The Scarlet Letter — Page 7
Over the entrance hovers an enormous specimen of the American eagle, with outspread wings, a shield before her breast, and, if I recollect aright, a bunch of intermingled thunderbolts and barbed arrows in each claw.
Au-dessus de l'entrée plane un énorme spécimen de l'aigle américain, aux ailes déployées, un bouclier devant sa poitrine, et, si je me souviens bien, une touffe de tonnerres et de flèches barbelées entremêlés dans chaque serre.
With the customary infirmity of temper that characterizes this unhappy fowl, she appears, by the fierceness of her beak and eye, and the general truculency of her attitude, to threaten mischief to the inoffensive community; and especially to warn all citizens, careful of their safety, against intruding on the premises which she overshadows with her wings.
Avec l'irritabilité habituelle qui caractérise ce malheureux oiseau, elle semble, par la férocité de son bec et de son regard, et la truculence générale de son attitude, menacer de nuire à la paisible communauté ; et surtout avertir tous les citoyens, soucieux de leur sécurité, de ne pas s'introduire sur les lieux qu'elle couvre de son ombre avec ses ailes.
Nevertheless, vixenly as she looks, many people are seeking, at this very moment, to shelter themselves under the wing of the federal eagle; imagining, I presume, that her bosom has all the softness and snugness of an eider-down pillow.
Néanmoins, aussi acariâtre qu'elle paraisse, beaucoup de gens cherchent, en ce moment même, à s'abriter sous l'aile de l'aigle fédéral ; imaginant, je présume, que son sein possède toute la douceur et le confort d'un oreiller de duvet.
But she has no great tenderness, even in her best of moods, and, sooner or later,—oftener soon than late,—is apt to fling off her nestlings, with a scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak, or a rankling wound from her barbed arrows.
Mais elle n'a guère de tendresse, même dans ses meilleurs moments, et, tôt ou tard, — plus souvent tôt que tard, — elle est encline à rejeter ses oisillons, d'un coup de serre, d'un coup de bec, ou d'une blessure cuisante de ses flèches barbelées.
The pavement round about the above-described edifice—which we may as well name at once as the Custom-House of the port—has grass enough growing in its chinks to show that it has not, of late days, been worn by any multitudinous resort of business.
Le pavé autour de l'édifice décrit ci-dessus — que nous pouvons tout aussi bien nommer d'emblée comme la Douane du port — a suffisamment d'herbe poussant dans ses fissures pour montrer qu'il n'a pas, ces derniers temps, été usé par quelque affluence considérable d'affaires.
In some months of the year, however, there often chances a forenoon when affairs move onward with a livelier tread.
En certains mois de l'année, cependant, il arrive souvent une matinée où les affaires avancent d'un pas plus animé.
Vocabulary
- Au
- To the; at the (contraction of à + le)
- dessus
- Above; on top of; over
- de
- Of; from; made of; some
- entrée
- Entrance; entry; admission; first course
- plane
- Flat; level; plane surface or geometric shape
- un
- A; an; one (masculine article)
- énorme
- Enormous; huge; very large in size
- spécimen
- Specimen; sample; example of something
- aigle
- Eagle; large bird of prey
- américain
- American; relating to America or United States
- aux
- To the; at the (contraction of à + les)
- ailes
- Wings; limbs used by birds for flying
- déployées
- Deployed; spread out; displayed; opened wide
- bouclier
- Shield; protective device carried for defense
- devant
- Before; in front of; ahead of
- sa
- His; her; its (feminine possessive adjective)
- poitrine
- Chest; breast; front of human torso
- et
- And; conjunction connecting words or clauses
- si
- If; so; such; whether; yes (in response)
- je
- I; first person singular pronoun
- me
- Me; myself; to me (reflexive pronoun)
- souviens
- Remember; recall; recollect (se souvenir)
- bien
- Well; good; properly; very; indeed
- une
- A; an; one (feminine article)
- flèches
- Arrows; pointed projectiles; shafts with feathers
- dans
- In; inside; within; during (preposition)
- chaque
- Each; every; per (distributive adjective)
- serre
- Claw; talon of bird; greenhouse (noun)
- Avec
- With; accompanied by; using; by means of
- habituelle
- Usual; customary; habitual; regular; typical
- qui
- Who; which; that (relative pronoun)
- caractérise
- Characterizes; distinguishes; defines; marks as typical
- ce
- This; that; it (demonstrative pronoun)
- malheureux
- Unhappy; unfortunate; wretched; miserable; sad
- oiseau
- Bird; feathered flying animal
- elle
- She; her; it (feminine pronoun)
- semble
- Seems; appears; looks; gives impression of
- par
- By; through; per; for each (preposition)
- la
- The; it; her (feminine article or pronoun)
- son
- His; her; its; sound (possessive or noun)
- bec
- Beak; bill of bird; mouth-like projection
- regard
- Look; gaze; glance; sight; view
- générale
- General; overall; universal; common to all
- attitude
- Attitude; posture; stance; manner or disposition
- menacer
- To threaten; to menace; to endanger
- nuire
- To harm; to injure; to be harmful to
- paisible
- Peaceful; calm; quiet; serene; tranquil
- communauté
- Community; society; group sharing common interests
- surtout
- Especially; above all; mainly; particularly
- avertir
- To warn; to alert; to notify; to inform
- tous
- All; everyone; every (plural pronoun)
- les
- The; them (plural article or pronoun)
- citoyens
- Citizens; members of a state or nation
- soucieux
- Concerned; worried; anxious; caring about
- leur
- Their; to them (possessive or indirect pronoun)
- sécurité
- Security; safety; protection from danger or harm
- ne
- Not; no; negative particle (negation)
- pas
- Not; step; pace (negation or noun)
- introduire
- To introduce; to bring in; to insert
- sur
- On; upon; over; about; concerning
- lieux
- Places; locations; spots; sites where something occurs
- qu
- That; which; who (relative pronoun clipped)
- couvre
- Covers; conceals; protects; extends over surface
- ombre
- Shadow; darkness; shade; silhouette cast by object
- Néanmoins
- Nevertheless; however; despite; yet; still; albeit
- aussi
- Also; too; as well; likewise; therefore
- beaucoup
- Many; much; a lot; a great deal
- gens
- People; persons; folks; individuals in general
- cherchent
- Seek; search; look for; try to find
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