The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 14
This functionary grasped it in a perfect agony of joy, opened it with a trembling hand, cast a rapid glance at its contents, and then, scrambling and struggling to the door, rushed at length unceremoniously from the room and from the house, without having uttered a syllable since Dupin had requested him to fill up the check.
Ce fonctionnaire le saisit dans une agonie parfaite de joie, l'ouvrit d'une main tremblante, jeta un rapide coup d'œil sur son contenu, puis, se débattant et luttant vers la porte, se précipita enfin sans cérémonie hors de la pièce et hors de la maison, sans avoir prononcé une seule syllabe depuis que Dupin lui avait demandé de remplir le chèque.
When he had gone, my friend entered into some explanations.
Quand il fut parti, mon ami se lança dans quelques explications.
"The Parisian police," he said, "are exceedingly able in their way.
« La police parisienne, » dit-il, « est extrêmement habile à sa manière.
They are persevering, ingenious, cunning, and thoroughly versed in the knowledge which their duties seem chiefly to demand.
Elle est persévérante, ingénieuse, rusée, et parfaitement versée dans les connaissances que ses fonctions semblent principalement exiger.
Thus, when G—— detailed to us his mode of searching the premises at the Hotel D——, I felt entire confidence in his having made a satisfactory investigation—so far as his labors extended."
Ainsi, lorsque G—— nous a décrit en détail sa méthode de perquisition dans les locaux de l'Hôtel D——, j'avais entière confiance qu'il avait mené une enquête satisfaisante — pour autant que ses efforts se soient étendus. »
"So far as his labors extended?" said I.
« Pour autant que ses efforts se soient étendus ? » dis-je.
"Yes," said Dupin.
« Oui, » dit Dupin.
"The measures adopted were not only the best of their kind, but carried out to absolute perfection.
« Les mesures adoptées n'étaient pas seulement les meilleures en leur genre, mais exécutées avec une perfection absolue.
Had the letter been deposited within the range of their search, these fellows would, beyond a question, have found it."
Si la lettre avait été déposée dans le champ de leurs recherches, ces individus l'auraient, sans aucun doute, trouvée. »
I merely laughed—but he seemed quite serious in all that he said.
Je me contentai de rire — mais il semblait tout à fait sérieux dans tout ce qu'il disait.
"The measures, then," he continued, "were good in their kind, and well executed; their defect lay in their being inapplicable to the case, and to the man.
« Les mesures, donc, » continua-t-il, « étaient bonnes en leur genre, et bien exécutées ; leur défaut résidait dans leur inapplicabilité à l'affaire, et à l'homme.
A certain set of highly ingenious resources are, with the Prefect, a sort of Procrustean bed, to which he forcibly adapts his designs.
Un certain ensemble de ressources très ingénieuses constitue, pour le Préfet, une sorte de lit de Procuste, auquel il adapte de force ses projets.
Vocabulary
- fonctionnaire
- fonk-syo-nair — A government official or civil servant
- saisit
- say-zee — Seized or grabbed something quickly
- agonie
- ah-go-nee — Extreme anguish or death throes
- parfaite
- par-fet — Adjective meaning 'perfect' or 'complete' (feminine)
- joie
- zhwah — A feeling of great happiness or delight
- ouvrit
- oo-vree — Past tense of 'to open' something
- main
- man — The hand, a body part
- tremblante
- trahm-blahnt — Shaking or trembling, especially with emotion
- jeta
- zhuh-tah — Threw or cast something in a direction
- rapide
- rah-peed — Quick or fast in movement or action
- coup
- koo — A blow or stroke; used in many expressions
- œil
- uh-ee — The eye, a sense organ for seeing
- contenu
- kon-tuh-noo — The contents or material inside something
- puis
- pwee — Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next'
- débattant
- day-bah-tahn — Struggling or fighting against resistance
- luttant
- loo-tahn — Fighting or striving hard toward something
- vers
- vair — Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- porte
- port — A door or gate of a building
- précipita
- pray-see-pee-tah — Rushed or hurled oneself forward suddenly
- enfin
- ahn-fan — Adverb meaning 'finally' or 'at last'
- sans
- sahn — Preposition meaning 'without'
- cérémonie
- say-ray-mo-nee — A formal ritual or polite social formality
- hors
- or — Preposition meaning 'out of' or 'outside'
- pièce
- pyess — A room within a building or house
- maison
- may-zohn — A house or home where people live
- avoir
- ah-vwahr — Infinitive verb meaning 'to have'
- prononcé
- pro-nohn-say — Spoken or uttered words aloud
- seule
- suhl — Adjective meaning 'alone' or 'only' (feminine)
- syllabe
- see-lahb — A unit of pronunciation forming part of a word
- depuis
- duh-pwee — Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a time period
- demandé
- duh-mahn-day — Asked or requested something from someone
- remplir
- rahm-pleer — To fill out or complete a form or document
- chèque
- shek — A written bank check used for payment
- Quand
- kahn — Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
- parti
- par-tee — Left or departed from a place
- ami
- ah-mee — A friend or close companion
- lança
- lahn-sah — Launched or threw out words or objects
- quelques
- kel-kuh — Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- explications
- ex-plee-kah-syohn — Explanations or clarifications of something
- police
- po-lees — The law enforcement organization of a city
- parisienne
- pah-ree-zyen — Relating to or from the city of Paris
- extrêmement
- ex-trem-mahn — Extremely or to the greatest degree possible
- habile
- ah-beel — Skilled or clever at performing tasks
- manière
- mah-nyair — A manner or way of doing something
- persévérante
- pair-say-vay-rahnt — Persistent and determined in pursuing goals
- ingénieuse
- an-zhay-nyuhz — Clever and inventive in finding solutions
- rusée
- roo-zay — Cunning or crafty in a shrewd way
- parfaitement
- par-fet-mahn — Perfectly or in a completely satisfactory manner
- versée
- vair-say — Well-versed or knowledgeable in a subject
- connaissances
- ko-neh-sahns — Knowledge or acquaintances one has accumulated
- fonctions
- fonk-syohn — Duties or roles one is expected to perform
- semblent
- sahm-bluh — Third-person plural of 'sembler', meaning 'seem'
- principalement
- pran-see-pal-mahn — Mainly or chiefly above all other things
- exiger
- eg-zee-zhay — To require or demand something from someone
- Ainsi
- an-see — Adverb meaning 'thus' or 'in this way'
- lorsque
- lors-kuh — Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'at the time'
- décrit
- day-kree — Described or detailed something to someone
- détail
- day-tie — A specific particular or fine point of something
- méthode
- may-tod — A systematic method or way of doing something
- perquisition
- pair-kee-zee-syohn — An official search of premises by authorities
- locaux
- lo-koh — Premises or local spaces used for a purpose
- Hôtel
- oh-tel — A hotel or large grand residence building
- entière
- ahn-tyair — Adjective meaning 'entire' or 'complete' (feminine)
- confiance
- kon-fyahns — Trust or confidence placed in someone or something
- mené
- muh-nay — Led or carried out an action or inquiry
- enquête
- ahn-ket — An investigation or official inquiry into something
- satisfaisante
- sah-tees-fuh-zahnt — Satisfactory or adequate in meeting expectations
- autant
- oh-tahn — Adverb meaning 'as much' or 'so much'
- efforts
- ay-for — Strenuous attempts or exertions toward a goal
- étendus
- ay-tahn-doo — Extended or stretched out over a wide area
- mesures
- muh-zoor — Measures or steps taken to achieve something
- adoptées
- ah-dop-tay — Adopted or implemented officially as a course of action
- seulement
- suhl-mahn — Adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely'
- meilleures
- meh-yuhr — Better or best in quality or performance (feminine plural)
- genre
- zhahn-ruh — A kind, type, or category of something
- exécutées
- eg-zay-koo-tay — Carried out or performed with skill and precision
- perfection
- pair-fek-syohn — The state of being flawless or without defect
- absolue
- ab-so-loo — Adjective meaning 'absolute' or 'total' (feminine)
- lettre
- le-truh — A letter written and sent to someone
- déposée
- day-po-zay — Deposited or placed somewhere for safekeeping
- champ
- shahn — A field; also used in expressions like 'sur-le-champ'
- recherches
- ruh-shairsh — Searches or investigations conducted to find something
- individus
- an-dee-vee-doo — Individuals or persons, sometimes with negative connotation
- aucun
- oh-kuhn — Adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any'
- doute
- doot — Doubt or uncertainty about something
- trouvée
- troo-vay — Found or discovered something that was sought
- contentai
- kon-tahn-tay — Contented myself, was satisfied with doing something
- rire
- reer — To laugh or the act of laughing
- semblait
- sahm-blay — Seemed or appeared to be in a certain state
- tout
- too — Adjective or adverb meaning 'all', 'every', or 'quite'
- sérieux
- say-ryuh — Serious or earnest in manner or tone
- donc
- donk — Conjunction meaning 'so', 'therefore', or 'thus'
- bonnes
- bon — Good or fine in quality (feminine plural)
- bien
- byan — Well or good; a common adverb of degree
- défaut
- day-foh — A flaw, defect, or shortcoming in something
- résidait
- ray-zee-day — Resided or lay within something as a flaw
- inapplicabilité
- een-ah-plee-kah-bee-lee-tay — The quality of being inapplicable to a situation
- affaire
- ah-fair — A matter, affair, or business concern
- homme
- om — A man or human being
- certain
- sair-tan — A certain or particular kind of something
- ensemble
- ahn-sahm-bluh — A set or combination of things forming a whole
- ressources
- ruh-soors — Resources or means available for use
- très
- treh — Adverb meaning 'very' indicating high degree
- constitue
- kon-stee-too — Constitutes or makes up something in its nature
- Préfet
- pray-fay — A prefect or high-ranking government official
- sorte
- sort — A sort, kind, or type of something
- lit
- lee — A bed used for sleeping; also reads (verb)
- auquel
- oh-kel — Relative pronoun meaning 'to which' or 'at which'
- adapte
- ah-dapt — Adapts or adjusts something to fit a purpose
- force
- fors — By force; also means strength or power
- projets
- pro-zhay — Plans or projects intended to achieve something
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