The Republic — Page 7

English → Fr INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS. Level 9/10

To the perfect ideal succeeds the government of the soldier and the lover of honour, this again declining into democracy, and democracy into tyranny, in an imaginary but regular order having not much resemblance to the actual facts.

À l'idéal parfait succède le gouvernement du soldat et de l'amoureux de l'honneur, celui-ci déclinant à son tour vers la démocratie, et la démocratie vers la tyrannie, dans un ordre imaginaire mais régulier n'ayant pas grand rapport avec les faits réels.

When 'the wheel has come full circle' we do not begin again with a new period of human life; but we have passed from the best to the worst, and there we end.

Lorsque « la roue a accompli sa révolution complète », nous ne recommençons pas avec une nouvelle période de la vie humaine ; mais nous sommes passés du meilleur au pire, et c'est là que nous finissons.

The subject is then changed and the old quarrel of poetry and philosophy which had been more lightly treated in the earlier books of the Republic is now resumed and fought out to a conclusion.

Le sujet est alors changé et la vieille querelle entre la poésie et la philosophie, qui avait été traitée plus légèrement dans les livres antérieurs de la République, est maintenant reprise et menée jusqu'à sa conclusion.

Poetry is discovered to be an imitation thrice removed from the truth, and Homer, as well as the dramatic poets, having been condemned as an imitator, is sent into banishment along with them.

La poésie se révèle être une imitation trois fois éloignée de la vérité, et Homère, ainsi que les poètes dramatiques, ayant été condamné comme imitateur, est envoyé en exil avec eux.

And the idea of the State is supplemented by the revelation of a future life.

Et l'idée de l'État est complétée par la révélation d'une vie future.

The division into books, like all similar divisions (Cp. Sir G.C. Lewis in the Classical Museum, vol. ii. p 1.), is probably later than the age of Plato.

La division en livres, comme toutes les divisions similaires (Cf. Sir G.C. Lewis dans le Classical Museum, vol. ii. p 1.), est probablement postérieure à l'époque de Platon.

The natural divisions are five in number;—(1) Book I and the first half of Book II down to the paragraph beginning, 'I had always admired the genius of Glaucon and Adeimantus,' which is introductory;

Les divisions naturelles sont au nombre de cinq ;—(1) le Livre I et la première moitié du Livre II jusqu'au paragraphe commençant par « J'avais toujours admiré le génie de Glaucon et d'Adimante », qui est introductif ;

the first book containing a refutation of the popular and sophistical notions of justice, and concluding, like some of the earlier Dialogues, without arriving at any definite result.

le premier livre contenant une réfutation des notions populaires et sophistiques de la justice, et concluant, comme certains des Dialogues antérieurs, sans parvenir à aucun résultat définitif.

Vocabulary

À: a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
l': l — Contracted definite article 'the' before vowel.
idéal: ee-day-al — Ideal; a perfect standard or model.
parfait: par-feh — Perfect; without flaw or defect.
succède: sük-sed — Succeeds; follows after in sequence or position.
le: luh — Definite article 'the' for masculine nouns.
gouvernement: goo-vern-mahn — Government; system or body ruling a state.
du: dü — Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the'.
soldat: sol-dah — Soldier; a person serving in the military.
et: ay — Conjunction meaning 'and'.
de: duh — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'by'.
amoureux: ah-moo-ruh — In love; feeling romantic affection for someone.
honneur: o-nur — Honor; great respect, integrity, or distinction.
celui: suh-lwee — Pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'that one'.
ci: see — Here; used with demonstrative pronouns like 'celui-ci'.
déclinant: day-klee-nahn — Declining; gradually deteriorating or falling away.
à: a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
son: sohn — Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
tour: toor — Turn; one's chance or rotation in a sequence.
vers: vair — Toward; in the direction of something.
la: lah — Definite article 'the' for feminine nouns.
démocratie: day-mo-kra-see — Democracy; system of government by the people.
tyrannie: tee-ra-nee — Tyranny; cruel and oppressive rule by a dictator.
dans: dahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'.
un: uhn — Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
ordre: or-druh — Order; arrangement or sequence of things.
imaginaire: ee-ma-zhee-nair — Imaginary; existing only in the mind or fantasy.
mais: meh — Conjunction meaning 'but'.
régulier: ray-gü-lyay — Regular; following a consistent or orderly pattern.
n': n — Contracted negation particle used before vowels.
ayant: ay-yahn — Having; present participle of the verb 'avoir'.
pas: pah — Not; negation particle used with 'ne'.
grand: grahn — Great or large; significant in size or importance.
rapport: ra-por — Relationship or connection between two things.
avec: a-vek — Preposition meaning 'with'.
les: lay — Definite article 'the' for plural nouns.
faits: feh — Facts; actual events or pieces of information.
réels: ray-el — Real; actually existing or based on truth.
Lorsque: lor-skuh — When; conjunction introducing a time clause.
roue: roo — Wheel; circular object that rotates on an axis.
a: a — Third person singular present tense of 'avoir' (to have).
accompli: a-kom-plee — Accomplished; fully completed or achieved.
sa: sa — Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
révolution: ray-vo-lü-syohn — Revolution; complete cycle or political upheaval.
complète: kom-plet — Complete; whole, finished, lacking nothing.
nous: noo — We or us; first person plural pronoun.
ne: nuh — Negation particle used with 'pas' or 'jamais'.
recommençons: ruh-ko-mahn-sohn — We begin again; restart from the beginning.
une: ün — Indefinite feminine article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
nouvelle: noo-vel — New; appearing or occurring for the first time.
période: pay-ryod — Period; a span or phase of time.
vie: vee — Life; the state of living or existence.
humaine: ü-men — Human; relating to people or humanity.
sommes: som — Are; first person plural of 'être' (to be).
passés: pa-say — Passed; moved from one state to another.
meilleur: meh-yur — Better; superior in quality or degree.
au: o — Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'to the'.
pire: peer — Worse; inferior or more unfavorable than before.
c': s — Contracted demonstrative pronoun 'ce' meaning 'it'.
est: eh — Is; third person singular of 'être' (to be).
là: lah — There; at or in that place or point.
que: kuh — That; conjunction or relative pronoun.
finissons: fee-nee-sohn — We finish; first person plural of 'finir'.
Le: luh — Definite article 'the' for masculine nouns.
sujet: sü-zheh — Subject; the topic or theme being discussed.
alors: a-lor — Then; at that time or consequently.
changé: shahn-zhay — Changed; altered or transformed from a prior state.
vieille: vyeh-yuh — Old; aged or ancient, feminine form.
querelle: kuh-rel — Quarrel; a dispute or ongoing argument between parties.
entre: ahn-truh — Between; in the space or relationship separating two.
poésie: po-ay-zee — Poetry; literary art form using rhythm and verse.
philosophie: fee-lo-zo-fee — Philosophy; study of fundamental questions about existence.
qui: kee — Who or which; relative or interrogative pronoun.
avait: a-veh — Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avoir'.
été: ay-tay — Been; past participle of 'être' (to be).
traitée: treh-tay — Treated; handled or dealt with in a certain way.
plus: plü — More; to a greater extent or degree.
légèrement: lay-zhair-mahn — Lightly; in a superficial or not serious manner.
livres: lee-vruh — Books; written works bound together for reading.
antérieurs: ahn-tay-ryur — Earlier; prior or preceding in time or order.
République: ray-pü-bleek — Republic; a state governed by elected representatives.
maintenant: mant-nahn — Now; at the present time or moment.
reprise: ruh-preez — Resumed; taken up again after an interruption.
menée: muh-nay — Led; guided or driven toward a goal.
jusqu': zhüs-k — Until or up to; preposition indicating a limit.
conclusion: kon-klü-zyohn — Conclusion; the final result or closing argument.
La: lah — Definite article 'the' for feminine nouns.
se: suh — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'.
révèle: ray-vel — Reveals; discloses or makes something known.
être: eh-truh — To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or identity.
imitation: ee-mee-ta-syohn — Imitation; copying or mimicking something original.
trois: trwah — Three; the cardinal number between two and four.
fois: fwah — Times; occurrences or instances of something happening.
éloignée: ay-lwa-nyay — Distant or removed; far away from the original.
vérité: vay-ree-tay — Truth; that which is real, accurate, or genuine.
ainsi: an-see — Thus; in this way or consequently.
poètes: po-et — Poets; people who write verse or poetry.
dramatiques: dra-ma-teek — Dramatic; relating to drama, theater, or plays.
condamné: kon-da-nay — Condemned; officially declared guilty or sentenced.
comme: kom — As or like; used for comparison or role.
imitateur: ee-mee-ta-tur — Imitator; one who copies or mimics another.
envoyé: ahn-vwa-yay — Sent; dispatched to a place or on a mission.
en: ahn — Preposition meaning 'in', 'to', or 'by'.
exil: eg-zeel — Exile; forced removal from one's homeland.
eux: uh — Them; third person masculine plural pronoun.
Et: ay — And; coordinating conjunction joining clauses or elements.
idée: ee-day — Idea; a thought, concept, or mental image.
État: ay-tah — State; a politically organized body or government.
complétée: kom-play-tay — Completed; fully finished and brought to an end.
par: par — By or through; preposition indicating means or agent.
révélation: ray-vay-la-syohn — Revelation; a surprising or divine disclosure of truth.
d': d — Contracted preposition 'de' meaning 'of' or 'from'.
future: fü-tür — Future; relating to time that has not yet come.
division: dee-vee-zyohn — Division; separation into parts or distinct groups.
toutes: toot — All; every one, feminine plural form.
divisions: dee-vee-zyohn — Divisions; multiple separations or classifications.
similaires: see-mee-lair — Similar; alike or resembling each other closely.
vol: vol — Volume; a book or numbered division of a series.
probablement: pro-ba-bluh-mahn — Probably; in all likelihood or with reasonable certainty.
postérieure: pos-tay-ryur — Posterior; later in time or subsequent to something.
époque: ay-pok — Epoch or era; a particular period in history.
Les: lay — Definite article 'the' for plural nouns.
naturelles: na-tü-rel — Natural; occurring in nature, not artificial or forced.
sont: sohn — Are; third person plural present of 'être'.
nombre: nohm-bruh — Number; a quantity or count of things.
cinq: sank — Five; the cardinal number between four and six.
Livre: lee-vruh — Book; a written work or volume of text.
première: pruh-myair — First; earliest or foremost in order or rank.
moitié: mwa-tyay — Half; one of two equal parts of a whole.
paragraphe: pa-ra-graf — Paragraph; a distinct section of written text.
commençant: ko-mahn-sahn — Beginning; starting from a particular point or phrase.
J': zh — Contracted first person pronoun 'je' meaning 'I'.
avais: a-veh — Had; first person singular imperfect of 'avoir'.
toujours: too-zhoor — Always; at all times or still continuing.
admiré: ad-mee-ray — Admired; regarded with respect and appreciation.
génie: zhay-nee — Genius; exceptional intellectual or creative ability.
introductif: an-tro-dük-teef — Introductory; serving to introduce a subject or work.
premier: pruh-myay — First; earliest in order or most important.
livre: lee-vruh — Book; a written or printed literary work.
contenant: kon-tuh-nahn — Containing; holding or including within itself.
réfutation: ray-fü-ta-syohn — Refutation; proving a claim or argument to be wrong.
des: day — Contraction of 'de les'; plural indefinite article.
notions: no-syohn — Notions; basic ideas or general concepts.
populaires: po-pü-lair — Popular; widely held or accepted among common people.
sophistiques: so-fees-teek — Sophistic; based on clever but fallacious reasoning.
justice: zhüs-tees — Justice; fairness, moral rightness, or legal judgment.
concluant: kon-klü-ahn — Concluding; bringing something to an end or summary.
certains: ser-tan — Certain; particular or some unspecified ones.
Dialogues: dya-log — Dialogues; philosophical works written in conversational form.
sans: sahn — Without; lacking or not having something.
parvenir: par-vuh-neer — To reach or succeed in achieving something.
aucun: o-kuhn — No or none; not any of something.
résultat: ray-zül-tah — Result; an outcome or conclusion from a process.
définitif: day-fee-nee-teef — Definitive; final, conclusive, and not to be changed.

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