The Scarlet Letter — Page 9
Another figure in the scene is the outward-bound sailor in quest of a protection; or the recently arrived one, pale and feeble, seeking a passport to the hospital.
Un autre personnage de la scène est le marin sur le départ en quête d'un laissez-passer, ou celui qui vient d'arriver, pâle et affaibli, cherchant un billet d'admission à l'hôpital.
Nor must we forget the captains of the rusty little schooners that bring firewood from the British provinces; a rough-looking set of tarpaulins, without the alertness of the Yankee aspect, but contributing an item of no slight importance to our decaying trade.
Il ne faut pas non plus oublier les capitaines des petites goélettes rouillées qui apportent du bois de chauffage des provinces britanniques ; une troupe de loups de mer à l'aspect rude, sans la vivacité du type yankee, mais contribuant d'une façon non négligeable à notre commerce déclinant.
Cluster all these individuals together, as they sometimes were, with other miscellaneous ones to diversify the group, and, for the time being, it made the Custom-House a stirring scene.
Rassemblez tous ces individus, comme ils l'étaient parfois, avec d'autres personnes diverses pour varier le groupe, et, pour le moment, cela faisait de la Douane une scène animée.
More frequently, however, on ascending the steps, you would discern—in the entry, if it were summer time, or in their appropriate rooms, if wintry or inclement weather—a row of venerable figures, sitting in old-fashioned chairs, which were tipped on their hind legs back against the wall.
Plus souvent, cependant, en montant les marches, on apercevait — dans le couloir d'entrée, si c'était l'été, ou dans leurs salles respectives, par temps hivernal ou inclément — une rangée de figures vénérables, assises dans des chaises démodées, dont les pieds arrière étaient inclinés contre le mur.
Oftentimes they were asleep, but occasionally might be heard talking together, in voices between speech and a snore, and with that lack of energy that distinguishes the occupants of almshouses, and all other human beings who depend for subsistence on charity, on monopolized labor, or anything else, but their own independent exertions.
La plupart du temps ils dormaient, mais on pouvait parfois les entendre parler entre eux, d'une voix à mi-chemin entre la parole et le ronflement, avec ce manque d'énergie qui caractérise les pensionnaires des hospices, et tous les autres êtres humains qui dépendent pour leur subsistance de la charité, du travail monopolisé, ou de n'importe quoi d'autre, mais non de leurs propres efforts indépendants.
These old gentlemen—seated, like Matthew, at the receipt of customs, but not very liable to be summoned thence, like him, for apostolic errands—were Custom-House officers.
Ces vieux messieurs — assis, comme Matthieu, au bureau de perception des droits de douane, mais guère susceptibles d'être convoqués de là, comme lui, pour des missions apostoliques — étaient des employés de la Douane.
Vocabulary
- autre
- Meaning 'other' or 'another' person or thing
- personnage
- A character or notable person in a scene
- scène
- A scene, setting, or stage in a context
- marin
- A sailor or seaman working on a vessel
- départ
- A departure or the act of leaving a place
- quête
- A quest or search for something specific
- laissez-passer
- An official pass or permit allowing entry or movement
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'he'
- arriver
- To arrive or reach a destination
- pâle
- Describing a pale or pallid complexion or color
- affaibli
- Weakened or made feeble in strength or health
- cherchant
- Present participle of 'chercher,' meaning 'searching for'
- billet
- A ticket or note granting access or admission
- admission
- The act of being admitted to a place or institution
- hôpital
- A hospital where patients receive medical care
- faut
- From 'falloir,' meaning 'must' or 'it is necessary'
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more,' 'no longer,' or 'anymore'
- oublier
- To forget something or someone entirely
- capitaines
- Plural of 'capitaine,' meaning captains of ships
- goélettes
- Small two-masted sailing vessels called schooners
- rouillées
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'rusty' or 'corroded'
- apportent
- Third person plural of 'apporter,' meaning 'bring'
- bois
- Wood or timber used as material or fuel
- chauffage
- Heating fuel or a heating system for warmth
- provinces
- Regions or administrative divisions of a country
- britanniques
- Adjective meaning 'British,' relating to Britain
- troupe
- A group or troop of people gathered together
- loups
- Plural of 'loup,' meaning wolves or sea wolves
- mer
- The sea or ocean as a body of water
- aspect
- The appearance or look of a person or thing
- rude
- Rough, harsh, or crude in manner or appearance
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without' something or someone
- vivacité
- Liveliness, vivacity, or energetic spirit in behavior
- type
- A type, kind, or characteristic example of something
- yankee
- An American, especially from the northern United States
- contribuant
- Present participle meaning 'contributing' to something
- façon
- A way, manner, or style of doing something
- négligeable
- Negligible or insignificant, barely worth considering
- commerce
- Trade or commercial business activity between parties
- déclinant
- Declining or diminishing in activity or strength
- Rassemblez
- Imperative of 'rassembler,' meaning 'gather' or 'assemble'
- tous
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everyone'
- individus
- Individuals or persons considered separately in a group
- parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'
- personnes
- Persons or people in general or specific contexts
- diverses
- Various or diverse, of different kinds or types
- varier
- To vary or diversify something for change
- groupe
- A group of people or things gathered together
- moment
- A moment or short period of time
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'
- Douane
- The customs office where duties are collected
- animée
- Lively or animated, full of activity and energy
- souvent
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently' in time
- cependant
- Adverb meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless,' showing contrast
- montant
- Present participle of 'monter,' meaning 'going up'
- marches
- Steps or stairs of a staircase or entrance
- apercevait
- Imperfect of 'apercevoir,' meaning 'could notice' or 'glimpse'
- couloir
- A corridor or hallway connecting rooms in a building
- entrée
- An entrance or entry point of a building
- été
- Past participle of 'être' or noun meaning 'summer'
- leurs
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their,' belonging to them
- salles
- Plural of 'salle,' meaning rooms or halls
- respectives
- Respective, each belonging to its own person or group
- temps
- Time or weather, depending on context
- hivernal
- Wintry or relating to the winter season
- inclément
- Inclement or harsh, describing severe weather conditions
- rangée
- A row or line of objects or people arranged neatly
- figures
- Faces or figures of people in a scene
- vénérables
- Venerable or worthy of respect due to age
- assises
- Seated or sitting, feminine plural past participle
- chaises
- Plural of 'chaise,' meaning chairs used for sitting
- démodées
- Old-fashioned or out of style, no longer trendy
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose,' 'of which,' or 'from which'
- pieds
- Plural of 'pied,' meaning feet or legs of furniture
- arrière
- The back or rear part of something
- inclinés
- Tilted or leaning at an angle against something
- contre
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'contrary to'
- mur
- A wall, either interior or exterior of a building
- plupart
- Most or the majority of a group of people
- dormaient
- Imperfect of 'dormir,' meaning 'were sleeping'
- entendre
- To hear or listen to sounds or speech
- parler
- To speak or talk to someone
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among' things or people
- voix
- Voice or voices used in speaking or singing
- mi-chemin
- Halfway or midway between two points or states
- parole
- Speech, word, or spoken language as communication
- ronflement
- Snoring sound made during sleep or drowsiness
- manque
- Lack or absence of something needed or expected
- énergie
- Energy or vitality needed to perform actions
- caractérise
- To characterize or define the nature of something
- pensionnaires
- Residents or boarders living in an institution or home
- hospices
- Hospices or poorhouses providing care for the needy
- êtres
- Beings or creatures, plural of 'être' as a noun
- humains
- Human beings or humans as a species
- dépendent
- To depend on or rely upon someone for support
- subsistance
- Subsistence or means of survival and basic needs
- charité
- Charity or benevolence given to those in need
- travail
- Work or labor performed as an occupation
- monopolisé
- Monopolized or controlled exclusively by one party
- importe
- Matters or is important; used in 'n'importe quoi'
- quoi
- Pronoun meaning 'what,' used in various expressions
- propres
- Own or clean; here meaning 'one's own' efforts
- efforts
- Efforts or attempts made to achieve something difficult
- indépendants
- Independent or self-reliant, not depending on others
- vieux
- Old or elderly, describing aged people or things
- messieurs
- Gentlemen or sirs, plural of 'monsieur'
- assis
- Seated or sitting down, past participle of 'asseoir'
- bureau
- An office, desk, or administrative office space
- perception
- Collection or perception; here refers to tax collection
- droits
- Rights or duties; here customs duties or taxes
- douane
- Customs office where import duties are assessed
- guère
- Adverb meaning 'hardly' or 'scarcely,' used with negation
- susceptibles
- Likely or liable to be subject to something
- convoqués
- Summoned or called together for a specific purpose
- missions
- Missions or tasks assigned with a specific purpose
- apostoliques
- Apostolic, relating to the apostles or religious mission
- employés
- Employees or workers hired to perform specific tasks
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