The Prince — Page 15
Machiavelli was undoubtedly a man of great observation, acuteness, and industry; noting with appreciative eye whatever passed before him, and with his supreme literary gift turning it to account in his enforced retirement from affairs.
Machiavel était sans aucun doute un homme d'une grande faculté d'observation, de perspicacité et d'industrie ; notant d'un œil averti tout ce qui se passait devant lui, et mettant à profit son don littéraire suprême dans sa retraite forcée des affaires.
He does not present himself, nor is he depicted by his contemporaries, as a type of that rare combination, the successful statesman and author, for he appears to have been only moderately prosperous in his several embassies and political employments.
Il ne se présente pas lui-même, et ses contemporains ne le dépeignent pas non plus, comme un exemple de cette rare combinaison, l'homme d'État et auteur couronné de succès, car il semble n'avoir été que modérément prospère dans ses diverses ambassades et fonctions politiques.
He was misled by Catherina Sforza, ignored by Louis XII, overawed by Cesare Borgia; several of his embassies were quite barren of results; his attempts to fortify Florence failed, and the soldiery that he raised astonished everybody by their cowardice.
Il fut induit en erreur par Catherina Sforza, ignoré par Louis XII, intimidé par Cesare Borgia ; plusieurs de ses ambassades furent tout à fait stériles en résultats ; ses tentatives de fortifier Florence échouèrent, et les soldats qu'il leva étonnèrent tout le monde par leur lâcheté.
In the conduct of his own affairs he was timid and time-serving; he dared not appear by the side of Soderini, to whom he owed so much, for fear of compromising himself; his connection with the Medici was open to suspicion, and Giuliano appears to have recognized his real forte when he set him to write the "History of Florence," rather than employ him in the state.
Dans la conduite de ses propres affaires, il était timide et opportuniste ; il n'osait pas paraître aux côtés de Soderini, à qui il devait tant, de peur de se compromettre ; ses liens avec les Médicis prêtaient à soupçon, et Giuliano semble avoir reconnu son vrai talent lorsqu'il le chargea d'écrire l'« Histoire de Florence », plutôt que de l'employer au service de l'État.
And it is on the literary side of his character, and there alone, that we find no weakness and no failure.
Et c'est du côté littéraire de son caractère, et là seulement, que nous ne trouvons ni faiblesse ni échec.
Although the light of almost four centuries has been focused on _The Prince_, its problems are still debatable and interesting, because they are the eternal problems between the ruled and their rulers.
Bien que la lumière de près de quatre siècles ait été braquée sur _Le Prince_, ses problèmes restent débattables et intéressants, car ce sont les éternels problèmes entre les gouvernés et leurs gouvernants.
Vocabulary
- était
- Was; third person singular imperfect of être.
- sans
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
- aucun
- No, none, not any; negative determiner or pronoun.
- doute
- Doubt; uncertainty about something.
- un
- A, an; indefinite article, masculine singular.
- homme
- Man; adult male human being.
- d'
- Of, from; contracted preposition before vowel.
- une
- A, an; indefinite article, feminine singular.
- grande
- Great, large; adjective indicating size or importance.
- faculté
- Faculty, ability; natural aptitude or mental capacity.
- observation
- Observation; act of watching or noting things carefully.
- de
- Of, from; most common French preposition.
- perspicacité
- Perspicacity; keen insight and ability to understand things.
- et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses.
- industrie
- Industry, diligence; hard work and steady application.
- notant
- Noting, observing; present participle of noter.
- œil
- Eye; organ of sight; also figurative watchful attention.
- averti
- Informed, alert, experienced; adjective meaning knowledgeable or aware.
- tout
- All, everything; adjective or pronoun of totality.
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- qui
- Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun.
- se
- Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun, third person.
- passait
- Was happening, was passing; imperfect of passer.
- devant
- In front of, before; preposition indicating position ahead.
- lui
- Him, to him; third person singular pronoun.
- mettant
- Putting, placing; present participle of mettre.
- à
- To, at, in; versatile French preposition of location or direction.
- profit
- Profit, benefit; advantage gained from something.
- son
- His, her, its; possessive adjective, singular.
- don
- Gift, talent; natural ability or aptitude.
- littéraire
- Literary; relating to literature or writing.
- suprême
- Supreme, highest; of the greatest degree or excellence.
- dans
- In, inside; preposition indicating location or time.
- sa
- His, her, its; possessive adjective, feminine singular.
- retraite
- Retreat, retirement; withdrawal from public or professional life.
- forcée
- Forced, compelled; adjective meaning imposed against one's will.
- des
- Of the, some; partitive or plural indefinite article.
- affaires
- Affairs, business, matters; concerns or professional activities.
- Il
- He, it; third person singular masculine subject pronoun.
- ne
- Not; first part of French negation ne...pas.
- présente
- Presents, shows; third person singular of présenter.
- pas
- Not; negation particle used with ne.
- même
- Even, same, itself; word emphasizing identity or similarity.
- ses
- His, her, its; possessive adjective, plural form.
- contemporains
- Contemporaries; people living or existing at the same time.
- le
- The; definite article, masculine singular.
- dépeignent
- Depict, portray; third person plural of dépeindre.
- non
- No, not; negation word expressing refusal or denial.
- plus
- More, no longer; adverb of degree or negation.
- comme
- As, like; comparative conjunction or preposition.
- exemple
- Example; representative instance illustrating a general point.
- cette
- This, that; feminine demonstrative adjective.
- rare
- Rare, uncommon; not often found or occurring.
- combinaison
- Combination; union of different elements into one.
- l'
- The; definite article contracted before a vowel.
- État
- State; political entity or government of a country.
- auteur
- Author, writer; person who creates a literary work.
- couronné
- Crowned, rewarded; adjective meaning achieved with success.
- succès
- Success; favorable outcome or achievement of a goal.
- car
- Because, for; coordinating conjunction explaining a reason.
- il
- He, it; third person singular masculine subject pronoun.
- semble
- Seems, appears; third person singular of sembler.
- n'
- Not; contracted negation particle before vowel.
- avoir
- To have; infinitive of the verb avoir.
- été
- Been; past participle of être, to be.
- que
- That, which, than, only; versatile conjunction or pronoun.
- modérément
- Moderately; to a moderate degree, not excessively.
- prospère
- Prosperous, successful; thriving in wealth or achievement.
- diverses
- Various, diverse; several different kinds or types.
- ambassades
- Embassies, diplomatic missions; official diplomatic assignments abroad.
- fonctions
- Functions, duties; official roles or responsibilities.
- politiques
- Political; relating to politics, government, or public affairs.
- fut
- Was; third person singular passé simple of être.
- induit
- Induced, led; past participle of induire, to lead astray.
- en
- In, on, by; preposition indicating manner, place, or time.
- erreur
- Error, mistake; incorrect belief or wrong action taken.
- par
- By, through; preposition indicating agent or means.
- ignoré
- Ignored, disregarded; past participle of ignorer.
- intimidé
- Intimidated, overawed; past participle of intimider.
- plusieurs
- Several, many; indefinite adjective or pronoun indicating plurality.
- furent
- Were; third person plural passé simple of être.
- fait
- Made, done; past participle of faire.
- stériles
- Sterile, fruitless; producing no results or offspring.
- résultats
- Results, outcomes; consequences or effects of actions taken.
- tentatives
- Attempts, tries; efforts made to achieve something.
- fortifier
- To fortify, strengthen; to reinforce militarily or structurally.
- échouèrent
- Failed, were unsuccessful; third person plural passé simple of échouer.
- les
- The; definite article, masculine or feminine plural.
- soldats
- Soldiers; military personnel who fight in an army.
- qu'
- That, which; contracted relative or conjunction before vowel.
- leva
- Raised, levied; third person singular passé simple of lever.
- étonnèrent
- Astonished, amazed; third person plural passé simple of étonner.
- monde
- World, people; the entire world or a group of people.
- leur
- Their, to them; possessive adjective or indirect pronoun.
- lâcheté
- Cowardice; lack of courage or bravery in difficult situations.
- Dans
- In, inside; preposition indicating location or time frame.
- la
- The; definite article, feminine singular.
- conduite
- Conduct, behavior; way a person acts or behaves.
- propres
- Own, proper; adjective meaning belonging to oneself.
- timide
- Timid, shy; lacking confidence or boldness.
- opportuniste
- Opportunist; person who takes advantage of circumstances unscrupulously.
- osait
- Dared; third person singular imperfect of oser.
- paraître
- To appear, seem; to be seen or show oneself publicly.
- aux
- To the, at the; contracted preposition with plural article.
- côtés
- Sides; plural of côté, meaning sides or beside someone.
- devait
- Had to, owed; third person singular imperfect of devoir.
- tant
- So much, so many; adverb indicating a large quantity.
- peur
- Fear; feeling of anxiety caused by danger or threat.
- compromettre
- To compromise, jeopardize; to damage one's reputation or position.
- liens
- Links, ties, bonds; connections between people or things.
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
- prêtaient
- Lent, gave rise to; third person plural imperfect of prêter.
- soupçon
- Suspicion; feeling that someone is guilty or untrustworthy.
- reconnu
- Recognized, acknowledged; past participle of reconnaître.
- vrai
- True, real; adjective meaning genuine or correct.
- talent
- Talent; natural aptitude or exceptional skill.
- lorsqu'
- When; conjunction indicating a point or period in time.
- chargea
- Charged, tasked; third person singular passé simple of charger.
- écrire
- To write; infinitive meaning to produce written text.
- Histoire
- History; study or account of past events.
- plutôt
- Rather, instead; adverb expressing preference or alternative.
- employer
- To employ, use; to put to work or make use of.
- au
- To the, at the; contracted preposition with masculine article.
- service
- Service; work done for or on behalf of someone.
- Et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking clauses or words.
- c'
- It, this; contracted demonstrative pronoun before vowel.
- est
- Is; third person singular present of être, to be.
- du
- Of the, some; contracted preposition with masculine article.
- côté
- Side; aspect or direction of something.
- caractère
- Character; the mental and moral qualities of a person.
- là
- There; adverb indicating a specific place or point.
- seulement
- Only, merely; adverb limiting or restricting a statement.
- nous
- We, us; first person plural subject or object pronoun.
- trouvons
- Find; first person plural present of trouver.
- ni
- Neither, nor; negative conjunction used to link negatives.
- faiblesse
- Weakness; lack of strength, power, or resolve.
- échec
- Failure, defeat; lack of success in achieving a goal.
- Bien
- Well, good; adverb or adjective expressing positive quality.
- lumière
- Light; illumination or enlightenment, literal or figurative.
- près
- Near, close; adverb or preposition indicating proximity.
- quatre
- Four; the cardinal number between three and five.
- siècles
- Centuries; periods of one hundred years each.
- ait
- Has; third person singular present subjunctive of avoir.
- braquée
- Aimed, focused; past participle of braquer, to point at.
- sur
- On, upon, about; preposition indicating position or topic.
- problèmes
- Problems, issues; difficult questions or matters to be resolved.
- restent
- Remain, stay; third person plural present of rester.
- débattables
- Debatable; open to argument, discussion, or disagreement.
- intéressants
- Interesting; holding attention or arousing curiosity and interest.
- sont
- Are; third person plural present of être, to be.
- éternels
- Eternal, timeless; lasting forever without beginning or end.
- entre
- Between, among; preposition indicating a relationship or position.
- gouvernés
- Governed, ruled; those who are subject to authority.
- leurs
- Their; possessive adjective, plural form.
- gouvernants
- Rulers, governing authorities; those who hold political power.
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