Won from the Waves — Page 1

English → Fr CHAPTER ONE. Level 6/10

ON THE PIER.

SUR LE QUAI.

It was a gloomy evening.

C'était une soirée sombre.

A small group of fishermen were standing--at the end of a rough wooden pier projecting out into the water and forming the southern side of the mouth of a small river.

Un petit groupe de pêcheurs se tenait debout -- à l'extrémité d'un grossier appontement en bois s'avançant dans l'eau et formant le côté sud de l'embouchure d'une petite rivière.

A thick mist, which drove in across the German Ocean, obscured the sky, and prevented any object being seen beyond a few hundred fathoms from the shore, on which the dark leaden-coloured waves broke lazily in with that sullen-sounding roar which often betokens the approach of a heavy gale.

Un épais brouillard, qui s'engouffrait à travers la mer du Nord, obscurcissait le ciel et empêchait de distinguer tout objet au-delà de quelques centaines de brasses depuis le rivage, sur lequel les vagues sombres couleur de plomb déferlaient paresseusement avec ce grondement maussade qui annonce souvent l'approche d'une violente tempête.

On the north side of the river was a wide extent of sandy ground, where the vegetation consisted of stunted furze-bushes and salt-loving plants with leaves of a dull pale green, growing among patches of coarse grass, the roots of which assisted to keep the sand from being blown away by the fierce wintry gales which blew across it.

Sur la rive nord de la rivière s'étendait une vaste étendue de terrain sablonneux, où la végétation se composait d'ajoncs rabougris et de plantes halophytes aux feuilles d'un vert terne et pâle, poussant parmi des touffes d'herbe grossière dont les racines contribuaient à retenir le sable contre les violentes bourrasques hivernales qui balayaient la contrée.

On the right hand of the fishermen as they looked seaward, and beyond an intervening level space, rose a line of high cliffs of light clay and sand extending far to the southward, with a narrow beach at their base.

À la droite des pêcheurs regardant vers la mer, et au-delà d'un espace plat intermédiaire, s'élevait une ligne de hautes falaises d'argile légère et de sable s'étendant loin vers le sud, avec une plage étroite à leur pied.

Parallel with the river was a green bank, on the sides of which were perched several cottages, the materials composing them showing that they were the abodes of the hardy men who gained their livelihood on the salt deep.

Parallèlement à la rivière s'étendait un talus verdoyant, sur les flancs duquel étaient perchés plusieurs cottages, dont les matériaux de construction révélaient qu'ils étaient les demeures des hommes robustes qui tiraient leur subsistance des profondeurs salées.

The palings which surrounded them, the sheds and outhouses, and even the ornaments with which they were decorated, were evidently portions of wrecks.

Les palissades qui les entouraient, les hangars et les dépendances, et même les ornements dont ils étaient décorés, étaient manifestement des fragments d'épaves.

Vocabulary

SUR: syr — Preposition meaning on, upon, or over something.
QUAI: ke — A wharf, dock, or embankment along water.
était: etɛ — Past tense of 'être': was, indicating past state.
soirée: sware — An evening, or a social evening gathering.
sombre: sɔ̃bʁ — Dark, gloomy, or dimly lit in atmosphere.
groupe: ɡʁup — A group or cluster of people or things.
pêcheurs: pɛʃœʁ — Fishermen who catch fish as occupation.
tenait: tənɛ — Imperfect tense of 'tenir': was holding, standing.
debout: dəbu — Standing upright, on one's feet.
extrémité: ɛkstʁemite — The extreme end or tip of something.
grossier: ɡʁosje — Rough, crude, or coarsely made in quality.
appontement: apɔ̃tmɑ̃ — A wooden landing stage or small jetty.
bois: bwa — Wood as a material, or a forest.
avançant: avɑ̃sɑ̃ — Present participle of 'avancer': advancing, moving forward.
formant: fɔʁmɑ̃ — Present participle of 'former': forming, creating, shaping.
côté: kote — Side, flank, or direction of something.
sud: syd — South, the cardinal direction opposite north.
embouchure: ɑ̃buʃyʁ — The mouth of a river where it meets sea.
rivière: ʁivjɛʁ — A river or stream of flowing water.
épais: epɛ — Thick, dense, or heavy in consistency.
brouillard: bʁujaʁ — Fog or mist reducing atmospheric visibility.
engouffrait: ɑ̃ɡufʁɛ — Imperfect of 'engouffrer': was engulfing, sweeping through.
travers: tʁavɛʁ — Across, through; used in 'à travers' meaning through.
mer: mɛʁ — The sea, a large body of saltwater.
Nord: nɔʁ — North, the cardinal direction opposite south.
obscurcissait: ɔpskyʁsisɛ — Imperfect of 'obscurcir': was darkening, obscuring view.
ciel: sjɛl — The sky or heaven above the earth.
empêchait: ɑ̃pɛʃɛ — Imperfect of 'empêcher': was preventing, stopping someone.
distinguer: distɛ̃ɡe — To distinguish, make out, or discern objects.
tout: tu — All, every, or any; completely, entirely.
objet: ɔbʒɛ — An object, thing, or item that exists.
delà: dəla — Beyond, on the other side of something.
quelques: kɛlkə — A few, some, or several of something.
centaines: sɑ̃tɛn — Hundreds, groups of approximately one hundred.
brasses: bʁas — Fathoms, old nautical units of depth measurement.
depuis: dəpɥi — Since, from, or for a period of time.
rivage: ʁivaʒ — The shore, bank, or waterfront edge.
sur: syʁ — Preposition meaning on, upon, or over.
lequel: ləkɛl — Relative pronoun: which, on which, upon which.
vagues: vaɡ — Waves on the surface of water or sea.
sombres: sɔ̃bʁ — Dark, gloomy; plural form of 'sombre'.
couleur: kulœʁ — Color, the visual property of an object.
plomb: plɔ̃ — Lead, the heavy grey metallic element.
déferlaient: defɛʁlɛ — Imperfect of 'déferler': were breaking, rolling in.
paresseusement: paʁɛsøzmɑ̃ — Lazily, sluggishly, without energy or urgency.
grondement: ɡʁɔ̃dmɑ̃ — A rumbling, growling, or roaring low sound.
maussade: mosad — Sullen, gloomy, or dreary in mood/weather.
annonce: anɔ̃s — Announces, heralds, or signals something coming.
souvent: suvɑ̃ — Often, frequently, many times.
approche: apʁɔʃ — Approach, the coming nearer of something.
violente: vjɔlɑ̃t — Violent, fierce, or intense in force.
tempête: tɑ̃pɛt — A storm with strong winds and rain.
Sur: syʁ — Preposition meaning on, upon, or over.
rive: ʁiv — The bank or shore of a river.
nord: nɔʁ — North, the cardinal direction opposite south.
étendait: etɑ̃dɛ — Imperfect of 'étendre': was stretching, spreading out.
vaste: vast — Vast, wide, or immense in extent or size.
étendue: etɑ̃dy — An expanse or stretch of land or space.
terrain: tɛʁɛ̃ — Ground, land, or terrain of a particular type.
sablonneux: sablɔnø — Sandy, covered with or consisting of sand.
végétation: veʒetasjɔ̃ — Vegetation, plant life growing in an area.
composait: kɔ̃pozɛ — Imperfect of 'composer': was composed of, made up.
ajoncs: aʒɔ̃ — Gorse or furze, a prickly yellow-flowered shrub.
rabougris: ʁabuɡʁi — Stunted, scrubby, or poorly grown in size.
plantes: plɑ̃t — Plants, living organisms of the plant kingdom.
halophytes: alɔfit — Halophytes, plants adapted to grow in saltwater.
feuilles: fœj — Leaves of a plant or sheets of paper.
vert: vɛʁ — Green, the color of grass and leaves.
terne: tɛʁn — Dull, drab, or lacking brightness in color.
pâle: pɑl — Pale, light, or lacking strong color intensity.
poussant: pusɑ̃ — Present participle of 'pousser': growing, pushing up.
parmi: paʁmi — Among, amid, or in the middle of.
touffes: tuf — Tufts or clumps of grass or plants.
herbe: ɛʁb — Grass, herb, or low-growing plant vegetation.
grossière: ɡʁosjɛʁ — Coarse, rough, or crude in texture or quality.
dont: dɔ̃ — Relative pronoun: whose, of which, from which.
racines: ʁasin — Roots of a plant anchoring it in soil.
contribuaient: kɔ̃tʁibyɛ — Imperfect of 'contribuer': were contributing to something.
retenir: ʁətniʁ — To hold back, retain, or keep something fixed.
sable: sabl — Sand, fine granular material found on beaches.
contre: kɔ̃tʁ — Against, opposing, or in resistance to.
violentes: vjɔlɑ̃t — Violent, fierce, or intense; feminine plural form.
bourrasques: buʁask — Squalls or sudden violent gusts of wind.
hivernales: ivɛʁnal — Wintry, relating to or occurring in winter.
balayaient: balɛjɛ — Imperfect of 'balayer': were sweeping across the area.
contrée: kɔ̃tʁe — A region, country, or stretch of land.
droite: dʁwat — Right, the right-hand side or direction.
regardant: ʁəɡaʁdɑ̃ — Present participle of 'regarder': looking, facing toward.
vers: vɛʁ — Toward, in the direction of something.
espace: ɛspas — Space, an open or empty area or expanse.
plat: pla — Flat, level, or without elevation or bumps.
intermédiaire: ɛ̃tɛʁmedijɛʁ — Intermediate, in between two things or points.
élevait: elvɛ — Imperfect of 'élever': was rising, stood up.
ligne: liɲ — A line, row, or outline of something.
hautes: ot — High or tall; feminine plural of 'haut'.
falaises: falɛz — Cliffs, steep rock faces along a coast.
argile: aʁʒil — Clay, a fine-grained sedimentary earth material.
légère: leʒɛʁ — Light, slight, or not heavy; feminine form.
étendant: etɑ̃dɑ̃ — Present participle of 'étendre': stretching, extending outward.
loin: lwɛ̃ — Far, a great distance away from here.
plage: plaʒ — A beach, sandy or pebbly shore by water.
étroite: etʁwat — Narrow, slim, or tight in width.
leur: lœʁ — Their, belonging to them; or to them.
pied: pje — Foot, the lower extremity of a leg.
Parallèlement: paʁalɛlmɑ̃ — In parallel, running alongside something simultaneously.
talus: taly — An embankment, slope, or grassy bank of earth.
verdoyant: vɛʁdwajɑ̃ — Verdant, lush, and green with vegetation.
flancs: flɑ̃ — Flanks or sides of a hill or structure.
duquel: dykɛl — Relative pronoun: of which, from which side.
étaient: etɛ — Imperfect of 'être': were, indicating past state.
perchés: pɛʁʃe — Perched, positioned high up on something.
plusieurs: plyzjœʁ — Several, more than two but not many.
cottages: kɔtaʒ — Small rural cottages or simple dwelling houses.
matériaux: mateʁjo — Materials, substances used in building construction.
construction: kɔ̃stʁyksjɔ̃ — Construction, the process of building structures.
révélaient: ʁevelɛ — Imperfect of 'révéler': were revealing, showing clearly.
demeures: dəmœʁ — Dwellings, residences, or homes where people live.
hommes: ɔm — Men, adult male humans or people generally.
robustes: ʁɔbyst — Robust, strong, sturdy, and physically resilient.
tiraient: tiʁɛ — Imperfect of 'tirer': were drawing, deriving livelihood.
subsistance: sybzistɑ̃s — Subsistence, the means of surviving and sustaining life.
profondeurs: pʁɔfɔ̃dœʁ — Depths, the deep parts of the sea.
salées: sale — Salty, containing salt; feminine plural of 'salé'.
palissades: palisad — Fences or palisades made of wooden stakes.
entouraient: ɑ̃tuʁɛ — Imperfect of 'entourer': were surrounding, encircling something.
hangars: ɑ̃ɡaʁ — Sheds or hangars used for storage purposes.
dépendances: depɑ̃dɑ̃s — Outbuildings or annexes belonging to a main property.
même: mɛm — Same, even, or itself; used for emphasis.
ornements: ɔʁnəmɑ̃ — Ornaments, decorative objects used to embellish something.
décorés: dekɔʁe — Decorated, adorned with ornamental objects or materials.
manifestement: manifɛstmɑ̃ — Manifestly, obviously, or clearly evident to all.
fragments: fʁaɡmɑ̃ — Fragments, broken pieces or parts of something.
épaves: epav — Wreckage or debris from a shipwreck.

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