Wuthering Heights — Page 4

English → Fr CHAPTER II Level 8/10

She was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood: an admirable form, and the most exquisite little face that I have ever had the pleasure of beholding; small features, very fair; flaxen ringlets, or rather golden, hanging loose on her delicate neck; and eyes, had they been agreeable in expression, that would have been irresistible: fortunately for my susceptible heart, the only sentiment they evinced hovered between scorn and a kind of desperation, singularly unnatural to be detected there.

Elle était svelte, et apparemment à peine sortie de l'adolescence : une forme admirable, et le plus exquis petit visage qu'il m'ait jamais été donné de contempler ; des traits fins, très clairs ; des boucles blondes, ou plutôt dorées, tombant librement sur son cou délicat ; et des yeux qui, s'ils avaient eu une expression agréable, eussent été irrésistibles : heureusement pour mon cœur sensible, le seul sentiment qu'ils exprimaient oscillait entre le mépris et une sorte de désespération, singulièrement contre nature en cet endroit.

The canisters were almost out of her reach; I made a motion to aid her; she turned upon me as a miser might turn if any one attempted to assist him in counting his gold.

Les boîtes étaient presque hors de sa portée ; je fis un geste pour l'aider ; elle se retourna vers moi comme un avare pourrait se retourner si quelqu'un tentait de l'aider à compter son or.

"I don't want your help," she snapped; "I can get them for myself."

« Je n'ai pas besoin de votre aide », dit-elle sèchement ; « je peux les atteindre toute seule. »

"I beg your pardon!" I hastened to reply.

« Je vous demande pardon ! » me hâtai-je de répondre.

"Were you asked to tea?" she demanded, tying an apron over her neat black frock, and standing with a spoonful of the leaf poised over the pot.

« Vous a-t-on invité à prendre le thé ? » demanda-t-elle, nouant un tablier par-dessus sa sobre robe noire, et tenant une cuillerée de feuilles en suspens au-dessus de la théière.

"I shall be glad to have a cup," I answered.

« Je serai ravi d'en prendre une tasse », répondis-je.

"Were you asked?" she repeated.

« Vous a-t-on invité ? » répéta-t-elle.

"No," I said, half smiling. "You are the proper person to ask me."

« Non », dis-je en souriant à moitié. « C'est à vous qu'il appartient de m'inviter. »

She flung the tea back, spoon and all, and resumed her chair in a pet; her forehead corrugated, and her red under-lip pushed out, like a child's ready to cry.

Elle rejeta le thé, cuillère et tout, et se rassit sur sa chaise avec humeur ; le front plissé et la lèvre inférieure rouge avancée, comme celle d'un enfant prêt à pleurer.

Vocabulary

était: Past tense of 'être'; she/he was.
svelte: Slender, slim, having a graceful figure.
apparemment: Apparently, seemingly, by outward appearance.
peine: Barely, hardly; also means difficulty or sorrow.
sortie: Exit, outing; past participle of 'sortir' meaning gone out.
adolescence: The period of teenage years between childhood and adulthood.
forme: Shape, form, or figure of a person or object.
admirable: Worthy of admiration; wonderful, excellent, impressive.
exquis: Exquisite, delicately beautiful, of refined quality.
visage: Face, the front part of a person's head.
ait: Subjunctive form of 'avoir'; has (in subordinate clauses).
jamais: Never; also used in expressions meaning 'ever'.
donné: Given; past participle of 'donner'.
contempler: To contemplate, gaze at, or observe attentively.
traits: Features, especially of the face; also characteristics.
fins: Fine, delicate, refined; plural of 'fin'.
clairs: Clear, light, bright; plural masculine form of 'clair'.
boucles: Curls of hair; also loops or buckles.
blondes: Blonde, fair-haired; feminine plural form of 'blond'.
plutôt: Rather, instead, somewhat; used to qualify or prefer.
dorées: Golden, gilded; having a golden color or hue.
tombant: Falling, hanging down; present participle of 'tomber'.
librement: Freely, without restraint or constraint.
cou: Neck, the part connecting the head to the body.
délicat: Delicate, fragile, subtle, requiring careful handling.
yeux: Eyes; plural of 'œil'.
expression: Expression, look, or appearance conveyed by the face.
agréable: Pleasant, agreeable, enjoyable, pleasing to the senses.
eussent: Pluperfect subjunctive of 'avoir'; they would have had.
irrésistibles: Irresistible, impossible to resist or refuse.
heureusement: Fortunately, luckily, happily; expressing a positive outcome.
cœur: Heart; the organ or seat of emotions and feelings.
sensible: Sensitive, emotionally responsive, easily affected by feelings.
seul: Alone, only, sole; without others present.
sentiment: Feeling, emotion, or sentiment experienced internally.
exprimaient: Expressed; imperfect tense of 'exprimer', they expressed.
oscillait: Oscillated, wavered, swung between two states or feelings.
mépris: Contempt, scorn, disdain toward someone or something.
sorte: Sort, kind, type; a variety or manner of something.
désespération: Desperation, hopelessness, a state of complete despair.
singulièrement: Singularly, remarkably, strangely; in an unusual manner.
nature: Nature, the natural world or innate character of something.
endroit: Place, location, spot; a specific area or setting.
boîtes: Boxes, containers; plural of 'boîte'.
presque: Almost, nearly, not quite; close to but not completely.
hors: Outside, beyond, out of reach.
portée: Reach, range; within or beyond one's ability to grasp.
fis: Simple past of 'faire'; I made or I did.
geste: Gesture, a movement of the body to express meaning.
aider: To help, assist someone with a task or difficulty.
retourna: Turned around; simple past of 'retourner'.
vers: Toward, in the direction of; also means 'verse'.
avare: Miser, greedy person; extremely reluctant to spend or share.
pourrait: Conditional of 'pouvoir'; could, might be able to.
tentait: Was attempting; imperfect of 'tenter', to try or tempt.
compter: To count, to calculate, or to rely upon.
or: Gold; also a conjunction meaning 'now' or 'yet'.
besoin: Need, necessity; avoir besoin de means to need something.
aide: Help, assistance, support given to another person.
sèchement: Drily, curtly, in a cold or abrupt manner.
atteindre: To reach, attain, or achieve something; to get to.
seule: Alone, by oneself; feminine form of 'seul'.
demande: Ask, request; present tense of 'demander'.
pardon: Pardon, forgiveness; used as an apology or 'excuse me'.
hâtai-: Hurried; simple past of 'se hâter', to hurry.
répondre: To respond, answer, reply to a question or remark.
invité: Invited; past participle of 'inviter', to invite.
prendre: To take, to have (food/drink), to grab something.
thé: Tea; the common hot beverage made from steeped leaves.
nouant: Tying, knotting; present participle of 'nouer'.
tablier: Apron worn to protect clothing while cooking or working.
dessus: Above, on top; par-dessus means over or on top of.
sobre: Sober, plain, modest; understated in style or appearance.
robe: Dress, gown; a garment worn by women or girls.
noire: Black; feminine form of 'noir', the color black.
tenant: Holding; present participle of 'tenir', to hold.
cuillerée: Spoonful; the amount held by a single spoon.
feuilles: Leaves; also sheets of paper; plural of 'feuille'.
suspens: Suspended, in suspense; held in a state of waiting.
théière: Teapot; a vessel used for brewing and serving tea.
serai: Future tense of 'être'; I will be.
ravi: Delighted, thrilled, very happy or pleased.
tasse: Cup; a small vessel used for drinking tea or coffee.
répéta-: Repeated; simple past of 'répéter', to repeat or say again.
souriant: Smiling; present participle of 'sourire', to smile.
moitié: Half; one of two equal parts of a whole.
appartient: Belongs; present tense of 'appartenir', to belong to.
inviter: To invite, to ask someone to come or participate.
rejeta: Threw back, rejected; simple past of 'rejeter'.
cuillère: Spoon; a utensil used for eating or stirring.
rassit: Sat back down; simple past of 'se rasseoir'.
chaise: Chair; a piece of furniture for sitting on.
humeur: Mood, humor, disposition; emotional state of a person.
front: Forehead; the part of the face above the eyebrows.
plissé: Furrowed, wrinkled; creased as in a furrowed brow.
lèvre: Lip; one of the two fleshy parts of the mouth.
inférieure: Lower, inferior; feminine form referring to the lower lip.
rouge: Red; the color red or something of red color.
avancée: Pushed forward, protruding; feminine past participle of 'avancer'.
celle: That one; demonstrative pronoun referring to a feminine noun.
enfant: Child; a young person, boy or girl.
prêt: Ready, prepared; on the verge of doing something.
pleurer: To cry, to weep, to shed tears from emotion.

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