War and Peace — Page 2
He had just entered, wearing an embroidered court uniform, knee breeches, and shoes, and had stars on his breast and a serene expression on his flat face.
Il venait d'entrer, vêtu d'un uniforme de cour brodé, d'une culotte courte et de souliers, et portait des étoiles sur la poitrine et une expression sereine sur son visage plat.
He spoke in that refined French in which our grandfathers not only spoke but thought, and with the gentle, patronizing intonation natural to a man of importance who had grown old in society and at court.
Il parlait dans ce français raffiné dans lequel nos grands-pères non seulement parlaient mais pensaient, et avec l'intonation douce et condescendante naturelle à un homme d'importance qui avait vieilli dans le monde et à la cour.
He went up to Anna Pávlovna, kissed her hand, presenting to her his bald, scented, and shining head, and complacently seated himself on the sofa.
Il s'approcha d'Anna Pávlovna, lui baisa la main, lui présentant sa tête chauve, parfumée et luisante, et s'installa avec suffisance sur le canapé.
"First of all, dear friend, tell me how you are. Set your friend's mind at rest," said he without altering his tone, beneath the politeness and affected sympathy of which indifference and even irony could be discerned.
« Avant tout, chère amie, dites-moi comment vous vous portez. Rassurez votre ami », dit-il sans changer de ton, sous la politesse et la sympathie affectée duquel on pouvait discerner de l'indifférence et même de l'ironie.
"Can one be well while suffering morally? Can one be calm in times like these if one has any feeling?" said Anna Pávlovna. "You are staying the whole evening, I hope?"
« Peut-on aller bien quand on souffre moralement ? Peut-on être calme en des temps pareils si l'on a quelque sensibilité ? » dit Anna Pávlovna. « Vous restez toute la soirée, j'espère ? »
"And the fete at the English ambassador's? Today is Wednesday. I must put in an appearance there," said the prince. "My daughter is coming for me to take me there."
« Et la fête chez l'ambassadeur d'Angleterre ? Aujourd'hui c'est mercredi. Je dois y faire acte de présence », dit le prince. « Ma fille vient me chercher pour m'y conduire. »
"I thought today's fete had been canceled. I confess all these festivities and fireworks are becoming wearisome."
« Je croyais que la fête d'aujourd'hui avait été annulée. J'avoue que toutes ces festivités et ces feux d'artifice commencent à devenir lassants. »
"If they had known that you wished it, the entertainment would have been put off," said the prince, who, like a wound-up clock, by force of habit said things he did not even wish to be believed.
« S'ils avaient su que vous le souhaitiez, la fête aurait été remise », dit le prince, qui, tel une horloge remontée, disait par force d'habitude des choses auxquelles il ne souhaitait même pas qu'on crût.
"Don't tease!
« Ne plaisantez pas !
Vocabulary
- venait
- Imperfect tense of 'venir'; he was coming.
- entrer
- To enter or come into a place.
- vêtu
- Past participle of 'vêtir'; dressed or clothed.
- uniforme
- A standardized outfit worn by members of a group.
- cour
- Royal or noble court; also a courtyard.
- brodé
- Embroidered with decorative needlework patterns.
- culotte
- Short breeches or pants worn in historical fashion.
- courte
- Feminine adjective meaning short in length.
- souliers
- Shoes; formal footwear worn on the feet.
- portait
- Imperfect of 'porter'; he was wearing or carrying.
- étoiles
- Stars; decorative star-shaped insignia or badges.
- poitrine
- The chest or breast area of the human body.
- expression
- A look or appearance conveying a particular feeling.
- sereine
- Feminine adjective meaning calm, peaceful, or serene.
- visage
- The face as a part of the human head.
- plat
- Flat or expressionless; also a dish of food.
- parlait
- Imperfect of 'parler'; he was speaking or talking.
- français
- The French language spoken in France and worldwide.
- raffiné
- Refined or polished in manner, style, or taste.
- lequel
- Relative pronoun meaning which or whom, masculine form.
- grands
- Adjective meaning great or grand; ancestors here implied.
- pères
- Fathers; used here to mean forefathers or ancestors.
- seulement
- Adverb meaning only or merely.
- parlaient
- Imperfect plural of 'parler'; they were speaking.
- pensaient
- Imperfect plural of 'penser'; they were thinking.
- intonation
- The rise and fall of voice in speech.
- douce
- Feminine adjective meaning soft, gentle, or sweet.
- condescendante
- Condescending; showing a sense of superiority toward others.
- naturelle
- Feminine adjective meaning natural or unaffected.
- homme
- A man; an adult male human being.
- importance
- Significance, weight, or high social standing of someone.
- vieilli
- Past participle of 'vieillir'; aged or grown old.
- monde
- The world; also people or society in general.
- approcha
- Simple past of 's'approcher'; he approached or came near.
- baisa
- Simple past of 'baiser'; he kissed in greeting.
- main
- The hand as a part of the human body.
- présentant
- Present participle of 'présenter'; presenting or offering.
- tête
- The head as a part of the human body.
- chauve
- Bald; having no hair on the top of head.
- parfumée
- Feminine past participle; perfumed or scented with fragrance.
- luisante
- Feminine adjective meaning shining, gleaming, or glistening.
- installa
- Simple past of 's'installer'; he settled or sat down.
- suffisance
- Self-satisfaction or smugness; also sufficiency of something.
- canapé
- A sofa or couch used for sitting or reclining.
- Avant
- Preposition or adverb meaning before in time or order.
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning all, everything, or every.
- chère
- Feminine adjective meaning dear, beloved, or expensive.
- amie
- A female friend; a close feminine acquaintance.
- dites
- Imperative plural of 'dire'; tell me or say.
- portez
- Second person plural of 'porter'; you carry or wear.
- Rassurez
- Imperative of 'rassurer'; reassure or put at ease.
- ami
- A male friend or close male acquaintance.
- dit
- Simple past of 'dire'; he said or stated.
- sans
- Preposition meaning without, lacking a particular quality.
- changer
- To change or alter something in manner or form.
- ton
- Tone of voice; also possessive adjective your informal.
- sous
- Preposition meaning under or beneath something.
- politesse
- Politeness; courteous and considerate social behavior.
- sympathie
- Sympathy or warm feeling of concern for someone.
- affectée
- Affected or pretended; not genuine or natural behavior.
- duquel
- Contracted relative pronoun of which or from which.
- pouvait
- Imperfect of 'pouvoir'; one could or was able to.
- discerner
- To discern or detect something not immediately obvious.
- indifférence
- Indifference; lack of interest or concern about something.
- même
- Adverb or adjective meaning even, same, or very.
- ironie
- Irony; expression conveying a meaning opposite to words.
- aller
- To go; also used to mean to be doing well.
- bien
- Adverb meaning well or good in various contexts.
- quand
- Conjunction or adverb meaning when in time expressions.
- souffre
- Present tense of 'souffrir'; one suffers or is suffering.
- moralement
- Adverb meaning morally or emotionally, in a mental sense.
- être
- To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or identity.
- calme
- Adjective or noun meaning calm, quiet, or serene.
- temps
- Time or weather; a period or moment in time.
- pareils
- Plural adjective meaning such, similar, or like these.
- si
- Conjunction meaning if; also yes contradicting a negative.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning some or a certain amount of.
- sensibilité
- Sensitivity; emotional responsiveness or delicate feeling.
- restez
- Second person plural of 'rester'; you stay or remain.
- toute
- Feminine adjective meaning all or the entire duration.
- soirée
- An evening; also an evening social gathering or party.
- espère
- First person singular of 'espérer'; I hope or expect.
- fête
- A party, celebration, or festive social gathering.
- chez
- Preposition meaning at the home or place of someone.
- ambassadeur
- An ambassador; a senior diplomatic representative of a country.
- Angleterre
- England; a country in the United Kingdom.
- Aujourd'hui
- Today; on this present day.
- mercredi
- Wednesday; the fourth day of the week.
- dois
- First person singular of 'devoir'; I must or owe.
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning there or to that place.
- faire
- To do or make; a very common versatile verb.
- acte
- An act or action; appearance here means showing up.
- présence
- Presence; the fact of being in a particular place.
- prince
- A prince; a male member of a royal family.
- fille
- A daughter or a girl; feminine family member.
- vient
- Third person singular of 'venir'; comes or is coming.
- chercher
- To look for, fetch, or pick someone up.
- conduire
- To drive or lead someone to a destination.
- croyais
- Imperfect of 'croire'; I believed or was thinking.
- été
- Past participle of 'être'; been; also summer as noun.
- annulée
- Feminine past participle of 'annuler'; cancelled or called off.
- avoue
- First person of 'avouer'; I admit or confess.
- toutes
- Feminine plural of 'tout'; all or every one of these.
- festivités
- Festivities; festive celebrations or merry social events.
- feux
- Plural of 'feu'; fires; used here in 'feux d'artifice'.
- artifice
- Artifice or trick; in 'feux d'artifice' means fireworks.
- commencent
- Third person plural of 'commencer'; they begin or start.
- devenir
- To become; to change into a different state.
- lassants
- Plural adjective meaning tiresome, tedious, or wearying.
- Su
- Past participle of 'savoir'; known or found out.
- souhaitiez
- Imperfect second plural of 'souhaiter'; you were wishing.
- aurait
- Conditional of 'avoir'; would have in hypothetical clauses.
- remise
- Postponed or rescheduled; feminine past participle of 'remettre'.
- tel
- Adjective meaning such a or like in comparisons.
- horloge
- A clock; a timekeeping device on a wall or tower.
- remontée
- Wound up again; past participle referring to a clock reset.
- disait
- Imperfect of 'dire'; he was saying or used to say.
- par
- Preposition meaning by, through, or out of habit.
- force
- Force or strength; here 'par force' means out of habit.
- habitude
- A habit or customary practice done regularly.
- choses
- Things; objects or matters in a general sense.
- auxquelles
- Relative pronoun to which, feminine plural contracted form.
- souhaitait
- Imperfect of 'souhaiter'; he wished or desired something.
- crût
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'croire'; that one might believe.
- plaisantez
- Second person plural of 'plaisanter'; you joke or jest.
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