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
know
nothingatallaboutmydisease,
et
and
donotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsulta
médecin
doctor
forit,andneverhave,thoughIhavearespectformedicine
et
and
doctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,anyway
Je
(I
amwell-educatedenoughnottobesuperstitious,
mais
but
Iamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
un
a
doctorfromspite.
Thatyou
probablement
probably
willnotunderstand.
Well,I
comprends
understand
it,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplainwhoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
ce
this
casebymyspite:
Iamperfectlywellaware
que
that
Icannot“payout”thedoctorsbynotconsultingthem;
I
sais
know
betterthananyonethatby
tout
all
thisIamonlyinjuringmyself
et
and
nooneelse.
Butstill,
si
if
Idon’tconsulta
médecin
doctor
itisfromspite.
Myliveris
mal
bad
,well—letitgetworse!
Ihavebeengoingon
comme
like
thatforalongtime—twentyyears.
Maintenant
Now
Iamforty.
Iusedtobein
le
the
governmentservice,butamnolonger.
Iwas
un
a
spitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
et
and
tookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnot
pris
take
bribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
trouver
find
arecompenseinthat,at
moins
least
.
(Apoorjest,butI
vais
will
notscratchitout.
I
écrit
wrote
itthinkingitwould
sonnerait
sound
verywitty;
butnow
que
that
Ihaveseenmyself
que
that
Ionlywantedto
montrer
show
offinadespicable
manière
way
,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Quand
When
petitionersusedtocomeforinformationto
la
the
tableatwhichI
assis
sat
,Iusedtogrindmyteethat
eux
them
,andfeltintenseenjoyment
quand
when
Isucceededinmaking
quelqu'un
anybody
unhappy.
Ialmostdidsucceed.
For
la
the
mostparttheywere
tous
all
timidpeople—ofcourse,theywerepetitioners.
Mais
But
oftheuppishonestherewas
un
one
officerinparticularI
pouvais
could
notendure.
Hesimplywouldnotbehumble,
et
and
clankedhisswordinadisgusting
manière
way
.
Icarriedonafeud
avec
with
himforeighteenmonthsoverthatsword.
AtlastIgotthebetterofhim.
Heleftoffclankingit.
That
arrivé
happened
inmyyouth,though.
Mais
But
doyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
le
the
chiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,thewholepoint,the
véritable
real
stingofitlayinthe
fait
fact
thatcontinually,eveninthemomentoftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconscious
avec
with
shamethatIwasnotonlynotaspiteful
mais
but
notevenanembittered
homme
man
,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
et
and
amusingmyselfbyit.
Imightfoamat
la
the
mouth,butbringme
une
a
dolltoplaywith,
donnez
give
meacupoftea
avec
with
sugarinit,and
peut-être
maybe
Ishouldbeappeased.
I
pourrais
might
evenbegenuinelytouched,though
probablement
probably
Ishouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
et
and
lieawakeatnight
avec
with
shameformonthsafter.
Thatwasmy
façon
way
.
IwaslyingwhenI
disais
said
justnowthatIwas
un
a
spitefulofficial.
Iwas
mentais
lying
fromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyself
avec
with
thepetitionersandwith
les
the
officer,andinrealityI
jamais
never
couldbecomespiteful.
Iwasconscious
chaque
every
momentinmyselfof
nombreux
many
,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositetothat.
I
sentais
felt
thempositivelyswarmingin
moi
me
,theseoppositeelements.
I
savais
knew
thattheyhadbeenswarminginmeallmy
vie
life
andcravingsomeoutletfrom
moi
me
,butIwouldnot
laissais
let
them,wouldnotlet
les
them
,purposelywouldnotletthemcome
sortir
out
.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
they
conduit
drove
metoconvulsionsand—sickenedme,atlast,
comment
how
theysickenedme!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,
que
that
Iamexpressingremorsefor
quelque chose
something
now,thatIam
demande
asking
yourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
sûr
sure
youarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonotcare
si
if
youare....
Itwasnotonly
que
that
Icouldnotbecomespiteful,Ididnot
savais
know
howtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnorkind,neitherarascalnoranhonest
homme
man
,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Maintenant
Now
,Iamlivingoutmylifeinmycorner,tauntingmyself
avec
with
thespitefulanduselessconsolationthatanintelligent
homme
man
cannotbecomeanythingseriously,
et
and
itisonlythefoolwhobecomesanything.
Oui
Yes
,amaninthenineteenthcenturymust
et
and
morallyoughttobepre-eminentlyacharacterlesscreature;
a
homme
man
ofcharacter,anactive
homme
man
ispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyearsold
maintenant
now
,andyouknowfortyyearsis
une
a
wholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
vivre
live
longerthanfortyyearsisbadmanners,isvulgar,immoral.
Qui
Who
doeslivebeyondforty?
Répondez
Answer
that,sincerelyandhonestlyI
vais
will
tellyouwhodo:
fools
et
and
worthlessfellows.
Itell
tous
all
oldmenthattotheirface,
tous
all
thesevenerableoldmen,
tous
all
thesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
dis
tell
thewholeworldthattoitsface!
Ihavea
droit
right
tosayso,forIshallgoon
vivrai
living
tosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Restez
Stay
,letmetakebreath...
Youimagine
aucun
no
doubt,gentlemen,thatI
veux
want
toamuseyou.
Youaremistakeninthat,
aussi
too
.
Iambynomeanssuch
une
a
mirthfulpersonasyouimagine,
ou
or
asyoumayimagine;
however,irritatedby
tout
all
thisbabble(andI
sens
feel
thatyouareirritated)you
pensez
think
fittoaskmewhoIam—thenmy
réponse
answer
is,Iamacollegiateassessor.
Iwasin
le
the
servicethatImight
avoir
have
somethingtoeat(andsolelyforthatreason),
et
and
whenlastyearadistantrelation
laissé
left
mesixthousandroublesinhis
suis
will
Iimmediatelyretiredfrom
le
the
serviceandsettleddowninmycorner.
Iusedtolivein
ce
this
cornerbefore,butnowIhavesettleddowninit.
Myroomisawretched,horridonein
la
the
outskirtsofthetown.
Myservantisanoldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
et
and
,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
sur
about
her.
Iamtold
que
that
thePetersburgclimateis
mauvais
bad
forme,andthatwithmysmallmeansitis
très
very
expensivetoliveinPetersburg.
I
sais
know
allthatbetterthanall
ces
these
sageandexperiencedcounsellors
et
and
monitors....
ButIamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnot
vais
going
awayfromPetersburg!
Iamnot
vais
going
awaybecause...
ech!
Why,itisabsolutely
pas
no
matterwhetherIam
vais
going
awayornotgoingaway.
Mais
But
whatcanadecent
homme
man
speakofwithmostpleasure?
Réponse
Answer
:
Ofhimself.
II
I
veux
want
nowtotellyou,gentlemen,whetheryoucaretohearit
ou
or
not,whyIcouldnot
même
even
becomeaninsect.
I
dis
tell
yousolemnly,thatIhavemanytimes
essayé
tried
tobecomeaninsect.
Mais
But
Iwasnotequal
même
even
tothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,thattobe
trop
too
consciousisanillness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,it
été
would
havebeenquiteenoughtohavetheordinaryhumanconsciousness,that
est
is
,halforaquarteroftheamountwhich
tombe
falls
tothelotofacultivated
homme
man
ofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especially
celui
one
whohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
plus
most
theoreticalandintentionaltownonthe
tout
whole
terrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentional
et
and
unintentionaltowns.)
Itwouldhavebeenquiteenough,forinstance,tohavetheconsciousnessby
laquelle
which
allso-calleddirectpersons
et
and
menofactionlive.
Ibetyou
pensez
think
Iamwritingall
cela
this
fromaffectation,tobewittyattheexpenseofmenofaction;
et
and
whatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
une
a
swordlikemyofficer.
Mais
But
,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseases
et
and
evenswaggeroverthem?
Though,
après
after
all,everyonedoesdo
que
that
;
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
et
and
Ido,maybe,
plus
more
thananyone.
Wewillnotdisputeit;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
Mais
But
yetIamfirmlypersuadedthat
une
a
greatdealofconsciousness,every
sorte
sort
ofconsciousness,infact,is
une
a
disease.
Isticktothat.
Laissons
Let
usleavethat,too,for
une
a
minute.
Tellmethis:
pourquoi
why
doesithappenthatat
le
the
very,yes,attheverymomentswhenIam
plus
most
capableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
tout
all
thatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”astheyusedto
disait
say
atonetime,it
suis
would
,asthoughofdesign,
arrive
happen
tomenotonlyto
ressentir
feel
buttodosuchuglythings,suchthat...
Well,inshort,actions
que
that
all,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,as
si
though
purposely,occurredtomeat
le
the
verytimewhenIwas
plus
most
consciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
La
The
moreconsciousIwasofgoodness
et
and
ofallthatwas“sublime
et
and
beautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
et
and
themorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
Mais
But
thechiefpointwasthat
tout
all
thiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
moi
me
,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasas
si
though
itweremymostnormalcondition,
et
and
notintheleastdisease
ou
or
depravity,sothatatlast
tout
all
desireinmetostruggle
contre
against
thisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
presque
almost
believing(perhapsactuallybelieving)
que
that
thiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Mais
But
atfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredinthatstruggle!
I
fait
did
notbelieveitwasthe
même
same
withotherpeople,andallmy
vie
life
Ihidthisfact
sur
about
myselfasasecret.
Iwasashamed(even
maintenant
now
,perhaps,Iamashamed):
Igottothe
point
point
offeelingasortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentinreturninghometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
nuit
night
,acutelyconsciousthatthatdayIhadcommitted
une
a
loathsomeactionagain,thatwhatwas
fait
done
couldneverbeundone,
et
and
secretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
et
and
consumingmyselftillatlastthebitterness
transforme
turned
intoasortofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
et
and
atlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Oui
Yes
,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistuponthat.
Ihave
parlé
spoken
ofthisbecauseIkeep
vouloir
wanting
toknowforafactwhetherother
personnes
people
feelsuchenjoyment?
I
vais
will
explain;
theenjoymentwas
juste
just
fromthetoointenseconsciousnessofone’s
propre
own
degradation;
itwasfrom
sentir
feeling
oneselfthatonehadreached
la
the
lastbarrier,thatitwashorrible,
mais
but
thatitcouldnotbeotherwise;
thattherewas
pas
no
escapeforyou;
thatyou
jamais
never
couldbecomeadifferent
homme
man
;
thateveniftime
et
and
faithwerestillleftyouto
changer
change
intosomethingdifferentyou
voudriez
would
mostlikelynotwishto
changer
change
;
orifyoudid
vouliez
wish
to,eventhenyou
vouliez
would
donothing;
becauseperhapsinreality
il
there
wasnothingforyoutochangeinto.
Et
And
theworstofitwas,
et
and
therootofit
tout
all
,thatitwasallinaccord
avec
with
thenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
et
and
withtheinertiathatwasthedirectresultof
ces
those
laws,andthatconsequentlyonewasnotonlyunableto
changer
change
butcoulddoabsolutely
rien
nothing
.
Thusitwouldfollow,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,thatoneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
as
si
though
thatwereanyconsolationto
le
the
scoundreloncehehascometorealisethathe
en fait
actually
isascoundrel.
Butenough....
Ech,Ihavetalkeda
beaucoup
lot
ofnonsense,butwhathaveIexplained?
Comment
How
isenjoymentinthistobeexplained?
Mais
But
Iwillexplainit.
Iwillgettothebottomofit!
Que
That
iswhyIhave
pris
taken
upmypen....
I,forinstance,haveagreatdealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
et
and
pronetotakeoffenceasahumpback
ou
or
adwarf.
Butuponmy
parole
word
Isometimeshavehadmomentswhen
si
if
Ihadhappenedtobeslappedinthe
visage
face
Ishould,perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladofit.
I
dis
say
,inearnest,thatIshould
probablement
probably
havebeenabletodiscover
même
even
inthatapeculiar
sorte
sort
ofenjoyment—theenjoyment,of
sûr
course
,ofdespair;
butindespairtherearethe
plus
most
intenseenjoyments,especiallywhenoneis
très
very
acutelyconsciousofthehopelessnessofone’sposition.
Et
And
whenoneisslappedin
la
the
face—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulpwouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
Le
The
worstofitis,
regarde
look
atitwhichwayone
été
will
,itstillturnsout
que
that
Iwasalwaysthe
plus
most
toblameineverything.
Et
And
whatismosthumiliatingof
tout
all
,toblamefornofaultofmy
propre
own
but,sotosay,
par
through
thelawsofnature.
In
les
the
firstplace,toblame
parce que
because
Iamclevererthananyof
les
the
peoplesurroundingme.
(I
eu
have
alwaysconsideredmyselfcleverer
que
than
anyofthepeoplesurrounding
me
me
,andsometimes,wouldyou
croyez
believe
it,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
At
toute
any
rate,Ihaveallmy
vie
life
,asitwere,turnedmyeyesaway
et
and
nevercouldlookpeoplestraightin
les
the
face.)
Toblame,finally,
parce que
because
evenifIhad
eu
had
magnanimity,Ishouldonly
eu
have
hadmoresufferingfrom
la
the
senseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainlyhave
jamais
never
beenabletodoanythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailantwould
peut-être
perhaps
haveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
et
and
onecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
nortoforget,foreven
si
if
itwereowingto
la
the
lawsofnature,itisinsultingall
la
the
same.
Finally,evenifIhad
voulu
wanted
tobeanythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredon
le
the
contrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,I
pu
could
nothaverevengedmyselfonanyonefor
rien
anything
becauseIshouldcertainly
jamais
never
havemadeupmymindto
faire
do
anything,evenifIhadbeen
pu
able
to.
WhyshouldInothavemadeupmymind?
III
Avec
With
peoplewhoknowhowtorevengethemselves
et
and
tostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
comment
how
isitdone?
Why,
quand
when
theyarepossessed,letussuppose,by
le
the
feelingofrevenge,thenfor
le
the
timethereisnothingelsebut
que
that
feelingleftintheir
tout
whole
being.
Suchagentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
comme
like
aninfuriatedbullwithitshornsdown,
et
and
nothingbutawallwillstophim.
(Bytheway:
facing
les
the
wall,suchgentlemen—thatis,
les
the
“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforus
gens
people
whothinkandconsequently
ne
do
nothing;
itisnotan
excuse
excuse
forturningaside,an
excuse
excuse
forwhichweare
toujours
always
veryglad,thoughwescarcely
croyions
believe
initourselves,asarule.
No,theyarenonplussedinallsincerity.
Le
The
wallhasforthem
quelque chose
something
tranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybe
même
even
somethingmysterious...
butofthewalllater.)
Well,such
une
a
directpersonIregardasthe
réel
real
normalman,ashistender
mère
mother
naturewishedtoseehim
quand
when
shegraciouslybroughthimintobeingonthe
terre
earth
.
Ienvysucha
homme
man
tillIamgreeninthe
visage
face
.
Heisstupid.
Iamnotdisputing
que
that
,butperhapsthenormalman
devrait
should
bestupid,howdoyou
sais
know
?
Perhapsitisvery
beau
beautiful
,infact.
AndIamthe
plus
more
persuadedofthatsuspicion,
si
if
onecancallitso,bythefactthat
si
if
youtake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormal
homme
man
,thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,whohas
venu
come
,ofcourse,notoutofthelapofnature
mais
but
outofaretort(thisis
presque
almost
mysticism,gentlemen,butIsuspectthis,too),thisretort-made
homme
man
issometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesisthatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinely
pense
thinks
ofhimselfasamouse
et
and
notaman.
It
peut
may
beanacutelyconsciousmouse,yetitisamouse,
tandis que
while
theotherisa
homme
man
,andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
Et
And
theworstofitis,hehimself,hisveryownself,looksonhimselfas
une
a
mouse;
nooneaskshimto
faire
do
so;
andthatis
un
an
importantpoint.
Nowletus
regardons
look
atthismouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,thatitfeelsinsulted,
aussi
too
(anditalmostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
et
and
wantstorevengeitself,
aussi
too
.
Theremayevenbe
une
a
greateraccumulationofspiteinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Thebase
et
and
nastydesiretoventthatspiteonitsassailantrankles
peut-être
perhaps
evenmorenastilyinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
par
through
hisinnatestupiditythelatterlooksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
et
and
simple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousness
la
the
mousedoesnotbelievein
la
the
justiceofit.
To
arriver
come
atlasttothedeeditself,totheveryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreating
autour
around
itsomanyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
et
and
questions,addstotheone
question
question
somanyunsettledquestionsthat
y
there
inevitablyworksuparoundita
sorte
sort
offatalbrew,astinkingmess,madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
et
and
ofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
tiennent
stand
solemnlyaboutitasjudges
et
and
arbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Of
sûr
course
theonlythingleftforitistodismiss
tout
all
thatwithawaveofitspaw,
et
and
,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnot
même
even
itselfbelieve,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
maison
home
ourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptlybecomesabsorbedincold,malignant
et
and
,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
ensemble
together
itwillrememberitsinjurydownto
les
the
smallest,mostignominiousdetails,
et
and
everytimewilladd,ofitself,detailsstillmoreignominious,spitefullyteasing
et
and
tormentingitselfwithits
propre
own
imagination.
Itwillitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,
mais
but
yetitwillrecallit
tout
all
,itwillgoover
et
and
overeverydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
contre
against
itself,pretendingthatthosethings
pourraient
might
happen,andwillforgive
rien
nothing
.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,
aussi
too
,but,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,from
derrière
behind
thestove,incognito,without
croire
believing
eitherinitsown
droit
right
tovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,
sachant
knowing
thatfromallitseffortsatrevengeit
être
will
sufferahundredtimes
plus
more
thanheonwhomitrevengesitself,whilehe,Idaresay,
être
will
notevenscratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbeditwillrecallit
tout
all
overagain,withinterestaccumulatedover
tout
all
theyearsand...
Mais
But
itisjustin
que
that
cold,abominablehalfdespair,
demi
half
belief,inthatconsciousburyingoneself
vivant
alive
forgriefintheunderworldforfortyyears,in
que
that
acutelyrecognisedandyetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,in
que
that
hellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,in
que
that
feverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
et
and
repentedofagaina
minute
minute
later—thatthesavourof
que
that
strangeenjoymentofwhichIhave
parlé
spoken
lies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
personnes
persons
whoarealittlelimited,
ou
or
evensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,willnot
comprendront
understand
asingleatomof
il
it
.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyour
propre
own
accountwithagrin,“people
être
will
notunderstanditeitherwho
eu
have
neverreceivedaslapin
le
the
face,”andinthat
façon
way
youwillpolitelyhinttomethat
Je
I
,too,perhaps,havehad
le
the
experienceofaslapin
le
the
faceinmylife,
et
and
soIspeakasonewho
sait
knows
.
Ibetthatyouare
pensez
thinking
that.
Butsetyourmindsatrest,gentlemen,Ihavenotreceivedaslapinthe
visage
face
,thoughitisabsolutelyamatterofindifferencetomewhatyoumay
pensez
think
aboutit.
Possibly,I
même
even
regret,myself,thatIhave
donné
given
sofewslapsin
la
the
faceduringmylife.
Mais
But
enough...
notanother
mot
word
onthatsubjectof
tel
such
extremeinteresttoyou.
Iwillcontinuecalmlyconcerning
personnes
persons
withstrongnerveswho
ne
do
notunderstandacertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Thoughincertaincircumstances
ces
these
gentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,though
cela
this
,letussuppose,doesthem
le
the
greatestcredit,yet,asIhave
dit
said
already,confrontedwiththeimpossibletheysubsideatonce.
Le
The
impossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Pourquoi
Why
,ofcourse,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.