The Great Gatsby — Page 14
She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet.
C'était une fille svelte, à la poitrine menue, avec un port altier qu'elle accentuait en rejetant les épaules en arrière comme un jeune cadet.
Her grey sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face.
Ses yeux gris fatigués par le soleil me regardaient avec une curiosité réciproque et polie depuis un visage pâle, charmant et mécontent.
It occurred to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before.
Je réalisai à cet instant que je l'avais vue, elle ou une image d'elle, quelque part auparavant.
"You live in West Egg," she remarked contemptuously. "I know somebody there."
« Vous habitez à West Egg, » remarqua-t-elle avec mépris. « Je connais quelqu'un là-bas. »
"I don't know a single—"
« Je ne connais pas un seul — »
"You must know Gatsby."
« Vous devez connaître Gatsby. »
"Gatsby?" demanded Daisy. "What Gatsby?"
« Gatsby ? » demanda Daisy. « Quel Gatsby ? »
Before I could reply that he was my neighbour dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square.
Avant que j'aie pu répondre qu'il était mon voisin, le dîner fut annoncé ; glissant son bras tendu impérieusement sous le mien, Tom Buchanan m'entraîna hors de la pièce comme s'il déplaçait un pion sur un damier.
Slenderly, languidly, their hands set lightly on their hips, the two young women preceded us out on to a rosy-coloured porch, open toward the sunset, where four candles flickered on the table in the diminished wind.
Gracieusement, languissamment, les mains légèrement posées sur les hanches, les deux jeunes femmes nous précédèrent sur une véranda aux teintes rosées, ouverte vers le coucher du soleil, où quatre bougies vacillaient sur la table dans le vent apaisé.
"Why candles?" objected Daisy, frowning.
« Pourquoi des bougies ? » objecta Daisy en fronçant les sourcils.
She snapped them out with her fingers.
Elle les éteignit d'un coup de doigt.
"In two weeks it'll be the longest day in the year."
« Dans deux semaines, ce sera le jour le plus long de l'année. »
She looked at us all radiantly.
Elle nous regarda tous d'un air radieux.
"Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it."
« Est-ce que vous guettez toujours le jour le plus long de l'année pour ensuite le manquer ? Moi, je guette toujours le jour le plus long de l'année et je le manque à chaque fois. »
"We ought to plan something," yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed.
« Nous devrions prévoir quelque chose, » dit Miss Baker en bâillant, s'asseyant à table comme si elle se glissait dans un lit.
"All right," said Daisy.
« Très bien, » dit Daisy.
Vocabulary
- était
- Past tense of 'être'; was.
- fille
- A girl or young woman.
- svelte
- Slender and graceful in figure or outline.
- poitrine
- The chest or breast area of the body.
- menue
- Slender, small, or slight in build.
- port
- Bearing or carriage of the body; posture.
- altier
- Haughty or proud in bearing and manner.
- accentuait
- Was emphasizing or accentuating something noticeably.
- rejetant
- Throwing back or rejecting; pushing backward.
- épaules
- The shoulders of the human body.
- arrière
- Behind or backward; toward the back.
- cadet
- A younger son or military trainee in school.
- yeux
- The eyes; plural of œil.
- gris
- Gray in color.
- fatigués
- Tired or weary in appearance or feeling.
- soleil
- The sun; source of light and warmth.
- regardaient
- Were looking at or watching someone.
- curiosité
- Curiosity; desire to know or learn something.
- réciproque
- Mutual or reciprocal between two parties.
- polie
- Polite or courteous in manner or behavior.
- depuis
- Since or from a particular point in time.
- visage
- The face of a person.
- pâle
- Pale or light in color or complexion.
- charmant
- Charming or delightful in appearance or manner.
- mécontent
- Displeased or dissatisfied with a situation.
- réalisai
- Realized or became aware of something suddenly.
- instant
- A moment or instant in time.
- avais
- Past tense of avoir; had.
- vue
- Seen; past participle of voir.
- image
- An image or picture of something or someone.
- quelque
- Some or a certain unspecified thing or place.
- part
- Somewhere; used in expressions like quelque part.
- auparavant
- Previously or before a certain point in time.
- habitez
- Live or reside in a particular place.
- remarqua
- Remarked or noted something; past tense.
- mépris
- Contempt or scorn toward someone or something.
- connais
- Know a person or place; first person singular.
- quelqu'
- Contraction of quelqu'un; someone or somebody.
- bas
- Low or down; used in là-bas meaning over there.
- seul
- Alone or only; without others present.
- devez
- Must or have to; second person plural of devoir.
- connaître
- To know a person, place, or thing.
- demanda
- Asked a question; past tense of demander.
- Quel
- Interrogative adjective meaning which or what.
- Avant
- Before in time or position.
- aie
- Subjunctive form of avoir; have.
- pu
- Past participle of pouvoir; been able to.
- répondre
- To respond or answer a question or statement.
- voisin
- A neighbor living nearby.
- dîner
- Dinner; the main evening meal.
- fut
- Past tense of être; was (literary form).
- annoncé
- Announced or declared publicly or formally.
- glissant
- Sliding or slipping smoothly into a position.
- bras
- The arm of the human body.
- tendu
- Stretched out or extended; tense.
- impérieusement
- In a commanding or imperious manner.
- sous
- Preposition meaning under or beneath.
- mien
- Mine; possessive pronoun masculine singular.
- entraîna
- Led or dragged someone along forcefully.
- hors
- Outside or out of a place.
- pièce
- A room in a building or house.
- déplaçait
- Was moving or displacing from one place.
- pion
- A pawn in chess; a minor piece.
- damier
- A checkerboard or chessboard pattern surface.
- Gracieusement
- Gracefully or elegantly in movement or manner.
- languissamment
- Languidly or listlessly without much energy.
- mains
- Hands; plural of main.
- légèrement
- Lightly or slightly; not heavily or forcefully.
- posées
- Placed or rested gently on a surface.
- hanches
- The hips of the human body.
- femmes
- Women; plural of femme.
- précédèrent
- Preceded or went ahead of someone or something.
- véranda
- A veranda or covered porch attached to a house.
- teintes
- Tints or shades of color.
- rosées
- Rosy or pinkish in color or hue.
- ouverte
- Open; feminine past participle of ouvrir.
- vers
- Toward; in the direction of something.
- coucher
- Setting as in coucher du soleil; sunset.
- bougies
- Candles providing light by burning wax.
- vacillaient
- Were flickering or wavering unsteadily in breeze.
- vent
- Wind; moving air outdoors.
- apaisé
- Calmed or soothed; having become gentle.
- Pourquoi
- Why; used to ask for a reason.
- objecta
- Objected or raised an objection to something.
- fronçant
- Frowning or knitting the brows together.
- sourcils
- Eyebrows; plural of sourcil.
- éteignit
- Extinguished or turned off light; past tense.
- coup
- A blow or stroke; used in expressions.
- doigt
- A finger of the hand.
- semaines
- Weeks; plural of semaine.
- sera
- Future tense of être; will be.
- jour
- A day; a period of twenty-four hours.
- long
- Long in length or duration.
- année
- A year; a period of twelve months.
- regarda
- Looked at; past tense of regarder.
- tous
- All or everyone; masculine plural form.
- air
- An air or expression on one's face.
- radieux
- Radiant or beaming with happiness or light.
- guettez
- Watch or lie in wait for something eagerly.
- toujours
- Always or still; at all times.
- ensuite
- Then or afterwards; next in sequence.
- manquer
- To miss or fail to catch something.
- guette
- Watches or waits for something; first person singular.
- manque
- Miss or lack something; first person singular.
- chaque
- Each or every individual item or instance.
- fois
- Time as in an instance or occurrence.
- devrions
- Should or ought to; conditional of devoir.
- prévoir
- To plan ahead or foresee something in advance.
- chose
- A thing or object.
- dit
- Said; past tense of dire.
- bâillant
- Yawning; opening the mouth wide from tiredness.
- asseyant
- Sitting down; present participle of s'asseoir.
- glissait
- Was sliding or slipping smoothly into position.
- lit
- A bed for sleeping.
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