The Yellow Wallpaper — Page 7
He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency.
Il dit qu'avec mon pouvoir d'imagination et mon habitude d'inventer des histoires, une faiblesse nerveuse comme la mienne est sûre de mener à toutes sortes de fantaisies exaltées, et que je devrais utiliser ma volonté et mon bon sens pour freiner cette tendance.
So I try.
Alors j'essaie.
I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.
Je pense parfois que si j'allais seulement assez bien pour écrire un peu, cela soulagerait le flot d'idées et me reposerait.
But I find I get pretty tired when I try.
Mais je constate que je me fatigue assez vite quand j'essaie.
It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work.
C'est tellement décourageant de n'avoir ni conseils ni compagnie concernant mon travail.
When I get really well John says we will ask Cousin Henry and Julia down for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put fire-works in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.
Quand je serai vraiment rétablie, John dit que nous inviterons le cousin Henry et Julia pour une longue visite ; mais il dit qu'il préférerait mettre des feux d'artifice dans ma taie d'oreiller plutôt que de me laisser fréquenter ces gens stimulants pour l'instant.
I wish I could get well faster.
J'aimerais pouvoir guérir plus vite.
But I must not think about that.
Mais je ne dois pas penser à cela.
This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!
Ce papier me semble être conscient de la pernicieuse influence qu'il exerce !
There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down.
Il y a un endroit récurrent où le motif s'affaisse comme un cou brisé et où deux yeux globuleux vous fixent à l'envers.
I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness.
Je deviens véritablement furieuse face à son impertinence et à son caractère interminable.
Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere.
Ils rampent de haut en bas et de côté, et ces yeux absurdes, qui ne cillent pas, sont partout.
There is one place where two breadths didn't match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other.
Il y a un endroit où deux lés ne se raccordaient pas, et les yeux parcourent toute la ligne de haut en bas, l'un légèrement plus haut que l'autre.
Vocabulary
- dit
- Says or said; third person singular of dire
- avec
- Preposition meaning with
- pouvoir
- Ability or power; also the verb to be able
- imagination
- The faculty of forming mental images or ideas
- habitude
- A habit or customary practice
- inventer
- To invent or make up stories or ideas
- histoires
- Stories, tales, or histories
- faiblesse
- A weakness or frailty of body or character
- nerveuse
- Nervous or relating to the nerves (feminine)
- comme
- Conjunction or preposition meaning like, as
- mienne
- Possessive pronoun: mine (feminine singular)
- sûre
- Certain or sure (feminine adjective)
- mener
- To lead or bring someone to a result
- sortes
- Sorts, kinds, or types of things
- fantaisies
- Fantasies, whims, or fanciful imaginings
- exaltées
- Exalted, overexcited, or highly emotional (feminine plural)
- devrais
- Should or ought to (conditional of devoir)
- utiliser
- To use or make use of something
- volonté
- Willpower or determination to act
- sens
- Sense, meaning, or direction
- freiner
- To restrain, curb, or put the brakes on
- tendance
- A tendency or inclination toward something
- Alors
- So, then, or at that time
- essaie
- Tries or attempts (first/third person singular)
- pense
- Think or believe (first person singular)
- parfois
- Sometimes, occasionally
- allais
- Was going (imperfect of aller, first person)
- seulement
- Only, just, or merely
- assez
- Enough, sufficiently, or quite
- écrire
- To write
- peu
- A little, a bit
- cela
- That, this (demonstrative pronoun)
- soulagerait
- Would relieve or ease (conditional of soulager)
- flot
- A flow, flood, or stream of something
- idées
- Ideas or thoughts
- reposerait
- Would rest or give rest (conditional of reposer)
- constate
- Notices or observes (first/third person singular)
- fatigue
- Tiredness or fatigue
- vite
- Quickly, fast
- tellement
- So much, so very
- décourageant
- Discouraging or disheartening
- avoir
- To have; also used as auxiliary verb
- ni
- Neither, nor (negative conjunction)
- conseils
- Advice or counsel
- compagnie
- Company, companionship, or an organization
- concernant
- Concerning, regarding, about
- travail
- Work, labor, or job
- serai
- Will be (future tense of être, first person)
- vraiment
- Truly, really, genuinely
- rétablie
- Recovered or restored to health (feminine)
- inviterons
- Will invite (future tense of inviter, first plural)
- cousin
- A male cousin or relative
- longue
- Long (feminine adjective referring to duration or length)
- visite
- A visit or stay with someone
- préférerait
- Would prefer (conditional of préférer)
- mettre
- To put, place, or set something
- feux
- Fires or lights (plural of feu)
- artifice
- Artifice or fireworks (feux d'artifice)
- taie
- A pillowcase or pillowslip
- oreiller
- A pillow used for sleeping
- plutôt
- Rather, instead, or somewhat
- laisser
- To let, allow, or leave something
- fréquenter
- To frequent or associate with people
- gens
- People or folk in general
- stimulants
- Stimulating or intellectually exciting (masculine plural)
- instant
- An instant or moment in time
- aimerais
- Would like or love (conditional of aimer)
- guérir
- To heal, recover, or cure
- plus
- More, or no longer (with negation)
- dois
- Must, have to (first person of devoir)
- penser
- To think or reflect on something
- papier
- Paper or wallpaper
- semble
- Seems or appears (third person singular)
- être
- To be; fundamental linking verb in French
- conscient
- Aware or conscious of something
- pernicieuse
- Pernicious, harmful, or destructive (feminine)
- influence
- An influence or effect on someone or something
- exerce
- Exerts or exercises an influence or power
- y
- Adverbial pronoun: there, in it, about it
- endroit
- A place, spot, or location
- récurrent
- Recurring or repeating regularly
- où
- Where or in which (relative pronoun or adverb)
- motif
- A motif, pattern, or recurring design
- affaisse
- Sags, subsides, or collapses downward
- cou
- The neck of a person or animal
- brisé
- Broken (past participle of briser)
- yeux
- Eyes (plural of œil)
- globuleux
- Bulging or protruding like globes (masculine plural)
- fixent
- Stare at or fix their gaze on
- envers
- Toward or with respect to someone
- deviens
- Become (first person singular of devenir)
- véritablement
- Truly, genuinely, or in reality
- furieuse
- Furious or extremely angry (feminine)
- face
- Face or front surface of something
- impertinence
- Rudeness or lack of respect; impertinence
- caractère
- Character, nature, or temperament
- interminable
- Endless or seemingly without end
- rampent
- Crawl or creep (third person plural of ramper)
- haut
- High, up, or the top
- bas
- Low, down, or the bottom
- côté
- Side, direction, or aspect
- absurdes
- Absurd or utterly ridiculous (plural)
- cillent
- Blink or flicker (third person plural of ciller)
- partout
- Everywhere, all over the place
- lés
- Strips or widths of wallpaper
- raccordaient
- Connected or joined up (imperfect of raccorder)
- parcourent
- Travel through or run across (third person plural)
- ligne
- A line, row, or outline
- légèrement
- Slightly, lightly, or gently
- autre
- Other, another, or different
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