The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 10
Hear, O God. Alas, for man's sin!
Écoutez, ô Dieu. Hélas, pour le péché de l'homme !
So saith man, and Thou pitiest him;
Ainsi parle l'homme, et Tu le prends en pitié ;
for Thou madest him, but sin in him Thou madest not.
car Tu l'as créé, mais le péché en lui, Tu ne l'as pas créé.
Who remindeth me of the sins of my infancy?
Qui me rappelle les péchés de mon enfance ?
for in Thy sight none is pure from sin, not even the infant whose life is but a day upon the earth.
car devant Toi, nul n'est pur de tout péché, pas même l'enfant dont la vie n'est qu'un jour sur la terre.
Who remindeth me?
Qui me le rappelle ?
doth not each little infant, in whom I see what of myself I remember not?
n'est-ce pas chaque petit enfant, en qui je vois ce que de moi-même je ne me rappelle pas ?
What then was my sin?
Quel était donc mon péché ?
was it that I hung upon the breast and cried?
était-ce que je m'accrochais au sein et pleurais ?
for should I now so do for food suitable to my age, justly should I be laughed at and reproved.
car si je faisais de même maintenant pour une nourriture convenable à mon âge, on aurait bien raison de se moquer de moi et de me blâmer.
What I then did was worthy reproof; but since I could not understand reproof, custom and reason forbade me to be reproved.
Ce que je faisais alors méritait le blâme ; mais puisque je ne pouvais comprendre le blâme, la coutume et la raison défendaient qu'on me blâmât.
For those habits, when grown, we root out and cast away.
Car ces habitudes, une fois adultes, nous les extirpons et les rejetons.
Now no man, though he prunes, wittingly casts away what is good.
Or, nul homme, même en élaguant, ne rejette sciemment ce qui est bon.
Or was it then good, even for a while, to cry for what, if given, would hurt?
Ou était-il bon, même un moment, de pleurer pour ce qui, si on l'accordait, ferait du mal ?
bitterly to resent, that persons free, and its own elders, yea, the very authors of its birth, served it not?
de s'indigner amèrement que des personnes libres, et ses propres aînés, voire les auteurs mêmes de sa naissance, ne lui obéissent pas ?
that many besides, wiser than it, obeyed not the nod of its good pleasure?
que beaucoup d'autres, plus sages que lui, n'obéissaient pas au signe de son bon plaisir ?
to do its best to strike and hurt, because commands were not obeyed, which had been obeyed to its hurt?
de faire de son mieux pour frapper et blesser, parce que ses ordres n'étaient pas obéis, ordres dont l'obéissance lui eût nui ?
The weakness then of infant limbs, not its will, is its innocence.
C'est donc la faiblesse des membres du nourrisson, et non sa volonté, qui fait son innocence.
Vocabulary
- Écoutez
- ay-koo-tay — Listen (formal/plural imperative form of écouter)
- ô
- oh — Oh (poetic exclamation used to address someone)
- Dieu
- dyuh — God; supreme divine being
- Hélas
- ay-lahs — Alas; exclamation expressing sorrow or regret
- pour
- poor — For; preposition indicating purpose or beneficiary
- le
- luh — The; masculine singular definite article
- péché
- pay-shay — Sin; moral wrongdoing or transgression
- de
- duh — Of, from; very common preposition in French
- l'
- l — The; elided definite article before a vowel
- homme
- om — Man; human being or adult male
- Ainsi
- an-see — Thus, so; used to introduce a conclusion
- parle
- parl — Speaks; third-person singular of parler
- et
- ay — And; basic coordinating conjunction
- Tu
- tü — You; informal second-person singular pronoun
- prends
- prahn — Take; second-person singular of prendre
- en
- ahn — In, on; preposition or pronoun with many uses
- pitié
- pee-tyay — Pity, mercy; compassion for someone's suffering
- car
- kar — Because, for; conjunction explaining a reason
- as
- ah — Have (auxiliary); second-person singular of avoir
- créé
- kray-ay — Created; past participle of créer
- mais
- meh — But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- lui
- lwee — Him, he; third-person singular pronoun
- ne
- nuh — Not; first part of French negation ne...pas
- pas
- pah — Not; second part of negation, also means step
- Qui
- kee — Who; relative or interrogative pronoun
- me
- muh — Me; first-person singular object pronoun
- rappelle
- ra-pel — Reminds; third-person singular of rappeler
- les
- lay — The; plural definite article for all genders
- péchés
- pay-shay — Sins; plural of péché, moral transgressions
- mon
- mohn — My; masculine singular possessive adjective
- enfance
- ahn-fahns — Childhood; the early period of one's life
- devant
- duh-vahn — Before, in front of; spatial or figurative preposition
- Toi
- twah — You; emphatic second-person singular pronoun
- nul
- nül — No one, none; negative pronoun or adjective
- n'
- n — Not; elided form of ne before a vowel
- est
- eh — Is; third-person singular of être (to be)
- pur
- pür — Pure; free from fault, clean or innocent
- tout
- too — All, every, everything; very common adjective/pronoun
- même
- mem — Even, same; emphasizes or indicates sameness
- enfant
- ahn-fahn — Child; young person or infant
- dont
- dohn — Whose, of which; relative pronoun replacing de+noun
- la
- lah — The; feminine singular definite article
- vie
- vee — Life; the state of being alive
- qu'
- k — That, which; elided conjunction or relative pronoun
- un
- uhn — A, one; masculine singular indefinite article
- jour
- zhoor — Day; a 24-hour period
- sur
- sür — On, upon; preposition indicating position or topic
- terre
- tehr — Earth, ground, land; the world or soil
- est-ce
- es-suh — Is it; interrogative structure introducing a question
- ce
- suh — This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- chaque
- shak — Each, every; adjective for individual items
- petit
- puh-tee — Small, little; adjective describing small size
- qui
- kee — Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- je
- zhuh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- vois
- vwah — See; first-person singular of voir
- que
- kuh — That, what, which; conjunction or pronoun
- moi-
- mwah — Me, myself; emphatic first-person singular pronoun
- Quel
- kel — What, which; interrogative or exclamatory adjective
- était
- ay-teh — Was; third-person singular imperfect of être
- donc
- dohnk — So, therefore; conjunction indicating consequence
- était-
- ay-teh — Was; imperfect of être used in inversion
- m'
- m — Me; elided first-person object pronoun
- accrochais
- ah-kroh-sheh — Was clinging; imperfect of s'accrocher
- au
- oh — At the, to the; contraction of à + le
- sein
- san — Breast; also used figuratively as bosom
- pleurais
- pluh-reh — Was crying; imperfect of pleurer
- si
- see — If, so; conjunction or intensifying adverb
- faisais
- fuh-zeh — Was doing/making; imperfect of faire
- maintenant
- man-tuh-nahn — Now; adverb indicating the present moment
- une
- ün — A, one; feminine singular indefinite article
- nourriture
- noo-ree-tür — Food, nourishment; what one eats to sustain life
- convenable
- kohn-vuh-nabl — Suitable, appropriate; fitting for the circumstances
- à
- ah — At, to, in; very common French preposition
- âge
- ahzh — Age; the length of time one has lived
- on
- ohn — One, we, they; indefinite third-person pronoun
- aurait
- oh-reh — Would have; conditional of avoir
- bien
- byan — Well, good; adverb of manner or affirmation
- raison
- reh-zohn — Reason; also used in avoir raison (to be right)
- se
- suh — Oneself; reflexive pronoun for all third persons
- moquer
- moh-kay — To mock; se moquer de means to make fun of
- blâmer
- blah-may — To blame; to hold someone responsible for wrongdoing
- Ce
- suh — This, that, it; demonstrative pronoun
- alors
- ah-lor — Then, so; adverb of time or consequence
- méritait
- may-ree-teh — Deserved; imperfect of mériter
- blâme
- blahm — Blame; reproach or censure for a fault
- puisque
- pwees-kuh — Since, because; conjunction giving a known reason
- pouvais
- poo-veh — Could; imperfect of pouvoir
- comprendre
- kohm-prahn-dr — To understand; to grasp the meaning of something
- coutume
- koo-tüm — Custom, habit; established practice in a community
- défendaient
- day-fahn-deh — Forbade, defended; imperfect of défendre
- Car
- kar — Because, for; conjunction introducing an explanation
- ces
- say — These, those; plural demonstrative adjective
- habitudes
- ah-bee-tüd — Habits; regular behaviors or customs
- fois
- fwah — Time(s); used in counting occurrences
- adultes
- ah-dült — Adults; grown-up persons, plural of adulte
- nous
- noo — We, us; first-person plural pronoun
- rejetons
- ruh-zhuh-tohn — We reject/cast off; first-person plural of rejeter
- Or
- or — Now, but; conjunction introducing a new point
- rejette
- ruh-zhet — Rejects; third-person singular of rejeter
- bon
- bohn — Good; basic adjective indicating positive quality
- Ou
- oo — Or; coordinating conjunction presenting an alternative
- il
- eel — He, it; third-person masculine singular pronoun
- moment
- moh-mahn — Moment; a particular point or period in time
- pleurer
- pluh-ray — To cry, weep; to shed tears
- accordait
- ah-kor-deh — Granted; imperfect of accorder
- ferait
- fuh-reh — Would do/make; conditional of faire
- du
- dü — Some, of the; contraction of de + le
- mal
- mahl — Harm, pain, evil; something bad or hurtful
- s'
- s — Oneself; elided reflexive pronoun before vowel
- indigner
- an-dee-nyay — To indignate; to arouse or feel indignation
- des
- day — Some, of the; plural indefinite article or de+les
- personnes
- pehr-son — People, persons; individuals
- libres
- leebr — Free; not constrained or enslaved, plural of libre
- ses
- say — His, her, its; third-person plural possessive adjective
- propres
- propr — Own; emphasizes belonging; also means clean
- aînés
- ay-nay — Elders, older siblings; those born before oneself
- auteurs
- oh-tuhr — Authors; creators; here likely meaning parents
- mêmes
- mem — Same, themselves; emphatic or identity adjective
- sa
- sah — His, her, its; feminine singular possessive adjective
- naissance
- neh-sahns — Birth; the moment or fact of being born
- obéissent
- oh-bay-ees — Obey; third-person plural present of obéir
- beaucoup
- boh-koo — Many, much, a lot; common adverb of quantity
- d'
- d — Of, from; elided preposition de before a vowel
- autres
- ohtr — Others, other; referring to different people or things
- plus
- plü — More; used in comparisons or meaning no longer
- sages
- sahzh — Wise; having good judgment and experience, plural
- obéissaient
- oh-bay-ee-seh — Obeyed; imperfect of obéir (to obey)
- signe
- seen-yuh — Sign; a gesture or indication of something
- son
- sohn — His, her, its; masculine singular possessive adjective
- plaisir
- pleh-zeer — Pleasure; a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction
- faire
- fehr — To do, to make; one of the most common verbs
- mieux
- myuh — Better; comparative adverb or adjective
- frapper
- fra-pay — To hit, strike; to knock or beat someone
- blesser
- bleh-say — To wound, hurt; to injure physically or emotionally
- parce
- pars — Because; used in parce que (because)
- ordres
- ordr — Orders; commands given by an authority
- étaient
- ay-teh — Were; third-person plural imperfect of être
- obéis
- oh-bay-ee — Obeyed; past participle of obéir
- obéissance
- oh-bay-ee-sahns — Obedience; the act of following orders or rules
- nui
- nwee — Harmed; past participle of nuire (to harm)
- C'
- s — It; elided demonstrative pronoun ce before vowel
- faiblesse
- feh-bles — Weakness; lack of physical or moral strength
- membres
- mahmbr — Limbs, members; body parts or group members
- nourrisson
- noo-ree-sohn — Infant, nursing baby; a very young child
- non
- nohn — No, not; basic negative word
- volonté
- voh-lohn-tay — Will, willpower; one's desire or determination
- fait
- feh — Fact, deed; also past participle of faire
- innocence
- ee-noh-sahns — Innocence; state of being free from guilt or sin
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