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Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 15

English → Fr Preface Level 9/10

" My brother was very much discouraged by the feebleness of the response he was given, and as he was striving just then to give up the practice of taking hydrate of chloral—a drug he had begun to take while ill with influenza,—the following spring, spent in Rome, was a somewhat gloomy one for him.

Mon frère fut très découragé par la faiblesse de la réponse qu'on lui donna, et comme il s'efforçait alors de renoncer à la pratique de prendre de l'hydrate de chloral — un médicament qu'il avait commencé à prendre lors d'une grippe —, le printemps suivant, passé à Rome, fut pour lui quelque peu sombre.

He writes about it as follows:—"I spent a melancholy spring in Rome, where I only just managed to live,—and this was no easy matter.

Il en écrit comme suit : « J'ai passé un printemps mélancolique à Rome, où je n'ai fait que tout juste survivre — et ce n'était pas chose aisée.

This city, which is absolutely unsuited to the poet-author of 'Zarathustra', and for the choice of which I was not responsible, made me inordinately miserable.

Cette ville, qui est absolument inadaptée à l'auteur-poète de « Zarathoustra », et dont je n'étais pas responsable du choix, me rendait démesurément malheureux.

I tried to leave it.

J'essayai de la quitter.

I wanted to go to Aquila—the opposite of Rome in every respect, and actually founded in a spirit of enmity towards that city (just as I also shall found a city some day), as a memento of an atheist and genuine enemy of the Church—a person very closely related to me,—the great Hohenstaufen, the Emperor Frederick II.

Je voulais aller à Aquila — le contraire de Rome à tous égards, et fondée en fait dans un esprit d'hostilité envers cette ville (tout comme je fonderai moi aussi une ville un jour), en souvenir d'un athée et véritable ennemi de l'Église — une personne qui m'est très étroitement apparentée —, le grand Hohenstaufen, l'empereur Frédéric II.

But Fate lay behind it all: I had to return again to Rome.

Mais le Destin se trouvait derrière tout cela : je dus retourner à Rome.

In the end I was obliged to be satisfied with the Piazza Barberini, after I had exerted myself in vain to find an anti-Christian quarter.

À la fin, je fus contraint de me contenter de la Piazza Barberini, après m'être efforcé en vain de trouver un quartier anti-chrétien.

I fear that on one occasion, to avoid bad smells as much as possible, I actually inquired at the Palazzo del Quirinale whether they could not provide a quiet room for a philosopher.

Je crains qu'en une occasion, pour éviter autant que possible les mauvaises odeurs, je me sois effectivement renseigné au Palazzo del Quirinale pour savoir s'ils ne pourraient pas fournir une chambre tranquille à un philosophe.

Vocabulary

Mon
My; possessive adjective indicating ownership or relation.
frère
Brother; male sibling in a family.
fut
Was; past tense of être in third person singular.
très
Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or other adverbs.
découragé
Discouraged; feeling loss of confidence or enthusiasm.
par
By; preposition indicating agent or means of action.
la
The; feminine singular definite article in French.
faiblesse
Weakness; lack of strength or power.
de
Of; preposition expressing possession, origin, or composition.
réponse
Response; answer given to a question or situation.
qu
That; relative pronoun used in formal or poetic contexts.
on
One; indefinite pronoun equivalent to they or people.
lui
Him; indirect object pronoun for masculine person.
donna
Gave; past tense of donner in third person singular.
et
And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
comme
Like; as; preposition or conjunction showing comparison.
il
He; masculine singular subject pronoun.
efforçait
Was striving; past progressive of s'efforcer.
alors
Then; at that time; adverb indicating temporal sequence.
renoncer
To renounce; to give up or abandon something.
pratique
Practice; habit; noun or adjective related to application.
prendre
To take; to consume; common verb of action.
un
A; masculine singular indefinite article.
médicament
Medication; pharmaceutical substance used for treatment.
avait
Had; past tense of avoir in third person singular.
commencé
Begun; past participle of commencer indicating start.
lors
During; at the time of; preposition.
une
A; feminine singular indefinite article.
grippe
Flu; influenza; contagious viral illness.
le
The; masculine singular definite article.
printemps
Spring; season between winter and summer.
suivant
Following; next; adjective indicating sequence.
passé
Passed; past; adjective or noun relating to time.
pour
For; preposition indicating purpose or direction.
quelque
Some; a few; adjective indicating indefinite quantity.
peu
Little; small amount; adverb of quantity.
sombre
Dark; gloomy; adjective describing color or mood.
Il
He; masculine singular subject pronoun.
en
There; of it; pronoun or preposition.
écrit
Wrote; past tense of écrire in third person.
suit
Follows; present tense of suivre in third person.
ai
Have; present tense of avoir in first person.
mélancolique
Melancholic; sad; adjective describing sorrowful disposition.
où
Where; in which place; relative adverb.
je
I; first person singular subject pronoun.
fait
Done; made; past participle of faire.
que
That; which; relative or subordinating conjunction.
tout
All; everything; adjective or pronoun.
juste
Just; barely; adjective or adverb.
survivre
To survive; to remain alive or continue existing.
ce
This; that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
était
Was; past tense of être in third person.
pas
Not; negation particle; also step or footprint.
chose
Thing; object; noun indicating any item.
aisée
Easy; comfortable; adjective describing lack of difficulty.
Cette
This; that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective.
ville
City; town; noun for urban settlement.
qui
Who; which; relative pronoun.
est
Is; present tense of être in third person.
absolument
Absolutely; completely; adverb of intensity.
auteur
Author; writer; person who creates literary work.
poète
Poet; person who writes poetry.
dont
Of which; whose; relative pronoun.
étais
Was; past tense of être in first person.
responsable
Responsible; accountable; adjective or noun.
du
Of the; contraction of de and le.
choix
Choice; selection; noun indicating decision.
me
Me; direct object pronoun for first person.
rendait
Made; rendered; past tense of rendre.
malheureux
Unhappy; unfortunate; adjective describing sadness.
essayai
Tried; attempted; past tense of essayer.
quitter
To leave; to depart from; verb.
Je
I; first person singular subject pronoun.
voulais
Wanted; wished; past tense of vouloir.
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