The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 4
"
«
"Be a little more explicit," I said.
« Soyez un peu plus explicite, » dis-je.
"Well, I may venture so far as to say that the paper gives its holder a certain power in a certain quarter where such power is immensely valuable."
« Eh bien, je puis aller jusqu'à dire que ce papier confère à son détenteur un certain pouvoir dans un certain milieu où ce pouvoir est d'une valeur immense. »
The Prefect was fond of the cant of diplomacy.
Le Préfet affectionnait le jargon de la diplomatie.
"Still I do not quite understand," said Dupin.
« Je ne comprends pas encore très bien, » dit Dupin.
"No? Well; the disclosure of the document to a third person, who shall be nameless, would bring in question the honor of a personage of most exalted station; and this fact gives the holder of the document an ascendancy over the illustrious personage whose honor and peace are so jeopardized."
« Non ? Eh bien ; la divulgation du document à une tierce personne, qui restera anonyme, mettrait en cause l'honneur d'un personnage de très haute condition ; et ce fait confère au détenteur du document un ascendant sur l'illustre personnage dont l'honneur et la tranquillité sont ainsi compromis. »
"But this ascendancy," I interposed, "would depend upon the robber's knowledge of the loser's knowledge of the robber. Who would dare—"
« Mais cet ascendant, » m'interposai-je, « dépendrait de la connaissance qu'aurait le voleur du fait que la victime sait qui est le voleur. Qui oserait— »
"The thief," said G., "is the Minister D——, who dares all things, those unbecoming as well as those becoming a man.
« Le voleur, » dit G., « est le ministre D——, qui ose tout, ce qui est indigne d'un homme aussi bien que ce qui lui convient.
The method of the theft was not less ingenious than bold.
La méthode du vol n'était pas moins ingénieuse qu'audacieuse.
The document in question—a letter, to be frank—had been received by the personage robbed while alone in the royal boudoir.
Le document en question — une lettre, pour être franc — avait été reçu par le personnage victime du vol alors qu'elle était seule dans le boudoir royal.
During its perusal she was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the other exalted personage from whom especially it was her wish to conceal it.
Pendant qu'elle en prenait connaissance, elle fut soudainement interrompue par l'entrée de l'autre illustre personnage à qui elle souhaitait particulièrement la dissimuler.
After a hurried and vain endeavor to thrust it in a drawer, she was forced to place it, open as it was, upon a table.
Après une tentative précipitée et vaine de la glisser dans un tiroir, elle fut contrainte de la poser, ouverte telle qu'elle était, sur une table.
The address, however, was uppermost, and, the contents thus unexposed, the letter escaped notice.
L'adresse, cependant, était visible sur le dessus, et, le contenu ainsi dissimulé, la lettre passa inaperçue.
At this juncture enters the Minister D——.
C'est à ce moment qu'entre le ministre D——.
Vocabulary
- Soyez
- swa-yay — Be (formal imperative form of être)
- un
- uhn — A, an; the number one
- peu
- puh — A little, slightly, a small amount
- plus
- ploos/plü — More; used in comparisons and negations
- explicite
- ex-plee-seet — Explicit, clear, and fully expressed
- dis
- dee — Said; first-person past of dire (to say)
- je
- zhuh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- Eh
- ay — Hey; interjection to introduce or emphasize
- bien
- byehn — Well, good; used as intensifier or filler
- puis
- pwee — Then, next; indicates sequence of events
- aller
- ah-lay — To go; also used to form near future
- jusqu'
- zhoos-kuh — Until, up to; used before vowel sounds
- à
- ah — To, at, in; versatile French preposition
- dire
- deer — To say, to tell someone something
- que
- kuh — That; conjunction linking clauses together
- ce
- suh — This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- papier
- pah-pyay — Paper; a sheet or document of paper
- confère
- kon-fair — Confers, grants something to someone officially
- son
- sohn — His, her, its; third-person possessive adjective
- détenteur
- day-tahn-tuhr — Holder, bearer of something such as document
- certain
- sehr-tehn — Certain, some; indicates unspecified but real thing
- pouvoir
- poov-wahr — Power; ability or authority over something
- dans
- dahn — In, inside; preposition indicating location or time
- milieu
- meel-yuh — Environment, circle, social setting or world
- où
- oo — Where; relative pronoun indicating place or time
- est
- ay — Is; third-person singular of être (to be)
- d'
- duh — Of, from; elided form of de before vowel
- une
- oon — A, an; feminine indefinite article
- valeur
- vah-luhr — Value, worth; importance of something
- immense
- ee-mahns — Immense, enormous, very great in size
- Le
- luh — The; masculine definite article
- Préfet
- pray-fay — Prefect; senior French administrative official
- affectionnait
- ah-fek-syo-nay — Was fond of, liked habitually (imperfect tense)
- le
- luh — The; masculine singular definite article
- jargon
- zhar-gohn — Jargon; specialized vocabulary of a field
- de
- duh — Of, from; very common French preposition
- la
- lah — The; feminine singular definite article
- diplomatie
- dee-plo-mah-see — Diplomacy; art of international negotiation and relations
- Je
- zhuh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- ne
- nuh — Not; first part of French negation structure
- comprends
- kohm-prahn — Understand; first-person present of comprendre
- pas
- pah — Not; second part of ne…pas negation
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still, yet, again; indicates continuation or repetition
- très
- tray — Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- dit
- dee — Said; third-person singular past of dire
- Non
- nohn — No; negative response or exclamation
- divulgation
- dee-vool-gah-syohn — Disclosure, revealing of secret information
- du
- doo — Of the; contracted form of de + le
- document
- do-koo-mahn — Document; official or important written paper
- tierce
- tyairs — Third; referring to a third party
- personne
- pehr-son — Person; individual human being
- qui
- kee — Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- restera
- res-tuh-rah — Will remain; future tense of rester
- anonyme
- ah-no-neem — Anonymous; without a known or revealed name
- mettrait
- meh-tray — Would put, would place (conditional tense)
- en
- In, into; preposition or pronoun in French
- cause
- kohz — Cause; reason or legal case; to implicate
- l'
- luh/lah — The; elided definite article before vowel
- honneur
- o-nuhr — Honor; personal reputation and moral integrity
- personnage
- pehr-so-nazh — Character, personage; important or notable person
- haute
- oht — High; feminine adjective meaning elevated in rank
- condition
- kon-dee-syohn — Condition, status; social position or circumstance
- et
- ay — And; basic coordinating conjunction
- fait
- fay — Fact; deed; done (past participle of faire)
- au
- oh — To the, at the; contraction of à + le
- ascendant
- ah-sahn-dahn — Ascendancy, influence or power over someone
- sur
- soor — On, over, upon; French preposition of position
- illustre
- ee-loos-truh — Illustrious, famous, renowned in society
- dont
- dohn — Whose, of which; relative pronoun in French
- tranquillité
- trahn-kee-lee-tay — Tranquility, peace, calmness of mind or situation
- sont
- sohn — Are; third-person plural of être (to be)
- ainsi
- ehn-see — Thus, so, in this way
- compromis
- kohm-pro-mee — Compromised, endangered; past participle of compromettre
- Mais
- may — But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- cet
- set — This; masculine demonstrative adjective before vowel
- m'
- muh — Me; elided first-person object pronoun
- interposai
- ehn-tehr-po-zay — Intervened; simple past of s'interposer
- dépendrait
- day-pahn-dray — Would depend; conditional of dépendre
- connaissance
- ko-neh-sahns — Knowledge, awareness; acquaintance with something
- qu'
- kuh — That, which; elided form of que
- aurait
- oh-ray — Would have; conditional of avoir
- voleur
- vo-luhr — Thief; person who steals things
- victime
- veek-teem — Victim; person harmed or wronged by another
- sait
- say — Knows; third-person singular of savoir
- Qui
- kee — Who; interrogative or relative pronoun
- oserait—
- oz-ray — Would dare; conditional of oser (to dare)
- ministre
- mee-nees-truh — Minister; senior government official or cabinet member
- ose
- ohz — Dares; third-person singular present of oser
- tout
- too — Everything, all; indicates totality or completeness
- indigne
- ehn-deen-yuh — Unworthy, disgraceful; morally beneath standards
- homme
- om — Man; adult male human being
- aussi
- oh-see — Also, too, as well; adverb of addition
- lui
- lwee — Him, her, it; third-person indirect pronoun
- convient
- kon-vyehn — Suits, is appropriate; from convenir
- La
- lah — The; feminine singular definite article
- méthode
- may-tod — Method; systematic way of doing something
- vol
- vol — Theft, robbery; also means flight in French
- n'
- nuh — Not; elided first element of negation ne
- était
- ay-tay — Was; imperfect tense of être (to be)
- moins
- mwehn — Less; used in comparisons or expressions
- ingénieuse
- ehn-zhay-nyuhz — Ingenious, clever, inventive; feminine adjective
- audacieuse
- oh-dah-syuhz — Audacious, bold, daring; feminine adjective
- question
- kes-tyohn — Question; inquiry or matter under discussion
- lettre
- leh-truh — Letter; written message or alphabet character
- pour
- poor — For, in order to; preposition indicating purpose
- être
- eh-truh — To be; fundamental linking verb in French
- franc
- frahn — Frank, honest; direct and straightforward in speech
- avait
- ah-vay — Had; third-person singular imperfect of avoir
- été
- ay-tay — Been; past participle of être (to be)
- reçu
- ruh-soo — Received; past participle of recevoir
- par
- par — By, through; preposition of agent or means
- alors
- ah-lor — Then, at that time; temporal connective adverb
- elle
- el — She, it; third-person feminine singular pronoun
- seule
- suhl — Alone, only; feminine form of seul
- boudoir
- boo-dwahr — Boudoir; woman's private sitting or dressing room
- royal
- rwa-yal — Royal; relating to a king, queen, or monarchy
- Pendant
- pahn-dahn — During, while; preposition indicating time period
- prenait
- pruh-nay — Was taking; imperfect tense of prendre
- fut
- foo — Was; simple past (passé simple) of être
- soudainement
- soo-den-mahn — Suddenly, all at once, without warning
- interrompue
- ehn-teh-rohm-poo — Interrupted; feminine past participle of interrompre
- entrée
- ahn-tray — Entry, entrance; act of entering a place
- autre
- oh-truh — Other, another; adjective indicating a different one
- souhaitait
- soo-ay-tay — Wished, desired; imperfect tense of souhaiter
- particulièrement
- par-tee-kyoo-lyair-mahn — Particularly, especially; in a specific or notable way
- dissimuler
- dee-see-moo-lay — To conceal, hide, disguise something from others
- Après
- ah-pray — After; preposition or adverb indicating sequence
- tentative
- tahn-tah-teev — Attempt, try; effort made to do something
- précipitée
- pray-see-pee-tay — Hasty, rushed; feminine past participle of précipiter
- vaine
- vehn — Vain, futile, unsuccessful; feminine adjective
- glisser
- glee-say — To slide, slip; move something smoothly somewhere
- tiroir
- tee-rwahr — Drawer; sliding compartment in furniture
- contrainte
- kohn-trehnt — Constrained, forced; feminine past participle of contraindre
- poser
- po-zay — To place, put down, set something somewhere
- ouverte
- oo-vehrt — Open; feminine past participle of ouvrir
- telle
- tel — Such, so; feminine demonstrative adjective
- table
- tah-bluh — Table; flat-surfaced piece of furniture
- L'
- luh/lah — The; elided article before vowel or h muet
- adresse
- ah-dres — Address; direction on envelope; skill or dexterity
- cependant
- suh-pahn-dahn — However, nevertheless; concessive connective adverb
- visible
- vee-zee-bluh — Visible, able to be seen, noticeable
- dessus
- duh-soo — On top, above; adverb indicating upper surface
- contenu
- kohn-tuh-noo — Content, contents; what is inside something
- dissimulé
- dee-see-moo-lay — Concealed, hidden; masculine past participle of dissimuler
- passa
- pah-sah — Passed; simple past of passer (to pass)
- inaperçue
- een-ah-pehr-soo — Unnoticed, overlooked; feminine past participle
- C'
- say — It is, this is; elided form of ce before est
- moment
- mo-mahn — Moment; brief period or point in time
- entre
- ahn-truh — Between, among; preposition of position or time
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