The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself — Page 5
Accordingly he determined to put her to death: but it being found, just before her execution, that she had an infant at her breast; and no woman being prevailed on to perform the part of a nurse, she was spared on account of the child.
En conséquence, il résolut de la mettre à mort : mais on ayant découvert, juste avant son exécution, qu'elle avait un nourrisson à la mamelle ; et aucune femme n'ayant pu être persuadée de remplir le rôle de nourrice, elle fut épargnée en raison de l'enfant.
The men, however, do not preserve the same constancy to their wives, which they expect from them; for they indulge in a plurality, though seldom in more than two.
Les hommes, cependant, ne gardent pas la même fidélité envers leurs épouses, qu'ils attendent de leur part ; car ils pratiquent la pluralité, bien que rarement avec plus de deux femmes.
Their mode of marriage is thus:--both parties are usually betrothed when young by their parents, (though I have known the males to betroth themselves).
Leur mode de mariage est le suivant : les deux parties sont généralement fiancées jeunes par leurs parents, (bien que j'aie connu des hommes se fiancer eux-mêmes).
On this occasion a feast is prepared, and the bride and bridegroom stand up in the midst of all their friends, who are assembled for the purpose, while he declares she is thenceforth to be looked upon as his wife, and that no other person is to pay any addresses to her.
À cette occasion, un festin est préparé, et la mariée et le marié se lèvent au milieu de tous leurs amis, qui sont rassemblés à cet effet, tandis qu'il déclare qu'elle doit désormais être considérée comme sa femme, et qu'aucune autre personne ne doit lui faire la cour.
This is also immediately proclaimed in the vicinity, on which the bride retires from the assembly.
Cela est également immédiatement proclamé dans le voisinage, après quoi la mariée se retire de l'assemblée.
Vocabulary
- conséquence
- Result or outcome of a previous action
- résolut
- Past tense of résoudre; decided or resolved to do
- mettre
- To put, place, or in context, to put to death
- mort
- Death; end of life
- ayant
- Present participle of avoir; having discovered something
- découvert
- Past participle of découvrir; found out or uncovered
- juste
- Just, right before; immediately prior to an event
- exécution
- Carrying out a death sentence; execution
- nourrisson
- A nursing infant or newborn baby
- mamelle
- Breast; organ used for nursing an infant
- aucune
- No, not any; negative determiner for feminine nouns
- persuadée
- Convinced or persuaded to do something
- remplir
- To fill or fulfill a role or function
- rôle
- Role or part played in a situation
- nourrice
- Wet nurse; woman who breastfeeds another's child
- fut
- Simple past of être; was, in a completed sense
- épargnée
- Spared; her life was saved from execution
- raison
- Reason; cause or justification for something
- cependant
- However; conjunction indicating contrast or concession
- gardent
- Keep or maintain; third-person plural present tense
- même
- Same; identical or equivalent to something else
- fidélité
- Fidelity or faithfulness in a relationship
- envers
- Toward or with respect to someone
- épouses
- Wives; plural of épouse, a married woman
- attendent
- Wait for or expect something from someone
- part
- Share or portion due to someone
- car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'
- pratiquent
- Practice or engage in a custom or habit
- pluralité
- Plurality; having more than one spouse
- rarement
- Rarely; not often occurring in practice
- mode
- Mode or manner; way of doing something
- mariage
- Marriage; the union of two people
- suivant
- Following; as described or explained next
- parties
- Parties; the people involved in an agreement
- généralement
- Generally; in most cases or usually
- fiancées
- Betrothed; formally engaged to be married
- aie
- Subjunctive of avoir; have, in a subordinate clause
- connu
- Past participle of connaître; known or met someone
- fiancer
- To become engaged to be married
- eux-mêmes
- Themselves; emphatic reflexive pronoun for 'them'
- occasion
- Occasion; a particular event or opportunity
- festin
- Feast; a large celebratory meal
- préparé
- Prepared; made ready in advance
- mariée
- Bride; a woman being married
- marié
- Groom; a man being married
- lèvent
- Rise or stand up; third-person plural present tense
- milieu
- Middle or center of a group
- rassemblés
- Gathered together for a common purpose
- effet
- Effect or purpose; reason for gathering
- tandis
- While; used in 'tandis que' meaning 'whereas'
- déclare
- Declares; announces publicly and formally
- doit
- Must or should; third-person singular of devoir
- désormais
- Henceforth; from this moment forward
- considérée
- Considered or regarded as something from now on
- cour
- Court; to woo or court a romantic partner
- Cela
- That; demonstrative pronoun referring to something stated
- également
- Also or equally; in the same manner
- immédiatement
- Immediately; without any delay
- proclamé
- Proclaimed; officially announced to a community
- voisinage
- Neighborhood; the surrounding local community
- quoi
- What; used in 'après quoi' meaning 'after which'
- retire
- Withdraws or leaves; steps away from a gathering
- assemblée
- Assembly or gathering of people
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