The King in Yellow — Page 4
If Hawberk knew how I loathe that word "lunatic," he would never use it in my presence.
Si Hawberk savait à quel point je déteste ce mot « fou », il ne l'emploierait jamais en ma présence.
It rouses certain feelings within me which I do not care to explain.
Il éveille en moi certains sentiments que je ne tiens pas à expliquer.
However, I answered him quietly: "I think I shall drop in and see Mr. Wilde for a moment or two."
Cependant, je lui répondis tranquillement : « Je crois que je vais passer voir M. Wilde un moment ou deux. »
"Poor fellow," said Constance, with a shake of the head, "it must be hard to live alone year after year poor, crippled and almost demented.
« Pauvre homme, » dit Constance en secouant la tête, « cela doit être dur de vivre seul année après année, pauvre, infirme et presque fou.
It is very good of you, Mr. Castaigne, to visit him as often as you do."
C'est très gentil de votre part, M. Castaigne, de lui rendre visite aussi souvent que vous le faites. »
"I think he is vicious," observed Hawberk, beginning again with his hammer.
« Je pense qu'il est vicieux, » observa Hawberk, reprenant son marteau.
I listened to the golden tinkle on the greave plates; when he had finished I replied:
J'écoutai le tintement doré sur les plaques de jambières ; quand il eut terminé, je répondis :
"No, he is not vicious, nor is he in the least demented.
« Non, il n'est pas vicieux, et il n'est pas le moins du monde fou.
His mind is a wonder chamber, from which he can extract treasures that you and I would give years of our lives to acquire."
Son esprit est une chambre des merveilles, d'où il peut extraire des trésors pour lesquels vous et moi donnerions des années de notre vie. »
Hawberk laughed.
Hawberk rit.
I continued a little impatiently: "He knows history as no one else could know it.
Je continuai avec un peu d'impatience : « Il connaît l'histoire comme nul autre ne pourrait la connaître.
Nothing, however trivial, escapes his search, and his memory is so absolute, so precise in details, that were it known in New York that such a man existed, the people could not honour him enough."
Rien, si insignifiant soit-il, n'échappe à ses recherches, et sa mémoire est si absolue, si précise dans les détails, que si l'on savait à New York qu'un tel homme existait, les gens ne pourraient jamais lui rendre suffisamment hommage. »
"Nonsense," muttered Hawberk, searching on the floor for a fallen rivet.
« Sottises, » marmonna Hawberk en cherchant par terre un rivet tombé.
Vocabulary
- Si
- si — If; introduces a conditional clause
- savait
- savɛ — Knew; third person singular past imperfect of savoir
- à
- a — To, at, in; common preposition indicating location or direction
- quel
- kɛl — What, which; interrogative or exclamatory adjective
- point
- pwɛ̃ — Point, degree; extent or level of something
- je
- ʒə — I; first person singular subject pronoun
- déteste
- detɛst — Hate, detest; strongly dislike something or someone
- ce
- sə — This, that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- mot
- mo — Word; unit of language with meaning
- fou
- fu — Mad, crazy; describing someone mentally unstable
- il
- il — He, it; third person singular masculine subject pronoun
- ne
- nə — Not; negative particle used with pas or jamais
- l'
- l — Him, her, it; elided form of le or la
- emploierait
- ɑ̃plwaʁɛ — Would use; conditional form of employer
- jamais
- ʒamɛ — Never; at no time, not ever
- en
- ɑ̃ — In, on; preposition indicating location or manner
- ma
- ma — My; first person singular feminine possessive adjective
- présence
- pʁezɑ̃s — Presence; the state of being in a place
- Il
- il — He, it; third person singular masculine subject pronoun
- éveille
- evɛj — Awakens, stirs up; arouses feelings or thoughts
- moi
- mwa — Me, I; stressed first person singular pronoun
- certains
- sɛʁtɛ̃ — Certain, some; referring to particular unspecified things
- sentiments
- sɑ̃timɑ̃ — Feelings, sentiments; emotional states or reactions
- que
- kə — That, which, whom; subordinating conjunction or pronoun
- tiens
- tjɛ̃ — Hold; first person present of tenir, also used idiomatically
- pas
- pa — Not; negative particle used with ne
- expliquer
- ɛksplike — To explain; to make something clear or understandable
- Cependant
- səpɑ̃dɑ̃ — However, nevertheless; expresses contrast or concession
- lui
- lɥi — Him, to him; third person singular indirect pronoun
- répondis
- ʁepɔ̃di — Replied; first person singular simple past of répondre
- tranquillement
- tʁɑ̃kilmɑ̃ — Calmly, quietly; in a peaceful or undisturbed manner
- Je
- ʒə — I; first person singular subject pronoun
- crois
- kʁwa — Believe, think; first person present of croire
- vais
- vɛ — Am going; first person present of aller
- passer
- pase — To pass, to go; movement or transition through a place
- voir
- vwaʁ — To see; to visit or observe someone or something
- M.
- məsjø — Mr.; abbreviated title for a man
- un
- œ̃ — A, one; indefinite article or numeral
- moment
- momɑ̃ — Moment; a short period of time
- ou
- u — Or; conjunction presenting an alternative
- deux
- dø — Two; the number 2
- Pauvre
- povʁ — Poor; unfortunate or lacking resources
- homme
- ɔm — Man; adult male human being
- dit
- di — Said; third person singular simple past of dire
- secouant
- səkwɑ̃ — Shaking; present participle of secouer
- la
- la — The, her; definite feminine article or direct object pronoun
- tête
- tɛt — Head; the uppermost part of the human body
- cela
- səla — That, it; demonstrative pronoun referring to something
- doit
- dwa — Must, has to; third person singular present of devoir
- être
- ɛtʁ — To be; fundamental linking or auxiliary verb
- dur
- dyʁ — Hard, difficult; challenging or tough
- de
- də — Of, from; very common French preposition
- vivre
- vivʁ — To live; to be alive or reside somewhere
- seul
- sœl — Alone, only; without company or uniquely
- année
- ane — Year; a period of twelve months
- après
- apʁɛ — After; following in time or order
- infirme
- ɛ̃fiʁm — Disabled, infirm; physically weak or impaired
- presque
- pʁɛsk — Almost, nearly; very close to but not quite
- C'
- s — It; elided form of ce before est
- est
- ɛ — Is; third person singular present of être
- très
- tʁɛ — Very; intensifying adverb
- gentil
- ʒɑ̃ti — Kind, nice; pleasant or considerate in behavior
- votre
- vɔtʁ — Your; second person plural or formal possessive adjective
- part
- paʁ — Part, side; de votre part means on your part
- rendre
- ʁɑ̃dʁ — To render, give back; rendre visite means to visit
- visite
- vizit — Visit; an act of going to see someone
- aussi
- osi — Also, as; expressing similarity or addition
- souvent
- suvɑ̃ — Often; frequently, many times
- vous
- vu — You; second person plural or formal subject pronoun
- le
- lə — The, him, it; definite masculine article or pronoun
- faites
- fɛt — Do, make; second person plural present of faire
- pense
- pɑ̃s — Think; first or third person present of penser
- qu'
- k — That, than; elided form of que before a vowel
- vicieux
- visjø — Vicious, depraved; immoral or deeply flawed
- observa
- ɔpsɛʁva — Observed, remarked; third person simple past of observer
- reprenant
- ʁəpʁənɑ̃ — Taking back up; present participle of reprendre
- son
- sɔ̃ — His, her, its; third person singular possessive adjective
- marteau
- maʁto — Hammer; a tool used for striking nails or metal
- J'
- ʒ — I; elided form of je before a vowel
- écoutai
- ekute — Listened; first person singular simple past of écouter
- tintement
- tɛ̃tmɑ̃ — Tinkling, ringing; a light metallic sound
- doré
- dɔʁe — Golden, gilded; having a gold color or coating
- sur
- syʁ — On, upon; preposition indicating a surface position
- les
- le — The; definite plural article for masculine or feminine nouns
- plaques
- plak — Plates, sheets; flat pieces of metal or material
- quand
- kɑ̃ — When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- eut
- y — Had; third person singular simple past of avoir
- terminé
- tɛʁmine — Finished, ended; completed an action
- Non
- nɔ̃ — No; negation or refusal
- n'
- n — Not; elided negative particle before a vowel
- moins
- mwɛ̃ — Less; comparative of little; du tout not at all
- du
- dy — Of the, some; contraction of de le
- monde
- mɔ̃d — World, people; du monde at all or the world
- Son
- sɔ̃ — His, her, its; third person singular possessive adjective
- esprit
- ɛspʁi — Mind, spirit; intellect or inner mental faculty
- une
- yn — A, one; indefinite feminine article or numeral
- chambre
- ʃɑ̃bʁ — Room, chamber; enclosed space in a building
- merveilles
- mɛʁvɛj — Wonders, marvels; extraordinary or astonishing things
- d'
- d — Of, from; elided form of de before a vowel
- où
- u — Where, from which; relative or interrogative adverb
- peut
- pø — Can, may; third person singular present of pouvoir
- extraire
- ɛkstʁɛʁ — To extract; to draw out or remove something
- trésors
- tʁezɔʁ — Treasures; valuable or cherished things
- pour
- puʁ — For, in order to; preposition of purpose or benefit
- lesquels
- lɛkɛl — Which, whom; masculine plural relative pronoun
- donnerions
- dɔnʁjɔ̃ — Would give; first person plural conditional of donner
- années
- ane — Years; plural of année, periods of twelve months
- notre
- nɔtʁ — Our; first person plural possessive adjective
- vie
- vi — Life; the state of being alive
- rit
- ʁi — Laughed; third person singular simple past of rire
- continuai
- kɔ̃tinɥe — Continued; first person singular simple past of continuer
- avec
- avɛk — With; preposition indicating accompaniment or manner
- peu
- pø — Little, few; a small amount or degree
- impatience
- ɛ̃pasjɑ̃s — Impatience; restlessness or intolerance of delay
- connaît
- kɔnɛ — Knows; third person singular present of connaître
- histoire
- istwaʁ — History, story; account of past events or narrative
- comme
- kɔm — As, like; comparison conjunction or adverb
- nul
- nyl — No one, none; indicates absence or negation
- autre
- otʁ — Other, another; different or additional person or thing
- pourrait
- puʁɛ — Could; third person singular conditional of pouvoir
- connaître
- kɔnɛtʁ — To know; to be acquainted with someone or something
- Rien
- ʁjɛ̃ — Nothing; not anything at all
- si
- si — If, so; conditional conjunction or intensifying adverb
- insignifiant
- ɛ̃siɲifjɑ̃ — Insignificant, trivial; having little importance or value
- soit
- swa — Be, may be; third person singular present subjunctive of être
- échappe
- eʃap — Escapes, eludes; avoids notice or gets away
- ses
- se — His, her, its; third person singular plural possessive adjective
- recherches
- ʁəʃɛʁʃ — Research, investigations; careful studies or inquiries
- mémoire
- memwaʁ — Memory; the ability to recall past information
- absolue
- absɔly — Absolute; total, complete, without limitation
- précise
- pʁesis — Precise, exact; accurate in detail
- dans
- dɑ̃ — In, inside; preposition indicating location within
- détails
- detaj — Details; specific particulars or fine points
- on
- ɔ̃ — One, we, they; indefinite subject pronoun
- tel
- tɛl — Such, like; indicating a type or quality
- existait
- ɛɡzistɛ — Existed; third person singular imperfect of exister
- gens
- ʒɑ̃ — People, folk; a group of human beings
- pourraient
- puʁɛ — Could; third person plural conditional of pouvoir
- suffisamment
- syfizamɑ̃ — Sufficiently, enough; to an adequate degree
- hommage
- ɔmaʒ — Homage, tribute; respect or honor shown to someone
- Sottises
- sɔtiz — Nonsense, foolishness; silly or absurd words or actions
- marmonna
- maʁmɔna — Muttered; third person singular simple past of marmonner
- cherchant
- ʃɛʁʃɑ̃ — Searching, looking for; present participle of chercher
- par
- paʁ — By, through; preposition of means or passage
- terre
- tɛʁ — Ground, earth; the surface underfoot or soil
- tombé
- tɔ̃be — Fallen; past participle of tomber, having dropped down
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