The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself — Page 1
_The author's account of his country, and their manners and customs--Administration of justice--Embrenche--Marriage ceremony, and public entertainments--Mode of living--Dress--Manufactures Buildings--Commerce--Agriculture--War and religion--Superstition of the natives--Funeral ceremonies of the priests or magicians--Curious mode of discovering poison--Some hints concerning the origin of the author's countrymen, with the opinions of different writers on that subject._
_Le récit de l'auteur sur son pays, et leurs mœurs et coutumes--Administration de la justice--Embrenche--Cérémonie du mariage, et divertissements publics--Mode de vie--Vêtements--Manufactures et bâtiments--Commerce--Agriculture--Guerre et religion--Superstition des indigènes--Cérémonies funèbres des prêtres ou magiciens--Curieuse méthode pour découvrir le poison--Quelques indications concernant l'origine des compatriotes de l'auteur, avec les opinions de différents écrivains sur ce sujet._
I believe it is difficult for those who publish their own memoirs to escape the imputation of vanity; nor is this the only disadvantage under which they labour: it is also their misfortune, that what is uncommon is rarely, if ever, believed, and what is obvious we are apt to turn from with disgust, and to charge the writer with impertinence.
Je crois qu'il est difficile pour ceux qui publient leurs propres mémoires d'échapper à l'accusation de vanité ; et ce n'est pas là le seul inconvénient auquel ils sont soumis : c'est aussi leur malheur que ce qui est peu commun est rarement, si tant est qu'il le soit jamais, cru, et que ce qui est évident nous porte à nous en détourner avec dégoût, et à accuser l'écrivain d'impertinence.
People generally think those memoirs only worthy to be read or remembered which abound in great or striking events, those, in short, which in a high degree excite either admiration or pity: all others they consign to contempt and oblivion.
Les gens pensent généralement que seuls méritent d'être lus ou retenus les mémoires qui abondent en événements grands ou frappants, ceux, en somme, qui suscitent à un haut degré l'admiration ou la pitié : tous les autres, ils les abandonnent au mépris et à l'oubli.
It is therefore, I confess, not a little hazardous in a private and obscure individual, and a stranger too, thus to solicit the indulgent attention of the public; especially when I own I offer here the history of neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant.
Il est donc, je l'avoue, quelque peu hasardeux pour un individu obscur et sans renom, et qui plus est étranger, de solliciter ainsi la bienveillante attention du public ; surtout lorsque je reconnais n'offrir ici l'histoire ni d'un saint, ni d'un héros, ni d'un tyran.
Vocabulary
- Le
- Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the'.
- récit
- A narrative or account of events.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
- l'
- Contracted definite article before a vowel sound.
- auteur
- A person who writes or creates a work.
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on' or 'about'.
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- pays
- A country or homeland.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- leurs
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their' (plural noun).
- mœurs
- Customs, morals, and social manners of a people.
- coutumes
- Traditional practices or habits of a community.
- Administration
- The management or governance of public affairs.
- la
- Definite feminine singular article meaning 'the'.
- justice
- The fair application of laws and moral principles.
- Cérémonie
- A formal event or ritual observed by a community.
- du
- Contracted article meaning 'of the' (masculine).
- mariage
- The formal union of two people as partners.
- divertissements
- Entertainments or amusements enjoyed by the public.
- publics
- Adjective meaning open or available to all people.
- Mode
- A manner, style, or way of doing something.
- vie
- Life or way of living.
- Vêtements
- Clothing or garments worn by people.
- Manufactures
- Goods produced by hand or industrial processes.
- bâtiments
- Buildings or structures used for various purposes.
- Commerce
- The buying and selling of goods and services.
- Agriculture
- The practice of farming crops and raising livestock.
- Guerre
- Armed conflict between nations or groups.
- religion
- A system of spiritual beliefs and worship practices.
- Superstition
- Irrational belief in supernatural causes and effects.
- des
- Plural indefinite article or contraction of 'de les'.
- indigènes
- Indigenous people native to a particular region.
- Cérémonies
- Plural of formal rituals or ceremonial events.
- funèbres
- Relating to funerals or mourning the dead.
- prêtres
- Priests or religious leaders who perform sacred rites.
- ou
- Conjunction meaning 'or'.
- magiciens
- Practitioners of magic or sorcery; wizards.
- Curieuse
- Adjective meaning curious, unusual, or intriguing.
- méthode
- A systematic procedure or way of doing something.
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'.
- découvrir
- To discover or uncover something previously unknown.
- le
- Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the'.
- poison
- A substance that causes harm or death when ingested.
- Quelques
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'.
- indications
- Signs or pieces of information pointing to something.
- concernant
- Preposition meaning 'concerning' or 'regarding'.
- origine
- The source or beginning from which something derives.
- compatriotes
- People who share the same country or homeland.
- avec
- Preposition meaning 'with'.
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
- opinions
- Personal views or judgments about a topic.
- différents
- Adjective meaning various or distinct from each other.
- écrivains
- Writers or authors who produce literary works.
- ce
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
- sujet
- A topic or subject under discussion.
- Je
- First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
- crois
- First-person singular of 'croire', meaning 'I believe'.
- qu'
- Contracted conjunction meaning 'that' before a vowel.
- il
- Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- est
- Third-person singular of 'être', meaning 'is'.
- difficile
- Adjective meaning hard or challenging to accomplish.
- ceux
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (masculine plural).
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.
- publient
- Third-person plural of 'publier', to publish writings.
- propres
- Adjective meaning own, clean, or particular to oneself.
- mémoires
- Written accounts of one's personal experiences and memories.
- d'
- Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel sound.
- échapper
- To escape from or avoid something unpleasant.
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
- accusation
- A charge or claim that someone has done wrong.
- vanité
- Excessive pride in oneself; conceit or vainglory.
- n'
- Contracted negation particle 'ne' before a vowel.
- pas
- Negation word used with 'ne' to mean 'not'.
- là
- Adverb meaning 'there' indicating a place or point.
- seul
- Adjective meaning alone, only, or sole.
- inconvénient
- A disadvantage or drawback causing difficulty.
- auquel
- Relative pronoun meaning 'to which' (masculine singular).
- ils
- Third-person masculine plural pronoun meaning 'they'.
- sont
- Third-person plural of 'être', meaning 'are'.
- soumis
- Subjected to or exposed to a particular condition.
- c'
- Contracted demonstrative pronoun 'ce' before a vowel.
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also' or 'too'.
- leur
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'their' or indirect pronoun 'them'.
- malheur
- Misfortune or unhappiness suffered by someone.
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'than'.
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little' or 'few', indicating small quantity.
- commun
- Adjective meaning common, ordinary, or widely shared.
- rarement
- Adverb meaning seldom or not very often.
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so'.
- tant
- Adverb meaning 'so much' or 'as much'.
- soit
- Subjunctive form of 'être', meaning 'be' or 'whether'.
- jamais
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' in context.
- cru
- Past participle of 'croire', meaning 'believed'.
- évident
- Adjective meaning obvious or clearly apparent.
- nous
- First-person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
- porte
- Leads or carries; third-person singular of 'porter'.
- en
- Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'on', or 'some'.
- détourner
- To divert, turn away, or avert from something.
- dégoût
- A strong feeling of disgust or repulsion.
- accuser
- To charge or blame someone for a wrongdoing.
- écrivain
- A writer or author of literary or other works.
- impertinence
- Rude or inappropriate behavior lacking proper respect.
- Les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
- gens
- People in general; folk or persons collectively.
- pensent
- Third-person plural of 'penser', meaning 'they think'.
- généralement
- Adverb meaning generally or as a rule.
- seuls
- Plural form of 'seul', meaning alone or only ones.
- méritent
- Third-person plural of 'mériter', meaning 'to deserve'.
- être
- Infinitive meaning 'to be'; fundamental auxiliary verb.
- lus
- Past participle of 'lire', meaning 'read' (plural).
- retenus
- Past participle of 'retenir', meaning retained or remembered.
- abondent
- Third-person plural of 'abonder', meaning to abound.
- événements
- Events or occurrences that happen at a particular time.
- grands
- Adjective meaning great, large, or important in scale.
- frappants
- Adjective meaning striking or remarkable in impression.
- somme
- Sum or total; can mean 'in short' as phrase.
- suscitent
- Third-person plural of 'susciter', to arouse or provoke.
- un
- Indefinite masculine article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- haut
- Adjective meaning high or great in degree.
- degré
- A degree or level of intensity or measure.
- admiration
- A feeling of wonder and approval for something impressive.
- pitié
- Compassion or sorrow felt for someone else's suffering.
- tous
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
- autres
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'.
- abandonnent
- Third-person plural of 'abandonner', to leave or forsake.
- au
- Contracted article meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
- mépris
- Contempt or scorn shown toward someone or something.
- oubli
- Forgetfulness or the state of being forgotten.
- Il
- Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- donc
- Conjunction meaning 'therefore' or 'so' in conclusion.
- je
- First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
- avoue
- First-person singular of 'avouer', meaning 'I admit'.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain' before a noun.
- hasardeux
- Adjective meaning risky, hazardous, or daring.
- individu
- A single person or individual human being.
- obscur
- Adjective meaning unknown, unclear, or not famous.
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'.
- renom
- Fame, reputation, or renown of a person.
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' with negation.
- étranger
- A foreigner or someone from another country.
- solliciter
- To seek or request something formally or earnestly.
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
- bienveillante
- Adjective meaning kind, benevolent, or well-meaning.
- attention
- Careful notice or concentration given to something.
- public
- The general population or community of people.
- surtout
- Adverb meaning 'above all' or 'especially'.
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' referring to a time or event.
- reconnais
- First-person singular of 'reconnaître', meaning 'I acknowledge'.
- offrir
- To offer or give something to someone.
- ici
- Adverb meaning 'here' referring to this place.
- histoire
- A story, history, or account of past events.
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither' in negation.
- saint
- A holy person recognized for exceptional virtue or piety.
- héros
- A brave or admired person celebrated for great deeds.
- tyran
- A cruel ruler who exercises power oppressively.
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