White nights, and other stories — Page 8
All the passers-by gave me such friendly looks that they seemed almost greeting me, they all seemed so pleased at something.
Tous les passants me regardaient d'un air si aimable qu'ils semblaient presque me saluer, ils semblaient tous si satisfaits de quelque chose.
They were all smoking cigars, every one of them.
Ils fumaient tous des cigares, chacun d'eux.
And I felt pleased as I never had before.
Et je me sentis heureux comme je ne l'avais jamais été auparavant.
It was as though I had suddenly found myself in Italy--so strong was the effect of nature upon a half-sick townsman like me, almost stifling between city walls.
C'était comme si je me trouvais soudain en Italie -- tant était fort l'effet de la nature sur un citadin à demi malade comme moi, qui étouffait presque entre les murs de la ville.
There is something inexpressibly touching in nature round Petersburg, when at the approach of spring she puts forth all her might, all the powers bestowed on her by Heaven, when she breaks into leaf, decks herself out and spangles herself with flowers....
Il y a quelque chose d'indiciblement touchant dans la nature aux alentours de Pétersbourg, quand à l'approche du printemps elle déploie toutes ses forces, tous les pouvoirs que le Ciel lui a accordés, quand elle se couvre de feuilles, se pare et se paillete de fleurs....
Somehow I cannot help being reminded of a frail, consumptive girl, at whom one sometimes looks with compassion, sometimes with sympathetic love, whom sometimes one simply does not notice; though suddenly in one instant she becomes, as though by chance, inexplicably lovely and exquisite, and, impressed and intoxicated, one cannot help asking oneself what power made those sad, pensive eyes flash with such fire?
Je ne puis m'empêcher de penser à une jeune fille frêle et poitrinaire, que l'on regarde tantôt avec compassion, tantôt avec un amour bienveillant, et que l'on ne remarque parfois pas du tout ; bien que soudain, en un seul instant, elle devienne, comme par hasard, inexplicablement belle et exquise, et que, saisi et enivré, on ne puisse s'empêcher de se demander quelle puissance a fait briller d'un tel feu ces yeux tristes et pensifs ?
What summoned the blood to those pale, wan cheeks?
Qu'est-ce qui a fait monter le sang à ces joues pâles et blêmes ?
What bathed with passion those soft features?
Qu'est-ce qui a baigné de passion ces traits doux ?
What set that bosom heaving?
Qu'est-ce qui a fait se soulever cette poitrine ?
What so suddenly called strength, life and beauty into the poor girl's face, making it gleam with such a smile, kindle with such bright, sparkling laughter?
Qu'est-ce qui a si soudainement appelé la force, la vie et la beauté sur le visage de cette pauvre fille, le faisant rayonner d'un tel sourire, s'enflammer d'un rire si éclatant et si pétillant ?
You look round, you seek for some one, you conjecture....
Vous regardez autour de vous, vous cherchez quelqu'un, vous conjecturez....
Vocabulary
- Tous
- All, everyone; used before nouns or alone
- les
- The; definite plural article in French
- passants
- Passersby; people walking past on the street
- me
- Me; first-person singular object pronoun
- regardaient
- Were looking at; imperfect tense of regarder
- d
- Of; reduced form of 'de' before vowel
- un
- A, an; indefinite masculine singular article
- air
- Air; also manner, look, or expression
- si
- So, such; intensifier expressing degree
- aimable
- Kind, friendly, pleasant in manner
- qu
- That; subordinating conjunction, elided form
- ils
- They; third-person masculine plural pronoun
- semblaient
- Seemed; imperfect of sembler, to appear
- presque
- Almost, nearly; adverb of approximation
- saluer
- To greet, wave, or bow to someone
- tous
- All, everyone; pronoun or adjective plural
- satisfaits
- Satisfied, pleased; adjective, masculine plural
- de
- Of, from; very common French preposition
- quelque
- Some, a certain; indefinite adjective
- chose
- Thing; a general object or matter
- Ils
- They; third-person masculine plural subject pronoun
- fumaient
- Were smoking; imperfect tense of fumer
- des
- Some; indefinite plural article in French
- cigares
- Cigars; rolled tobacco leaves for smoking
- chacun
- Each one, everyone; indefinite pronoun
- eux
- Them; stressed third-person masculine plural pronoun
- Et
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- sentis
- Felt; passé simple of sentir, to feel
- heureux
- Happy, joyful; masculine adjective
- comme
- Like, as; conjunction or preposition of comparison
- ne
- Not; first part of French negation ne...pas
- l
- Him, her, it; elided direct object pronoun
- avais
- Had; imperfect tense of avoir, to have
- jamais
- Never; negation or ever in French
- été
- Been; past participle of être, to be
- auparavant
- Before, previously; adverb of prior time
- C
- It; elided form of ce before était
- était
- Was; imperfect tense of être, to be
- trouvais
- Found myself; imperfect of trouver, to find
- soudain
- Suddenly; adverb indicating abrupt occurrence
- en
- In; preposition used before country names
- Italie
- Italy; southern European country
- tant
- So much, so; adverb of intensity
- fort
- Strongly, greatly; adverb intensifying a statement
- effet
- Effect; result produced by a cause
- la
- The; definite feminine singular article
- nature
- Nature; the natural world and environment
- sur
- On, upon; common French preposition
- citadin
- City dweller; person who lives in town
- à
- At, to; very common French preposition
- demi
- Half; used in compound expressions
- malade
- Sick, ill; adjective describing poor health
- moi
- Me, I; stressed first-person pronoun
- qui
- Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- étouffait
- Was suffocating; imperfect of étouffer
- entre
- Between, among; preposition of position
- murs
- Walls; vertical structures enclosing a space
- ville
- City, town; an urban settlement
- Il
- He, it; third-person masculine singular pronoun
- y
- There; adverbial pronoun replacing a place
- a
- Has; third-person singular of avoir
- indiciblement
- Inexpressibly, indescribably; to an unspeakable degree
- touchant
- Touching, moving; emotionally affecting
- dans
- In, inside; preposition of location
- aux
- To the, at the; contracted plural preposition
- alentours
- Surroundings, outskirts; area around a place
- quand
- When; conjunction or adverb of time
- approche
- Approaches; third-person singular of approcher
- du
- Of the; contracted masculine singular preposition
- printemps
- Spring; season between winter and summer
- elle
- She, it; third-person feminine singular pronoun
- déploie
- Deploys, unfolds; spreads out its resources
- toutes
- All; feminine plural form of tout
- ses
- Her, his, its; possessive plural adjective
- forces
- Forces, strengths; capabilities and energies
- pouvoirs
- Powers; abilities or authorities one possesses
- que
- That, which; conjunction or relative pronoun
- le
- The; definite masculine singular article
- Ciel
- Sky, heaven; used poetically for divine power
- lui
- Him, her, to him/her; indirect object pronoun
- accordés
- Granted, given; past participle of accorder
- se
- Herself, itself; reflexive pronoun
- couvre
- Covers; third-person singular of couvrir
- feuilles
- Leaves; flat green parts of a plant
- pare
- Adorns, decks; third-person of parer
- et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking elements
- fleurs
- Flowers; blossoms of a plant
- Je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- puis
- Can; first-person singular of pouvoir
- m
- Myself; elided reflexive first-person pronoun
- empêcher
- To prevent, stop; to keep from doing something
- penser
- To think; to have thoughts about something
- une
- A, an; indefinite feminine singular article
- jeune
- Young; adjective describing youth
- fille
- Girl, daughter; young female person
- frêle
- Frail, delicate; physically weak and slender
- on
- One, we, they; impersonal French subject pronoun
- regarde
- Looks at; third-person singular of regarder
- tantôt
- Sometimes; alternating between different states
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- compassion
- Compassion; deep sympathy for another's suffering
- amour
- Love; deep affection for someone
- bienveillant
- Benevolent, kind; having goodwill toward others
- remarque
- Notices, remarks; observes something carefully
- parfois
- Sometimes; occurring on certain occasions
- pas
- Not; second element of French negation
- tout
- All, everything, quite; very common French word
- bien
- Well, good; adverb or adjective of quality
- seul
- Alone, only; single or solitary
- instant
- Instant, moment; very brief period of time
- devienne
- Becomes; subjunctive of devenir, to become
- par
- By, through; preposition of means or cause
- hasard
- Chance; random occurrence or coincidence
- inexplicablement
- Inexplicably; in a way that cannot be explained
- belle
- Beautiful; feminine form of beau
- exquise
- Exquisite; extremely beautiful and refined
- saisi
- Seized, overcome; past participle of saisir
- enivré
- Intoxicated, entranced; overcome with delight
- puisse
- Can, may; subjunctive of pouvoir
- s
- Oneself; elided reflexive pronoun
- demander
- To ask, wonder; to question oneself
- quelle
- What, which; feminine interrogative adjective
- puissance
- Power, force; great strength or ability
- fait
- Makes, causes; third-person of faire
- briller
- To shine, gleam; to emit or reflect light
- tel
- Such, such a; adjective of comparison
- feu
- Fire; combustion producing light and heat
- ces
- These, those; demonstrative plural adjective
- yeux
- Eyes; organs of sight, plural of œil
- tristes
- Sad; feeling or showing sorrow
- pensifs
- Pensive, thoughtful; deeply absorbed in thought
- Qu
- What; elided interrogative or relative pronoun
- est
- Is; third-person singular of être
- ce
- This, it; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- monter
- To rise, go up; to ascend or increase
- sang
- Blood; the red fluid in the body
- joues
- Cheeks; fleshy sides of the face
- pâles
- Pale; lacking color, light in complexion
- blêmes
- Wan, pallid; extremely pale from emotion
- baigné
- Bathed, suffused; drenched or washed over
- passion
- Passion; intense emotion or strong feeling
- traits
- Features; characteristic lines of the face
- doux
- Soft, gentle, sweet; mild in nature
- soulever
- To lift, raise; to heave upward
- cette
- This, that; feminine demonstrative adjective
- poitrine
- Chest, breast; front of the upper body
- soudainement
- Suddenly; in an abrupt, unexpected manner
- appelé
- Called, summoned; past participle of appeler
- force
- Force, strength; power or energy
- vie
- Life; the state of being alive
- beauté
- Beauty; quality of being attractive or pleasing
- visage
- Face; front of the human head
- pauvre
- Poor; lacking money or evoking pity
- faisant
- Making, causing; present participle of faire
- rayonner
- To radiate, beam; to shine out brightly
- sourire
- Smile; a pleased facial expression
- enflammer
- To inflame, set alight; to kindle passion
- rire
- Laughter, laugh; expression of amusement
- éclatant
- Brilliant, dazzling; strikingly bright or loud
- pétillant
- Sparkling, bubbly; lively and effervescent
- Vous
- You; second-person plural or formal pronoun
- regardez
- Look; second-person plural of regarder
- autour
- Around; adverb indicating surrounding area
- cherchez
- Seek, look for; second-person plural of chercher
- quelqu
- Someone; elided form of quelqu'un
- conjecturez
- Conjecture, guess; form opinions without proof
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