Abner (à Fosabet). Je vous l'avais promis, Je vous rends le dépôt que vous m'avez commis. RACINE. 80.-Extase. J'étais seul près des flots, par une nuit d'étoiles, Et les étoiles d'or, légions infinies, A voix haute, à voix basse, avec mille harmonies, - C'est le Seigneur, le Seigneur Dieu ! VICTOR HUGO. 5 IO 15 NOTES, GRAMMATICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL. Line Page 1. I. ZADIG. 6 çà et la, here and there, to and fro. Çà (not ça, which is a contraction of cela) from Lat. ecc'ac, contraction of ecce-hac a pleonastic Low Lat. form for hac 12 pied de devant, forefoot, thus-le train de derrière, hind wheels 13 elle a les oreilles très-longues, she has very long ears. After avoir a Noun denoting a bodily or mental quality takes the Def. Art., the qualifying Adj. always standing after it :-il a les yeux bleus, he has blue eyes; elle a la langue bien pendue, she has a glib tongue. Comp. also Macmillan's French Course, III. § 7, (b) I 17 par une bizarrerie ordinaire de la fortune, as chance would have it 19 palefrenier, groom, from-palefroi, palfrey 20 grand veneur, master of the hounds Page 2. I lui demanda. Verbs of taking, borrowing, wanting, asking, require an Indirect Object. See Macmillan's French Course, III. § 12, (b) 3 cinq pieds de haut, dimensions may be expressed in three different ways:-cinq pieds de haut; cinq pieds de hauteur; haut de cinq pieds le sabot fort petit. See note to p. 1, l. 13 5 carats, carat; chacune des parties d'or fin contenues dans une quantité d'or quelconque que l'on suppose partagée en vingtquatre parties égales; hence-or à 23 curats, means gold which contains of alloy 6 argent à onze deniers, silver containing of alloy 8 entendre parler, to hear of; thus-I have heard of it, not-J'en ai entendu, but-J'en ai entendu parler Il firent conduire, had him brought. A Verb used as complement of faire or laisser must be in the Infinitive Active, and not in the Passive as is the case in English. See Macmillan's French Course, III. § 81, (e), Obs. 2 Line 10 knout, the Russian cat o' nine tails 13 fut-il, inversion after à peine. See Macmillan's French Course, III. § 122, (a) 17 pour avoir dit. Pour with the Infinitive is often used elegantly instead of parce que with the Finite Verb:-il est malade pour avoir trop mangé, instead of-parce qu'il a trop mangé. Comp. Macmillan's French Course, III. § 85 18 il fut permis à Zadig, Zadig was allowed. Only Verbs governing the Accusative case (Direct Object) may be used in the Personal Passive Voice; the sae rule holds good in other languages. Comp. Lat., Invidetur præstanti florentique fortunæ; German— Es ist mir erlaubt, I am allowed 34 en un sens différent, in another direction 40 vous saurez, you must know Page 3. I a un galop parfait, is a good galloper 2 sept pieds de large. See note to p. 2, 1. 3 3 enlevé, here-brushed away 5 de trois pieds et demi, three feet six inches long II en a frotté les bossettes. A Poss. Adj. referring to an antece dent denoting a thing is generally rendered by :- en...le (la, les), if it qualifies an Object Comp. Macmillan's French Course, III. § 32, (e); see also below, 1. 17 20 opinassent, Impf. Subj. (after quoique), of opiner, to be of opinion, to vote for 22 à laquelle, and not à qui; if a Relat. Pron. governed by a Prep. refers to an antecedent denoting a thing, lequel, duquel, auquel, etc. must be used. Comp. Macmillan's French Course, II. 32, (d), and III. § 44, 45 condamné, pronounce-condané 23 huissier, usher, from huis (still used in the expression à huis clos, with closed doors), Lat. ostium 27 combien il était dangereux, the complement of combien, que, is placed after the Verb: que vous êtes joli, how pretty you are See below, 1. 36 and 39 28 se promettre bien, to vow 5 qu'on est à plaindre, lit. how much one is to be pitied Page 4. 2. LE SOUfflet. 1-2 il n'était bruit...que, there was no other talk in the town than 4 homme, without article, because it stands in apposition. See III. § 8, (c) 6-7 fortune des plus considérables, a Superlative Absolute, a very considerable fortune Line 12 peu s'en fallut que ses proches ne le fissent interdire, his relations were very near having him interdicted of the management of his estate 14-15 tandis que nous nous rafraîchissions, une foule d'oisifs s'étaient rassemblés. Verbs denoting an action going on simultaneously with another, are put in the Imperf. Comp. Macmillan's French Course, II. Lesson 2, and III. § 66, (b) auberge, f. inn; from the Old Germ. heriberga, Mod. Germ herberge, from which root the French have also the Verb héberger (Germ. herbergen). Comp. Engl.--harbour 20 faire face à, to face, to front, to be opposite to être sur la porte, to be on the doorstep 29 manœuvre, m., workman, journeyman, mason, f., working, manœuvre, rigging 30 venir de, to have just se fracasser une jambe, to break his leg. For the use of Pers. or Reflex. Pron. with Art. instead of the Engl. Poss. Pron., see Macmillan's French Course, III. 38, (b) 33 se laisser toucher-After laisser as after faire, the Verb Complement is put in the Infinitive Active and not in the Passive as in English-to allow (to suffer) one's self to be moved. Comp. note to p. 2, 1. II 34 je ne saurais, (savoir) used negatively in the Conditional is often used for (pouvoir): I really cannot 36 cela dit, Nominative Absolute, having saia that, at these words 40 appartement, m., rooms excédé, wearied, worn out Page 5. 3 est-ce que l'on tue comme cela? is that a reason for killing a man? 5 après un soufflet reçu, Acc. Absolute, after having had his ears boxed 6 cela c'est pour moi, so much for myself. Ce is here used emphatically 10 gueux, m., beggar, vagabond, scamp. A word of doubtful origin s'il ne lui avait coûté que le nez etc., if he had escaped with the loss of his nose etc. 3.-À PROPOS DU MENSONGE. 21 pèlerin, pilgrim; from the Low Lat. peregrinus; r softened into 1. Comp. p. I, paraferedus palefroi; and gr softened into r, just Fr. pourrir as tr is softened into rr, Lat. putrire = St. Jaques-de-Compostelle, a celebrated pilgrimage in the Spanish province of Galicia 22 avoir la conscience nette. For the use of the Def. Art. comp. note to p. 1, 1. 13, see also Macmillan's French Course, III. § 7, (b) au terme, at the end of Line 24 se diriger vers, to bend one's steps towards 26 de grand matin, very early il espère, historical present, used much more frequently in French than in English le soir, in the evening. Accusative of time; thus-il arriva le vingt et un, he arrived on the 21st. Comp. III. § 10 27-28 chercher aventure, to be on the look out qu'avait pris le chevalier, instead of que le chevalier avait pris ; the Verb in dependent clauses may thus stand before its subject. Comp. III. § 122, (b) 2 31-32 par la foi que je vous dois, with all due deference to you 34 la belle fourrure, what a fine fur. La, derived from the Lat. demonstr. pron. illam, still retains its demonstrative force, thusde la sorte, in this manner 37 tous deux, both Page 6. I pourquoi cette prière, for—la raison de cette prière · 2 l'Ebre, Ebro 7 est-ce là...? is that...? II que m'importe à moi, the use of à moi is here emphatic 4. UN NEZ GELÉ. 35 où, when, in which. Où is often used as a Relat. Pron. referring to time as well as to place: le temps où nous vivons. Comp. II. § 32, (6), Obs. III. § 47 Page 7. I qu'excite la vivacité de l'air. Verb before Subj.; see note to P. 5, 1. 28 8 je m'enfonçai un bonnet fourré sur les oreilles, I pulled a fur cap over my ears 14 à merveille, capitally 15 que me causait le froid. See note to p. 5 1. 28, and p. 7, 1. I 16 que j'en avais entendu faire, which I had heard about it 18 je crus remarquer, I thought I could notice. The Infinitive construction is preferred when the Pronoun Subject of a dependent clause has the same Subject as the principal clause. Comp. Macmillan's French Course, III. § 86 21 plus causeur, more open-mouthed, more communicative 26 ventre-à-terre, at full speed 26-27 si rapide que, quick as il se crut obligé, he thought it his duty 29 en face de, face to face with 30 poignée, handful, lit. fistful; from-poing, fist; -ée is a suffix of frequent application in French to express fulness of space or time, thus: brassée, armful, fr. bras; coudée, arm's length, fr. coudé, elbow; cuillerée, spoonful, fr. cuiller; etc. Comp. also soirée, matinée, journée, année, etc. |