The Souls of Black Folk — Page 15
Freedom, too, the long-sought, we still seek,—the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire.
La liberté, elle aussi, longtemps cherchée, nous la cherchons encore — la liberté du corps et de l'âme, la liberté de travailler et de penser, la liberté d'aimer et d'aspirer.
Work, culture, liberty,—all these we need, not singly but together, not successively but together, each growing and aiding each, and all striving toward that vaster ideal that swims before the Negro people, the ideal of human brotherhood, gained through the unifying ideal of Race; the ideal of fostering and developing the traits and talents of the Negro, not in opposition to or contempt for other races, but rather in large conformity to the greater ideals of the American Republic, in order that some day on American soil two world-races may give each to each those characteristics both so sadly lack.
Le travail, la culture, la liberté — tout cela nous est nécessaire, non séparément mais ensemble, non successivement mais ensemble, chacun croissant et aidant l'autre, et tous tendant vers cet idéal plus vaste qui flotte devant le peuple noir, l'idéal de la fraternité humaine, acquis à travers l'idéal unificateur de la Race ; l'idéal de cultiver et de développer les traits et les talents du Noir, non pas en opposition ou en mépris des autres races, mais plutôt en large conformité avec les grands idéaux de la République américaine, afin qu'un jour, sur le sol américain, deux races mondiales puissent se donner mutuellement ces caractéristiques qui toutes deux font si cruellement défaut.
We the darker ones come even now not altogether empty-handed: there are to-day no truer exponents of the pure human spirit of the Declaration of Independence than the American Negroes; there is no true American music but the wild sweet melodies of the Negro slave; the American fairy tales and folklore are Indian and African; and, all in all, we black men seem the sole oasis of simple faith and reverence in a dusty desert of dollars and smartness.
Nous, les plus sombres, venons même maintenant les mains non tout à fait vides : il n'existe aujourd'hui de plus fidèles défenseurs du pur esprit humain de la Déclaration d'Indépendance que les Noirs américains ; il n'existe de vraie musique américaine que les mélodies sauvages et douces de l'esclave noir ; les contes de fées et le folklore américains sont indiens et africains ; et, somme toute, nous les hommes noirs semblons être la seule oasis de foi simple et de révérence dans un désert poussiéreux de dollars et d'astuce.
Will America be poorer if she replace her brutal dyspeptic blundering with light-hearted but determined Negro humility? or her coarse and cruel wit with loving jovial good-humor? or her vulgar music with the soul of the Sorrow Songs?
L'Amérique sera-t-elle plus pauvre si elle remplace ses maladroites et brutales erreurs dyspeptiques par l'humilité légère mais déterminée du Noir ? ou son esprit grossier et cruel par une bonne humeur aimante et joviale ? ou sa musique vulgaire par l'âme des Chants de Douleur ?
Vocabulary
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- liberté
- Freedom; the state of being free
- elle
- She; it (feminine pronoun)
- aussi
- Also; too; as well
- longtemps
- For a long time; a long while
- cherchée
- Sought; looked for (feminine past participle)
- nous
- We; us (pronoun)
- cherchons
- We seek; we are looking for
- encore
- Still; yet; again; even now
- du
- Of the; some (partitive article)
- corps
- Body; physical form
- et
- And (conjunction)
- de
- Of; from (preposition)
- âme
- Soul; spirit; inner essence
- travailler
- To work; to labor
- penser
- To think; to reason
- aimer
- To love; to like
- aspirer
- To aspire; to strive for
- Le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- travail
- Work; labor; employment
- culture
- Culture; cultivation; refinement
- tout
- All; everything; whole
- cela
- That; this (demonstrative pronoun)
- est
- Is; exists (present tense of être)
- nécessaire
- Necessary; essential; required
- non
- No; not (negation)
- séparément
- Separately; apart; individually
- mais
- But; however; yet
- ensemble
- Together; as a whole
- chacun
- Each one; everyone (pronoun)
- croissant
- Growing; increasing; developing
- aidant
- Helping; assisting (present participle)
- autre
- Other; another; different
- tous
- All; everyone (masculine plural)
- tendant
- Tending; striving; aiming (present participle)
- vers
- Towards; toward; in the direction of
- cet
- This; that (demonstrative before vowel)
- idéal
- Ideal; perfect model or standard
- plus
- More; additional; furthermore
- vaste
- Vast; wide; extensive; broad
- qui
- Who; which; that (relative pronoun)
- flotte
- Floats; drifts; hovers
- devant
- Before; in front of; ahead
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- peuple
- People; nation; population
- noir
- Black; dark (adjective)
- fraternité
- Fraternity; brotherhood; kinship
- humaine
- Human; relating to humanity (feminine)
- acquis
- Acquired; gained; obtained
- travers
- Through; across; by way of
- Race
- Race; ethnic group; lineage
- cultiver
- To cultivate; to develop; to nurture
- développer
- To develop; to unfold; to expand
- les
- The (plural definite article)
- traits
- Traits; features; characteristics
- talents
- Talents; gifts; abilities
- Noir
- Black; person of African descent
- pas
- Not; no; step (negation)
- en
- In; on; by (preposition or pronoun)
- opposition
- Opposition; contrast; resistance
- ou
- Or (conjunction)
- mépris
- Contempt; scorn; disdain
- des
- Of the; some (plural article)
- autres
- Others; other people; the rest
- races
- Races; ethnic groups; lineages
- plutôt
- Rather; instead; preferably
- large
- Wide; broad; generous; open-minded
- conformité
- Conformity; accordance; harmony
- avec
- With; alongside; together with
- grands
- Great; large; big (masculine plural)
- idéaux
- Ideals; perfect models; standards
- République
- Republic; democratic state government
- américaine
- American; relating to America (feminine)
- afin
- In order to; so that; in order that
- qu
- That (conjunction, elided form of que)
- un
- A; an; one (indefinite article)
- jour
- Day; daylight; moment in time
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