The Souls of Black Folk — Page 14
Away with the black man's ballot, by force or fraud,—and behold the suicide of a race!
À bas le bulletin de vote de l'homme noir, par la force ou la fraude,—et voilà le suicide d'une race !
Nevertheless, out of the evil came something of good,—the more careful adjustment of education to real life, the clearer perception of the Negroes' social responsibilities, and the sobering realization of the meaning of progress.
Néanmoins, du mal vint quelque chose de bon,—l'adaptation plus soigneuse de l'éducation à la vie réelle, la perception plus claire des responsabilités sociales des Noirs, et la prise de conscience salutaire de la signification du progrès.
So dawned the time of Sturm und Drang: storm and stress to-day rocks our little boat on the mad waters of the world-sea; there is within and without the sound of conflict, the burning of body and rending of soul; inspiration strives with doubt, and faith with vain questionings.
Ainsi s'est levée l'époque du Sturm und Drang : la tempête et la tourmente d'aujourd'hui ballottent notre petite embarcation sur les eaux déchaînées de la mer du monde ; il y a, au-dedans et au-dehors, le bruit du conflit, la brûlure du corps et le déchirement de l'âme ; l'inspiration lutte contre le doute, et la foi contre de vaines interrogations.
The bright ideals of the past,—physical freedom, political power, the training of brains and the training of hands,—all these in turn have waxed and waned, until even the last grows dim and overcast.
Les idéaux lumineux du passé,—la liberté physique, le pouvoir politique, la formation des esprits et la formation des mains,—tous ceux-ci à leur tour ont crû et décru, jusqu'à ce que même le dernier s'assombrisse et se couvre de nuages.
Are they all wrong,—all false?
Sont-ils tous erronés,—tous faux ?
No, not that, but each alone was over-simple and incomplete,—the dreams of a credulous race-childhood, or the fond imaginings of the other world which does not know and does not want to know our power.
Non, pas cela, mais chacun pris isolément était trop simple et incomplet,—les rêves d'une enfance raciale crédule, ou les douces chimères de l'autre monde qui ne connaît pas et ne veut pas connaître notre puissance.
To be really true, all these ideals must be melted and welded into one.
Pour être vraiment vrais, tous ces idéaux doivent être fondus et soudés en un seul.
The training of the schools we need to-day more than ever,—the training of deft hands, quick eyes and ears, and above all the broader, deeper, higher culture of gifted minds and pure hearts.
La formation que dispensent les écoles, nous en avons besoin aujourd'hui plus que jamais,—la formation de mains habiles, d'yeux et d'oreilles alertes, et par-dessus tout la culture plus large, plus profonde, plus élevée des esprits doués et des cœurs purs.
The power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defence,—else what shall save us from a second slavery?
Le pouvoir du bulletin de vote, nous en avons besoin pour notre pure autodéfense,—sinon qu'est-ce qui nous sauvera d'un second esclavage ?
Vocabulary
- bas
- Low; bottom; base of something.
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article).
- bulletin
- A bulletin; official report or periodic publication.
- de
- Of; from; indicates possession or origin.
- vote
- A vote; casting of votes in an election.
- homme
- Man; adult male human being.
- noir
- Black; dark in color.
- par
- By; through; indicates agent or means.
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article).
- force
- Force; strength; power or violence.
- ou
- Or; presents alternative choices or options.
- fraude
- Fraud; deceit or deceptive dishonest act.
- et
- And; connects words, phrases, or clauses.
- voilà
- There it is; there you have it.
- suicide
- Suicide; act of killing oneself intentionally.
- une
- A; an (feminine singular indefinite article).
- race
- Race; ethnic group or human population category.
- Néanmoins
- Nevertheless; however; despite this situation.
- du
- Of the; from the (masculine singular).
- mal
- Evil; harm; bad or wrong thing.
- vint
- Came; past tense of venir (to come).
- quelque
- Some; any; a certain unspecified thing.
- chose
- Thing; object or matter of some kind.
- bon
- Good; positive; having desirable qualities.
- adaptation
- Adaptation; adjustment to new circumstances.
- plus
- More; additional; plus sign in mathematics.
- soigneuse
- Careful; meticulous; done with proper attention.
- éducation
- Education; instruction or teaching process.
- vie
- Life; existence or manner of living.
- réelle
- Real; actual; existing in fact.
- perception
- Perception; awareness or understanding of something.
- claire
- Clear; bright; easily understood or perceived.
- des
- Of the; some (plural indefinite article).
- responsabilités
- Responsibilities; duties or obligations owed.
- sociales
- Social; relating to society and community.
- Noirs
- Black people; African Americans or persons.
- prise
- Taking; grasp; act of seizing something.
- conscience
- Consciousness; awareness or moral sense.
- salutaire
- Salutary; beneficial or health-promoting effect.
- signification
- Meaning; significance or importance of something.
- progrès
- Progress; advancement toward improvement or goal.
- Ainsi
- Thus; in this way; therefore.
- est
- Is; present tense of être (to be).
- levée
- Raising; lifting up; act of raising.
- époque
- Epoch; period or era in history.
- tempête
- Storm; violent weather disturbance.
- tourmente
- Torment; troubled or distressed state.
- aujourd
- Today; on this present day.
- ballottent
- Toss; swing back and forth.
- notre
- Our; belonging to us collectively.
- petite
- Small; little; of small size.
- embarcation
- Boat; vessel for water transportation.
- sur
- On; upon; positioned above something.
- les
- The (plural definite article).
- eaux
- Waters; plural of eau (water).
- déchaînées
- Unchained; released; unrestrained or wild.
- mer
- Sea; large body of salt water.
- monde
- World; Earth or society of people.
- il
- He; it (masculine singular pronoun).
- au-dedans
- Within; inside; in the interior.
- au-dehors
- Outside; externally; beyond the limits.
- bruit
- Noise; sound or commotion.
- conflit
- Conflict; dispute or disagreement between parties.
- brûlure
- Burning; burn mark or sensation.
- corps
- Body; physical form or corpse.
- déchirement
- Rending; tearing; mental anguish or pain.
- âme
- Soul; spirit or inner essence.
- inspiration
- Inspiration; creative impulse or motivation.
- lutte
- Struggle; fight or wrestling match.
- contre
- Against; in opposition to something.
- doute
- Doubt; uncertainty or skepticism.
- foi
- Faith; belief or religious conviction.
- vaines
- Vain; futile or fruitless endeavors.
- interrogations
- Questions; inquiries or points of inquiry.
- Les
- The (plural definite article, capitalized).
- idéaux
- Ideals; principles or standards of excellence.
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