The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments — Page 14
These pieces of poetry are not in general to be regarded as the compositions of the author or authors of the work: they appear to be mostly borrowed from others, and many of them are taken from the works of celebrated poets.
Ces morceaux de poésie ne doivent pas en général être considérés comme les compositions de l'auteur ou des auteurs de l'œuvre : ils semblent être pour la plupart empruntés à d'autres, et beaucoup d'entre eux sont tirés des œuvres de poètes célèbres.
--To avoid the tedious interruptions which occur in the original at the close of each Night, I have divided the translation into chapters, each of which consists of one tale, or of two or more tales connected one with another, and have merely mentioned the Night with which each chapter commences, and that with which it terminates.
--Pour éviter les interruptions fastidieuses qui surviennent dans l'original à la fin de chaque Nuit, j'ai divisé la traduction en chapitres, dont chacun consiste en un conte, ou en deux ou plusieurs contes reliés les uns aux autres, et j'ai simplement mentionné la Nuit avec laquelle chaque chapitre commence, et celle avec laquelle il se termine.
"The original work being designed solely for the entertainment of Arabs, I add copious notes to the translation, to render it more intelligible and agreeable to the English reader.
« L'œuvre originale étant conçue uniquement pour le divertissement des Arabes, j'ajoute de nombreuses notes à la traduction, afin de la rendre plus intelligible et agréable au lecteur anglais.
These are entirely my own, except in those cases when I have stated otherwise;[4] and my general object in them has been to give such illustrations as may satisfy the general reader, without obliging him to consult other works.
Celles-ci sont entièrement de moi, sauf dans les cas où j'ai indiqué le contraire ;[4] et mon objectif général en les rédigeant a été de fournir des éclaircissements susceptibles de satisfaire le lecteur ordinaire, sans l'obliger à consulter d'autres ouvrages.
In many of them I endeavour to shew, by extracts from esteemed Arabic histories and scientific and other writings, chiefly drawn from MSS. in my possession, as well as by assertions and anecdotes that I have heard, and conduct that I have witnessed, during my intercourse with Arabs, that the most extravagant relations in this work are not in general regarded, even by the educated classes of that people, as of an incredible nature.
Dans beaucoup d'entre elles, je m'efforce de montrer, par des extraits de respectables histoires arabes et d'écrits scientifiques et autres, tirés principalement de manuscrits en ma possession, ainsi que par des affirmations et des anecdotes que j'ai entendues, et des comportements dont j'ai été témoin, au cours de mes relations avec des Arabes, que les récits les plus extravagants de cet ouvrage ne sont pas en général considérés, même par les classes instruites de ce peuple, comme étant d'une nature incroyable.
Vocabulary
- morceaux
- Pieces or excerpts of a larger work
- poésie
- The art form of poetry or verse
- doivent
- Third person plural of 'devoir', meaning 'must'
- général
- Generally or overall in most circumstances
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- considérés
- Past participle meaning 'considered' or 'regarded as'
- compositions
- Works created or composed by an author or artist
- auteur
- A person who writes or creates a work
- auteurs
- Plural of 'auteur'; multiple writers or creators
- œuvre
- A creative work or body of work
- semblent
- Third person plural of 'sembler', meaning 'seem'
- plupart
- The majority or most of something
- empruntés
- Borrowed or taken from another source
- beaucoup
- Adverb meaning 'many' or 'a lot'
- tirés
- Drawn or taken from another source
- œuvres
- Plural of 'œuvre'; creative works or productions
- poètes
- Poets; writers who compose poetry
- célèbres
- Famous or well-known, used of people or things
- éviter
- Infinitive meaning 'to avoid' something undesirable
- interruptions
- Breaks or pauses that disrupt the flow of something
- fastidieuses
- Tedious, boring, or tiresome interruptions or tasks
- surviennent
- Occur or arise, often unexpectedly
- original
- The source or first version of a text
- fin
- End or conclusion of something
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- Nuit
- Night; a period of darkness between days
- divisé
- Past participle meaning 'divided' into sections
- traduction
- A translated version of a text or document
- chapitres
- Chapters; main divisions of a book
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of which' or 'whose'
- chacun
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'each one' or 'everyone'
- consiste
- Third person singular of 'consister', meaning 'consists of'
- conte
- A short tale or story, often traditional
- plusieurs
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'several' or 'multiple'
- contes
- Plural of 'conte'; short stories or tales
- reliés
- Linked or connected to one another
- simplement
- Adverb meaning 'simply' or 'merely'
- mentionné
- Past participle meaning 'mentioned' or 'noted'
- laquelle
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' (feminine singular)
- chapitre
- A chapter or main division of a book
- commence
- Third person singular of 'commencer', meaning 'begins'
- celle
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' (feminine)
- termine
- Third person singular of 'terminer', meaning 'ends'
- originale
- Feminine adjective meaning 'original' or 'source'
- étant
- Present participle of 'être', meaning 'being'
- conçue
- Past participle meaning 'conceived' or 'designed for'
- uniquement
- Adverb meaning 'solely' or 'only'
- divertissement
- Entertainment or amusement for an audience
- Arabes
- Arabs; people of Arab origin or culture
- ajoute
- Third person singular of 'ajouter', meaning 'adds'
- nombreuses
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'many'
- notes
- Annotations or explanatory remarks in a text
- afin
- Conjunction used in 'afin de', meaning 'in order to'
- rendre
- Infinitive meaning 'to make' or 'to render'
- intelligible
- Understandable or comprehensible to the reader
- agréable
- Pleasant or enjoyable to experience
- lecteur
- A reader; someone who reads a text
- anglais
- English; relating to England or the English language
- Celles-ci
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these ones' (feminine plural)
- entièrement
- Adverb meaning 'entirely' or 'completely'
- sauf
- Preposition meaning 'except' or 'unless'
- cas
- A case or instance of something occurring
- indiqué
- Past participle meaning 'indicated' or 'specified'
- contraire
- The opposite; contrary to what is stated
- objectif
- An aim, goal, or objective one intends to achieve
- rédigeant
- Present participle of 'rédiger', meaning 'writing' or 'drafting'
- fournir
- Infinitive meaning 'to provide' or 'to supply'
- éclaircissements
- Clarifications or explanations that illuminate something
- susceptibles
- Likely or capable of doing something; liable to
- satisfaire
- Infinitive meaning 'to satisfy' or 'to fulfil'
- ordinaire
- Ordinary; average or typical reader
- obliger
- Infinitive meaning 'to oblige' or 'to force'
- consulter
- Infinitive meaning 'to consult' or 'to refer to'
- ouvrages
- Works or books, especially scholarly publications
- efforce
- Part of 's'efforcer', meaning 'strives' or 'tries hard'
- montrer
- Infinitive meaning 'to show' or 'to demonstrate'
- extraits
- Excerpts or passages taken from a larger text
- respectables
- Respectable; worthy of consideration or regard
- histoires
- Stories, histories, or accounts of events
- arabes
- Arabic; relating to Arab culture or language
- écrits
- Written works, texts, or documents
- scientifiques
- Scientific; relating to science or scholarly research
- principalement
- Adverb meaning 'mainly' or 'principally'
- manuscrits
- Handwritten or unpublished documents and manuscripts
- possession
- Ownership or the state of having something
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'
- affirmations
- Statements or assertions made about a subject
- anecdotes
- Short amusing or interesting stories about real events
- entendues
- Past participle of 'entendre', meaning 'heard'
- comportements
- Behaviors or manners of acting in situations
- témoin
- A witness; someone who observes an event firsthand
- cours
- Course or duration; 'au cours de' means 'during'
- relations
- Relationships, contacts, or social interactions
- récits
- Narratives or accounts told by someone
- extravagants
- Extravagant or wildly exaggerated accounts or tales
- ouvrage
- A book or written work of significance
- même
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'same', 'even', or 'itself'
- classes
- Social or educational classes or groups
- instruites
- Educated or well-informed, referring to people
- peuple
- A people or nation sharing culture and identity
- nature
- The nature or character of something
- incroyable
- Incredible or unbelievable in quality or degree
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