The Scarlet Letter — Page 8
Such occasions might remind the elderly citizen of that period before the last war with England, when Salem was a port by itself; not scorned, as she is now, by her own merchants and ship-owners, who permit her wharves to crumble to ruin, while their ventures go to swell, needlessly and imperceptibly, the mighty flood of commerce at New York or Boston.
De telles occasions pourraient rappeler au vieux citoyen cette période antérieure à la dernière guerre avec l'Angleterre, quand Salem était un port à part entière ; non méprisée, comme elle l'est aujourd'hui, par ses propres marchands et armateurs, qui laissent ses quais tomber en ruine, tandis que leurs entreprises vont grossir, inutilement et imperceptiblement, le puissant flot du commerce à New York ou à Boston.
On some such morning, when three or four vessels happen to have arrived at once,—usually from Africa or South America,—or to be on the verge of their departure thitherward, there is a sound of frequent feet, passing briskly up and down the granite steps.
Par quelque matin de ce genre, lorsque trois ou quatre navires se trouvent être arrivés en même temps — généralement d'Afrique ou d'Amérique du Sud —, ou sont sur le point de partir vers ces contrées, on entend un bruit de pas fréquents, montant et descendant d'un pas vif les marches de granit.
Here, before his own wife has greeted him, you may greet the sea-flushed shipmaster, just in port, with his vessel's papers under his arm, in a tarnished tin box.
Ici, avant même que sa propre femme ne l'ait accueilli, vous pouvez saluer le capitaine au teint rougi par la mer, tout juste arrivé au port, les papiers de son navire sous le bras, dans une boîte en fer-blanc ternie.
Here, too, comes his owner, cheerful or sombre, gracious or in the sulks, accordingly as his scheme of the now accomplished voyage has been realized in merchandise that will readily be turned to gold, or has buried him under a bulk of incommodities, such as nobody will care to rid him of.
Voici aussi son armateur, joyeux ou sombre, aimable ou de mauvaise humeur, selon que son plan pour le voyage désormais accompli s'est concrétisé en marchandises qui se convertiront aisément en or, ou l'a enseveli sous une masse d'objets encombrants dont personne ne voudra le débarrasser.
Here, likewise,—the germ of the wrinkle-browed, grizzly-bearded, care-worn merchant,—we have the smart young clerk, who gets the taste of traffic as a wolf-cub does of blood, and already sends adventures in his master's ships, when he had better be sailing mimic-boats upon a mill-pond.
Voici également — germe du marchand au front ridé, à la barbe grisonnante et au visage soucieux — le jeune commis habile, qui prend goût au commerce comme un louveteau prend goût au sang, et envoie déjà des aventures commerciales sur les navires de son maître, alors qu'il ferait mieux de faire voguer des bateaux miniatures sur un étang de moulin.
Vocabulary
- telles
- Such, of that kind (feminine plural form)
- occasions
- Opportunities or occasions for something
- pourraient
- Could, might (conditional of 'pouvoir')
- rappeler
- To remind or recall something to someone
- vieux
- Old, aged (masculine adjective)
- citoyen
- Citizen, member of a community or state
- période
- Period, a span or era of time
- antérieure
- Earlier, prior, preceding a specific time
- dernière
- Last, most recent (feminine adjective)
- guerre
- War, armed conflict between groups or nations
- Angleterre
- England, country in the United Kingdom
- port
- Harbor or port for ships and trade
- part
- Part, share, or role in something
- entière
- Entire, whole, complete (feminine adjective)
- méprisée
- Scorned, despised, looked down upon
- aujourd'hui
- Today, at the present time
- propres
- Own, belonging specifically to someone
- marchands
- Merchants, traders who buy and sell goods
- armateurs
- Shipowners, persons who own and operate ships
- laissent
- Leave, let, allow (third-person plural present)
- quais
- Wharves, docks along a waterfront for ships
- tomber
- To fall, to collapse or drop down
- ruine
- Ruin, state of collapse or decay
- tandis
- While, whereas (used in 'tandis que')
- entreprises
- Businesses, commercial ventures or companies
- grossir
- To swell, increase, or grow larger
- inutilement
- Uselessly, without purpose or benefit
- imperceptiblement
- Imperceptibly, in an unnoticeable gradual manner
- puissant
- Powerful, mighty, having great strength
- flot
- Flow, flood, stream of something
- commerce
- Trade, commerce, business activity
- quelque
- Some, a certain (indefinite adjective)
- matin
- Morning, the early part of the day
- genre
- Kind, type, sort of something
- lorsque
- When, at the moment that something happens
- navires
- Ships, large vessels for sea travel
- même
- Same, even (adjective or adverb)
- temps
- Time, weather (context-dependent noun)
- généralement
- Generally, usually, in most cases
- point
- Point; 'sur le point de' means about to
- partir
- To leave, depart from a place
- vers
- Toward, in the direction of somewhere
- contrées
- Lands, regions, distant countries or territories
- entend
- Hears, one can hear a sound
- bruit
- Noise, sound (often unwanted or notable)
- pas
- Step, footstep; also negation particle
- fréquents
- Frequent, occurring often or repeatedly
- montant
- Going up, ascending (present participle)
- descendant
- Going down, descending (present participle)
- vif
- Brisk, lively, quick (adjective)
- marches
- Steps, stairs of a staircase or building
- granit
- Granite, hard stone used in construction
- avant
- Before, prior to (time or order)
- propre
- Own, one's very own (emphatic adjective)
- femme
- Woman, wife
- ait
- Has (subjunctive present of 'avoir')
- accueilli
- Welcomed, greeted upon arrival
- saluer
- To greet, salute, or wave to someone
- capitaine
- Captain, commander of a ship or vessel
- teint
- Complexion, skin tone or color
- rougi
- Reddened, made red by sun or wind
- mer
- Sea, large body of salt water
- juste
- Just, exactly, barely; also fair or correct
- papiers
- Papers, official documents or certificates
- navire
- Ship, a large seafaring vessel
- sous
- Under, beneath (preposition of position)
- bras
- Arm (body part)
- boîte
- Box, tin container for storing items
- fer-blanc
- Tin, tinplate metal used for containers
- ternie
- Tarnished, dulled, having lost its shine
- Voici
- Here is, behold (used to present something)
- armateur
- Shipowner, person owning and operating ships
- joyeux
- Joyful, happy, cheerful (adjective)
- sombre
- Gloomy, dark, somber in mood
- aimable
- Friendly, kind, pleasant in manner
- mauvaise
- Bad, poor, unpleasant (feminine adjective)
- humeur
- Mood, temper, emotional state of mind
- selon
- According to, depending on something
- plan
- Plan, scheme, or intended course of action
- voyage
- Voyage, journey, especially by sea
- désormais
- Henceforth, from now on, hereafter
- accompli
- Accomplished, completed, fully achieved
- concrétisé
- Materialized, became concrete or realized
- marchandises
- Merchandise, goods bought and sold commercially
- convertiront
- Will convert, transform into something else
- aisément
- Easily, without difficulty or effort
- or
- Gold, precious yellow metal
- enseveli
- Buried, entombed under something
- masse
- Mass, large quantity or bulk of things
- objets
- Objects, items, physical things
- encombrants
- Bulky, cumbersome items that get in the way
- dont
- Whose, of which (relative pronoun)
- personne
- Nobody or a person (context-dependent noun/pronoun)
- voudra
- Will want (future tense of 'vouloir')
- débarrasser
- To get rid of, clear away unwanted things
- également
- Also, equally, likewise (adverb)
- germe
- Germ, seed; budding beginning of something
- marchand
- Merchant, trader dealing in goods
- front
- Forehead, the front of someone's face
- ridé
- Wrinkled, having lines of age or worry
- barbe
- Beard, facial hair on chin and cheeks
- grisonnante
- Graying, turning gray with age
- visage
- Face, the front of a person's head
- soucieux
- Worried, anxious, full of concern
- jeune
- Young, youthful (adjective)
- commis
- Clerk, junior employee in a business
- habile
- Skilled, clever, capable at a task
- goût
- Taste, liking or fondness for something
- louveteau
- Wolf cub, young wolf; metaphor for eagerness
- sang
- Blood; here metaphorical for instinct or nature
- envoie
- Sends (third-person singular present of 'envoyer')
- déjà
- Already, yet (adverb of time)
- aventures
- Adventures, risky or exciting undertakings
- commerciales
- Commercial, relating to trade and business
- maître
- Master, employer, or skilled authority figure
- alors
- Then, so, at that time (adverb)
- ferait
- Would do (conditional of 'faire')
- mieux
- Better, more well (comparative adverb)
- voguer
- To sail, glide over water
- bateaux
- Boats, small watercraft for travel
- miniatures
- Miniature, very small scaled-down versions
- étang
- Pond, small body of still water
- moulin
- Mill, building with machinery for grinding
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