White nights, and other stories — Page 11
The girl flew straight as an arrow, with the timid haste one sees in all girls who do not want any one to volunteer to accompany them home at night, and no doubt the staggering gentleman would not have pursued her, if my good luck had not prompted him.
La jeune fille fila droit comme une flèche, avec la hâte timide que l'on voit chez toutes les jeunes filles qui ne veulent pas que quelqu'un se propose de les raccompagner chez elles la nuit, et sans doute le gentleman titubant ne l'aurait pas poursuivie, si ma bonne étoile ne l'y avait pas incité.
Suddenly, without a word to any one, the gentleman set off and flew full speed in pursuit of my unknown lady.
Soudain, sans dire un mot à quiconque, le gentleman s'élança et fila à toute vitesse à la poursuite de mon inconnue.
She was racing like the wind, but the staggering gentleman was overtaking--overtook her.
Elle courait comme le vent, mais le gentleman titubant la rattrapait -- la rattrapa.
The girl uttered a shriek, and ... I bless my luck for the excellent knotted stick, which happened on that occasion to be in my right hand.
La jeune fille poussa un cri, et... je bénis ma chance pour l'excellent bâton noueux qui se trouvait ce soir-là dans ma main droite.
In a flash I was on the other side of the street; in a flash the obtrusive gentleman had taken in the position, had grasped the irresistible argument, fallen back without a word, and only when we were very far away protested against my action in rather vigorous language.
En un éclair je fus de l'autre côté de la rue ; en un éclair l'importun gentleman avait compris la situation, saisi l'argument irrésistible, reculé sans un mot, et ce n'est que lorsque nous fûmes très loin qu'il protesta contre mon intervention dans un langage assez vigoureux.
But his words hardly reached us.
Mais ses mots nous parvenaient à peine.
"Give me your arm," I said to the girl.
« Donnez-moi votre bras, » dis-je à la jeune fille.
"And he won't dare to annoy us further."
« Et il n'osera plus nous importuner. »
She took my arm without a word, still trembling with excitement and terror.
Elle prit mon bras sans un mot, tremblant encore d'émotion et de terreur.
Oh, obtrusive gentleman! How I blessed you at that moment!
Ô importun gentleman ! Comme je vous bénissais en cet instant !
I stole a glance at her, she was very charming and dark--I had guessed right.
Je lui lançai un regard furtif : elle était très charmante et brune -- j'avais bien deviné.
On her black eyelashes there still glistened a tear--from her recent terror or her former grief--I don't know.
Sur ses cils noirs brillait encore une larme -- due à sa récente terreur ou à son ancien chagrin -- je ne sais pas.
Vocabulary
- jeune
- zhun — Young; relating to youth or early age
- fille
- fee-y — Girl or daughter; young female person
- fila
- fee-la — Past tense of 'filer': darted or slipped away quickly
- droit
- drwa — Straight or right; directly without deviation
- comme
- kum — Like or as; used for comparisons
- flèche
- flesh — Arrow; a pointed projectile shot from a bow
- avec
- ah-vek — With; indicating accompaniment or manner
- hâte
- aht — Haste; urgency or speed in doing something
- timide
- tee-meed — Timid or shy; lacking confidence or boldness
- on
- ohn — One or we; indefinite subject pronoun
- voit
- vwa — Sees; third person singular present of 'voir'
- chez
- shay — At or among; indicating location at someone's place
- toutes
- toot — All; feminine plural form of 'tout'
- jeunes
- zhun — Young people; plural of 'jeune'
- filles
- fee-y — Girls; plural of 'fille'
- veulent
- vul — Want; third person plural present of 'vouloir'
- quelqu'
- kel-kuh — Someone; indefinite pronoun before a vowel
- propose
- pro-pohz — Offers or proposes; suggests doing something
- raccompagner
- rak-om-pan-yay — To escort or walk someone home safely
- nuit
- nwee — Night; the period of darkness after sunset
- sans
- sahn — Without; indicating the absence of something
- doute
- doot — Doubt; uncertainty about something; 'sans doute' means probably
- gentleman
- jen-tul-man — Gentleman; a well-mannered or refined man
- titubant
- tee-tü-bahn — Staggering or reeling; walking unsteadily as if drunk
- aurait
- oh-ray — Would have; conditional form of 'avoir'
- poursuivie
- poor-swee-vee — Pursued; past participle of 'poursuivre', chased after
- bonne
- bun — Good; feminine form of 'bon'
- étoile
- ay-twal — Star; celestial body or symbol of luck
- incité
- an-see-tay — Incited or prompted; encouraged to take action
- Soudain
- soo-dan — Suddenly; unexpectedly and without warning
- dire
- deer — To say or tell; basic verb of speech
- mot
- moh — Word; a single unit of language
- quiconque
- kee-konk — Whoever or anyone; indefinite pronoun meaning any person
- élança
- ay-lahn-sa — Rushed or dashed; past tense of 's'élancer'
- toute
- toot — All or whole; feminine singular form of 'tout'
- vitesse
- vee-tes — Speed; the rate at which something moves
- poursuite
- poor-sweet — Pursuit; the act of chasing someone or something
- inconnue
- an-kuh-nü — Unknown woman; a stranger whose identity is not known
- courait
- koo-ray — Was running; imperfect tense of 'courir'
- vent
- vahn — Wind; moving air; 'courir comme le vent' means very fast
- mais
- may — But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- rattrapait
- ra-tra-pay — Was catching up; imperfect tense of 'rattraper'
- rattrapa
- ra-tra-pa — Caught up; past tense of 'rattraper'
- poussa
- poo-sa — Uttered or let out; past tense of 'pousser'
- cri
- kree — Cry or scream; a loud vocal exclamation
- bénis
- bay-nee — Blessed or praised; first person of 'bénir'
- chance
- shahns — Luck or chance; a fortunate circumstance
- excellent
- ek-say-lahn — Excellent; of very high quality or standard
- bâton
- bah-tohn — Stick or cane; a solid rod used as a tool
- noueux
- noo-uh — Gnarled or knotty; having many knots or bumps
- trouvait
- troo-vay — Was found; imperfect tense of 'trouver'
- soir-là
- swar-la — That evening; referring to a specific night
- main
- man — Hand; the body part at the end of the arm
- droite
- drwat — Right; the right side or right hand
- éclair
- ay-klair — Lightning or flash; sudden bright light; 'en un éclair' instantly
- fus
- fü — Was; first person singular simple past of 'être'
- autre
- oh-truh — Other; a different or additional person or thing
- côté
- koh-tay — Side; a lateral part or direction
- rue
- rü — Street; a public road in a town or city
- importun
- am-por-tun — Intruder or nuisance; someone who bothers others unwantedly
- compris
- kohm-pree — Understood; past participle of 'comprendre'
- situation
- see-tü-ah-syohn — Situation; the circumstances or state of affairs
- saisi
- say-zee — Seized or grasped; past participle of 'saisir'
- argument
- ar-gü-mahn — Argument; a reason or point used in discussion
- irrésistible
- ee-ray-zee-steebl — Irresistible; impossible to resist or oppose
- reculé
- ruh-kü-lay — Stepped back or retreated; withdrew from a position
- lorsque
- lor-skuh — When; conjunction introducing a time clause
- fûmes
- füm — Were; first person plural simple past of 'être'
- très
- Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- loin
- lwan — Far; at a great distance in space or time
- protesta
- pro-tes-ta — Protested; past tense of 'protester', objected loudly
- contre
- kontr — Against; preposition indicating opposition
- intervention
- an-tair-vahn-syohn — Intervention; the act of interfering in a situation
- langage
- lahn-gazh — Language or speech; the way someone expresses themselves
- assez
- ah-say — Quite or enough; moderately or sufficiently
- vigoureux
- vee-goo-ruh — Vigorous; strong, forceful, or energetic
- Mais
- may — But; conjunction indicating contrast or objection
- mots
- moh — Words; plural of 'mot'
- parvenaient
- par-vuh-nay — Were reaching; imperfect of 'parvenir', arrived or reached
- peine
- pen — Hardly or barely; with difficulty
- Donnez
- duh-nay — Give; second person plural imperative of 'donner'
- votre
- votr — Your; second person plural or formal possessive adjective
- bras
- bra — Arm; the upper limb of the human body
- dis
- dee — Said; first person singular simple past of 'dire'
- osera
- oh-zuh-ra — Will dare; future tense of 'oser'
- plus
- plü — No more or no longer; negation with 'ne'
- importuner
- am-por-tü-nay — To bother or pester; to disturb someone annoyingly
- prit
- pree — Took; third person singular simple past of 'prendre'
- tremblant
- trahm-blahn — Trembling or shaking; quivering from fear or emotion
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still or yet; indicates continuation of a state
- émotion
- ay-moh-syohn — Emotion; a strong feeling such as joy or fear
- terreur
- teh-rur — Terror; extreme fear or dread
- Ô
- oh — Oh; exclamation expressing strong emotion or address
- Comme
- kum — How; used in exclamations to intensify meaning
- bénissais
- bay-nee-say — Blessed or praised; imperfect tense of 'bénir'
- instant
- an-stahn — Instant or moment; a very short period of time
- lançai
- lahn-say — Threw or cast; first person simple past of 'lancer'
- regard
- ruh-gar — Glance or look; a directed gaze at someone
- furtif
- für-teef — Furtive; done secretly or stealthily
- charmante
- shar-mahnt — Charming; delightful and attractive in appearance or manner
- brune
- brün — Brunette; a dark-haired woman
- bien
- byan — Well or indeed; correctly or truly
- deviné
- duh-vee-nay — Guessed; past participle of 'deviner', correctly surmised
- cils
- seel — Eyelashes; the hairs growing on the eyelids
- noirs
- nwar — Black; plural masculine form of 'noir'
- brillait
- bree-yay — Was shining or gleaming; imperfect of 'briller'
- larme
- larm — Tear; a drop of liquid from the eye when crying
- due
- dü — Due or caused by; feminine past participle of 'devoir'
- récente
- ray-sahnt — Recent; happening or done not long ago
- ancien
- ahn-syan — Old or former; existing or occurring in the past
- chagrin
- sha-gran — Sorrow or grief; deep sadness or distress
- sais
- say — Know; first person singular present of 'savoir'
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