The Souls of Black Folk — Page 4
they say, I know an excellent colored man in my town;
ils disent, je connais un homme de couleur excellent dans ma ville ;
or, I fought at Mechanicsville; or, Do not these Southern outrages make your blood boil?
ou, j'ai combattu à Mechanicsville ; ou, ces atrocités du Sud ne vous font-elles pas bouillir le sang ?
At these I smile, or am interested, or reduce the boiling to a simmer, as the occasion may require.
À cela je souris, ou je m'intéresse, ou je ramène l'ébullition à un frémissement, selon ce que la situation exige.
To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word.
À la vraie question, Qu'est-ce que cela fait d'être un problème ? je réponds rarement un mot.
And yet, being a problem is a strange experience,—peculiar even for one who has never been anything else, save perhaps in babyhood and in Europe.
Et pourtant, être un problème est une expérience étrange — singulière même pour celui qui n'a jamais été autre chose, si ce n'est peut-être dans la petite enfance et en Europe.
It is in the early days of rollicking boyhood that the revelation first bursts upon one, all in a day, as it were.
C'est dans les premiers temps d'une enfance insouciante que la révélation s'impose à vous d'un seul coup, pour ainsi dire en un seul jour.
I remember well when the shadow swept across me.
Je me souviens bien du moment où l'ombre passa sur moi.
I was a little thing, away up in the hills of New England, where the dark Housatonic winds between Hoosac and Taghkanic to the sea.
J'étais tout petit, là-haut dans les collines de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, là où le sombre Housatonic serpente entre Hoosac et Taghkanic jusqu'à la mer.
In a wee wooden schoolhouse, something put it into the boys' and girls' heads to buy gorgeous visiting-cards—ten cents a package—and exchange.
Dans une toute petite école en bois, quelque chose mit dans la tête des garçons et des filles d'acheter de magnifiques cartes de visite — dix cents le paquet — et de les échanger.
The exchange was merry, till one girl, a tall newcomer, refused my card,—refused it peremptorily, with a glance.
L'échange était joyeux, jusqu'à ce qu'une fille, une grande nouvelle venue, refusât ma carte — la refusât péremptoirement, d'un regard.
Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.
Alors il m'apparut avec une certaine soudaineté que j'étais différent des autres ; ou semblable, peut-être, par le cœur, la vie et l'aspiration, mais exclu de leur monde par un immense voile.
Vocabulary
- disent
- diz — Third person plural present tense of 'dire' (to say)
- connais
- koh-neh — First person singular present of 'connaître' (to know a person)
- homme
- ohm — A male adult human being; man
- couleur
- koo-luhr — The visual property of hue; color of an object
- excellent
- ek-seh-lahn — Of very high quality; exceptionally good or outstanding
- ville
- veel — An urban settlement; a town or city
- combattu
- kohm-ba-tü — Past participle of 'combattre'; having fought in battle
- atrocités
- ah-troh-see-teh — Extremely wicked or cruel acts; horrific brutalities
- Sud
- süd — The southern direction or the southern United States
- font
- fohn — Third person plural present of 'faire' (to do, make)
- bouillir
- boo-yeer — To reach boiling point; to boil a liquid with heat
- sang
- sahn — The red fluid circulating in the body; blood
- cela
- suh-lah — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' referring to something mentioned
- souris
- soo-ree — A small rodent; a mouse; also first/second person of 'sourire'
- intéresse
- an-teh-res — Third person singular present of 'intéresser'; to interest someone
- ramène
- ra-men — Third person singular present of 'ramener'; to bring back
- ébullition
- eh-bü-lee-syohn — The state of boiling; vigorous bubbling of a heated liquid
- frémissement
- freh-mees-mahn — A slight trembling, quivering, or simmering sensation
- selon
- suh-lohn — Preposition meaning 'according to' or 'depending on'
- situation
- see-tü-ah-syohn — The circumstances or conditions existing at a particular time
- exige
- eg-zeezh — Third person singular present of 'exiger'; to require or demand
- vraie
- vreh — Feminine adjective meaning 'true,' 'real,' or 'genuine'
- question
- kes-tyohn — An inquiry or problem requiring an answer or solution
- fait
- feh — Third person singular of 'faire'; an accomplished act or fact
- être
- eh-truh — Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'; core auxiliary verb in French
- problème
- proh-blem — A difficulty or matter requiring a solution; a problem
- réponds
- reh-pohn — First person singular present of 'répondre'; to answer or reply
- rarement
- rahr-mahn — Adverb meaning seldom or not very often; rarely
- mot
- moh — A single unit of language; a word
- pourtant
- poor-tahn — Adverb meaning 'yet,' 'however,' or 'nevertheless' showing contrast
- expérience
- ex-peh-ryahns — Knowledge or skill gained through direct personal involvement
- étrange
- eh-trahnzh — Unusual, odd, or unfamiliar; strange or peculiar in nature
- singulière
- san-gü-lyehr — Feminine adjective meaning unique, remarkable, or singular in character
- même
- mem — Adverb or adjective meaning 'even,' 'same,' or 'itself'
- celui
- suh-lwee — Masculine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'he who'
- jamais
- zhah-meh — Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' depending on context
- été
- eh-teh — Past participle of 'être'; been; also the noun for summer
- autre
- oh-truh — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another' thing/person
- chose
- shohz — A general noun meaning 'thing' or 'matter'
- si
- see — Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'
- petite
- puh-teet — Feminine adjective meaning small in size or young in age
- enfance
- ahn-fahns — The early period of life; childhood
- premiers
- pruh-myeh — Masculine plural adjective meaning 'first' in order or time
- temps
- tahn — Time, weather, or tense depending on context
- insouciante
- an-soo-syahnt — Feminine adjective meaning carefree, lighthearted, and without worry
- révélation
- reh-veh-lah-syohn — A surprising disclosure or sudden insight; a revelation
- impose
- an-pohz — Third person singular of 's'imposer'; to impose or assert itself
- seul
- suhl — Adjective meaning alone, sole, or only; by oneself
- coup
- koo — A blow or stroke; also used in expressions like 'd'un seul coup'
- ainsi
- an-see — Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
- dire
- deer — Infinitive verb meaning to say, tell, or express verbally
- jour
- zhoor — A period of twenty-four hours; a day
- souviens
- soo-vyahn — First person singular of 'se souvenir'; to remember something
- bien
- byahn — Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'; adjective meaning 'good'
- moment
- moh-mahn — A brief period of time; an instant or particular point in time
- où
- oo — Relative adverb meaning 'where' or 'when' indicating place or time
- ombre
- ohm-bruh — A shadow or shade cast by blocking light
- passa
- pah-sah — Third person singular simple past of 'passer'; passed by
- étais
- eh-teh — First person singular imperfect tense of 'être' (was/were)
- tout
- too — Adjective or adverb meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'completely'
- petit
- puh-tee — Adjective meaning small in size or young; little
- là
- lah — Adverb meaning 'there,' indicating a location or pointing out something
- haut
- oh — Adjective or noun meaning 'high' or 'top'; height
- collines
- koh-leen — Plural noun meaning hills; gentle elevated landforms
- Nouvelle
- noo-vel — Feminine adjective meaning 'new'; part of 'Nouvelle-Angleterre'
- Angleterre
- ahng-luh-tehr — The French name for England; also used in Nouvelle-Angleterre (New England)
- sombre
- sohm-bruh — Adjective meaning dark, gloomy, or dimly lit
- serpente
- sehr-pahnt — Third person singular of 'serpenter'; to wind or meander like a snake
- entre
- ahn-truh — Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among' two or more things
- jusqu'
- zhüs-kuh — Contracted preposition 'jusqu'à' meaning 'until' or 'as far as'
- mer
- mehr — A large body of saltwater; the sea or ocean
- toute
- toot — Feminine form of 'tout' meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'whole'
- école
- eh-kohl — An institution for education; a school
- bois
- bwah — Wood as a material or a wooded area; forest
- quelque
- kel-kuh — Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few' before a noun
- mit
- mee — Third person singular simple past of 'mettre'; put or placed
- tête
- tet — The uppermost part of the body; head
- garçons
- gar-sohn — Plural noun meaning boys or young males
- filles
- feey — Plural noun meaning girls or daughters
- acheter
- ash-teh — Infinitive verb meaning to purchase or buy something
- magnifiques
- mah-nyee-feek — Plural adjective meaning magnificent, splendid, or beautiful
- cartes
- kart — Plural noun meaning cards, maps, or visiting cards
- visite
- vee-zeet — A call paid to a person; a visit; also visiting card
- dix
- dees — The number ten in French
- cents
- sahn — Monetary units; cents; one hundredth of a dollar
- paquet
- pah-keh — A wrapped bundle or package; a packet of items
- échanger
- eh-shahn-zheh — Infinitive verb meaning to exchange or swap things with someone
- échange
- eh-shahnzh — An act of swapping or trading items between people
- était
- eh-teh — Third person singular imperfect tense of 'être' (was)
- joyeux
- zhwah-yuh — Adjective meaning joyful, merry, or full of happiness
- fille
- feey — A girl or young woman; also daughter
- grande
- grahnd — Feminine adjective meaning big, large, tall, or great
- nouvelle
- noo-vel — Feminine adjective meaning new or recent; also a short story
- venue
- vuh-nü — Feminine past participle of 'venir' meaning arrived or come
- refusât
- ruh-fü-zah — Third person singular imperfect subjunctive of 'refuser'; refused
- carte
- kart — A card, map, or menu; a flat printed document
- péremptoirement
- peh-rahmp-twahr-mahn — Adverb meaning in a peremptory, decisive, and final manner
- regard
- ruh-gar — A look or gaze; the act of looking at someone
- Alors
- ah-lor — Adverb meaning 'then,' 'so,' or 'at that time'
- apparut
- ah-pah-rü — Third person singular simple past of 'apparaître'; appeared suddenly
- certaine
- sehr-ten — Feminine adjective meaning certain, particular, or definite
- soudaineté
- soo-den-teh — The quality of being sudden; abruptness or unexpectedness
- différent
- dee-feh-rahn — Adjective meaning not the same; distinct or unlike others
- autres
- oh-truh — Plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other ones'
- semblable
- sahm-blah-bluh — Adjective meaning similar, alike, or resembling another person
- cœur
- kuhr — The heart, both as an organ and as a symbol of emotion
- vie
- vee — The state of being alive; life or one's existence
- aspiration
- as-pee-rah-syohn — A strong desire or ambition to achieve something great
- exclu
- eks-klü — Past participle of 'exclure'; excluded or shut out from something
- leur
- luhr — Third person plural possessive adjective meaning 'their'
- monde
- mohnd — The earth or its inhabitants; the world or society
- immense
- ee-mahns — Adjective meaning extremely large, vast, or boundless in extent
- voile
- vwahl — A thin fabric veil; a sail; or a covering that conceals something
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