The King in Yellow — Page 4
In the following winter began that agitation for the repeal of the laws prohibiting suicide which bore its final fruit in the month of April, 1920, when the first Government Lethal Chamber was opened on Washington Square.
Dans l'hiver suivant commença cette agitation pour l'abrogation des lois interdisant le suicide, qui porta ses derniers fruits au mois d'avril 1920, lorsque la première Chambre Létale Gouvernementale fut ouverte sur Washington Square.
I had walked down that day from Dr. Archer's house on Madison Avenue, where I had been as a mere formality.
Ce jour-là, j'étais descendu à pied depuis la maison du Dr Archer sur Madison Avenue, où je m'étais rendu par simple formalité.
Ever since that fall from my horse, four years before, I had been troubled at times with pains in the back of my head and neck, but now for months they had been absent, and the doctor sent me away that day saying there was nothing more to be cured in me.
Depuis cette chute de cheval, quatre ans auparavant, j'avais parfois été tourmenté par des douleurs à l'arrière de la tête et dans le cou, mais depuis des mois elles avaient disparu, et le médecin me renvoya ce jour-là en disant qu'il n'y avait plus rien à guérir en moi.
It was hardly worth his fee to be told that; I knew it myself.
Cela valait à peine ses honoraires d'être informé de cela ; je le savais moi-même.
Still I did not grudge him the money.
Je ne lui en voulais pas pour autant de cet argent.
What I minded was the mistake which he made at first.
Ce qui me dérangeait, c'était l'erreur qu'il avait commise au début.
When they picked me up from the pavement where I lay unconscious, and somebody had mercifully sent a bullet through my horse's head, I was carried to Dr. Archer, and he, pronouncing my brain affected, placed me in his private asylum where I was obliged to endure treatment for insanity.
Lorsqu'on me ramassa sur le pavé où je gisais inconscient, et que quelqu'un avait miséricordieusement envoyé une balle dans la tête de mon cheval, on me transporta chez le Dr Archer, et celui-ci, déclarant que mon cerveau était atteint, me plaça dans son asile privé où je fus contraint de subir un traitement pour aliénation mentale.
At last he decided that I was well, and I, knowing that my mind had always been as sound as his, if not sounder, "paid my tuition" as he jokingly called it, and left.
Il décida enfin que j'étais guéri, et moi, sachant que mon esprit avait toujours été aussi sain que le sien, sinon plus sain, je « payai mes frais de scolarité » comme il les appelait en plaisantant, et je partis.
Vocabulary
- hiver
- The cold season of the year; winter
- suivant
- Coming immediately after; following or next
- commença
- Past tense of 'commencer'; began or started
- agitation
- Restless movement or public campaigning and unrest
- abrogation
- Formal repeal or abolition of a law
- lois
- Plural of 'loi'; laws or legal statutes
- interdisant
- Present participle of 'interdire'; prohibiting or banning
- suicide
- Act of intentionally ending one's own life
- porta
- Past tense of 'porter'; carried or bore results
- derniers
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final' (masculine plural)
- fruits
- Results or outcomes; also literal fruits
- mois
- A calendar month of the year
- avril
- The fourth month of the year; April
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' at a specific moment
- première
- Feminine adjective meaning 'first' in order
- Chambre
- Room or chamber; here a governmental institution
- Létale
- Adjective meaning 'lethal' or 'fatal'
- Gouvernementale
- Adjective meaning 'governmental' or relating to government
- fut
- Simple past of 'être'; was (third person singular)
- ouverte
- Feminine past participle of 'ouvrir'; opened
- Square
- Open public plaza or square in a city
- jour
- A day; a 24-hour period
- étais
- Imperfect tense of 'être'; was (first person)
- descendu
- Past participle of 'descendre'; gone down or walked down
- pied
- Foot; 'à pied' means on foot or walking
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since'
- maison
- A house or home dwelling
- Avenue
- A wide street or boulevard in a city
- rendu
- Past participle of 'rendre'; gone to or rendered
- simple
- Adjective meaning basic, plain, or mere
- formalité
- A routine formality or procedural requirement
- Depuis
- Preposition or conjunction meaning 'since' or 'for'
- chute
- A fall or tumble from a height
- cheval
- A horse; an equine animal
- quatre
- The number four
- ans
- Years; plural of 'an' referring to age or time
- auparavant
- Adverb meaning 'before' or 'previously' in time
- avais
- Imperfect of 'avoir'; had (first person singular)
- parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'
- été
- Past participle of 'être'; been; also summer
- tourmenté
- Past participle meaning tormented or plagued by something
- douleurs
- Plural of 'douleur'; pains or aches
- arrière
- Back or rear part of something
- tête
- The head, top part of the human body
- cou
- The neck connecting head to body
- avaient
- Imperfect of 'avoir'; had (third person plural)
- disparu
- Past participle of 'disparaître'; disappeared or vanished
- médecin
- A medical doctor or physician
- renvoya
- Past tense of 'renvoyer'; sent away or dismissed
- disant
- Present participle of 'dire'; saying
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'it'
- avait
- Imperfect of 'avoir'; there was or had
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or in negation 'no longer'
- rien
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'anything'
- guérir
- To cure, heal, or recover from illness
- Cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it'
- valait
- Imperfect of 'valoir'; was worth or merited
- peine
- Effort or trouble; worth the bother
- honoraires
- Professional fees paid to a doctor or consultant
- être
- Infinitive 'to be'; fundamental linking verb
- informé
- Past participle meaning informed or notified of something
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' referring to something
- savais
- Imperfect of 'savoir'; knew (first person singular)
- même
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'even', 'same', or 'itself'
- lui
- Third person singular indirect pronoun; him or her
- voulais
- Imperfect of 'vouloir'; wanted (first person singular)
- autant
- Adverb meaning 'as much' or 'so much'
- argent
- Money; also the metal silver
- dérangeait
- Imperfect of 'déranger'; was bothering or disturbing
- était
- Imperfect of 'être'; was (third person singular)
- erreur
- A mistake or error in judgment or action
- commise
- Feminine past participle of 'commettre'; committed (an error)
- début
- The beginning or start of something
- Lorsqu'
- Conjunction 'lorsque' contracted; when at a specific moment
- ramassa
- Past tense of 'ramasser'; picked up off the ground
- pavé
- Cobblestone or paved surface; a paving stone
- gisais
- Imperfect of 'gésir'; lay prostrate or unconscious
- inconscient
- Adjective meaning unconscious or unaware
- quelqu'
- Contracted 'quelque'; someone or somebody indefinite
- miséricordieusement
- Adverb meaning mercifully or with compassion
- envoyé
- Past participle of 'envoyer'; sent or dispatched
- balle
- A bullet or a ball depending on context
- transporta
- Past tense of 'transporter'; carried or transported someone
- chez
- Preposition meaning 'at the home of' someone
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this one' or 'that one'
- ci
- Used with demonstratives; 'celui-ci' means 'this one'
- déclarant
- Present participle of 'déclarer'; declaring or stating
- cerveau
- The brain or intellect of a person
- atteint
- Past participle of 'atteindre'; affected or damaged
- plaça
- Past tense of 'placer'; placed or put someone somewhere
- asile
- An asylum, refuge, or psychiatric institution
- privé
- Adjective meaning private or privately owned
- fus
- Simple past of 'être'; was (first person singular)
- contraint
- Past participle of 'contraindre'; forced or compelled to
- subir
- To undergo or endure something unpleasant
- traitement
- Treatment or therapy for a medical condition
- aliénation
- Mental alienation; estrangement or psychiatric disorder
- mentale
- Feminine adjective meaning mental or psychological
- décida
- Past tense of 'décider'; decided or concluded
- enfin
- Adverb meaning 'finally' or 'at last'
- guéri
- Past participle of 'guérir'; healed or cured
- sachant
- Present participle of 'savoir'; knowing full well
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, or intellect of a person
- toujours
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'as'
- sain
- Adjective meaning healthy, sound, or sane
- sien
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'his own' or 'hers'
- sinon
- Conjunction meaning 'if not' or 'otherwise'
- payai
- Simple past of 'payer'; paid (first person singular)
- frais
- Costs, expenses, or fees; also fresh (adjective)
- scolarité
- Schooling or tuition fees for education
- comme
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as', 'like', or 'how'
- appelait
- Imperfect of 'appeler'; was calling or naming something
- plaisantant
- Present participle of 'plaisanter'; joking or kidding
- partis
- Past participle of 'partir'; left or departed
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