The Great Gatsby — Page 10
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We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-coloured space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end.
Nous traversâmes un grand vestibule pour entrer dans une pièce lumineuse aux teintes rosées, rattachée avec fragilité à la maison par des portes-fenêtres à chaque extrémité.
The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house.
Les fenêtres étaient entrouvertes et d'un blanc éclatant sur fond de gazon frais à l'extérieur, qui semblait pousser un peu jusque dans la maison.
A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-coloured rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea.
Une brise traversait la pièce, faisant entrer les rideaux d'un côté et sortir de l'autre comme de pâles drapeaux, les enroulant vers le plafond en forme de pièce montée givrée, puis ondulant sur le tapis couleur bordeaux, y dessinant une ombre comme le vent en fait sur la mer.
The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon.
Le seul objet tout à fait immobile dans la pièce était un énorme canapé sur lequel deux jeunes femmes flottaient comme sur un ballon ancré.
They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.
Toutes deux étaient vêtues de blanc, et leurs robes ondulaient et voletaient comme si elles venaient d'être ramenées en soufflant après un court vol autour de la maison.
I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall.
Je dus rester quelques instants à écouter le claquement et le fouettement des rideaux et le grincement d'un tableau accroché au mur.
Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the caught wind died out about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor.
Puis il y eut un bruit sourd lorsque Tom Buchanan ferma les fenêtres du fond, et le vent capturé s'éteignit dans la pièce, et les rideaux, les tapis et les deux jeunes femmes retombèrent lentement vers le sol.
The younger of the two was a stranger to me.
La plus jeune des deux m'était inconnue.
Vocabulary
- Nous
- First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
- traversâmes
- Simple past of 'traverser': we crossed or went through.
- grand
- Adjective meaning large, big, or great.
- vestibule
- An entrance hall or lobby of a building.
- entrer
- Infinitive verb meaning to enter or go into.
- pièce
- A room inside a house or building.
- lumineuse
- Adjective meaning bright, luminous, or full of light.
- teintes
- Shades or tints of color, hues.
- rosées
- Adjective meaning rosy or pinkish in color.
- rattachée
- Past participle of 'rattacher': attached or connected to something.
- fragilité
- Noun meaning fragility or delicateness.
- maison
- Noun meaning house or home.
- portes
- Plural noun meaning doors or gates.
- fenêtres
- Plural noun meaning windows.
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'.
- extrémité
- Noun meaning end, extremity, or tip of something.
- entrouvertes
- Adjective meaning half-open or slightly ajar.
- blanc
- Adjective or noun meaning white color.
- éclatant
- Adjective meaning dazzling, brilliant, or gleaming.
- fond
- Noun meaning background, bottom, or depth.
- gazon
- Noun meaning lawn, grass, or turf.
- frais
- Adjective meaning fresh, cool, or new.
- extérieur
- Noun or adjective meaning outside or exterior.
- semblait
- Imperfect of 'sembler': seemed or appeared to be.
- pousser
- Infinitive verb meaning to grow, push, or sprout.
- peu
- Adverb meaning a little, slightly, or not much.
- jusque
- Preposition meaning 'as far as' or 'until'.
- brise
- Noun meaning a gentle breeze or light wind.
- traversait
- Imperfect of 'traverser': was crossing or passing through.
- faisant
- Present participle of 'faire': making or causing something.
- rideaux
- Plural noun meaning curtains or drapes.
- côté
- Noun meaning side, direction, or aspect.
- sortir
- Infinitive verb meaning to go out or exit.
- autre
- Adjective or pronoun meaning other or another.
- pâles
- Adjective meaning pale, faint, or lacking color.
- drapeaux
- Plural noun meaning flags or banners.
- enroulant
- Present participle of 'enrouler': rolling or coiling upward.
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around' a time.
- plafond
- Noun meaning ceiling of a room.
- forme
- Noun meaning shape, form, or appearance.
- montée
- Noun or adjective meaning rise, ascent, or going up.
- givrée
- Adjective meaning frosted, icy, or covered with frost.
- puis
- Adverb meaning 'then', 'next', or 'afterwards'.
- ondulant
- Present participle of 'onduler': undulating or rippling gently.
- tapis
- Noun meaning carpet, rug, or mat.
- couleur
- Noun meaning color or shade of something.
- bordeaux
- Adjective meaning deep red or burgundy color.
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'in it'.
- dessinant
- Present participle of 'dessiner': drawing or tracing a shape.
- ombre
- Noun meaning shadow or shade.
- vent
- Noun meaning wind or breeze.
- fait
- Past participle of 'faire': made or done.
- mer
- Noun meaning sea or ocean.
- seul
- Adjective meaning only, sole, or alone.
- objet
- Noun meaning object, item, or thing.
- tout
- Adjective or adverb meaning all, every, or entirely.
- immobile
- Adjective meaning motionless, still, or not moving.
- énorme
- Adjective meaning enormous, huge, or very large.
- canapé
- Noun meaning sofa or couch for sitting.
- lequel
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'on which'.
- jeunes
- Adjective meaning young or youthful.
- femmes
- Plural noun meaning women or wives.
- flottaient
- Imperfect of 'flotter': were floating or drifting lightly.
- ballon
- Noun meaning balloon or ball, something inflated.
- ancré
- Past participle of 'ancrer': anchored or firmly held down.
- Toutes
- Adjective meaning all (feminine plural).
- vêtues
- Past participle of 'vêtir': dressed or clothed (feminine plural).
- leurs
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their' (plural).
- robes
- Plural noun meaning dresses or gowns.
- ondulaient
- Imperfect of 'onduler': were rippling or undulating softly.
- voletaient
- Imperfect of 'voleter': were fluttering about lightly.
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'as if'.
- venaient
- Imperfect of 'venir': were coming or had just done.
- être
- Infinitive meaning 'to be'; fundamental auxiliary verb.
- ramenées
- Past participle of 'ramener': brought back or returned (feminine plural).
- soufflant
- Present participle of 'souffler': blowing or puffing air.
- après
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards'.
- court
- Adjective meaning short or brief in duration.
- vol
- Noun meaning flight or the act of flying.
- autour
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'around' or 'surrounding'.
- dus
- Simple past of 'devoir': had to (first person singular).
- rester
- Infinitive verb meaning to stay, remain, or keep still.
- quelques
- Adjective meaning a few or several.
- instants
- Plural noun meaning moments or brief periods of time.
- écouter
- Infinitive verb meaning to listen to something or someone.
- claquement
- Noun meaning a snapping, flapping, or banging sound.
- fouettement
- Noun meaning a whipping or lashing sound or motion.
- grincement
- Noun meaning a creaking, grinding, or squeaking noise.
- tableau
- Noun meaning painting, picture, or framed artwork.
- accroché
- Past participle of 'accrocher': hung or hooked onto a wall.
- mur
- Noun meaning wall of a room or building.
- Puis
- Adverb meaning 'then', 'next', or 'after that'.
- eut
- Simple past of 'avoir': there was (third person singular).
- bruit
- Noun meaning noise or sound.
- sourd
- Adjective meaning dull, muffled, or deaf.
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'at the moment that'.
- ferma
- Simple past of 'fermer': closed or shut (third person singular).
- capturé
- Past participle of 'capturer': captured or trapped inside.
- éteignit
- Simple past of 'éteindre': went out or was extinguished.
- retombèrent
- Simple past of 'retomber': fell back down again.
- lentement
- Adverb meaning slowly or gradually.
- sol
- Noun meaning floor, ground, or soil.
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or used to form superlatives.
- jeune
- Adjective meaning young or youthful.
- inconnue
- Adjective or noun meaning unknown or a stranger (feminine).
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