The Expedition of Humphry Clinker — Page 1
The pills are good for nothing--I might as well swallow snowballs to cool my reins--I have told you over and over how hard I am to move; and at this time of day, I ought to know something of my own constitution.
Les pilules ne servent à rien -- j'aurais tout aussi bien pu avaler des boules de neige pour rafraîchir mes reins -- je vous ai dit maintes et maintes fois combien il m'est difficile de me laisser affecter ; et à l'heure qu'il est, je devrais savoir quelque chose de ma propre constitution.
Why will you be so positive?
Pourquoi voulez-vous être si affirmatif ?
Prithee send me another prescription--I am as lame and as much tortured in all my limbs as if I was broke upon the wheel: indeed, I am equally distressed in mind and body--As if I had not plagues enough of my own, those children of my sister are left me for a perpetual source of vexation--what business have people to get children to plague their neighbours?
Je vous en prie, envoyez-moi une autre ordonnance -- je suis aussi impotent et aussi torturé dans tous mes membres que si l'on m'avait rompu sur la roue : en vérité, je suis également accablé dans l'esprit et dans le corps -- Comme si je n'avais pas assez de mes propres tourments, les enfants de ma sœur me sont laissés comme une source perpétuelle de vexation -- qu'ont donc les gens à faire des enfants pour tourmenter leurs voisins ?
A ridiculous incident that happened yesterday to my niece Liddy, has disordered me in such a manner, that I expect to be laid up with another fit of the gout--perhaps, I may explain myself in my next.
Un incident ridicule qui est arrivé hier à ma nièce Liddy m'a tellement perturbé que je m'attends à être cloué au lit par une nouvelle crise de goutte -- peut-être m'expliquerai-je dans ma prochaine lettre.
I shall set out tomorrow morning for the Hot Well at Bristol, where I am afraid I shall stay longer than I could wish.
Je partirai demain matin pour le Hot Well à Bristol, où je crains de devoir rester plus longtemps que je ne le souhaiterais.
On the receipt of this send Williams thither with my saddle-horse and the demi pique.
À la réception de ceci, envoyez Williams là-bas avec mon cheval de selle et la demi-pique.
Tell Barns to thresh out the two old ricks, and send the corn to market, and sell it off to the poor at a shilling a bushel under market price.
Dites à Barns de battre les deux vieilles meules, d'envoyer le grain au marché, et de le vendre aux pauvres à un shilling le boisseau en dessous du prix du marché.
I have received a snivelling letter from Griffin, offering to make a public submission and pay costs.
J'ai reçu une lettre larmoyante de Griffin, offrant de faire une soumission publique et de payer les frais.
Vocabulary
- pilules
- Small medicinal tablets taken orally
- servent
- Third person plural of servir: to serve, be useful
- rien
- Nothing; used in negative constructions
- aurais
- Conditional form of avoir: would have
- tout
- All, everything, or completely
- aussi
- Also, too, or just as (comparative)
- bien
- Well; used to indicate good quality or manner
- pu
- Past participle of pouvoir: been able to
- avaler
- To swallow something down the throat
- boules
- Balls or round-shaped objects
- neige
- Snow; frozen precipitation falling from clouds
- rafraîchir
- To cool down or refresh something
- reins
- Kidneys; also refers to the lower back
- dit
- Past participle of dire: said, told
- maintes
- Many; used in maintes fois meaning many times
- fois
- Time(s); occurrence or instance
- combien
- How much or how many
- difficile
- Difficult, hard, or challenging
- laisser
- To let, allow, or leave something
- affecter
- To affect or have an impact on someone
- heure
- Hour; a unit of time equal to sixty minutes
- devrais
- Conditional of devoir: should, ought to
- savoir
- To know a fact or how to do something
- quelque
- Some, a few, or a certain amount
- chose
- Thing; a general object or matter
- propre
- Own (before noun); clean or tidy (after noun)
- constitution
- One's physical makeup, health, or bodily condition
- Pourquoi
- Why; used to ask for a reason
- voulez-
- Second person plural of vouloir: do you want
- être
- To be; fundamental linking or auxiliary verb
- si
- So, such; also means if in conditionals
- affirmatif
- Affirmative; expressing positive or certain assertion
- prie
- Beg, pray; je vous en prie means please
- envoyez-
- Imperative of envoyer: send (formal command)
- autre
- Other, another; indicating a different one
- ordonnance
- Medical prescription written by a doctor
- impotent
- Helpless, incapacitated, unable to move freely
- torturé
- Tortured; suffering extreme physical or mental pain
- tous
- All; masculine plural form of tout
- membres
- Limbs of the body; also members of a group
- avait
- Third person singular imperfect of avoir: had
- rompu
- Broken; past participle of rompre
- roue
- Wheel; circular rotating object or torture device
- vérité
- Truth; the quality of being true or accurate
- également
- Equally, also, likewise in the same manner
- accablé
- Overwhelmed or weighed down by burden or grief
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, or wit
- corps
- Body; the physical form of a person
- Comme
- As, like, since; used for comparison or cause
- avais
- First/second person imperfect of avoir: had
- assez
- Enough, sufficiently, or quite
- propres
- Own (plural); also clean or proper
- tourments
- Torments; sources of suffering or anguish
- enfants
- Children; young boys and girls
- sœur
- Sister; female sibling
- laissés
- Left; past participle of laisser (plural masculine)
- comme
- As, like; used for comparison or manner
- source
- Source; origin or cause of something
- perpétuelle
- Perpetual, constant, never-ending
- vexation
- Annoyance, irritation, or feeling of being harassed
- donc
- Therefore, so, then; logical consequence marker
- gens
- People; persons in general
- faire
- To do or to make something
- tourmenter
- To torment or cause prolonged suffering to someone
- leurs
- Their; possessive adjective plural form
- voisins
- Neighbors; people living nearby
- incident
- An event or occurrence, often unexpected
- ridicule
- Ridiculous, absurd, or deserving of mockery
- arrivé
- Arrived; past participle of arriver: to happen, arrive
- hier
- Yesterday; the day before today
- nièce
- Niece; daughter of one's sibling
- tellement
- So much, so very; to such a degree
- perturbé
- Disturbed, upset, or unsettled
- attends
- I wait; also I expect (from attendre)
- cloué
- Nailed down; confined or stuck in place
- lit
- Bed; furniture for sleeping
- nouvelle
- New (feminine); also a short story or piece of news
- crise
- Crisis, attack, or sudden episode of illness
- goutte
- Gout; painful joint disease; also means drop
- expliquerai-
- Future of expliquer: will explain (in inversion)
- prochaine
- Next (feminine); the one coming after this
- lettre
- Letter; written correspondence sent to someone
- partirai
- Future of partir: I will leave or depart
- demain
- Tomorrow; the day after today
- matin
- Morning; the early part of the day
- où
- Where; relative or interrogative adverb of place
- crains
- I fear; first person of craindre: to fear
- devoir
- To have to, must; also duty or homework
- rester
- To stay, remain, or keep in a place
- plus
- More; also no more in negative constructions
- longtemps
- A long time; for an extended duration
- souhaiterais
- Conditional of souhaiter: I would wish or hope
- réception
- Reception; receipt or receiving of something
- ceci
- This; demonstrative pronoun for something nearby
- envoyez
- Imperative of envoyer: send (formal or plural)
- bas
- Down, low; là-bas means over there or down there
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- cheval
- Horse; large domesticated riding or working animal
- selle
- Saddle; seat placed on a horse for riding
- demi-
- Half; prefix meaning partial or semi
- pique
- Pike; a long spear or pointed weapon
- Dites
- Imperative of dire: tell, say (formal or plural)
- battre
- To beat, strike, or thresh
- deux
- Two; the number 2
- vieilles
- Old (feminine plural); aged or worn out
- meules
- Millstones; large stones used to grind grain
- envoyer
- To send something or someone somewhere
- grain
- Grain; cereal crops like wheat or barley
- marché
- Market; a place where goods are bought and sold
- vendre
- To sell goods or items
- pauvres
- The poor; people lacking money or resources
- boisseau
- Bushel; a unit of dry measure for grain
- dessous
- Below, beneath, under; indicating lower position
- prix
- Price; the cost or value of something
- reçu
- Received; past participle of recevoir
- larmoyante
- Tearful, weeping, or whining in manner
- offrant
- Offering; present participle of offrir: to offer
- soumission
- Submission; act of yielding or surrendering to authority
- publique
- Public; open to or involving the general community
- payer
- To pay money owed for goods or services
- frais
- Costs, expenses; also fresh or cool
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