The Scarlet Letter — Page 4

English → Fr Full Text Level 8/10

The first time was three or four years since, when I favored the reader—inexcusably, and for no earthly reason, that either the indulgent reader or the intrusive author could imagine—with a description of my way of life in the deep quietude of an Old Manse.

La première fois remonte à trois ou quatre ans, lorsque je gratifiai le lecteur — inexcusablement, et sans aucune raison valable que ce soit le lecteur indulgent ou l'auteur importun eût pu imaginer — d'une description de ma façon de vivre dans la profonde quiétude d'un vieux presbytère.

And now—because, beyond my deserts, I was happy enough to find a listener or two on the former occasion—I again seize the public by the button, and talk of my three years' experience in a Custom-House.

Et maintenant — parce que, au-delà de ce que je méritais, j'eus la chance de trouver un auditeur ou deux lors de cette première occasion — je saisis de nouveau le public par la boutonnière, et parle de mes trois années d'expérience dans un Bureau des douanes.

The example of the famous "P. P., Clerk of this Parish," was never more faithfully followed.

L'exemple du fameux « P. P., Clerc de cette paroisse » ne fut jamais suivi avec plus de fidélité.

The truth seems to be, however, that, when he casts his leaves forth upon the wind, the author addresses, not the many who will fling aside his volume, or never take it up, but the few who will understand him, better than most of his schoolmates or lifemates.

La vérité semble être, cependant, que, lorsqu'il jette ses feuilles au vent, l'auteur s'adresse non pas au grand nombre qui rejettera son volume de côté, ou ne le prendra jamais en main, mais au petit nombre qui le comprendra, mieux que la plupart de ses camarades d'école ou compagnons de vie.

Some authors, indeed, do far more than this, and indulge themselves in such confidential depths of revelation as could fittingly be addressed, only and exclusively, to the one heart and mind of perfect sympathy; as if the printed book, thrown at large on the wide world, were certain to find out the divided segment of the writer's own nature, and complete his circle of existence by bringing him into communion with it.

Certains auteurs, en effet, vont bien plus loin que cela, et se livrent à des confidences d'une telle profondeur qu'elles ne pourraient convenablement s'adresser, uniquement et exclusivement, qu'au seul cœur et à l'esprit d'une sympathie parfaite ; comme si le livre imprimé, lancé à la face du vaste monde, était certain de retrouver la part séparée de la nature propre de l'écrivain, et de compléter son cercle d'existence en le mettant en communion avec elle.

It is scarcely decorous, however, to speak all, even where we speak impersonally.

Il est cependant à peine convenable de tout dire, même lorsque nous parlons de manière impersonnelle.

Vocabulary

première: pruh-myair — First; occurring before all others in order.
fois: fwa — Time; instance of an occurrence.
remonte: ruh-mont — Goes back; dates back to a past time.
ans: an — Years; units of time equal to twelve months.
lorsque: lor-skuh — Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'at the time that.'
gratifiai: gra-tee-fyay — Rewarded or favored someone with something generous.
lecteur: lek-tuhr — Reader; one who reads a text.
inexcusablement: in-ex-koo-zab-luh-mon — Inexcusably; in a manner that cannot be justified.
sans: son — Preposition meaning 'without.'
aucune: oh-koon — No; not any; used with negation.
raison: ray-zon — Reason; justification or motive for something.
valable: va-labl — Valid; acceptable or legitimate as a reason.
soit: swa — May be; subjunctive of 'être' meaning 'to be.'
indulgent: an-dool-zhon — Indulgent; lenient or overly tolerant toward someone.
auteur: oh-tuhr — Author; person who writes a literary work.
importun: an-por-tan — Intrusive; annoyingly persistent or troublesome person.
eût: oo — Past subjunctive of 'avoir'; would have had.
pu: poo — Past participle of 'pouvoir'; been able to.
imaginer: ee-ma-zhee-nay — To imagine; to conceive of something in mind.
description: des-krip-syon — Description; detailed account or portrayal of something.
façon: fa-son — Way; manner or style of doing something.
vivre: veevr — To live; to exist or experience life.
profonde: pro-fond — Deep; having great depth or intensity.
quiétude: kee-ay-tood — Quietude; state of calm and peaceful tranquility.
vieux: vyuh — Old; having existed for a long time.
presbytère: pres-bee-tair — Presbytery; house belonging to a parish priest.
maintenant: man-tuh-non — Now; at the present moment in time.
parce: par-suh — Part of 'parce que' meaning 'because.'
au-delà: oh-duh-la — Beyond; further than a certain point or limit.
méritais: may-ree-tay — Deserved; was worthy of something earned.
eus: oo — Past tense of 'avoir'; had.
chance: shons — Luck; fortunate opportunity or good fortune.
trouver: troo-vay — To find; to discover or locate something.
auditeur: oh-dee-tuhr — Listener; one who listens to a speaker.
lors: lor — At the time of; during a given moment.
cette: set — Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this.'
occasion: oh-ka-zyon — Occasion; particular event or opportunity.
saisis: say-zee — Seized; grabbed or grasped something firmly.
nouveau: noo-voh — New; recently formed or recently encountered.
public: poo-bleek — Audience; group of people gathered to listen.
boutonnière: boo-to-nyair — Buttonhole; small hole or slit for a button.
parle: parl — Speaks; present tense of 'parler.'
années: a-nay — Years; plural of 'année.'
expérience: ex-pay-ryons — Experience; knowledge gained through practice or observation.
Bureau: boo-roh — Office; official department or administrative organization.
douanes: dwan — Customs; government agency controlling border imports.
exemple: eg-zom-pl — Example; something serving as a model or illustration.
fameux: fa-muh — Famous; well-known or notably celebrated.
Clerc: klair — Clerk or cleric; a religious or administrative official.
paroisse: pa-rwas — Parish; local church community or administrative district.
fut: foo — Was; simple past tense of 'être.'
jamais: zha-may — Never; not at any time.
suivi: swee-vee — Followed; past participle of 'suivre.'
plus: ploo — More; to a greater degree or extent.
fidélité: fee-day-lee-tay — Fidelity; faithfulness and loyalty to something.
vérité: vay-ree-tay — Truth; that which is true or accurate.
semble: som-bl — Seems; appears to be a certain way.
être: aitr — To be; fundamental verb of existence or identity.
cependant: suh-pon-don — However; nevertheless; expressing contrast or qualification.
lorsqu': lor-sk — When; elided form of 'lorsque' before vowel.
jette: zhet — Throws; releases or casts something outward.
feuilles: fuh-ee — Leaves or sheets; pages of a book.
vent: von — Wind; moving air or figurative dispersion.
adresse: a-dres — Addresses; directs communication to a specific person.
grand: gron — Great or large; considerable in size or number.
nombre: nom-br — Number; a quantity or count of things.
rejettera: ruh-zhet-ra — Will reject; will cast aside or refuse something.
volume: vo-loom — Volume; a book or single bound publication.
côté: koh-tay — Side; lateral part or direction of something.
prendra: pron-dra — Will take; future tense of 'prendre.'
main: man — Hand; part of the body used to hold.
petit: puh-tee — Small; little in size, number, or degree.
comprendra: kom-pron-dra — Will understand; future tense of 'comprendre.'
mieux: myuh — Better; in a more satisfactory or effective way.
plupart: ploo-par — Most; the greater part of a group.
camarades: ka-ma-rad — Comrades; close friends or companions.
école: ay-kol — School; educational institution for learning.
compagnons: kom-pa-nyon — Companions; those who accompany or share experiences.
vie: vee — Life; the state or experience of living.
Certains: ser-tan — Certain; some particular ones among a group.
auteurs: oh-tuhr — Authors; those who write literary works.
effet: ef-ay — Effect; result or impact of an action.
vont: von — Go; third-person plural present of 'aller.'
bien: byan — Well; in a good or satisfactory manner.
loin: lwan — Far; at a great distance in space or degree.
cela: suh-la — That; demonstrative pronoun referring to something mentioned.
livrent: leevr — Surrender or engage in; deliver themselves to something.
confidences: kon-fee-dons — Confidences; intimate personal secrets or disclosures.
telle: tel — Such; of that kind or degree.
profondeur: pro-fon-duhr — Depth; extent downward or intensity of feeling.
pourraient: poo-ray — Could; conditional plural of 'pouvoir.'
convenablement: kon-vuh-nab-luh-mon — Suitably; in a fitting or appropriate manner.
adresser: a-dres-ay — To address; to direct speech or writing to someone.
uniquement: oo-neek-mon — Only; solely or exclusively to one person.
exclusivement: ex-kloo-zeev-mon — Exclusively; restricted entirely to one person or thing.
seul: suhl — Alone or sole; one and no other.
cœur: kuhr — Heart; center of emotion and feeling.
esprit: es-pree — Mind or spirit; the intellect or inner self.
sympathie: sam-pa-tee — Sympathy; understanding and sharing another's feelings.
parfaite: par-fet — Perfect; complete without flaw or deficiency.
comme: kom — As or like; conjunction of comparison.
si: see — If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause.
livre: leevr — Book; a written or printed literary work.
imprimé: am-pree-may — Printed; produced by mechanical printing process.
lancé: lon-say — Launched or thrown; sent out into the world.
face: fas — Face or front; the surface directed outward.
vaste: vast — Vast; very large or extensive in scope.
monde: mond — World; the earth or society in general.
était: ay-tay — Was; imperfect tense of 'être.'
certain: ser-tan — Certain; sure to happen or be found.
retrouver: ruh-troo-vay — To find again; to rediscover something or someone.
part: par — Part or share; a portion separated from whole.
séparée: say-pa-ray — Separated; set apart or isolated from others.
nature: na-toor — Nature; inherent character or the natural world.
propre: propr — Own; belonging specifically to oneself.
écrivain: ay-kree-van — Writer; one who composes literary works.
compléter: kom-play-tay — To complete; to make whole or finish something.
cercle: serkl — Circle; a round shape or a community group.
existence: eg-zis-tons — Existence; the state of being or living.
mettant: met-on — Putting; present participle of 'mettre.'
communion: ko-moo-nyon — Communion; sharing or intimate spiritual connection.
peine: pen — Hardly; barely or with difficulty.
convenable: kon-vuh-nabl — Appropriate; fitting or suitable for the situation.
tout: too — All or everything; without exception.
dire: deer — To say or tell; to express in words.
même: mem — Even or same; identical or without exception.
parlons: par-lon — Speak; first-person plural present of 'parler.'
manière: ma-nyair — Manner; way or style of doing something.
impersonnelle: am-per-so-nel — Impersonal; not relating to or involving a person.

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