee?

Ou bien, puisque toutes choses ne peuvent Te contenir tout entier, n'en contiennent-elles qu'une partie?

and all at once the same part?

Et toutes à la fois la même partie?

or each its own part, the greater more, the smaller less?

Ou chacune sa propre partie, les plus grandes davantage, les plus petites moins?

And is, then one part of Thee greater, another less?

Y a-t-il donc une partie de Toi qui soit plus grande, et une autre plus petite?

or, art Thou wholly every where, while nothing contains Thee wholly?

Ou bien es-Tu tout entier en tout lieu, sans que rien ne Te contienne tout entier?

What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God?

Qu'es-Tu donc, mon Dieu? Qu'es-Tu, sinon le Seigneur Dieu?

For who is Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God?

Car qui est Seigneur, sinon le Seigneur? Ou qui est Dieu, sinon notre Dieu?

Vocabulary

Ou: Conjunction meaning 'or', connecting alternatives.
bien: Well; also used to mean 'or else, indeed'.
les: Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
remplis: Fill (imperative or past participle of remplir).
Tu: Second person singular subject pronoun meaning 'you'.
et: Conjunction meaning 'and', linking words or clauses.
déborde: Overflows, spills over the edges of a container.
encore: Still, yet, again; indicating continuation or repetition.
puisqu'ils: Since they, because they (contraction of puisque + ils).
ne: Negation particle used with pas to form negatives.
Te: Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'you, yourself'.
contiennent: They contain; third person plural of contenir.
pas: Negation word meaning 'not'; also a step.
Et: Conjunction meaning 'and', linking clauses or ideas.
où: Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place.
répands: Spread, pour out (second person singular of répandre).
le: Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
reste: Remainder, rest; what is left over of something.
de: Preposition meaning 'of, from, about'.
Toi: Emphatic second person pronoun meaning 'you, yourself'.
même: Same; even; self (used for emphasis or identity).
quand: When; conjunction introducing time clauses.
ciel: Sky; heaven; the expanse above the earth.
la: Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
terre: Earth, ground, land; the world or soil.
sont: Are; third person plural present of être.
n'as: Do not have; negated second person singular of avoir.
besoin: Need; necessity; avoir besoin de means to need.
que: That, than, what; conjunction or relative pronoun.
quoi: What; interrogative pronoun used after prepositions.
ce: This, that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
soit: Be (subjunctive of être); quoi que ce soit means anything.
contienne: Contains (subjunctive of contenir); may contain something.
qui: Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun.
contiens: Contain (second person singular of contenir).
toutes: All, every (feminine plural of tout).
choses: Things; plural of chose, referring to objects or matters.
puisque: Since, because; causal conjunction explaining a reason.
en: In, into; also pronoun replacing partitive expressions.
contenant: Containing; present participle of contenir.
Car: Because, for; conjunction giving an explanation or reason.
vases: Vases, vessels; containers used to hold things.
soutiennent: Support, hold up; third person plural of soutenir.
s'ils: If they; contraction of si + ils in conditional clauses.
venaient: Were coming; imperfect tense of venir, third person plural.
à: To, at, in; very common French preposition.
se: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself, herself, themselves'.
briser: To break, shatter; infinitive indicating destruction.
répandrais: Would spread, would pour out (conditional of répandre).
sur: On, upon, over; preposition indicating position above.
nous: We, us; first person plural subject or object pronoun.
n'es: Are not; negated second person singular of être.
abaissé: Lowered, humbled; past participle of abaisser.
mais: But; conjunction introducing contrast or opposition.
élèves: Raise up, lift; second person singular of élever.
dissipé: Dissipated, scattered; past participle of dissiper.
rassembles: Gather, bring together; second person singular of rassembler.
Mais: But; conjunction indicating contrast with previous idea.
tout: All, everything, whole; adverb or adjective of totality.
entier: Entire, whole, complete; masculine adjective of totality.
peuvent: Can, are able to; third person plural of pouvoir.
contenir: To contain, hold; infinitive meaning to keep within limits.
n'en: Not of it/them; negated partitive pronoun construction.
elles: They (feminine plural); third person plural subject pronoun.
qu'une: Only one; contraction of que + une in restrictive expressions.
partie: Part, portion; a section of a whole thing.
fois: Time(s); as in one time, several times, frequency.
chacune: Each one (feminine); every individual item separately.
sa: His, her, its; feminine singular possessive adjective.
propre: Own, clean; adjective meaning belonging to oneself.
plus: More, no longer; comparative adverb or negation element.
grandes: Large, big, great (feminine plural adjective).
davantage: More, further; adverb expressing greater quantity or degree.
petites: Small, little (feminine plural adjective).
moins: Less, fewer; comparative adverb of reduced quantity.
Y: There; pronoun replacing a previously mentioned place.
a: Has; third person singular of avoir, or 'there is'.
il: He, it; third person masculine singular subject pronoun.
donc: Therefore, so, thus; conjunction expressing logical conclusion.
une: A, an; feminine singular indefinite article.
grande: Large, great, big; feminine singular adjective.
autre: Other, another; adjective referring to a different one.
petite: Small, little; feminine singular adjective of small size.
es: Are; second person singular present tense of être.
lieu: Place, location; spot where something occurs.
sans: Without; preposition indicating absence of something.
rien: Nothing; indefinite pronoun used in negative expressions.
Qu'es: What are (contraction of que + es in questions).
mon: My; masculine singular first person possessive adjective.
Dieu: God; the supreme divine being in monotheistic religions.
sinon: Otherwise, if not, except; conjunction of condition or exception.
Seigneur: Lord; title of reverence for God or a master.
est: Is; third person singular present tense of être.
notre: Our; first person plural possessive adjective.

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