← The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments

The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments — Page 10

English → Fr Preface Level 7/10

Lane, all things in the East have changed, and every day witnesses the decay of some old custom, to be followed by a bastard European imitation.

Lane, toutes les choses en Orient ont changé, et chaque jour est témoin du déclin de quelque vieille coutume, pour être suivie d'une bâtarde imitation européenne.

During Mohammad 'Alee's rule, all traces of the state and circumstance of the Memlook court gradually passed away.

Sous le règne de Mohammad 'Alee, toutes les traces de la pompe et des circonstances de la cour des Mamelouks disparurent peu à peu.

European dress has displaced oriental costume, cloth of gold, and dresses of honour; European architecture elbows the quaint beauty of the old Arab capital; and the cavalcade of fifty horsemen around a grandee is succeeded by an English carriage that profanes the quiet streets of the city, and frightens away both 'Efreets and their memory.

Le vêtement européen a déplacé le costume oriental, les tissus d'or et les robes d'honneur ; l'architecture européenne écrase la beauté pittoresque de la vieille capitale arabe ; et la cavalcade de cinquante cavaliers autour d'un grand personnage est remplacée par une voiture anglaise qui profane les rues tranquilles de la ville, et chasse à la fois les 'Efrits et leur souvenir.

Mr. Lane saw the last of Cairo in its integrity; and he has not overstated his qualifications, as author of the "Modern Egyptians," for the task of translating the Arabian Nights.

M. Lane a vu Le Caire pour la dernière fois dans son intégrité ; et il n'a pas exagéré ses qualifications, en tant qu'auteur des « Égyptiens modernes », pour la tâche de traduire les Mille et Une Nuits.

Of the copy from which this translation was made, and the method observed in its execution, I may again quote the preface to the first edition.

Concernant le texte à partir duquel cette traduction a été réalisée, et la méthode observée dans son exécution, je puis citer à nouveau la préface de la première édition.

Mr. Lane says,--

M. Lane dit :

"I have taken as my general standard of the original text the Cairo edition lately printed; it being greatly superior to the other printed editions, and probably to every manuscript copy.[1]

« J'ai pris comme référence générale du texte original l'édition du Caire récemment imprimée ; celle-ci étant grandement supérieure aux autres éditions imprimées, et probablement à tout manuscrit.[1]

It appears to agree almost exactly with the celebrated MS. of Von Hammer, than which no copy more copious, I believe, exists; and contains all the tales in the old version except those which, as Von Hammer says, Galland appears to have taken from other works, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, in the Royal Library of Paris.

Il semble s'accorder presque exactement avec le célèbre manuscrit de Von Hammer, dont je crois qu'il n'existe aucune copie plus complète ; et contient tous les contes de l'ancienne version à l'exception de ceux que, comme le dit Von Hammer, Galland semble avoir tirés d'autres œuvres, arabes, persanes et turques, conservées à la Bibliothèque royale de Paris.

Vocabulary

toutes
toot — All (feminine plural form of 'tout')
les
lay — The (definite article, plural form)
choses
shohz — Things; objects or matters in general
en
ahn — In; a preposition indicating location or state
Orient
oh-ree-ahn — The East; Eastern lands or cultures
ont
ohn — Have; third person plural of 'avoir'
changé
shahn-zhay — Changed; undergone transformation or alteration
et
ay — And; a coordinating conjunction
chaque
shahk — Each; every individual one of a group
jour
zhoor — Day; a 24-hour period of time
est
ay — Is; third person singular of 'être'
témoin
tay-mwan — Witness; one who observes an event
du
dü — Of the; contracted form of 'de le'
déclin
day-klan — Decline; gradual deterioration or decrease in quality
de
duh — Of; a preposition indicating possession or origin
quelque
kel-kuh — Some; an indefinite adjective indicating an unspecified amount
vieille
vyay — Old (feminine); aged or long-established
coutume
koo-tüm — Custom; a traditional practice or habit
pour
poor — For; a preposition indicating purpose or intention
être
eh-truh — To be; fundamental linking verb in French
suivie
swee-vee — Followed (feminine past participle of 'suivre')
d'
d — Of; elided form of 'de' before a vowel
une
ün — A; indefinite article, feminine singular form
bâtarde
bah-tard — Bastard (feminine); hybrid or illegitimate imitation
imitation
ee-mee-tah-syohn — Imitation; copying or mimicking something else
européenne
uh-roh-pay-en — European (feminine); relating to Europe
Sous
soo — Under; beneath or during the reign of
le
luh — The; definite article, masculine singular form
règne
rehn-yuh — Reign; period of a ruler's power or rule
traces
trahs — Traces; remnants or signs left behind
la
lah — The; definite article, feminine singular form
pompe
pohmp — Pomp; ceremonial display or splendor
des
day — Of the; plural partitive article in French
circonstances
seer-kohn-stahns — Circumstances; conditions surrounding an event
cour
koor — Court; royal or noble household and retinue
disparurent
dees-pah-rü-rahn — Disappeared (past historic plural); vanished completely
peu
puh — Little; a small amount or degree
à
ah — To; a preposition indicating direction or location
Le
luh — The; definite article, masculine singular form
vêtement
veht-mahn — Clothing; garment or article of dress
européen
uh-roh-pay-an — European (masculine); relating to Europe
a
ah — Has; third person singular of 'avoir'
déplacé
day-plah-say — Displaced; moved or replaced something else
costume
kos-tüm — Costume; traditional or characteristic style of dress
oriental
oh-ree-ahn-tahl — Oriental; relating to Eastern cultures or styles
tissus
tee-sü — Fabrics; woven or textile materials
or
ohr — Gold; precious yellow metal used in ornamentation
robes
rohb — Robes; long flowing garments or ceremonial dress
honneur
oh-nur — Honor; high respect or esteem
l'
l — The; elided definite article before a vowel
architecture
ar-shee-tek-tür — Architecture; design and construction of buildings
écrase
ay-krahz — Crushes; overwhelms or suppresses something
beauté
boh-tay — Beauty; quality of being aesthetically pleasing
pittoresque
pee-toh-resk — Picturesque; visually charming or quaint in appearance
capitale
kah-pee-tahl — Capital; the chief city of a country
arabe
ah-rahb — Arab; relating to Arabic culture or people
cavalcade
kah-vahl-kahd — Cavalcade; procession of riders on horseback
cinquante
san-kahnt — Fifty; the cardinal number 50
cavaliers
kah-vahl-yay — Horsemen; mounted riders or knights
autour
oh-toor — Around; encircling or surrounding something
un
an — A; indefinite article, masculine singular form
grand
grahn — Great; important or high-ranking person
personnage
per-soh-nahzh — Personage; important or notable person
remplacée
rahm-plah-say — Replaced (feminine past participle of 'remplacer')
par
par — By; a preposition indicating means or agent
voiture
vwah-tür — Carriage or car; vehicle for transporting people
anglaise
ahn-glez — English (feminine); relating to England
qui
kee — Who or which; a relative pronoun
profane
proh-fahn — Profanes; desecrates or violates something sacred
rues
rü — Streets; public roads in a town or city
tranquilles
trahn-keel — Quiet; calm and peaceful in character
ville
veel — City; a large urban settlement
chasse
shahs — Chases away; drives out or hunts
fois
fwah — Times; instances or occasions of something
leur
lur — Their; third person plural possessive pronoun
souvenir
soo-vuh-neer — Memory; recollection of past events or times
vu
vü — Seen (past participle of 'voir')
dernière
dehr-nyehr — Last (feminine); most recent or final
dans
dahn — In; a preposition indicating location or state
son
sohn — His/her/its; third person singular possessive adjective
intégrité
an-tay-gree-tay — Integrity; wholeness or untouched original state
il
eel — He; third person masculine singular pronoun
n'
n — Not; elided negation particle before vowel
pas
pah — Not; negation particle used with 'ne'
exagéré
eg-zah-zhay-ray — Exaggerated; overstated beyond truth or reality
ses
say — His/her/its (plural); possessive adjective form
qualifications
kah-lee-fee-kah-syohn — Qualifications; credentials or stated competencies
tant
tahn — So much; to such a great degree
qu'
k — That/as; elided conjunction before a vowel
auteur
oh-tur — Author; person who writes or creates a work
Égyptiens
ay-zheep-syan — Egyptians; people from or relating to Egypt
modernes
moh-dehrn — Modern; relating to contemporary times or style
tâche
tahsh — Task; a piece of work to be done
traduire
trah-dweer — To translate; to render text into another language
Mille
meel — Thousand; the cardinal number 1000
Une
ün — One; the cardinal number 1
Nuits
nwee — Nights; plural of nuit, evening periods
Concernant
kohn-sehr-nahn — Concerning; regarding or relating to something
texte
tekst — Text; written or printed material
partir
par-teer — Starting from; departing or beginning from a point
duquel
dü-kel — From which; relative pronoun combining 'de' and 'lequel'
cette
set — This (feminine); demonstrative adjective
traduction
trah-dük-syohn — Translation; rendering a text into another language
été
ay-tay — Been (past participle of 'être')
réalisée
ray-ah-lee-zay — Realized; completed or carried out (feminine past participle)
méthode
may-tohd — Method; systematic procedure or way of doing something
observée
ohb-sehr-vay — Observed; followed or adhered to (feminine past participle)
exécution
eg-zay-kü-syohn — Execution; carrying out or performance of a task
je
zhuh — I; first person singular subject pronoun
puis
pwee — Can; first person singular of 'pouvoir'
citer
see-tay — To cite; to quote or reference a source
nouveau
noo-voh — New; recently made or introduced
préface
pray-fahs — Preface; introductory section of a book
première
pruh-myehr — First (feminine); earliest or initial
édition
ay-dee-syohn — Edition; particular version of a published work
dit
dee — Said; third person singular past tense of 'dire'
J'
zh — I; elided first person singular pronoun
ai
ay — Have; first person singular of 'avoir'
pris
pree — Taken (past participle of 'prendre')
comme
kohm — As; like or in the capacity of
référence
ray-fay-rahns — Reference; source consulted or cited
générale
zhay-nay-rahl — General (feminine); broad or overall in scope
original
oh-ree-zhee-nahl — Original; the first or source version of text
récemment
ray-sahm-mahn — Recently; not long ago in time
imprimée
am-pree-may — Printed (feminine); reproduced by a printing press
celle-ci
sel-see — This one (feminine); demonstrative pronoun nearby
étant
ay-tahn — Being; present participle of 'être'
grandement
grahn-duh-mahn — Greatly; to a large or significant degree
supérieure
sü-pay-ryur — Superior (feminine); of higher quality or rank
aux
oh — To the; contracted plural form of 'à les'
autres
oh-truh — Others; different or additional ones
éditions
ay-dee-syohn — Editions; multiple published versions of a work
imprimées
am-pree-may — Printed (feminine plural); reproduced by printing press
probablement
proh-bahb-luh-mahn — Probably; with a high degree of likelihood
tout
too — All; every or the entirety of something
manuscrit
mahn-ü-skree — Manuscript; handwritten or original unpublished text
Il
eel — It/He; third person singular masculine pronoun
semble
sahm-bluh — Seems; appears to be in a certain way
s'
s — Reflexive pronoun; elided form of 'se'
accorder
ah-kohr-day — To agree; to be consistent or match with
presque
presk — Almost; very nearly but not entirely
exactement
eg-zahkt-mahn — Exactly; with complete precision or accuracy
avec
ah-vek — With; a preposition indicating accompaniment
célèbre
say-leh-bruh — Famous; well known or renowned
dont
dohn — Of which/whose; relative pronoun in French
crois
krwah — Believe; first person singular of 'croire'
existe
eg-zeest — Exists; is present or real
aucune
oh-kün — No; not any (feminine negative adjective)
copie
koh-pee — Copy; reproduction or duplicate of a document
plus
plü — More; greater in quantity or degree
complète
kohm-plet — Complete (feminine); having all parts included
contient
kohn-tyan — Contains; holds or includes within itself
tous
too — All (masculine plural); every one of them
contes
kohnt — Tales; short stories often of magical nature
ancienne
ahn-syen — Ancient (feminine); very old or long-established
version
vehr-syohn — Version; particular form of a text or story
exception
ek-sep-syohn — Exception; something excluded from a general rule
ceux
suh — Those; demonstrative pronoun, masculine plural form
que
kuh — That/which; conjunction or relative pronoun
avoir
ah-vwahr — To have; fundamental auxiliary verb in French
tirés
tee-ray — Drawn (plural past participle of 'tirer'); extracted from
œuvres
uh-vruh — Works; literary or artistic creations
arabes
ah-rahb — Arabic (plural); relating to Arab culture or language
persanes
pehr-zahn — Persian (feminine plural); relating to Persia or Iran
turques
türk — Turkish (feminine plural); relating to Turkey
conservées
kohn-sehr-vay — Preserved (feminine plural); kept safe in a collection
Bibliothèque
bee-blee-oh-tek — Library; place where books are kept and borrowed
royale
rwah-yahl — Royal (feminine); belonging to or befitting a king
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