The Scarlet Letter — Page 13
I seem to have a stronger claim to a residence here on account of this grave, bearded, sable-cloaked and steeple-crowned progenitor,—who came so early, with his Bible and his sword, and trode the unworn street with such a stately port, and made so large a figure, as a man of war and peace,—a stronger claim than for myself, whose name is seldom heard and my face hardly known.
Il me semble que j'ai un droit plus fort à résider ici en raison de cet ancêtre grave, barbu, vêtu d'un manteau noir et coiffé d'un chapeau en pointe,—qui vint si tôt, avec sa Bible et son épée, et parcourut les rues encore vierges d'un pas si majestueux, et figura si grandement, en tant qu'homme de guerre et de paix,—un droit plus fort que celui que je possède pour moi-même, dont le nom s'entend rarement et le visage est à peine connu.
He was a soldier, legislator, judge; he was a ruler in the Church; he had all the Puritanic traits, both good and evil.
Il était soldat, législateur, juge ; il était un dirigeant dans l'Église ; il possédait tous les traits puritains, tant bons que mauvais.
He was likewise a bitter persecutor, as witness the Quakers, who have remembered him in their histories, and relate an incident of his hard severity towards a woman of their sect, which will last longer, it is to be feared, than any record of his better deeds, although these were many.
Il fut également un persécuteur acharné, comme en témoignent les Quakers, qui l'ont conservé dans leurs histoires, et rapportent un incident de sa dure sévérité envers une femme de leur secte, lequel durera plus longtemps, est-il à craindre, que tout souvenir de ses meilleures actions, bien que celles-ci fussent nombreuses.
His son, too, inherited the persecuting spirit, and made himself so conspicuous in the martyrdom of the witches, that their blood may fairly be said to have left a stain upon him.
Son fils, lui aussi, hérita de l'esprit de persécution, et se rendit si remarquable dans le martyre des sorcières, que leur sang peut à juste titre être dit avoir laissé une tache sur lui.
So deep a stain, indeed, that his old dry bones, in the Charter Street burial-ground, must still retain it, if they have not crumbled utterly to dust!
Une tache si profonde, en vérité, que ses vieux os desséchés, dans le cimetière de Charter Street, doivent encore la porter, s'ils ne se sont pas entièrement réduits en poussière !
I know not whether these ancestors of mine bethought themselves to repent, and ask pardon of Heaven for their cruelties; or whether they are now groaning under the heavy consequences of them, in another state of being.
Je ne sais pas si ces ancêtres qui sont les miens ont songé à se repentir, et à demander pardon au Ciel pour leurs cruautés ; ou s'ils gémissent à présent sous le poids des lourdes conséquences de celles-ci, dans un autre état d'existence.
Vocabulary
- semble
- Verb 'sembler': seems or appears to be
- droit
- A right, entitlement, or legal claim
- fort
- Strong, powerful, or here meaning 'stronger'
- résider
- To reside or live in a place
- raison
- Reason, cause, or justification for something
- ancêtre
- An ancestor or forebear from a previous generation
- grave
- Serious, solemn, or grave in manner
- barbu
- Bearded; having a beard on one's face
- vêtu
- Dressed or clothed in a particular garment
- manteau
- A coat or cloak worn as outer garment
- coiffé
- Wearing on one's head; adorned with a hat
- chapeau
- A hat or cap worn on the head
- pointe
- A point or tip; here a pointed hat
- vint
- Past historic of 'venir': he came or arrived
- tôt
- Early; at an early time or soon
- épée
- A sword used as a weapon in combat
- parcourut
- Past historic of 'parcourir': traversed or traveled through
- encore
- Still, yet, or again in various contexts
- vierges
- Virgin, untouched, or pristine; not yet developed
- majestueux
- Majestic, stately, or imposing in appearance
- figura
- Past historic of 'figurer': featured or appeared prominently
- grandement
- Greatly or largely; to a great extent
- tant
- So much, so many, or as much as
- guerre
- War; armed conflict between groups or nations
- paix
- Peace; absence of conflict or war
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'that one'
- possède
- To possess or own something; I possess
- même
- Same, even, or self depending on context
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', 'from which'
- entend
- Is heard; to hear or understand something
- rarement
- Rarely; not often or seldom occurring
- visage
- Face; the front part of a person's head
- peine
- Hardly, barely, or with difficulty; also sorrow
- connu
- Known; familiar or recognized by others
- soldat
- A soldier; a person serving in the military
- législateur
- A lawmaker or legislator who creates laws
- juge
- A judge who presides over legal matters
- dirigeant
- A leader or leading figure in an organization
- Église
- The Church; a religious institution or building
- possédait
- Imperfect of 'posséder': possessed or owned previously
- traits
- Traits or features of character or appearance
- puritains
- Puritan; relating to strict Protestant religious values
- fut
- Past historic of 'être': was at a time
- également
- Also, equally, or likewise in the same way
- persécuteur
- A persecutor who oppresses or harasses others
- acharné
- Fierce, relentless, or dogged in pursuit
- témoignent
- To testify or bear witness to something
- Quakers
- Quakers; members of a pacifist Christian religious group
- conservé
- Preserved or kept; maintained over time
- rapportent
- To report or recount; they report an event
- incident
- An incident or event, often problematic or notable
- dure
- Hard, harsh, or severe in treatment
- sévérité
- Severity or strictness in judgment or treatment
- envers
- Toward or with regard to a person
- secte
- A sect or religious group with distinct beliefs
- lequel
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who' formally
- durera
- Future of 'durer': will last or endure
- longtemps
- A long time; for an extended duration
- craindre
- To fear or be afraid of something
- souvenir
- A memory or remembrance of past events
- meilleures
- Best; the feminine plural superlative of 'bon'
- actions
- Actions or deeds performed by someone
- celles
- Demonstrative pronoun: those ones, feminine plural
- fussent
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'être': were (subjunctive mood)
- nombreuses
- Numerous or many; a large quantity of things
- fils
- Son; a male child in relation to parent
- hérita
- Past historic of 'hériter': inherited from someone
- esprit
- Spirit, mind, or attitude of a person
- persécution
- Persecution; systematic oppression of a group
- rendit
- Past historic of 'rendre': made or rendered something
- remarquable
- Remarkable or notable; worthy of attention or comment
- martyre
- Martyrdom; suffering or execution for one's beliefs
- sorcières
- Witches; women accused of practicing witchcraft
- sang
- Blood; the red fluid in living bodies
- juste
- Just, fair, or righteous; accurate or correct
- titre
- Title or right; here in the phrase 'à juste titre'
- laissé
- Left behind or allowed; past participle of 'laisser'
- tache
- A stain, spot, or blemish on something
- profonde
- Deep or profound in degree or meaning
- vérité
- Truth; something that is factually accurate or real
- os
- Bones; the hard structures forming a skeleton
- desséchés
- Dried out or withered; desiccated over time
- cimetière
- A cemetery or graveyard where people are buried
- doivent
- Must or owe; third person plural of 'devoir'
- porter
- To carry, bear, or wear something
- entièrement
- Entirely or completely; to the fullest extent
- réduits
- Reduced or diminished; brought to a lesser state
- poussière
- Dust; fine dry particles of matter or earth
- ancêtres
- Ancestors; people from whom one is descended
- miens
- Mine; possessive pronoun masculine plural form
- songé
- Thought about or dreamed; past participle of 'songer'
- repentir
- Repentance; feeling regret for one's past actions
- demander
- To ask for or request something from someone
- pardon
- Forgiveness or pardon for wrongdoing committed
- Ciel
- Heaven or sky; divine realm above the earth
- cruautés
- Cruelties; acts of cruel or brutal behavior
- gémissent
- They groan or moan; express suffering aloud
- présent
- Present; now, at this current moment in time
- sous
- Under or beneath; below in position or pressure
- poids
- Weight or burden; heaviness of a load
- lourdes
- Heavy; difficult to bear physically or emotionally
- conséquences
- Consequences or results following from an action
- état
- State or condition; a situation or mode of being
- existence
- Existence; the state or fact of being alive
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