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"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (full novel), Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 3

Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 3

They left the high-road, by a well-remembered lane, and soon approached a mansion of dull red brick, with a little weathercock-surmounted cupola, on the roof, and a bell hanging in it. It was a large house, but one of broken fortunes; for the spacious offices were little used, their walls were damp and mossy, their windows broken, and their gates decayed. Fowls clucked and strutted in the stables; and the coach-houses and sheds were over-run with grass. Nor was it more retentive of its ancient state, within; for entering the dreary hall, and glancing through the open doors of many rooms, they found them poorly furnished, cold, and vast. There was an earthy savour in the air, a chilly bareness in the place, which associated itself somehow with too much getting up by candle-light, and not too much to eat.

They went, the Ghost and Scrooge, across the hall, to a door at the back of the house. It opened before them, and disclosed a long, bare, melancholy room, made barer still by lines of plain deal forms and desks. At one of these a lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire; and Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be.

The Spirit touched him on the arm, and pointed to his younger self, intent upon his reading. Suddenly a man, in foreign garments: wonderfully real and distinct to look at: stood outside the window, with an axe stuck in his belt, and leading by the bridle an ass laden with wood.

“Why, it's Ali Baba!” Scrooge exclaimed in ecstasy. “It's dear old honest Ali Baba! Yes, yes, I know! One Christmas time, when yonder solitary child was left here all alone, he did come, for the first time, just like that. Poor boy! And Valentine,” said Scrooge, “and his wild brother, Orson; there they go! And what's his name, who was put down in his drawers, asleep, at the Gate of Damascus; don't you see him! And the Sultan's Groom turned upside down by the Genii; there he is upon his head! Serve him right. I'm glad of it. What business had he to be married to the Princess!”

“There's the Parrot!” cried Scrooge. “Green body and yellow tail, with a thing like a lettuce growing out of the top of his head; there he is! Poor Robin Crusoe, he called him, when he came home again after sailing round the island. ‘Poor Robin Crusoe, where have you been, Robin Crusoe?' The man thought he was dreaming, but he wasn't. It was the Parrot, you know. There goes Friday, running for his life to the little creek! Halloa! Hoop! Halloo!”

Then, with a rapidity of transition very foreign to his usual character, he said, in pity for his former self, “Poor boy!” and cried again.

“I wish,” Scrooge muttered, putting his hand in his pocket, and looking about him, after drying his eyes with his cuff: “but it's too late now.” “What is the matter?” asked the Spirit.

“Nothing,” said Scrooge. “Nothing. There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something: that's all.” The Ghost smiled thoughtfully, and waved its hand: saying as it did so, “Let us see another Christmas!”

Scrooge's former self grew larger at the words, and the room became a little darker and more dirty. The panels shrunk, the windows cracked; fragments of plaster fell out of the ceiling, and the naked laths were shown instead; but how all this was brought about, Scrooge knew no more than you do. He only knew that it was quite correct; that everything had happened so; that there he was, alone again, when all the other boys had gone home for the jolly holidays.

He was not reading now, but walking up and down despairingly. Scrooge looked at the Ghost, and with a mournful shaking of his head, glanced anxiously towards the door.

It opened; and a little girl, much younger than the boy, came darting in, and putting her arms about his neck, and often kissing him, addressed him as her “Dear, dear brother.”

Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 3 스테이브 2. 세 가지 정신 중 첫 번째 - 파트 3

They left the high-road, by a well-remembered lane, and soon approached a mansion of dull red brick, with a little weathercock-surmounted cupola, on the roof, and a bell hanging in it. ||||||||||||||||||||||weathercock|surmounted|cupola||||||||| Ils quittèrent la grande route, par une ruelle bien connue, et s'approchèrent bientôt d'un manoir de brique rouge terne, avec une petite coupole surmontée d'une girouette, sur le toit, et une cloche suspendue dedans. It was a large house, but one of broken fortunes; for the spacious offices were little used, their walls were damp and mossy, their windows broken, and their gates decayed. |||||||||fortunes|||||||||||damp||mossy|||||||decayed C'était une grande maison, mais une fortune brisée ; car les bureaux spacieux étaient peu utilisés, leurs murs étaient humides et moussus, leurs fenêtres brisées et leurs grilles délabrées. Fowls clucked and strutted in the stables; and the coach-houses and sheds were over-run with grass. Fowls|clucked||strutted|||stables|||coach|||sheds||||| Les poules gloussent et se pavanent dans les écuries ; et les remises et les hangars étaient envahis par l'herbe. Nor was it more retentive of its ancient state, within; for entering the dreary hall, and glancing through the open doors of many rooms, they found them poorly furnished, cold, and vast. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||vast Il n'était pas non plus plus fidèle à son ancien état, à l'intérieur ; pour entrer dans le hall morne, et jeter un coup d'œil par les portes ouvertes de nombreuses pièces, ils les trouvèrent mal meublées, froides et vastes. There was an earthy savour in the air, a chilly bareness in the place, which associated itself somehow with too much getting up by candle-light, and not too much to eat. ||||savor||||||bareness|||||associated|||||||||||||||| Il y avait une saveur terreuse dans l'air, une nudité glaciale dans l'endroit, qui s'associait d'une manière ou d'une autre à trop se lever à la lueur des bougies, et pas trop à manger.

They went, the Ghost and Scrooge, across the hall, to a door at the back of the house. It opened before them, and disclosed a long, bare, melancholy room, made barer still by lines of plain deal forms and desks. ||||||||||||bareer||||||deal|forms|| Elle s'ouvrit devant eux et découvrit une longue pièce nue et mélancolique, rendue encore plus nue par des rangées de formes simples et de bureaux. At one of these a lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire; and Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be. |||||||||||feeble||||||||||wept||||||||||| À l'un d'eux, un garçon solitaire lisait près d'un feu faible ; et Scrooge s'assit sur une forme, et pleura de voir son pauvre moi oublié tel qu'il était.

Not a latent echo in the house, not a squeak and scuffle from the mice behind the panelling, not a drip from the half-thawed water-spout in the dull yard behind, not a sigh among the leafless boughs of one despondent poplar, not the idle swinging of an empty store-house door, no, not a clicking in the fire, but fell upon the heart of Scrooge with a softening influence, and gave a freer passage to his tears. ||latent|||||||squeak||scuffle||||||paneling|||drip||||||spout|||dull|||||||||boughs|||despondent|poplar||||||||||||||clicking|||||||||||||||||||||| Pas un écho latent dans la maison, pas un grincement et une bagarre des souris derrière le lambris, pas une goutte du jet d'eau à moitié dégelé dans la cour terne derrière, pas un soupir parmi les branches sans feuilles d'un peuplier abattu, pas le battement inactif d'une porte d'entrepôt vide, non, pas un cliquetis dans le feu, mais tomba sur le cœur de Scrooge avec une influence adoucissante, et donna un passage plus libre à ses larmes.

The Spirit touched him on the arm, and pointed to his younger self, intent upon his reading. ||||||||||||self|||| L'Esprit le toucha au bras et montra son jeune moi, attentif à sa lecture. Suddenly a man, in foreign garments: wonderfully real and distinct to look at: stood outside the window, with an axe stuck in his belt, and leading by the bridle an ass laden with wood. |||||clothes|||||||||||||||||||||||bridle||donkey|laden|| Soudain, un homme, dans des vêtements étrangers : merveilleusement réel et distinct à regarder : se tenait devant la fenêtre, avec une hache enfoncée dans sa ceinture, et menant par la bride un âne chargé de bois.

“Why, it's Ali Baba!” Scrooge exclaimed in ecstasy. |||||||ecstasy « Pourquoi, c'est Ali Baba ! » Scrooge s'exclama en extase. “It's dear old honest Ali Baba! « C'est le cher vieil honnête Ali Baba ! Yes, yes, I know! One Christmas time, when yonder solitary child was left here all alone, he did come, for the first time, just like that. ||||that||||||||||||||||| Un jour de Noël, alors que cet enfant solitaire était resté ici tout seul, il est venu, pour la première fois, comme ça. Poor boy! And Valentine,” said Scrooge, “and his wild brother, Orson; there they go! Et Valentin, dit Scrooge, et son sauvage frère Orson ; les voilà ! And what's his name, who was put down in his drawers, asleep, at the Gate of Damascus; don't you see him! ||||||||||underwear||||||Damascus|||| Et comment s'appelle-t-il, qui a été couché dans ses tiroirs, endormi, à la porte de Damas ; tu ne le vois pas ! And the Sultan's Groom turned upside down by the Genii; there he is upon his head! Et le marié du sultan renversé par les génies ; le voilà sur la tête ! Serve him right. Servez-le bien. I'm glad of it. What business had he to be married to the Princess!” qu'avait-il à se marier avec la princesse !

To hear Scrooge expending all the earnestness of his nature on such subjects, in a most extraordinary voice between laughing and crying; and to see his heightened and excited face; would have been a surprise to his business friends in the city, indeed. ||||||earnestness|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Entendre Scrooge dépenser tout le sérieux de sa nature sur de tels sujets, d'une voix des plus extraordinaires entre rire et pleurer ; et de voir son visage surélevé et excité ; aurait été une surprise pour ses amis d'affaires dans la ville, en effet.

“There's the Parrot!” cried Scrooge. « Voilà le perroquet ! » cria Scrooge. “Green body and yellow tail, with a thing like a lettuce growing out of the top of his head; there he is! « Corps vert et queue jaune, avec une chose comme une laitue qui pousse au sommet de sa tête ; le voilà! Poor Robin Crusoe, he called him, when he came home again after sailing round the island. ||Crusoe||||||||||||| Pauvre Robin Crusoé, l'appela-t-il, lorsqu'il revint à la maison après avoir fait le tour de l'île. ‘Poor Robin Crusoe, where have you been, Robin Crusoe?' « Pauvre Robin Crusoe, où étais-tu, Robin Crusoe ? » The man thought he was dreaming, but he wasn't. L'homme pensait qu'il rêvait, mais ce n'était pas le cas. It was the Parrot, you know. There goes Friday, running for his life to the little creek! C'est parti vendredi, courant pour sa vie à la petite crique ! Halloa! Allo ! Hoop! Halloo!”

Then, with a rapidity of transition very foreign to his usual character, he said, in pity for his former self, “Poor boy!” and cried again. Puis, avec une rapidité de transition très étrangère à son caractère habituel, il dit, par pitié pour lui-même : « Pauvre garçon ! et pleura encore.

“I wish,” Scrooge muttered, putting his hand in his pocket, and looking about him, after drying his eyes with his cuff: “but it's too late now.” ||||||||||||||||||||cuff||||| — J'aimerais bien, marmonna Scrooge en mettant sa main dans sa poche et en regardant autour de lui, après s'être essuyé les yeux avec sa manchette, mais c'est trop tard maintenant. “What is the matter?” asked the Spirit.

“Nothing,” said Scrooge. “Nothing. There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. |||||||Carol||||| I should like to have given him something: that's all.” J'aurais voulu lui donner quelque chose : c'est tout. The Ghost smiled thoughtfully, and waved its hand: saying as it did so, “Let us see another Christmas!”

Scrooge's former self grew larger at the words, and the room became a little darker and more dirty. L'ancien moi de Scrooge s'est agrandi à ces mots, et la pièce est devenue un peu plus sombre et plus sale. The panels shrunk, the windows cracked; fragments of plaster fell out of the ceiling, and the naked laths were shown instead; but how all this was brought about, Scrooge knew no more than you do. ||shrank||||||plaster|||||||||laths||||||||||||||||| Les panneaux ont rétréci, les fenêtres ont craqué ; des fragments de plâtre sont tombés du plafond, et les lattes nues ont été montrées à la place ; mais comment tout cela s'est produit, Scrooge n'en savait pas plus que vous. He only knew that it was quite correct; that everything had happened so; that there he was, alone again, when all the other boys had gone home for the jolly holidays. Il savait seulement que c'était tout à fait correct ; que tout s'était passé ainsi ; qu'il était là, de nouveau seul, quand tous les autres garçons étaient rentrés chez eux pour les joyeuses fêtes.

He was not reading now, but walking up and down despairingly. ||||||||||in despair Scrooge looked at the Ghost, and with a mournful shaking of his head, glanced anxiously towards the door.

It opened; and a little girl, much younger than the boy, came darting in, and putting her arms about his neck, and often kissing him, addressed him as her “Dear, dear brother.” ||||||||||||darting|||||||||||||addressed||||||