×

Select Store

Dowload from Google Play Dowload from the App Store

Scan with Camera

Dowload via QR Code
Notes from the Underground | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

Notes from the Underground | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

I
Iamasick
homme
man....
Iamaspiteful
homme
man.
Iamanunattractive
homme
man.
Ibelievemyliverisdiseased.
However,I
sais
knownothingatallaboutmydisease,
et
anddonotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsulta
médecin
doctorforit,andneverhave,thoughIhavearespectformedicine
et
anddoctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,anyway
Je
(Iamwell-educatedenoughnottobesuperstitious,
mais
butIamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
un
adoctorfromspite.
Thatyou
probablement
probablywillnotunderstand.
Well,I
comprends
understandit,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplainwhoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
ce
thiscasebymyspite:
Iamperfectlywellaware
que
thatIcannot“payout”thedoctorsbynotconsultingthem;
I
sais
knowbetterthananyonethatby
tout
allthisIamonlyinjuringmyself
et
andnooneelse.
Butstill,
si
ifIdon’tconsulta
médecin
doctoritisfromspite.
Myliveris
mal
bad,well—letitgetworse!
Ihavebeengoingon
comme
likethatforalongtime—twentyyears.
Maintenant
NowIamforty.
Iusedtobein
le
thegovernmentservice,butamnolonger.
Iwas
un
aspitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
et
andtookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnot
pris
takebribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
trouver
findarecompenseinthat,at
moins
least.
(Apoorjest,butI
vais
willnotscratchitout.
I
écrit
wroteitthinkingitwould
sonnerait
soundverywitty;
butnow
que
thatIhaveseenmyself
que
thatIonlywantedto
montrer
showoffinadespicable
manière
way,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Quand
Whenpetitionersusedtocomeforinformationto
la
thetableatwhichI
assis
sat,Iusedtogrindmyteethat
eux
them,andfeltintenseenjoyment
quand
whenIsucceededinmaking
quelqu'un
anybodyunhappy.
Ialmostdidsucceed.
For
la
themostparttheywere
tous
alltimidpeople—ofcourse,theywerepetitioners.
Mais
Butoftheuppishonestherewas
un
oneofficerinparticularI
pouvais
couldnotendure.
Hesimplywouldnotbehumble,
et
andclankedhisswordinadisgusting
manière
way.
Icarriedonafeud
avec
withhimforeighteenmonthsoverthatsword.
AtlastIgotthebetterofhim.
Heleftoffclankingit.
That
arrivé
happenedinmyyouth,though.
Mais
Butdoyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
le
thechiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,thewholepoint,the
véritable
realstingofitlayinthe
fait
factthatcontinually,eveninthemomentoftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconscious
avec
withshamethatIwasnotonlynotaspiteful
mais
butnotevenanembittered
homme
man,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
et
andamusingmyselfbyit.
Imightfoamat
la
themouth,butbringme
une
adolltoplaywith,
donnez
givemeacupoftea
avec
withsugarinit,and
peut-être
maybeIshouldbeappeased.
I
pourrais
mightevenbegenuinelytouched,though
probablement
probablyIshouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
et
andlieawakeatnight
avec
withshameformonthsafter.
Thatwasmy
façon
way.
IwaslyingwhenI
disais
saidjustnowthatIwas
un
aspitefulofficial.
Iwas
mentais
lyingfromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyself
avec
withthepetitionersandwith
les
theofficer,andinrealityI
jamais
nevercouldbecomespiteful.
Iwasconscious
chaque
everymomentinmyselfof
nombreux
many,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositetothat.
I
sentais
feltthempositivelyswarmingin
moi
me,theseoppositeelements.
I
savais
knewthattheyhadbeenswarminginmeallmy
vie
lifeandcravingsomeoutletfrom
moi
me,butIwouldnot
laissais
letthem,wouldnotlet
les
them,purposelywouldnotletthemcome
sortir
out.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
they
conduit
drovemetoconvulsionsand—sickenedme,atlast,
comment
howtheysickenedme!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,
que
thatIamexpressingremorsefor
quelque chose
somethingnow,thatIam
demande
askingyourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
sûr
sureyouarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonotcare
si
ifyouare....
Itwasnotonly
que
thatIcouldnotbecomespiteful,Ididnot
savais
knowhowtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnorkind,neitherarascalnoranhonest
homme
man,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Maintenant
Now,Iamlivingoutmylifeinmycorner,tauntingmyself
avec
withthespitefulanduselessconsolationthatanintelligent
homme
mancannotbecomeanythingseriously,
et
anditisonlythefoolwhobecomesanything.
Oui
Yes,amaninthenineteenthcenturymust
et
andmorallyoughttobepre-eminentlyacharacterlesscreature;
a
homme
manofcharacter,anactive
homme
manispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyearsold
maintenant
now,andyouknowfortyyearsis
une
awholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
vivre
livelongerthanfortyyearsisbadmanners,isvulgar,immoral.
Qui
Whodoeslivebeyondforty?
Répondez
Answerthat,sincerelyandhonestlyI
vais
willtellyouwhodo:
fools
et
andworthlessfellows.
Itell
tous
alloldmenthattotheirface,
tous
allthesevenerableoldmen,
tous
allthesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
dis
tellthewholeworldthattoitsface!
Ihavea
droit
righttosayso,forIshallgoon
vivrai
livingtosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Restez
Stay,letmetakebreath...
Youimagine
aucun
nodoubt,gentlemen,thatI
veux
wanttoamuseyou.
Youaremistakeninthat,
aussi
too.
Iambynomeanssuch
une
amirthfulpersonasyouimagine,
ou
orasyoumayimagine;
however,irritatedby
tout
allthisbabble(andI
sens
feelthatyouareirritated)you
pensez
thinkfittoaskmewhoIam—thenmy
réponse
answeris,Iamacollegiateassessor.
Iwasin
le
theservicethatImight
avoir
havesomethingtoeat(andsolelyforthatreason),
et
andwhenlastyearadistantrelation
laissé
leftmesixthousandroublesinhis
suis
willIimmediatelyretiredfrom
le
theserviceandsettleddowninmycorner.
Iusedtolivein
ce
thiscornerbefore,butnowIhavesettleddowninit.
Myroomisawretched,horridonein
la
theoutskirtsofthetown.
Myservantisanoldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
et
and,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
sur
abouther.
Iamtold
que
thatthePetersburgclimateis
mauvais
badforme,andthatwithmysmallmeansitis
très
veryexpensivetoliveinPetersburg.
I
sais
knowallthatbetterthanall
ces
thesesageandexperiencedcounsellors
et
andmonitors....
ButIamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnot
vais
goingawayfromPetersburg!
Iamnot
vais
goingawaybecause...
ech!
Why,itisabsolutely
pas
nomatterwhetherIam
vais
goingawayornotgoingaway.
Mais
Butwhatcanadecent
homme
manspeakofwithmostpleasure?
Réponse
Answer:
Ofhimself.
II
I
veux
wantnowtotellyou,gentlemen,whetheryoucaretohearit
ou
ornot,whyIcouldnot
même
evenbecomeaninsect.
I
dis
tellyousolemnly,thatIhavemanytimes
essayé
triedtobecomeaninsect.
Mais
ButIwasnotequal
même
eventothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,thattobe
trop
tooconsciousisanillness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,it
été
wouldhavebeenquiteenoughtohavetheordinaryhumanconsciousness,that
est
is,halforaquarteroftheamountwhich
tombe
fallstothelotofacultivated
homme
manofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especially
celui
onewhohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
plus
mosttheoreticalandintentionaltownonthe
tout
wholeterrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentional
et
andunintentionaltowns.)
Itwouldhavebeenquiteenough,forinstance,tohavetheconsciousnessby
laquelle
whichallso-calleddirectpersons
et
andmenofactionlive.
Ibetyou
pensez
thinkIamwritingall
cela
thisfromaffectation,tobewittyattheexpenseofmenofaction;
et
andwhatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
une
aswordlikemyofficer.
Mais
But,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseases
et
andevenswaggeroverthem?
Though,
après
afterall,everyonedoesdo
que
that;
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
et
andIdo,maybe,
plus
morethananyone.
Wewillnotdisputeit;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
Mais
ButyetIamfirmlypersuadedthat
une
agreatdealofconsciousness,every
sorte
sortofconsciousness,infact,is
une
adisease.
Isticktothat.
Laissons
Letusleavethat,too,for
une
aminute.
Tellmethis:
pourquoi
whydoesithappenthatat
le
thevery,yes,attheverymomentswhenIam
plus
mostcapableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
tout
allthatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”astheyusedto
disait
sayatonetime,it
suis
would,asthoughofdesign,
arrive
happentomenotonlyto
ressentir
feelbuttodosuchuglythings,suchthat...
Well,inshort,actions
que
thatall,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,as
si
thoughpurposely,occurredtomeat
le
theverytimewhenIwas
plus
mostconsciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
La
ThemoreconsciousIwasofgoodness
et
andofallthatwas“sublime
et
andbeautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
et
andthemorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
Mais
Butthechiefpointwasthat
tout
allthiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
moi
me,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasas
si
thoughitweremymostnormalcondition,
et
andnotintheleastdisease
ou
ordepravity,sothatatlast
tout
alldesireinmetostruggle
contre
againstthisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
presque
almostbelieving(perhapsactuallybelieving)
que
thatthiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Mais
Butatfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredinthatstruggle!
I
fait
didnotbelieveitwasthe
même
samewithotherpeople,andallmy
vie
lifeIhidthisfact
sur
aboutmyselfasasecret.
Iwasashamed(even
maintenant
now,perhaps,Iamashamed):
Igottothe
point
pointoffeelingasortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentinreturninghometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
nuit
night,acutelyconsciousthatthatdayIhadcommitted
une
aloathsomeactionagain,thatwhatwas
fait
donecouldneverbeundone,
et
andsecretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
et
andconsumingmyselftillatlastthebitterness
transforme
turnedintoasortofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
et
andatlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Oui
Yes,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistuponthat.
Ihave
parlé
spokenofthisbecauseIkeep
vouloir
wantingtoknowforafactwhetherother
personnes
peoplefeelsuchenjoyment?
I
vais
willexplain;
theenjoymentwas
juste
justfromthetoointenseconsciousnessofone’s
propre
owndegradation;
itwasfrom
sentir
feelingoneselfthatonehadreached
la
thelastbarrier,thatitwashorrible,
mais
butthatitcouldnotbeotherwise;
thattherewas
pas
noescapeforyou;
thatyou
jamais
nevercouldbecomeadifferent
homme
man;
thateveniftime
et
andfaithwerestillleftyouto
changer
changeintosomethingdifferentyou
voudriez
wouldmostlikelynotwishto
changer
change;
orifyoudid
vouliez
wishto,eventhenyou
vouliez
woulddonothing;
becauseperhapsinreality
il
therewasnothingforyoutochangeinto.
Et
Andtheworstofitwas,
et
andtherootofit
tout
all,thatitwasallinaccord
avec
withthenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
et
andwiththeinertiathatwasthedirectresultof
ces
thoselaws,andthatconsequentlyonewasnotonlyunableto
changer
changebutcoulddoabsolutely
rien
nothing.
Thusitwouldfollow,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,thatoneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
as
si
thoughthatwereanyconsolationto
le
thescoundreloncehehascometorealisethathe
en fait
actuallyisascoundrel.
Butenough....
Ech,Ihavetalkeda
beaucoup
lotofnonsense,butwhathaveIexplained?
Comment
Howisenjoymentinthistobeexplained?
Mais
ButIwillexplainit.
Iwillgettothebottomofit!
Que
ThatiswhyIhave
pris
takenupmypen....
I,forinstance,haveagreatdealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
et
andpronetotakeoffenceasahumpback
ou
oradwarf.
Butuponmy
parole
wordIsometimeshavehadmomentswhen
si
ifIhadhappenedtobeslappedinthe
visage
faceIshould,perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladofit.
I
dis
say,inearnest,thatIshould
probablement
probablyhavebeenabletodiscover
même
eveninthatapeculiar
sorte
sortofenjoyment—theenjoyment,of
sûr
course,ofdespair;
butindespairtherearethe
plus
mostintenseenjoyments,especiallywhenoneis
très
veryacutelyconsciousofthehopelessnessofone’sposition.
Et
Andwhenoneisslappedin
la
theface—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulpwouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
Le
Theworstofitis,
regarde
lookatitwhichwayone
été
will,itstillturnsout
que
thatIwasalwaysthe
plus
mosttoblameineverything.
Et
Andwhatismosthumiliatingof
tout
all,toblamefornofaultofmy
propre
ownbut,sotosay,
par
throughthelawsofnature.
In
les
thefirstplace,toblame
parce que
becauseIamclevererthananyof
les
thepeoplesurroundingme.
(I
eu
havealwaysconsideredmyselfcleverer
que
thananyofthepeoplesurrounding
me
me,andsometimes,wouldyou
croyez
believeit,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
At
toute
anyrate,Ihaveallmy
vie
life,asitwere,turnedmyeyesaway
et
andnevercouldlookpeoplestraightin
les
theface.)
Toblame,finally,
parce que
becauseevenifIhad
eu
hadmagnanimity,Ishouldonly
eu
havehadmoresufferingfrom
la
thesenseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainlyhave
jamais
neverbeenabletodoanythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailantwould
peut-être
perhapshaveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
et
andonecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
nortoforget,foreven
si
ifitwereowingto
la
thelawsofnature,itisinsultingall
la
thesame.
Finally,evenifIhad
voulu
wantedtobeanythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredon
le
thecontrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,I
pu
couldnothaverevengedmyselfonanyonefor
rien
anythingbecauseIshouldcertainly
jamais
neverhavemadeupmymindto
faire
doanything,evenifIhadbeen
pu
ableto.
WhyshouldInothavemadeupmymind?
III
Avec
Withpeoplewhoknowhowtorevengethemselves
et
andtostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
comment
howisitdone?
Why,
quand
whentheyarepossessed,letussuppose,by
le
thefeelingofrevenge,thenfor
le
thetimethereisnothingelsebut
que
thatfeelingleftintheir
tout
wholebeing.
Suchagentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
comme
likeaninfuriatedbullwithitshornsdown,
et
andnothingbutawallwillstophim.
(Bytheway:
facing
les
thewall,suchgentlemen—thatis,
les
the“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforus
gens
peoplewhothinkandconsequently
ne
donothing;
itisnotan
excuse
excuseforturningaside,an
excuse
excuseforwhichweare
toujours
alwaysveryglad,thoughwescarcely
croyions
believeinitourselves,asarule.
No,theyarenonplussedinallsincerity.
Le
Thewallhasforthem
quelque chose
somethingtranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybe
même
evensomethingmysterious...
butofthewalllater.)
Well,such
une
adirectpersonIregardasthe
réel
realnormalman,ashistender
mère
mothernaturewishedtoseehim
quand
whenshegraciouslybroughthimintobeingonthe
terre
earth.
Ienvysucha
homme
mantillIamgreeninthe
visage
face.
Heisstupid.
Iamnotdisputing
que
that,butperhapsthenormalman
devrait
shouldbestupid,howdoyou
sais
know?
Perhapsitisvery
beau
beautiful,infact.
AndIamthe
plus
morepersuadedofthatsuspicion,
si
ifonecancallitso,bythefactthat
si
ifyoutake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormal
homme
man,thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,whohas
venu
come,ofcourse,notoutofthelapofnature
mais
butoutofaretort(thisis
presque
almostmysticism,gentlemen,butIsuspectthis,too),thisretort-made
homme
manissometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesisthatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinely
pense
thinksofhimselfasamouse
et
andnotaman.
It
peut
maybeanacutelyconsciousmouse,yetitisamouse,
tandis que
whiletheotherisa
homme
man,andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
Et
Andtheworstofitis,hehimself,hisveryownself,looksonhimselfas
une
amouse;
nooneaskshimto
faire
doso;
andthatis
un
animportantpoint.
Nowletus
regardons
lookatthismouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,thatitfeelsinsulted,
aussi
too(anditalmostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
et
andwantstorevengeitself,
aussi
too.
Theremayevenbe
une
agreateraccumulationofspiteinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Thebase
et
andnastydesiretoventthatspiteonitsassailantrankles
peut-être
perhapsevenmorenastilyinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
par
throughhisinnatestupiditythelatterlooksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
et
andsimple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousness
la
themousedoesnotbelievein
la
thejusticeofit.
To
arriver
comeatlasttothedeeditself,totheveryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreating
autour
arounditsomanyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
et
andquestions,addstotheone
question
questionsomanyunsettledquestionsthat
y
thereinevitablyworksuparoundita
sorte
sortoffatalbrew,astinkingmess,madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
et
andofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
tiennent
standsolemnlyaboutitasjudges
et
andarbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Of
sûr
coursetheonlythingleftforitistodismiss
tout
allthatwithawaveofitspaw,
et
and,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnot
même
evenitselfbelieve,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
maison
homeourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptlybecomesabsorbedincold,malignant
et
and,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
ensemble
togetheritwillrememberitsinjurydownto
les
thesmallest,mostignominiousdetails,
et
andeverytimewilladd,ofitself,detailsstillmoreignominious,spitefullyteasing
et
andtormentingitselfwithits
propre
ownimagination.
Itwillitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,
mais
butyetitwillrecallit
tout
all,itwillgoover
et
andovereverydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
contre
againstitself,pretendingthatthosethings
pourraient
mighthappen,andwillforgive
rien
nothing.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,
aussi
too,but,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,from
derrière
behindthestove,incognito,without
croire
believingeitherinitsown
droit
righttovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,
sachant
knowingthatfromallitseffortsatrevengeit
être
willsufferahundredtimes
plus
morethanheonwhomitrevengesitself,whilehe,Idaresay,
être
willnotevenscratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbeditwillrecallit
tout
alloveragain,withinterestaccumulatedover
tout
alltheyearsand...
Mais
Butitisjustin
que
thatcold,abominablehalfdespair,
demi
halfbelief,inthatconsciousburyingoneself
vivant
aliveforgriefintheunderworldforfortyyears,in
que
thatacutelyrecognisedandyetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,in
que
thathellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,in
que
thatfeverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
et
andrepentedofagaina
minute
minutelater—thatthesavourof
que
thatstrangeenjoymentofwhichIhave
parlé
spokenlies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
personnes
personswhoarealittlelimited,
ou
orevensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,willnot
comprendront
understandasingleatomof
il
it.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyour
propre
ownaccountwithagrin,“people
être
willnotunderstanditeitherwho
eu
haveneverreceivedaslapin
le
theface,”andinthat
façon
wayyouwillpolitelyhinttomethat
Je
I,too,perhaps,havehad
le
theexperienceofaslapin
le
thefaceinmylife,
et
andsoIspeakasonewho
sait
knows.
Ibetthatyouare
pensez
thinkingthat.
Butsetyourmindsatrest,gentlemen,Ihavenotreceivedaslapinthe
visage
face,thoughitisabsolutelyamatterofindifferencetomewhatyoumay
pensez
thinkaboutit.
Possibly,I
même
evenregret,myself,thatIhave
donné
givensofewslapsin
la
thefaceduringmylife.
Mais
Butenough...
notanother
mot
wordonthatsubjectof
tel
suchextremeinteresttoyou.
Iwillcontinuecalmlyconcerning
personnes
personswithstrongnerveswho
ne
donotunderstandacertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Thoughincertaincircumstances
ces
thesegentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,though
cela
this,letussuppose,doesthem
le
thegreatestcredit,yet,asIhave
dit
saidalready,confrontedwiththeimpossibletheysubsideatonce.
Le
Theimpossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Pourquoi
Why,ofcourse,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.