← Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 7

English → Fr Full Text Level 8/10

It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my sight has been whetted by experience; always on the limits, trying to get into business and trying to get out of debt, a very ancient slough, called by the Latins _æs alienum_, another's brass, for some of their coins were made of brass; still living, and dying, and buried by this other's brass; always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent; seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences; lying, flattering, voting, contracting yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an atmosphere of thin and vaporous generosity, that you may persuade your neighbor to let you make his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or import his groceries for him; making yourselves sick, that you may lay up something against a sick day, something to be tucked away in an old chest, or in a stocking behind the plastering, or, more safely, in the brick bank; no matter where, no matter how much or how little.

Il est très évident quelle vie mesquine et rampante mènent beaucoup d'entre vous, car mon regard a été aiguisé par l'expérience ; toujours à la limite, cherchant à entrer dans les affaires et à sortir des dettes, un bourbier très ancien, appelé par les Latins _æs alienum_, le cuivre d'autrui, car certaines de leurs pièces étaient faites de cuivre ; vivant encore, mourant, et enterrés par ce cuivre d'autrui ; promettant toujours de payer, promettant de payer, demain, et mourant aujourd'hui, insolvables ; cherchant à vous attirer des faveurs, à obtenir de la clientèle, par combien de moyens, hormis les délits passibles de prison ; mentant, flattant, votant, vous contractant dans une coquille de civilité ou vous dilatant en une atmosphère de générosité mince et vaporeuse, afin de persuader votre voisin de vous laisser faire ses chaussures, ou son chapeau, ou son manteau, ou sa voiture, ou d'importer ses provisions pour lui ; vous rendant malades, afin de mettre quelque chose de côté pour un jour de maladie, quelque chose à glisser dans un vieux coffre, ou dans un bas derrière le plâtre, ou, plus sûrement, dans la banque de briques ; peu importe où, peu importe combien ou si peu.

I sometimes wonder that we can be so frivolous, I may almost say, as to attend to the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery, there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and south.

Je m'étonne parfois que nous puissions être si frivoles, je pourrais presque dire, au point de nous préoccuper de la forme grossière mais en quelque sorte étrangère de servitude appelée l'Esclavage des Nègres, alors qu'il existe tant de maîtres perspicaces et subtils qui réduisent en esclavage tant le nord que le sud.

Vocabulary

très: Adverb meaning 'very', intensifies adjectives and adverbs.
évident: Adjective meaning 'obvious' or 'evident', clearly apparent.
quelle: Feminine interrogative or exclamative adjective meaning 'what' or 'which'.
vie: Noun meaning 'life', referring to one's existence or lifestyle.
mesquine: Adjective meaning 'petty' or 'mean-spirited', small-minded behavior.
rampante: Adjective meaning 'crawling' or 'groveling', servile and undignified.
mènent: Third person plural of 'mener', meaning 'lead' or 'live a life'.
beaucoup: Adverb meaning 'many' or 'a lot', indicating large quantity.
entre: Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among' multiple elements.
car: Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', introducing a reason.
regard: Noun meaning 'gaze' or 'look', one's manner of seeing things.
aiguisé: Past participle of 'aiguiser', meaning 'sharpened' or 'honed'.
expérience: Noun meaning 'experience', knowledge gained through practice.
toujours: Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still', indicating continuity.
limite: Noun meaning 'limit' or 'boundary', the edge of possibility.
cherchant: Present participle of 'chercher', meaning 'seeking' or 'looking for'.
entrer: Infinitive verb meaning 'to enter' or 'to go into'.
affaires: Noun meaning 'business' or 'affairs', commercial or personal matters.
sortir: Infinitive verb meaning 'to exit' or 'to get out of'.
dettes: Noun meaning 'debts', money owed to another person or entity.
bourbier: Noun meaning 'quagmire' or 'muddy mess', difficult entanglement.
ancien: Adjective meaning 'old', 'ancient', or 'former'.
appelé: Past participle of 'appeler', meaning 'called' or 'named'.
cuivre: Noun meaning 'copper', a reddish metallic element or currency.
autrui: Pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other people', third parties generally.
certaines: Feminine plural adjective meaning 'certain' or 'some' specific ones.
pièces: Noun meaning 'coins' or 'pieces', also rooms or parts.
vivant: Present participle of 'vivre', meaning 'living' or 'alive'.
encore: Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
mourant: Present participle of 'mourir', meaning 'dying' or 'in death throes'.
enterrés: Past participle of 'enterrer', meaning 'buried' underground.
promettant: Present participle of 'promettre', meaning 'promising' something.
payer: Infinitive verb meaning 'to pay', settle a financial obligation.
demain: Adverb meaning 'tomorrow', the day after today.
aujourd'hui: Adverb meaning 'today', referring to the current day.
insolvables: Adjective meaning 'insolvent', unable to pay one's debts.
attirer: Infinitive verb meaning 'to attract' or 'to draw in'.
faveurs: Noun meaning 'favors', acts of goodwill or special privileges.
obtenir: Infinitive verb meaning 'to obtain' or 'to get something'.
clientèle: Noun meaning 'clientele' or 'customers', a business's customer base.
combien: Adverb meaning 'how much' or 'how many'.
moyens: Noun meaning 'means' or 'ways', methods or financial resources.
hormis: Preposition meaning 'except' or 'apart from', excluding something.
délits: Noun meaning 'offenses' or 'misdemeanors', minor criminal acts.
passibles: Adjective meaning 'liable to' or 'punishable by' a penalty.
prison: Noun meaning 'prison' or 'jail', place of confinement.
mentant: Present participle of 'mentir', meaning 'lying' or 'telling falsehoods'.
flattant: Present participle of 'flatter', meaning 'flattering' or 'complimenting insincerely'.
votant: Present participle of 'voter', meaning 'voting' or 'casting a vote'.
contractant: Present participle of 'contracter', meaning 'contracting' or 'entering agreements'.
coquille: Noun meaning 'shell', a thin outer covering or veneer.
civilité: Noun meaning 'civility' or 'politeness', courteous social behavior.
dilatant: Present participle of 'dilater', meaning 'dilating' or 'expanding'.
atmosphère: Noun meaning 'atmosphere', the surrounding air or general mood.
générosité: Noun meaning 'generosity', willingness to give freely to others.
mince: Adjective meaning 'thin' or 'slim', of little thickness or substance.
vaporeuse: Adjective meaning 'vaporous' or 'hazy', resembling mist or vapor.
afin: Conjunction used in 'afin de/que', meaning 'in order to'.
persuader: Infinitive verb meaning 'to persuade' or 'to convince someone'.
voisin: Noun meaning 'neighbor', a person living nearby.
laisser: Infinitive verb meaning 'to let' or 'to allow' something.
chaussures: Noun meaning 'shoes', footwear worn on the feet.
chapeau: Noun meaning 'hat', a head covering worn as clothing.
manteau: Noun meaning 'coat' or 'overcoat', outer garment for warmth.
voiture: Noun meaning 'car' or 'vehicle', a motorized transportation vehicle.
importer: Infinitive verb meaning 'to import' goods or 'to matter'.
provisions: Noun meaning 'provisions' or 'supplies', food and necessary goods.
rendant: Present participle of 'rendre', meaning 'making' or 'rendering'.
malades: Adjective or noun meaning 'sick' or 'ill', those who are unwell.
mettre: Infinitive verb meaning 'to put' or 'to place' something somewhere.
quelque: Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few', an indefinite small amount.
chose: Noun meaning 'thing', a general object or matter.
côté: Noun meaning 'side', a lateral direction or aspect.
jour: Noun meaning 'day', a 24-hour period or daylight.
maladie: Noun meaning 'illness' or 'disease', a state of being unwell.
glisser: Infinitive verb meaning 'to slip' or 'to slide' quietly.
vieux: Adjective meaning 'old', having existed for a long time.
coffre: Noun meaning 'chest' or 'trunk', a box for storing valuables.
bas: Adjective or noun meaning 'low' or 'stocking', something beneath.
derrière: Preposition meaning 'behind', at the back of something.
plâtre: Noun meaning 'plaster', a paste used in construction or medicine.
plus: Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer', indicating degree or negation.
sûrement: Adverb meaning 'surely' or 'safely', with certainty or security.
banque: Noun meaning 'bank', a financial institution for storing money.
briques: Noun meaning 'bricks', rectangular blocks used in construction.
peu: Adverb meaning 'little' or 'few', a small amount or degree.
importe: Third person singular of 'importer', meaning 'matters' or 'it matters'.
où: Adverb or pronoun meaning 'where', indicating location.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'.
étonne: First/third person singular of 's'étonner', meaning 'to be surprised'.
parfois: Adverb meaning 'sometimes', on certain but not all occasions.
puissions: Subjunctive of 'pouvoir', meaning 'can' or 'are able to'.
être: Infinitive verb meaning 'to be', the fundamental existential verb.
frivoles: Adjective meaning 'frivolous', lacking seriousness or importance.
pourrais: Conditional of 'pouvoir', meaning 'could' or 'would be able to'.
presque: Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly', close but not quite.
dire: Infinitive verb meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'.
point: Noun meaning 'point' or 'degree', extent or specific location.
préoccuper: Infinitive verb meaning 'to preoccupy' or 'to worry about'.
forme: Noun meaning 'form' or 'shape', the external appearance of something.
grossière: Adjective meaning 'crude' or 'coarse', rough and unrefined.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast or exception.
sorte: Noun meaning 'sort' or 'kind', a type or variety of something.
étrangère: Adjective meaning 'foreign' or 'strange', from another place.
servitude: Noun meaning 'servitude', the condition of being enslaved or subjugated.
appelée: Past participle of 'appeler', feminine form, meaning 'called' or 'named'.
Esclavage: Noun meaning 'slavery', the practice of owning people as property.
alors: Adverb meaning 'then' or 'so', indicating time or consequence.
existe: Third person singular of 'exister', meaning 'exists' or 'there is'.
tant: Adverb meaning 'so many' or 'so much', a large quantity.
maîtres: Noun meaning 'masters' or 'owners', those who hold authority over others.
perspicaces: Adjective meaning 'perceptive' or 'shrewd', having sharp insight.
subtils: Adjective meaning 'subtle', delicate and not immediately obvious.
réduisent: Third person plural of 'réduire', meaning 'reduce' or 'bring down'.
esclavage: Noun meaning 'slavery', the state of being owned by another.
nord: Noun meaning 'north', the cardinal direction toward the North Pole.
sud: Noun meaning 'south', the cardinal direction toward the South Pole.

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