The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 11
Myself have seen and known even a baby envious; it could not speak, yet it turned pale and looked bitterly on its foster-brother.
J'ai moi-même vu et connu un enfant en bas âge jaloux ; il ne pouvait pas parler, et pourtant il pâlissait et regardait son frère de lait avec amertume.
Who knows not this?
Qui ne connaît pas cela ?
Mothers and nurses tell you that they allay these things by I know not what remedies.
Les mères et les nourrices vous disent qu'elles apaisent ces choses par je ne sais quels remèdes.
Is that too innocence, when the fountain of milk is flowing in rich abundance, not to endure one to share it, though in extremest need, and whose very life as yet depends thereon?
Est-ce là aussi de l'innocence, lorsque la source de lait coule en riche abondance, de ne pas supporter qu'on la partage, même dans le besoin le plus extrême, et dont la vie même dépend encore ?
We bear gently with all this, not as being no or slight evils, but because they will disappear as years increase; for, though tolerated now, the very same tempers are utterly intolerable when found in riper years.
Nous supportons tout cela avec indulgence, non pas comme s'il s'agissait de maux inexistants ou légers, mais parce qu'ils disparaîtront avec les années ; car, bien que tolérés maintenant, ces mêmes caractères sont absolument intolérables lorsqu'on les trouve à un âge plus mûr.
Thou, then, O Lord my God, who gavest life to this my infancy, furnishing thus with senses (as we see) the frame Thou gavest, compacting its limbs, ornamenting its proportions, and, for its general good and safety, implanting in it all vital functions, Thou commandest me to praise Thee in these things, to confess unto Thee, and sing unto Thy name, Thou most Highest.
Toi donc, ô Seigneur mon Dieu, qui as donné la vie à cette mon enfance, dotant ainsi de sens (comme nous le voyons) la forme que Tu as donnée, consolidant ses membres, ornant ses proportions, et, pour son bien général et sa sécurité, y implantant toutes les fonctions vitales, Tu m'ordonnes de Te louer en ces choses, de Te confesser, et de chanter à Ton nom, Toi le Très-Haut.
For Thou art God, Almighty and Good, even hadst Thou done nought but only this, which none could do but Thou: whose Unity is the mould of all things; who out of Thy own fairness makest all things fair; and orderest all things by Thy law.
Car Tu es Dieu, Tout-Puissant et Bon, même si Tu n'avais fait que cela seul, ce que nul ne pouvait faire sinon Toi : dont l'Unité est le moule de toutes choses ; qui, de Ta propre beauté, rends toutes choses belles ; et ordonnes toutes choses par Ta loi.
Vocabulary
- moi
- mwah — Emphatic first person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'
- même
- mehm — Same, even, or itself; used for emphasis
- vu
- vew — Past participle of 'voir'; seen or witnessed
- connu
- koh-new — Past participle of 'connaître'; known or experienced
- enfant
- ahn-fahn — A young child or infant
- bas
- bah — Low, bottom, or young (as in young age)
- âge
- ahzh — Age or period of life
- jaloux
- zhah-loo — Feeling jealousy or envy toward another
- pouvait
- poo-vay — Imperfect tense of 'pouvoir'; was able to
- parler
- par-lay — To speak or talk
- pourtant
- poor-tahn — Nevertheless or yet, expressing contrast
- pâlissait
- pah-lee-say — Imperfect tense of 'pâlir'; was turning pale
- regardait
- ruh-gar-day — Imperfect of 'regarder'; was looking at something
- frère
- frehr — A male sibling; brother
- lait
- lay — Milk; liquid produced by mammals for feeding young
- amertume
- ah-mer-tewm — Bitterness of feeling, resentment, or disappointment
- connaît
- koh-nay — Third person singular of 'connaître'; knows or recognizes
- cela
- suh-lah — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this'
- mères
- mehr — Plural of 'mère'; mothers
- nourrices
- noo-rees — Wet nurses who breastfeed another's child
- disent
- deez — Third person plural of 'dire'; they say or tell
- apaisent
- ah-pez — Third plural of 'apaiser'; they calm or soothe
- choses
- shohz — Plural of 'chose'; things or matters
- sais
- say — First person singular of 'savoir'; I know
- quels
- kel — Interrogative adjective meaning 'which' or 'what'
- remèdes
- ruh-med — Plural of 'remède'; remedies or cures
- aussi
- oh-see — Adverb meaning 'also,' 'too,' or 'as well'
- innocence
- ee-no-sahns — State of being pure, guileless, or without wrongdoing
- lorsque
- lor-skuh — Conjunction meaning 'when' at a specific moment
- source
- soors — A spring or origin of water; a source
- coule
- kool — Third singular of 'couler'; flows or runs
- riche
- reesh — Rich, abundant, or wealthy in resources
- abondance
- ah-bohn-dahns — Abundance; a very plentiful or ample amount
- supporter
- sew-por-tay — To endure, bear, or tolerate something difficult
- partage
- par-tahzh — Sharing or division of something among people
- besoin
- buh-zwahn — A need, necessity, or lack of something
- extrême
- eks-trem — Extreme; at the furthest limit or degree
- dont
- dohn — Relative pronoun meaning 'whose,' 'of which,' or 'from which'
- vie
- vee — Life; existence of a living being
- dépend
- day-pahn — Third singular of 'dépendre'; depends on something
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still, yet, or again; continuing state or action
- supportons
- sew-por-tohn — First plural of 'supporter'; we endure or tolerate
- tout
- too — Everything or all; used as adjective or pronoun
- indulgence
- an-dewl-zhahns — Leniency or tolerance toward faults and shortcomings
- agissait
- ah-zhee-say — Imperfect of 's'agir'; it was about or concerned
- maux
- moh — Plural of 'mal'; evils, ills, or pains
- inexistants
- in-eg-zis-tahn — Nonexistent; things that do not or barely exist
- légers
- lay-zhay — Plural of 'léger'; light, minor, or trivial
- disparaîtront
- dis-pa-reh-trohn — Future tense of 'disparaître'; they will disappear
- années
- ah-nay — Plural of 'année'; years or periods of twelve months
- car
- kar — Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for' explaining reason
- bien
- byahn — Well or good; also used for emphasis meaning 'although'
- tolérés
- toh-lay-ray — Past participle of 'tolérer'; tolerated or permitted
- maintenant
- mant-nahn — Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at the present time'
- mêmes
- mehm — Plural of 'même'; same ones, used for emphasis
- caractères
- ka-rak-tehr — Plural of 'caractère'; characters, traits, or qualities
- absolument
- ab-so-lew-mahn — Absolutely; completely and without any doubt
- intolérables
- an-toh-lay-rahbl — Intolerable; impossible to endure or put up with
- lorsqu'
- lor-skuh — Contraction of 'lorsque'; when, before a vowel
- trouve
- troov — Third singular of 'trouver'; finds or considers something
- mûr
- mewr — Mature or ripe; having reached full development
- Toi
- twah — Emphatic second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'
- donc
- dohnk — Conjunction meaning 'therefore,' 'so,' or 'thus'
- ô
- oh — Interjection 'O' used in solemn or poetic address
- Seigneur
- sen-yur — Lord; a title of divine or noble authority
- Dieu
- dyuh — God; the supreme divine being
- donné
- doh-nay — Past participle of 'donner'; given or granted
- dotant
- doh-tahn — Present participle of 'doter'; endowing or equipping with
- ainsi
- an-see — Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
- sens
- sahns — Senses; the faculties of perception and feeling
- voyons
- vwah-yohn — First plural of 'voir'; we see or observe
- forme
- form — Form, shape, or physical structure of something
- donnée
- doh-nay — Feminine past participle of 'donner'; given or provided
- consolidant
- kohn-soh-lee-dahn — Present participle of 'consolider'; strengthening or consolidating
- membres
- mahm-bruh — Plural of 'membre'; limbs or members of a body
- ornant
- or-nahn — Present participle of 'orner'; adorning or decorating
- proportions
- pro-por-syohn — Plural of 'proportion'; ratios of size or balance
- général
- zhay-nay-ral — General; relating to the whole rather than specifics
- sécurité
- say-kew-ree-tay — Safety or security; freedom from danger or risk
- y
- ee — Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'in it'
- implantant
- am-plan-tahn — Present participle of 'implanter'; implanting or instilling within
- fonctions
- fohnk-syohn — Plural of 'fonction'; functions or roles performed
- vitales
- vee-tal — Feminine plural of 'vital'; vital or essential to life
- ordonnes
- or-don — Second singular of 'ordonner'; you command or order
- louer
- loo-ay — To praise or glorify; to extol someone's qualities
- confesser
- kohn-feh-say — To confess or acknowledge one's sins or beliefs
- chanter
- shahn-tay — To sing; to produce musical sounds with voice
- nom
- nohn — Name; a word used to identify a person or thing
- Haut
- oh — High; elevated in position, rank, or dignity
- Car
- kar — Conjunction meaning 'for' or 'because' giving reason
- Puissant
- pwee-sahn — Powerful or mighty; having great power or authority
- Bon
- bohn — Good; morally excellent or kind in nature
- avais
- ah-vay — First or second person imperfect of 'avoir'; had
- fait
- fay — Past participle of 'faire'; done or made something
- seul
- suhl — Alone, only, or sole; without others present
- nul
- newl — No one, none, or null; indicating nothing exists
- faire
- fehr — To do or make; fundamental action verb in French
- sinon
- see-nohn — Otherwise, if not, or except; expressing condition
- Unité
- ew-nee-tay — Unity; the state of being one or undivided
- moule
- mool — Mold or template shaping something into a form
- propre
- propr — Own; belonging to oneself, or clean and proper
- beauté
- boh-tay — Beauty; the quality of being attractive or pleasing
- rends
- rahn — Second singular of 'rendre'; you make or render
- belles
- bel — Feminine plural of 'beau/belle'; beautiful or lovely
- loi
- lwah — Law; a rule or system of rules enforced collectively
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