Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 9
A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind.
Un désespoir stéréotypé mais inconscient se dissimule jusque sous ce qu'on appelle les jeux et les divertissements de l'humanité.
There is no play in them, for this comes after work.
Il n'y a pas de vrai jeu en eux, car celui-ci vient après le travail.
But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.
Mais c'est le propre de la sagesse de ne pas agir de manière désespérée.
When we consider what, to use the words of the catechism, is the chief end of man, and what are the true necessaries and means of life, it appears as if men had deliberately chosen the common mode of living because they preferred it to any other.
Quand on considère ce qui est, pour employer les termes du catéchisme, la fin principale de l'homme, et quels sont les véritables besoins et moyens de l'existence, il semble que les hommes aient délibérément choisi le mode de vie ordinaire parce qu'ils le préféraient à tout autre.
Yet they honestly think there is no choice left.
Pourtant ils croient sincèrement qu'il ne leur reste aucun choix.
But alert and healthy natures remember that the sun rose clear.
Mais les esprits vifs et sains se souviennent que le soleil s'est levé radieux.
It is never too late to give up our prejudices.
Il n'est jamais trop tard pour abandonner nos préjugés.
No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.
Nulle façon de penser ou d'agir, si ancienne soit-elle, ne mérite confiance sans preuve.
What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle fertilizing rain on their fields.
Ce que tout le monde répète ou laisse passer en silence comme vrai aujourd'hui pourrait se révéler demain n'être que mensonge, simple fumée d'opinion, que certains avaient prise pour un nuage qui répandrait une pluie fertilisante sur leurs champs.
What old people say you cannot do you try and find that you can.
Ce que les vieux disent que vous ne pouvez pas faire, vous l'essayez et vous découvrez que vous le pouvez.
Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.
Les vieilles actions pour les vieux, et les nouvelles actions pour les nouveaux.
Old people did not know enough once, perchance, to fetch fresh fuel to keep the fire a-going; new people put a little dry wood under a pot, and are whirled round the globe with the speed of birds, in a way to kill old people, as the phrase is.
Les vieux ne savaient pas assez autrefois, peut-être, pour aller chercher du combustible frais afin d'entretenir le feu ; les nouveaux placent un peu de bois sec sous une marmite, et se trouvent emportés autour du globe à la vitesse des oiseaux, d'une manière à tuer les vieux, comme dit l'expression.
Vocabulary
- Un
- One; a, an (indefinite article)
- désespoir
- Despair; a state of hopelessness and loss of faith
- stéréotypé
- Stereotyped; conforming to a conventional, oversimplified pattern
- mais
- But; however (conjunction expressing contrast)
- inconscient
- Unconscious; unaware or done without conscious thought
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person singular/plural
- dissimule
- Hides; conceals or disguises something deliberately
- jusque
- Until; up to (indicating limit or extent in time/space)
- sous
- Under; beneath or below something
- ce
- This; that (demonstrative pronoun or determiner)
- qu
- That; what (relative or interrogative pronoun, abbreviated)
- on
- One; they; people in general (indefinite pronoun)
- appelle
- Calls; names or summons (present tense of appeler)
- les
- The (definite article, plural form)
- jeux
- Games; play or entertainment activities
- et
- And (basic conjunction linking words or clauses)
- divertissements
- Entertainments; amusements or diversions from work
- de
- Of; from (preposition showing possession or origin)
- humanité
- Humanity; human beings collectively or human nature
- Il
- He; it (masculine subject pronoun)
- pas
- Not; step (negation or a footstep)
- vrai
- True; real or genuine (adjective or noun)
- jeu
- Game; play or sport activity
- en
- In; some (preposition or pronoun replacing nouns)
- eux
- Them; those people (disjunctive pronoun, masculine)
- car
- Because; for (conjunction expressing reason or cause)
- celui
- That one; the one (demonstrative pronoun)
- vient
- Comes; arrives (present tense of venir)
- après
- After; following in time or sequence
- le
- The (definite article, singular masculine)
- travail
- Work; labor or employment activity
- Mais
- But; however (conjunction expressing contrast)
- est
- Is; exists (present tense of être)
- propre
- Own; clean or belonging to oneself
- la
- The (definite article, singular feminine)
- sagesse
- Wisdom; knowledge and good judgment combined
- ne
- Not; negation marker (often with other negatives)
- agir
- To act; to do or take action
- manière
- Manner; way or method of doing something
- désespérée
- Desperate; full of despair or hopelessness
- Quand
- When; at what time or whenever
- considère
- Considers; thinks about or examines carefully
- qui
- Who; which (relative or interrogative pronoun)
- pour
- For; in order to (preposition showing purpose)
- employer
- To employ; to use or make use of
- termes
- Terms; words or expressions used in speech
- du
- Of the; from the (contraction of de+le)
- fin
- End; goal or purpose (noun or adjective)
- principale
- Principal; main or most important thing
- homme
- Man; human being (male or generic)
- quels
- What; which (interrogative adjective, plural)
- sont
- Are; exist (present tense plural of être)
- véritables
- True; genuine or real (plural adjective)
- besoins
- Needs; requirements or necessities
- moyens
- Means; ways or methods available to someone
- existence
- Existence; the fact of being or living
- il
- It; he (subject pronoun, masculine singular)
- semble
- Seems; appears to be (present tense of sembler)
- que
- That; what (conjunction or relative pronoun)
- hommes
- Men; human beings collectively (plural of homme)
- aient
- Have; possess (subjunctive present of avoir)
- délibérément
- Deliberately; on purpose or intentionally
- choisi
- Chosen; selected or picked (past participle)
- mode
- Mode; manner, way or fashion
- vie
- Life; existence or way of living
- ordinaire
- Ordinary; usual or common
- parce
- Because; for the reason that (shortened form)
- ils
- They; those people (masculine subject pronoun)
- préféraient
- Preferred; liked better (imperfect tense)
- tout
- All; everything or any (pronoun/adjective/adverb)
- autre
- Other; different or another (adjective/pronoun)
- Pourtant
- Yet; nevertheless or however (conjunction)
- croient
- Believe; think or have faith (present tense)
- sincèrement
- Sincerely; genuinely or honestly in manner
- leur
- Their; to them (possessive or indirect object)
- reste
- Remains; is left or stays behind
- aucun
- No; not any or none (negative adjective)
- choix
- Choice; selection or option available
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