War and Peace — Page 4
This stout young man was an illegitimate son of Count Bezúkhov, a well-known grandee of Catherine's time who now lay dying in Moscow.
Ce gros jeune homme était un fils illégitime du comte Bezúkhov, un grand seigneur bien connu de l'époque de Catherine qui se mourait à présent à Moscou.
The young man had not yet entered either the military or civil service, as he had only just returned from abroad where he had been educated, and this was his first appearance in society.
Le jeune homme n'était encore entré ni dans le service militaire ni dans le service civil, car il venait seulement de rentrer de l'étranger où il avait été éduqué, et c'était là sa première apparition dans le monde.
Anna Pávlovna greeted him with the nod she accorded to the lowest hierarchy in her drawing room.
Anna Pávlovna le salua du signe de tête qu'elle accordait à la hiérarchie la plus basse de son salon.
But in spite of this lowest-grade greeting, a look of anxiety and fear, as at the sight of something too large and unsuited to the place, came over her face when she saw Pierre enter.
Mais en dépit de ce salut de la plus basse catégorie, un regard d'inquiétude et de crainte, comme à la vue de quelque chose de trop grand et de peu approprié à l'endroit, se répandit sur son visage lorsqu'elle vit Pierre entrer.
Though he was certainly rather bigger than the other men in the room, her anxiety could only have reference to the clever though shy, but observant and natural, expression which distinguished him from everyone else in that drawing room.
Bien qu'il fût certes un peu plus grand que les autres hommes de la pièce, son inquiétude ne pouvait se rapporter qu'à l'expression intelligente quoique timide, mais observatrice et naturelle, qui le distinguait de tous les autres dans ce salon.
"It is very good of you, Monsieur Pierre, to come and visit a poor invalid," said Anna Pávlovna, exchanging an alarmed glance with her aunt as she conducted him to her.
« C'est très aimable à vous, monsieur Pierre, de venir rendre visite à une pauvre malade », dit Anna Pávlovna, échangeant un regard alarmé avec sa tante tandis qu'elle le conduisait vers elle.
Pierre murmured something unintelligible, and continued to look round as if in search of something.
Pierre murmura quelque chose d'inintelligible et continua de regarder autour de lui comme s'il cherchait quelque chose.
On his way to the aunt he bowed to the little princess with a pleased smile, as to an intimate acquaintance.
En se dirigeant vers la tante, il salua la petite princesse avec un sourire satisfait, comme à une connaissance intime.
Anna Pávlovna's alarm was justified, for Pierre turned away from the aunt without waiting to hear her speech about Her Majesty's health.
L'alarme d'Anna Pávlovna était justifiée, car Pierre se détourna de la tante sans attendre d'entendre son discours sur la santé de Sa Majesté.
Vocabulary
- gros
- Large, big, or fat in size or quantity.
- jeune
- Young in age or appearance.
- homme
- A man or human being.
- était
- Past tense of 'être'; was or were.
- fils
- A son; male offspring of a parent.
- illégitime
- Born outside of marriage; illegitimate.
- comte
- A count; a European noble title.
- grand
- Great, tall, or large in size or status.
- seigneur
- A lord or nobleman of high social rank.
- bien
- Well; used to indicate quality or degree.
- connu
- Known or well-known; past participle of 'connaître'.
- époque
- An era or period of historical time.
- mourait
- Imperfect tense of 'mourir'; was dying.
- présent
- Now; at the current moment in time.
- encore
- Still, yet, or again; not yet in negative context.
- entré
- Entered; past participle of 'entrer'.
- ni
- Neither, nor; used in negative correlative constructions.
- service
- Service; duty performed in military or civil roles.
- militaire
- Military; relating to the armed forces.
- civil
- Civil; relating to civilian or government administration.
- car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'.
- venait
- Imperfect tense of 'venir'; was coming or had just.
- seulement
- Only, just; indicating a restriction or limitation.
- rentrer
- To return home or come back.
- étranger
- Foreign country or a foreigner; abroad.
- éduqué
- Educated; raised and taught in a formal setting.
- première
- First; feminine form of 'premier'.
- apparition
- An appearance or first showing in public.
- monde
- World or society; 'tout le monde' means everyone.
- salua
- Greeted; simple past of 'saluer'.
- signe
- A sign, gesture, or signal used to communicate.
- tête
- Head; the uppermost part of the body.
- accordait
- Imperfect of 'accorder'; was granting or giving.
- hiérarchie
- Hierarchy; a system of ranked social levels.
- basse
- Low; feminine form of 'bas', indicating low rank.
- salon
- A drawing room; a fashionable social gathering place.
- dépit
- Spite or vexation; 'en dépit de' means despite.
- salut
- A greeting or salute; an acknowledgment of presence.
- catégorie
- Category; a class or group sharing common traits.
- regard
- A look or gaze directed at someone or something.
- inquiétude
- Worry or anxiety about a situation or person.
- crainte
- Fear or apprehension about something anticipated.
- vue
- Sight or view; the act of seeing something.
- quelque
- Some or a few; indefinite quantity or quality.
- chose
- A thing or object; something unspecified.
- trop
- Too or too much; exceeding a desired degree.
- peu
- Little or few; a small amount or degree.
- approprié
- Appropriate or suitable for a given context.
- endroit
- A place or spot; a specific location.
- répandit
- Spread; simple past of 'répandre'.
- visage
- Face; the front part of a person's head.
- lorsqu'
- When; temporal conjunction used before a vowel.
- vit
- Simple past of 'voir'; saw.
- entrer
- To enter or go into a place.
- Bien
- Well or although; used here as a concessive adverb.
- fût
- Subjunctive imperfect of 'être'; were or was.
- certes
- Certainly, admittedly; conceding a point.
- autres
- Other or others; different from those mentioned.
- hommes
- Men; plural of 'homme'.
- pièce
- Room; a distinct space within a building.
- pouvait
- Imperfect of 'pouvoir'; could or was able to.
- rapporter
- To bring back, report, or relate to something.
- expression
- An expression; a look conveying feeling or thought.
- intelligente
- Intelligent; showing cleverness and quick understanding.
- quoique
- Although; concessive conjunction introducing a nuance.
- timide
- Shy or timid; lacking confidence in social situations.
- observatrice
- Observant; one who notices details carefully (feminine).
- naturelle
- Natural; unforced, occurring without artifice.
- distinguait
- Imperfect of 'distinguer'; was distinguishing or setting apart.
- tous
- All or everyone; plural masculine form of 'tout'.
- aimable
- Kind or amiable; pleasant and friendly in manner.
- monsieur
- Mister or sir; polite form of address for a man.
- venir
- To come; to move toward a place or person.
- rendre
- To render, return, or pay; 'rendre visite' means to visit.
- visite
- A visit; a social call made to see someone.
- pauvre
- Poor; lacking wealth or deserving pity.
- malade
- Sick or ill; a person who is unwell.
- dit
- Simple past of 'dire'; said or told.
- échangeant
- Exchanging; present participle of 'échanger'.
- alarmé
- Alarmed; worried or frightened by something unexpected.
- tante
- An aunt; a parent's sister or uncle's wife.
- tandis
- While or whereas; used in 'tandis que' construction.
- conduisait
- Imperfect of 'conduire'; was leading or guiding.
- vers
- Toward; a preposition indicating direction.
- murmura
- Simple past of 'murmurer'; whispered or murmured.
- inintelligible
- Unintelligible; impossible to understand or comprehend.
- continua
- Simple past of 'continuer'; continued on doing something.
- regarder
- To look at or watch; to direct one's gaze.
- autour
- Around; on all sides of a person or place.
- cherchait
- Imperfect of 'chercher'; was looking for or seeking.
- dirigeant
- Directing or guiding; present participle of 'diriger'.
- petite
- Small or little; feminine form of 'petit'.
- princesse
- A princess; a female member of royalty.
- sourire
- A smile; or to smile at someone.
- satisfait
- Satisfied or pleased with a result or situation.
- connaissance
- Acquaintance or knowledge; familiarity with someone or something.
- intime
- Intimate or close; deeply familiar with another person.
- alarme
- Alarm or fright; a state of sudden worry.
- justifiée
- Justified; proven to be warranted or correct (feminine).
- détourna
- Simple past of 'détourner'; turned away or diverted.
- sans
- Without; indicating the absence of something.
- attendre
- To wait for; to await someone or something.
- entendre
- To hear; to perceive sounds or listen to speech.
- discours
- A speech or discourse; a formal spoken address.
- santé
- Health; the general condition of the body or mind.
- Majesté
- Majesty; a title of respect for a monarch.
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