The Picture of Dorian Gray — Page 11
It was reckless of me, but I asked Lady Brandon to introduce me to him.
C'était imprudent de ma part, mais j'ai demandé à Lady Brandon de me le présenter.
Perhaps it was not so reckless, after all.
Peut-être n'était-ce pas si imprudent, après tout.
It was simply inevitable.
C'était tout simplement inévitable.
We would have spoken to each other without any introduction.
Nous nous serions parlé sans aucune présentation.
I am sure of that.
J'en suis certain.
Dorian told me so afterwards.
Dorian me l'a dit par la suite.
He, too, felt that we were destined to know each other."
Lui aussi sentait que nous étions destinés à nous connaître."
"And how did Lady Brandon describe this wonderful young man?" asked his companion.
« Et comment Lady Brandon a-t-elle décrit ce merveilleux jeune homme ? » demanda son compagnon.
"I know she goes in for giving a rapid _précis_ of all her guests.
« Je sais qu'elle s'emploie à donner un rapide résumé de tous ses invités.
I remember her bringing me up to a truculent and red-faced old gentleman covered all over with orders and ribbons, and hissing into my ear, in a tragic whisper which must have been perfectly audible to everybody in the room, the most astounding details.
Je me souviens qu'elle m'avait amené vers un vieux gentleman truculent et rougeaud, couvert de décorations et de rubans, et qu'elle me soufflait à l'oreille, dans un murmure tragique qui devait être parfaitement audible pour tout le monde dans la pièce, les détails les plus stupéfiants.
I simply fled.
Je me suis simplement enfui.
I like to find out people for myself.
J'aime découvrir les gens par moi-même.
But Lady Brandon treats her guests exactly as an auctioneer treats his goods.
Mais Lady Brandon traite ses invités exactement comme un commissaire-priseur traite ses marchandises.
She either explains them entirely away, or tells one everything about them except what one wants to know."
Elle les explique soit entièrement, soit elle dit tout à leur sujet sauf ce que l'on veut savoir. »
"Poor Lady Brandon! You are hard on her, Harry!" said Hallward listlessly.
« Pauvre Lady Brandon ! Vous êtes dur envers elle, Harry ! » dit Hallward d'un air languissant.
"My dear fellow, she tried to found a _salon_, and only succeeded in opening a restaurant.
« Mon cher ami, elle a essayé de fonder un salon, et n'a réussi qu'à ouvrir un restaurant.
How could I admire her?
Comment aurais-je pu l'admirer ?
But tell me, what did she say about Mr. Dorian Gray?"
Mais dites-moi, qu'a-t-elle dit de M. Dorian Gray ? »
"Oh, something like, 'Charming boy—poor dear mother and I absolutely inseparable.
« Oh, quelque chose comme : 'Charmant garçon — sa pauvre chère mère et moi absolument inséparables.
Quite forget what he does—afraid he—doesn't do anything—oh, yes, plays the piano—or is it the violin, dear Mr. Gray?
J'oublie tout à fait ce qu'il fait — je crains qu'il — ne fasse rien — oh, oui, il joue du piano — ou est-ce du violon, cher M. Gray ?
Vocabulary
- était
- ay-teh — Was; third person singular imperfect of 'être'
- imprudent
- am-prew-dahn — Reckless or unwise in behavior or judgment
- part
- par — Part, share; also means 'side' in expressions
- demandé
- duh-mahn-day — Asked; past participle of 'demander'
- présenter
- pray-zahn-tay — To introduce or present someone to another person
- si
- see — So, if; used for emphasis or as conjunction
- après
- ah-preh — After; preposition indicating time or order
- tout
- too — All, everything; used in many common expressions
- simplement
- sam-pluh-mahn — Simply, just; adverb meaning in a simple manner
- inévitable
- ee-nay-vee-tah-bluh — Inevitable; impossible to avoid or prevent
- serions
- suh-ryohn — Would be; first person plural conditional of 'être'
- parlé
- par-lay — Spoken, talked; past participle of 'parler'
- sans
- sahn — Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- aucune
- oh-kewn — No, none; negative adjective meaning not any
- présentation
- pray-zahn-tah-syohn — Introduction; formal act of presenting people to each other
- certain
- sair-tan — Certain, sure; confident that something is true
- dit
- dee — Said; past participle of 'dire'
- par
- par — By, through; preposition indicating means or agent
- suite
- sweet — Continuation; 'par la suite' means 'afterwards'
- aussi
- oh-see — Also, too; adverb meaning likewise or in addition
- sentait
- sahn-teh — Felt, sensed; imperfect of 'sentir'
- étions
- ay-tyohn — Were; first person plural imperfect of 'être'
- destinés
- deh-stee-nay — Destined; meant to do or experience something
- connaître
- koh-neh-truh — To know, to be acquainted with a person
- comment
- koh-mahn — How; interrogative adverb asking about manner
- décrit
- day-kree — Described; past participle of 'décrire'
- merveilleux
- mair-vay-yuh — Wonderful, marvelous; extraordinary or remarkably good
- jeune
- zhuhn — Young; adjective describing youth or early age
- homme
- ohm — Man; adult male human being
- demanda
- duh-mahn-dah — Asked; third person singular simple past of 'demander'
- compagnon
- kohm-pa-nyohn — Companion; a person who accompanies or associates with another
- sais
- seh — Know; first person singular present of 'savoir'
- emploie
- ahm-plwah — Uses, employs; third person singular of 's'employer'
- donner
- doh-nay — To give; common verb for offering or providing something
- rapide
- rah-peed — Quick, fast; describing speed or brevity
- résumé
- ray-zew-may — Summary; brief overview of a person or subject
- tous
- too — All; masculine plural of 'tout'
- invités
- an-vee-tay — Guests; people invited to an event or gathering
- souviens
- soo-vyahn — Remember; first person singular of 'se souvenir'
- avait
- ah-veh — Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avoir'
- amené
- ah-muh-nay — Brought, led; past participle of 'amener'
- vers
- vair — Towards; preposition indicating direction or approximation
- vieux
- vyuh — Old; masculine adjective describing age
- truculent
- trew-kew-lahn — Pugnacious, aggressive; eager to argue or fight
- rougeaud
- roo-zhoh — Ruddy-faced; having a red or flushed complexion
- couvert
- koo-vair — Covered; past participle of 'couvrir'
- décorations
- day-koh-rah-syohn — Decorations, medals; ornaments worn on clothing
- rubans
- rew-bahn — Ribbons; narrow strips of fabric used as decoration
- soufflait
- soo-fleh — Was blowing, whispering; imperfect of 'souffler'
- oreille
- oh-ray — Ear; organ of hearing on the side of the head
- murmure
- mewrmewr — Murmur, whisper; a soft, low sound or voice
- tragique
- trah-zheek — Tragic; relating to tragedy or dramatically serious
- devait
- duh-veh — Must have been; imperfect of 'devoir'
- parfaitement
- par-feh-tuh-mahn — Perfectly; in a complete or ideal manner
- audible
- oh-dee-bluh — Audible; able to be heard by those nearby
- monde
- mohnd — World, everyone; 'tout le monde' means everybody
- pièce
- pyess — Room; a distinct space within a building
- détails
- day-tie — Details; specific pieces of information about something
- plus
- plew — More; comparative adverb or adjective
- stupéfiants
- stew-pay-fyahn — Astonishing, stunning; causing great surprise or amazement
- enfui
- ahn-fwee — Fled, run away; past participle of 's'enfuir'
- aime
- em — Like, love; first person singular of 'aimer'
- découvrir
- day-koo-vreer — To discover; to find out or uncover something new
- gens
- zhahn — People; persons in general, a group of individuals
- même
- mem — Same, even, self; used for emphasis or comparison
- traite
- tret — Treats; third person singular of 'traiter'
- exactement
- eg-zakt-mahn — Exactly; precisely, in a correct or accurate way
- comme
- kohm — Like, as; preposition or conjunction of comparison
- commissaire-
- koh-mee-sair — Part of 'commissaire-priseur', meaning auctioneer
- priseur
- pree-zur — Auctioneer; person who conducts sales by auction
- marchandises
- mar-shahn-deez — Goods, merchandise; items available for sale
- explique
- ex-pleek — Explains; third person singular of 'expliquer'
- soit
- swah — Either, or; also subjunctive of 'être'
- entièrement
- ahn-tyair-mahn — Entirely, completely; in a total or whole manner
- sujet
- sew-zheh — Subject, topic; what something is about
- sauf
- sohf — Except, unless; preposition indicating an exception
- on
- ohn — One, we, they; indefinite subject pronoun
- veut
- vuh — Wants; third person singular present of 'vouloir'
- savoir
- sah-vwahr — To know facts; infinitive of knowing something
- Pauvre
- pohvr — Poor; expressing pity or lacking money or resources
- dur
- dewr — Hard, harsh; severe or unkind in attitude
- envers
- ahn-vair — Towards, against; preposition indicating attitude toward someone
- air
- air — Air, look; expression or manner on one's face
- languissant
- lahn-gwee-sahn — Languid, listless; showing weakness or lack of energy
- cher
- shair — Dear; used as an affectionate or polite address
- ami
- ah-mee — Friend; a person one knows and likes
- essayé
- es-ay-yay — Tried, attempted; past participle of 'essayer'
- fonder
- fohn-day — To found, establish; to create something new
- salon
- sah-lohn — Drawing room, salon; an elegant social gathering place
- réussi
- ray-ew-see — Succeeded; past participle of 'réussir'
- ouvrir
- oo-vreer — To open; to start or begin something like a business
- Comment
- koh-mahn — How; interrogative word asking about manner or way
- aurais-
- oh-reh — Would have; conditional of 'avoir' in question form
- pu
- pew — Been able to; past participle of 'pouvoir'
- admirer
- ad-mee-ray — To admire; to regard with wonder or appreciation
- dites-
- deet — Tell, say; imperative of 'dire' in question form
- quelque
- kel-kuh — Some, a few; adjective indicating an unspecified amount
- chose
- shohz — Thing; an object, matter, or subject
- Charmant
- shar-mahn — Charming, delightful; very pleasing or attractive
- garçon
- gar-sohn — Boy; a young male person
- pauvre
- pohvr — Poor, wretched; used sympathetically to express pity
- chère
- shair — Dear; feminine form of 'cher', affectionate address
- mère
- mair — Mother; a female parent
- absolument
- ab-soh-lew-mahn — Absolutely; completely, without any doubt
- inséparables
- an-say-pah-rahbl — Inseparable; always together, impossible to separate
- oublie
- oob-lee — Forget; first person singular of 'oublier'
- fait
- feh — Fact; something known to be true or real
- crains
- kran — Fear; first person singular of 'craindre'
- fasse
- fahss — Does, makes; subjunctive of 'faire'
- rien
- ryahn — Nothing; used with 'ne' to express negation
- joue
- zhoo — Plays an instrument; third person singular of 'jouer'
- violon
- vyoh-lohn — Violin; a bowed string musical instrument
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