The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 4
Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old;
Très haut, très bon, très puissant, très omnipotent ; très miséricordieux, et pourtant très juste ; très caché, et pourtant très présent ; très beau, et pourtant très fort, stable, et pourtant incompréhensible ; immuable, et pourtant changeant tout ; jamais nouveau, jamais vieux ;
all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking;
renouvelant tout, et faisant vieillir les orgueilleux sans qu'ils le sachent ; toujours à l'œuvre, toujours en repos ; amassant sans cesse, et pourtant sans manque de rien ;
supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things.
soutenant, remplissant et répandant partout ; créant, nourrissant et faisant mûrir ; cherchant, et pourtant possédant toutes choses.
Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury.
Tu aimes, sans passion ; Tu es jaloux, sans inquiétude ; Tu te repens, et pourtant Tu ne te lamentes pas ; Tu es en colère, et pourtant serein ; Tu changes Tes œuvres, Ton dessein demeurant inchangé ; Tu reprends ce que Tu trouves, sans jamais l'avoir perdu ; jamais dans le besoin, et pourtant Te réjouissant des gains ; jamais avide, et pourtant exigeant des intérêts.
Thou receivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine?
Tu reçois au-delà de tout, afin d'avoir une dette ; et qui possède quoi que ce soit qui ne soit pas Tien ?
Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing.
Tu paies des dettes, sans rien devoir ; Tu remets des dettes, sans rien perdre.
And what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith any man when he speaks of Thee?
Et qu'ai-je dit là, mon Dieu, ma vie, ma sainte joie ? ou que dit quiconque lorsqu'il parle de Toi ?
Yet woe to him that speaketh not, since mute are even the most eloquent.
Et pourtant, malheur à celui qui ne parle pas, puisque même les plus éloquents sont muets.
Oh! that I might repose on Thee! Oh! that Thou wouldest enter into my heart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace Thee, my sole good!
Oh ! que je puisse me reposer en Toi ! Oh ! que Tu daignes entrer dans mon cœur et l'enivrer, afin que j'oublie mes maux et que je T'embrasse, Toi mon seul bien !
What art Thou to me? In Thy pity, teach me to utter it.
Qu'es-Tu pour moi ? Dans Ta pitié, apprends-moi à l'exprimer.
Or what am I to Thee that Thou demandest my love, and, if I give it not, art wroth with me, and threatenest me with grievous woes?
Ou que suis-je pour Toi, pour que Tu exiges mon amour, et que, si je ne Te le donne pas, Tu Te mettes en colère contre moi et me menacer de grands malheurs ?
Vocabulary
- Très
- trɛ — Very; used to intensify adjectives or adverbs
- haut
- o — High, tall, or loud in degree or position
- très
- trɛ — Very; used to intensify adjectives or adverbs
- bon
- bɔ̃ — Good; of high quality or moral virtue
- puissant
- pɥisɑ̃ — Powerful, mighty, having great strength or influence
- omnipotent
- ɔmnipɔtɑ̃ — All-powerful; having unlimited or universal power
- miséricordieux
- mizerikɔrdjø — Merciful, compassionate, showing forgiveness and kindness
- et
- e — And; conjunction connecting words or clauses
- pourtant
- purtɑ̃ — Yet, nevertheless, however; expressing contrast or surprise
- juste
- ʒyst — Just, fair, righteous, or exactly correct
- caché
- kaʃe — Hidden, concealed, kept out of sight
- présent
- prezɑ̃ — Present, here, existing now or in attendance
- beau
- bo — Beautiful, handsome, attractive in appearance
- fort
- fɔr — Strong, powerful, robust in body or character
- stable
- stabl — Stable, steady, not likely to change or fall
- incompréhensible
- ɛ̃kɔ̃preɑ̃sibl — Incomprehensible, impossible to understand or grasp mentally
- immuable
- imɥabl — Immutable, unchangeable, remaining constant over time
- changeant
- ʃɑ̃ʒɑ̃ — Changing, shifting, variable in nature or appearance
- tout
- tu — All, everything, every; indicating totality or completeness
- jamais
- ʒamɛ — Never, ever; indicating absence or negation of action
- nouveau
- nuvo — New, fresh, recently created or not seen before
- vieux
- vjø — Old, aged, having existed for a long time
- renouvelant
- rənuvlɑ̃ — Renewing, refreshing, making new again continuously
- faisant
- fəzɑ̃ — Making, doing; present participle of the verb faire
- vieillir
- vjejir — To grow old, to age, to become older
- les
- le — The; definite article for plural nouns in French
- orgueilleux
- ɔrɡœjø — Proud, arrogant, filled with excessive self-importance
- sans
- sɑ̃ — Without; indicating the absence of something
- qu'
- k — That, than, which; conjunction or relative pronoun
- ils
- il — They; third-person plural masculine subject pronoun
- le
- lə — The; definite article for masculine singular nouns
- sachent
- saʃ — (That) they know; subjunctive of savoir
- toujours
- tuʒur — Always, still, ever; indicating continuity or persistence
- à
- a — To, at, in; common preposition indicating location or direction
- l'
- l — The; contracted definite article before a vowel
- œuvre
- œvr — Work, creation, artistic or literary production
- en
- ɑ̃ — In, while, by; preposition or gerund marker
- repos
- rəpo — Rest, repose, a state of relaxation or quiet
- amassant
- amasɑ̃ — Amassing, accumulating, gathering large quantities
- cesse
- sɛs — Ceasing, stopping; also used in sans cesse, unceasingly
- manque
- mɑ̃k — Lack, shortage, absence of something needed
- de
- də — Of, from; very common French preposition
- rien
- rjɛ̃ — Nothing; used in negation or meaning anything
- soutenant
- sutnɑ̃ — Supporting, sustaining, holding up continuously
- remplissant
- rɑ̃plisɑ̃ — Filling, filling up, making full or complete
- répandant
- repɑ̃dɑ̃ — Spreading, pouring out, diffusing in all directions
- partout
- partu — Everywhere, in all places, throughout
- créant
- kreɑ̃ — Creating, bringing into existence, making something new
- nourrissant
- nurisɑ̃ — Nourishing, feeding, providing sustenance to living things
- mûrir
- myrir — To ripen, to mature, to reach full development
- cherchant
- ʃɛrʃɑ̃ — Seeking, looking for, trying to find something
- possédant
- pɔsedɑ̃ — Possessing, owning, having something as one's own
- toutes
- tut — All; feminine plural form of tout
- choses
- ʃoz — Things, objects, matters of any kind
- Tu
- ty — You; second-person singular informal subject pronoun
- aimes
- ɛm — (You) love or like; second-person form of aimer
- passion
- pasjɔ̃ — Passion, intense emotion, strong enthusiasm or love
- es
- ɛ — (You) are; second-person singular of être
- jaloux
- ʒalu — Jealous, envious, fiercely protective of what one values
- inquiétude
- ɛ̃kjetyd — Worry, anxiety, uneasiness about something uncertain
- te
- tə — You, yourself; second-person singular reflexive or object pronoun
- repens
- rəpɑ̃ — (You) repent; expressing regret or change of mind
- ne
- nə — Not; part of French negation construction ne…pas
- lamentes
- lamɑ̃t — (You) lament, mourn, express sorrow or grief
- pas
- pa — Not; second element of the standard French negation
- colère
- kɔlɛr — Anger, wrath, strong feeling of displeasure
- serein
- sərɛ̃ — Serene, calm, peaceful and untroubled in mind
- changes
- ʃɑ̃ʒ — (You) change; alter or make different
- Tes
- te — Your; second-person singular possessive for plural nouns
- œuvres
- œvr — Works, deeds, creations, actions accomplished
- Ton
- tɔ̃ — Your; second-person singular possessive for masculine nouns
- dessein
- desɛ̃ — Design, plan, purpose, intention behind an action
- demeurant
- dəmœrɑ̃ — Remaining, staying, continuing to be in place
- inchangé
- ɛ̃ʃɑ̃ʒe — Unchanged, unaltered, remaining the same as before
- reprends
- rəprɑ̃ — (You) take back, reclaim, or resume something
- ce
- sə — This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- que
- kə — That, what, which; conjunction or relative pronoun
- trouves
- truv — (You) find, discover, consider something to be
- avoir
- avwar — To have; fundamental auxiliary and lexical verb
- perdu
- pɛrdy — Lost; past participle of perdre, to lose
- dans
- dɑ̃ — In, inside, within; preposition of location or time
- besoin
- bəzwɛ̃ — Need, necessity, requirement for something
- Te
- tə — You, yourself; second-person singular object pronoun
- réjouissant
- reʒwisɑ̃ — Rejoicing, delighting in, feeling great joy
- des
- de — Some, of the; partitive or plural article
- gains
- ɡɛ̃ — Gains, profits, benefits received or earned
- avide
- avid — Greedy, eager, craving more than what is needed
- exigeant
- ɛɡziʒɑ̃ — Demanding, requiring a great deal, hard to satisfy
- intérêts
- ɛ̃terɛ — Interest; financial return or personal concern in something
- reçois
- rəswa — (You) receive, get, accept something given
- au
- o — To the, at the; contraction of à + le
- delà
- dəla — Beyond; used in au-delà, meaning beyond or past
- afin
- afɛ̃ — In order to, so that; expressing purpose
- d'
- d — Of, from; contracted preposition before a vowel
- une
- yn — A, an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns
- dette
- dɛt — Debt, something owed to another person
- qui
- ki — Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun
- possède
- pɔsɛd — (He/she) possesses, owns, has as property
- quoi
- kwa — What; interrogative or relative pronoun after prepositions
- soit
- swa — Be; subjunctive of être, meaning may be or whether
- Tien
- tjɛ̃ — Yours; second-person singular possessive pronoun
- paies
- pɛ — (You) pay, settle a debt or obligation
- dettes
- dɛt — Debts, plural; amounts owed to others
- devoir
- dəvwar — To owe, must; duty or obligation
- remets
- rəmɛ — (You) give back, return, or forgive something
- perdre
- pɛrdr — To lose, to be deprived of something
- Et
- e — And; conjunction connecting words, phrases, or clauses
- ai
- e — (I) have; first-person singular of avoir
- je
- ʒə — I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- dit
- di — Said; past participle of dire, to say
- là
- la — There; indicating a place or drawing attention
- mon
- mɔ̃ — My; first-person singular possessive for masculine nouns
- Dieu
- djø — God; the supreme being in monotheistic religion
- ma
- ma — My; first-person singular possessive for feminine nouns
- vie
- vi — Life, existence, the state of being alive
- sainte
- sɛ̃t — Holy, sacred, saintly; of great spiritual purity
- joie
- ʒwa — Joy, happiness, great delight or pleasure
- ou
- u — Or; conjunction expressing an alternative or choice
- quiconque
- kikɔ̃k — Whoever, anyone who; indefinite relative pronoun
- lorsqu'
- lɔrsk — When; conjunction indicating a moment or condition
- il
- il — He, it; third-person singular masculine subject pronoun
- parle
- parl — (He/she) speaks, talks, utters words
- Toi
- twa — You; emphatic second-person singular pronoun
- malheur
- malœr — Misfortune, unhappiness, calamity or great sorrow
- celui
- səlɥi — He, the one; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun
- puisque
- pɥiskə — Since, because, given that; causal conjunction
- même
- mɛm — Even, same, very; used for emphasis or comparison
- plus
- ply — More, most, no longer; comparative or negative adverb
- éloquents
- elɔkɑ̃ — Eloquent, articulate, expressing ideas persuasively and clearly
- sont
- sɔ̃ — Are; third-person plural form of être
- muets
- mɥɛ — Mute, silent, unable or unwilling to speak
- Oh
- o — Oh; exclamation expressing surprise, wonder, or emotion
- puisse
- pɥis — (That I) may, can; subjunctive of pouvoir
- me
- mə — Me, myself; first-person singular reflexive or object pronoun
- reposer
- rəpoze — To rest, to lay down, to relieve from fatigue
- daignes
- dɛɲ — (You) deign, condescend, be willing to do something
- entrer
- ɑ̃tre — To enter, to go in, to come inside
- cœur
- kœr — Heart; the organ or seat of emotion and love
- enivrer
- ɑ̃nivre — To intoxicate, to fill with rapture or excitement
- j'
- ʒ — I; contracted first-person subject pronoun before vowel
- oublie
- ubli — (I) forget; to fail to remember something
- mes
- me — My; first-person singular possessive for plural nouns
- maux
- mo — Ills, evils, pains; plural of mal
- T'
- t — You; contracted second-person object pronoun before vowel
- embrasse
- ɑ̃bras — (I) embrace, hug, hold closely with affection
- seul
- sœl — Only, alone, sole; without others or alternatives
- bien
- bjɛ̃ — Good, well, benefit; a positive thing or state
- Qu'
- k — That, what; contracted conjunction before a vowel
- pour
- pur — For, in order to; preposition of purpose or benefit
- moi
- mwa — Me, I; emphatic first-person singular pronoun
- Dans
- dɑ̃ — In, inside, within; preposition of location or time
- Ta
- ta — Your; second-person singular possessive for feminine nouns
- pitié
- pitje — Pity, mercy, compassion shown to someone suffering
- apprends
- aprɑ̃ — (You/I) learn or teach; form of apprendre
- exprimer
- ɛksprime — To express, to convey thoughts or feelings in words
- Ou
- u — Or; conjunction offering an alternative
- suis
- sɥi — (I) am; first-person singular form of être
- exiges
- ɛɡziʒ — (You) demand, require, insist upon something
- amour
- amur — Love; deep affection or passionate feeling for someone
- si
- si — If, whether, so; conditional conjunction or intensifier
- donne
- dɔn — (I/you) give, offer, provide something to someone
- mettes
- mɛt — (That you) put, place; subjunctive of mettre
- contre
- kɔ̃tr — Against, opposite to, in opposition to
- menacer
- mənase — To threaten, to warn of impending harm or danger
- grands
- ɡrɑ̃ — Great, big, large; of considerable size or importance
- malheurs
- malœr — Misfortunes, calamities; plural of malheur
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