The Souls of Black Folk — Page 12
For the first time he sought to analyze the burden he bore upon his back, that dead-weight of social degradation partially masked behind a half-named Negro problem.
Pour la première fois, il chercha à analyser le fardeau qu'il portait sur son dos, ce poids mort de dégradation sociale partiellement masqué derrière un problème nègre à peine nommé.
He felt his poverty; without a cent, without a home, without land, tools, or savings, he had entered into competition with rich, landed, skilled neighbors.
Il ressentit sa pauvreté ; sans un sou, sans foyer, sans terre, sans outils ni économies, il s'était lancé en concurrence avec des voisins riches, propriétaires terriens et qualifiés.
To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.
Être un homme pauvre est difficile, mais être une race pauvre dans un pays de dollars, c'est toucher le fond même des épreuves.
He felt the weight of his ignorance,—not simply of letters, but of life, of business, of the humanities; the accumulated sloth and shirking and awkwardness of decades and centuries shackled his hands and feet.
Il ressentit le poids de son ignorance — non pas seulement des lettres, mais de la vie, des affaires, des humanités ; la paresse accumulée, les esquives et la maladresse de décennies et de siècles enchaînaient ses mains et ses pieds.
Nor was his burden all poverty and ignorance.
Et son fardeau n'était pas seulement fait de pauvreté et d'ignorance.
The red stain of bastardy, which two centuries of systematic legal defilement of Negro women had stamped upon his race, meant not only the loss of ancient African chastity, but also the hereditary weight of a mass of corruption from white adulterers, threatening almost the obliteration of the Negro home.
La tache rouge du bâtardisme, qu'avaient imprimée sur sa race deux siècles de souillure légale et systématique des femmes nègres, signifiait non seulement la perte de l'antique chasteté africaine, mais aussi le poids héréditaire d'une masse de corruption due aux adultères blancs, menaçant presque d'effacer le foyer nègre.
A people thus handicapped ought not to be asked to race with the world, but rather allowed to give all its time and thought to its own social problems.
Un peuple ainsi handicapé ne devrait pas être invité à rivaliser avec le monde, mais plutôt se voir accorder tout son temps et toute sa réflexion à ses propres problèmes sociaux.
But alas! while sociologists gleefully count his bastards and his prostitutes, the very soul of the toiling, sweating black man is darkened by the shadow of a vast despair.
Mais hélas ! tandis que les sociologues comptent joyeusement ses bâtards et ses prostituées, l'âme même de l'homme noir qui peine et transpire est assombrie par l'ombre d'un immense désespoir.
Vocabulary
- première
- First (feminine form of 'premier')
- fois
- Time, instance; 'première fois' means 'first time'
- chercha
- Past tense of 'chercher'; he sought or looked for
- analyser
- To analyze or examine carefully
- fardeau
- A burden or heavy load one must carry
- portait
- Imperfect tense of 'porter'; was carrying or bearing
- dos
- The back of a person or animal
- poids
- Weight or heaviness of an object or burden
- mort
- Dead; lifeless; also means death as a noun
- dégradation
- Degradation; decline in status or moral condition
- sociale
- Social; relating to society and community life
- partiellement
- Partially; not completely or fully
- masqué
- Masked or hidden; concealed behind something else
- derrière
- Behind; at the back of something
- problème
- A problem or difficulty requiring a solution
- nègre
- Historically used racial term for a Black person
- peine
- Hardly, barely; also pain or trouble
- nommé
- Named or called; barely mentioned by name
- ressentit
- Past tense of 'ressentir'; he felt or experienced deeply
- pauvreté
- Poverty; the state of being extremely poor
- sans
- Without; lacking something entirely
- sou
- A small coin; figuratively means a penny or cent
- foyer
- Home, hearth, or household; a place of belonging
- terre
- Land, earth, or ground; also the planet Earth
- outils
- Tools or instruments used for work or labor
- ni
- Nor; used in negative constructions to link alternatives
- économies
- Savings; money set aside or economized over time
- lancé
- Launched or thrown into; started boldly
- concurrence
- Competition or rivalry between individuals or groups
- voisins
- Neighbors; people living nearby
- riches
- Rich or wealthy; having abundant financial resources
- propriétaires
- Owners or proprietors; people who own property
- terriens
- Landowners; relating to those who own land
- qualifiés
- Qualified or skilled; having relevant abilities or training
- homme
- Man or human being; an adult male person
- pauvre
- Poor; lacking money or material resources
- difficile
- Difficult; hard to do or accomplish
- race
- Race; a group defined by shared ancestry or ethnicity
- pays
- Country or nation; a land with its own government
- dollars
- Dollars; unit of currency used in the United States
- toucher
- To touch; also to reach or attain a point
- fond
- Bottom or depth; 'toucher le fond' means to hit rock bottom
- même
- Same; even; itself — used for emphasis
- épreuves
- Trials, hardships, or tests one must endure
- ignorance
- Ignorance; lack of knowledge or awareness
- seulement
- Only; merely; just and nothing more
- lettres
- Letters; literacy; also the humanities as a field
- vie
- Life; the state of being alive
- affaires
- Affairs, business matters, or personal concerns
- humanités
- Humanities; classical learning and human culture studies
- paresse
- Laziness or idleness; reluctance to work or act
- accumulée
- Accumulated; built up over time
- esquives
- Evasions or dodges; acts of avoiding something
- maladresse
- Clumsiness or awkwardness; lack of skill or grace
- décennies
- Decades; periods of ten years
- siècles
- Centuries; periods of one hundred years
- enchaînaient
- Imperfect of 'enchaîner'; chained or shackled repeatedly
- mains
- Hands; the body parts at the end of arms
- pieds
- Feet; the lower extremities of the body
- fait
- Fact or act; also third person of 'faire' meaning 'does'
- tache
- Stain, spot, or blemish on a surface or reputation
- rouge
- Red; the color associated with blood or danger
- bâtardisme
- Bastardy; the condition or stigma of illegitimate birth
- imprimée
- Printed or imprinted; stamped or marked upon something
- souillure
- Defilement or taint; a moral or physical stain
- légale
- Legal; relating to the law or legally sanctioned
- systématique
- Systematic; organized according to a fixed plan or method
- femmes
- Women; adult female persons
- signifiait
- Imperfect of 'signifier'; meant or signified
- perte
- Loss; the act of losing something valuable
- antique
- Ancient or antique; belonging to a very old tradition
- chasteté
- Chastity; the quality of being sexually pure or virtuous
- africaine
- African; relating to Africa or its peoples
- aussi
- Also, too, or as well
- héréditaire
- Hereditary; passed down through generations genetically
- masse
- Mass or bulk; a large quantity or group of something
- corruption
- Corruption; moral decay or dishonest behavior
- due
- Due to; caused by or resulting from something
- adultères
- Acts of adultery; sexual infidelity within marriage
- blancs
- White men; white people (masculine plural)
- menaçant
- Threatening; posing a danger or risk to something
- presque
- Almost; nearly but not completely
- effacer
- To erase or wipe out; to eliminate entirely
- peuple
- A people or nation; a group sharing culture and identity
- ainsi
- Thus, so, or in this way
- handicapé
- Handicapped or disadvantaged; impeded by obstacles
- devrait
- Conditional of 'devoir'; should or ought to
- invité
- Invited or asked; welcomed to participate
- rivaliser
- To compete or rival; to strive against others
- monde
- World; the earth and all people in it
- plutôt
- Rather or instead; preferably one thing over another
- voir
- To see; also used idiomatically in many expressions
- accorder
- To grant, give, or allow something to someone
- tout
- All, every, or entire; completely
- temps
- Time or weather; a period or duration
- toute
- All or every (feminine form of 'tout')
- réflexion
- Reflection; careful thought or consideration
- propres
- Own; belonging to oneself; also means clean
- problèmes
- Problems or difficulties requiring resolution
- sociaux
- Social; relating to society (masculine plural adjective)
- hélas
- Alas; an exclamation expressing sorrow or regret
- tandis
- While; used in 'tandis que' meaning 'whereas' or 'while'
- sociologues
- Sociologists; scholars who study society and social behavior
- comptent
- Count or matter; third person plural of 'compter'
- joyeusement
- Joyfully; in a happy or cheerful manner
- bâtards
- Bastards; people born outside of legal marriage
- prostituées
- Prostitutes; people who engage in sex work
- âme
- Soul; the spiritual or inner essence of a person
- noir
- Black; dark in color; also used to mean Black person
- transpire
- Sweats; also means to transpire or come to light
- assombrie
- Darkened or overshadowed; made gloomy or somber
- ombre
- Shadow or shade; darkness cast by blocking light
- immense
- Immense; extremely large or vast in size
- désespoir
- Despair; a complete loss of hope
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