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"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (full novel), Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits - Part 4

Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits - Part 4

Scrooge glanced towards the Phantom. Its steady hand was pointed to the head. The cover was so carelessly adjusted that the slightest raising of it, the motion of a finger upon Scrooge's part, would have disclosed the face. He thought of it, felt how easy it would be to do, and longed to do it; but had no more power to withdraw the veil than to dismiss the spectre at his side.

Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion! But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. It is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is not that the heart and pulse are still; but that the hand was open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse a man's. Strike, Shadow, strike! And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!

No voice pronounced these words in Scrooge's ears, and yet he heard them when he looked upon the bed. He thought, if this man could be raised up now, what would be his foremost thoughts? Avarice, hard-dealing, griping cares? They have brought him to a rich end, truly!

He lay, in the dark empty house, with not a man, a woman, or a child, to say that he was kind to me in this or that, and for the memory of one kind word I will be kind to him. A cat was tearing at the door, and there was a sound of gnawing rats beneath the hearth-stone. What they wanted in the room of death, and why they were so restless and disturbed, Scrooge did not dare to think.

“Spirit!” he said, “this is a fearful place. In leaving it, I shall not leave its lesson, trust me. Let us go!”

Still the Ghost pointed with an unmoved finger to the head.

“I understand you,” Scrooge returned, “and I would do it, if I could. But I have not the power, Spirit. I have not the power.”

Again it seemed to look upon him.

“If there is any person in the town, who feels emotion caused by this man's death,” said Scrooge quite agonised, “show that person to me, Spirit, I beseech you!” The Phantom spread its dark robe before him for a moment, like a wing; and withdrawing it, revealed a room by daylight, where a mother and her children were.

She was expecting some one, and with anxious eagerness; for she walked up and down the room; started at every sound; looked out from the window; glanced at the clock; tried, but in vain, to work with her needle; and could hardly bear the voices of the children in their play.

At length the long-expected knock was heard. She hurried to the door, and met her husband; a man whose face was careworn and depressed, though he was young. There was a remarkable expression in it now; a kind of serious delight of which he felt ashamed, and which he struggled to repress.

He sat down to the dinner that had been hoarding for him by the fire; and when she asked him faintly what news (which was not until after a long silence), he appeared embarrassed how to answer.

“Is it good?” she said, “or bad?”—to help him.

“Bad,” he answered.

“We are quite ruined?”

“No. There is hope yet, Caroline.”

“If he relents,” she said, amazed, “there is! Nothing is past hope, if such a miracle has happened.”

“He is past relenting,” said her husband. “He is dead.”

She was a mild and patient creature if her face spoke truth; but she was thankful in her soul to hear it, and she said so, with clasped hands. She prayed forgiveness the next moment, and was sorry; but the first was the emotion of her heart.

“What the half-drunken woman whom I told you of last night, said to me, when I tried to see him and obtain a week's delay; and what I thought was a mere excuse to avoid me; turns out to have been quite true. He was not only very ill, but dying, then.”

“To whom will our debt be transferred?”

“I don't know. But before that time we shall be ready with the money; and even though we were not, it would be a bad fortune indeed to find so merciless a creditor in his successor. We may sleep to-night with light hearts, Caroline!”

Yes. Soften it as they would, their hearts were lighter. The children's faces, hushed and clustered round to hear what they so little understood, were brighter; and it was a happier house for this man's death! The only emotion that the Ghost could show him, caused by the event, was one of pleasure.

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Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits - Part 4 스테이브 4. 마지막 정령 - 파트 4 Quarta estaca. O último dos Espíritos - Parte 4

Scrooge glanced towards the Phantom. Its steady hand was pointed to the head. The cover was so carelessly adjusted that the slightest raising of it, the motion of a finger upon Scrooge's part, would have disclosed the face. ||||||||||||||||||||||offenbart|| ||||||||slightest|||||||||||||||| La couverture était si négligemment ajustée que le moindre soulèvement, le mouvement d'un doigt de la part de Scrooge, eussent découvert le visage. He thought of it, felt how easy it would be to do, and longed to do it; but had no more power to withdraw the veil than to dismiss the spectre at his side. |||||||||||||||||||||||heben||Vorhang|||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||veil|||||||| Il y pensa, sentit combien ce serait facile à faire, et avait envie de le faire ; mais n'avait pas plus le pouvoir de retirer le voile que de chasser le spectre à ses côtés.

Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion! ||||||||deinen|Altar||||||||||hast||||||||Herrschaft ||||||||your|altar|||||||||thou|hast||your||||||dominion ||||||||お前の|祭壇||||||||||||||||||支配権 Oh mort froide, froide, rigide et terrible, dresse ton autel ici, et pare-le des terreurs que tu as à ton commandement : car c'est là ta domination ! But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. |||||||||kannst|||||||||||||abscheulich ||||revered|||||||||||||||||| ||||尊ばれた|||||||||||||||||| Mais de la tête aimée, vénérée et honorée, tu ne peux pas détourner un seul cheveu de tes terribles desseins, ou rendre un trait odieux. It is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is not that the heart and pulse are still; but that the hand was open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse a man's. Ce n'est pas que la main est lourde et tombera lorsqu'elle sera relâchée ; ce n'est pas que le cœur et le pouls soient immobiles ; mais que la main était ouverte, généreuse et vraie ; le cœur courageux, chaleureux et tendre ; et le pouls d'un homme. Strike, Shadow, strike! ||Schlag Frappe, Ombre, frappe ! And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal! ||||deeds||||wound||sow|||||immortal |||||生まれる|||||種をまく||||| Et voir ses bonnes actions jaillir de la blessure, pour semer le monde avec la vie immortelle !

No voice pronounced these words in Scrooge's ears, and yet he heard them when he looked upon the bed. He thought, if this man could be raised up now, what would be his foremost thoughts? ||||||||||||||wichtigsten| ||||||||||||||foremost| ||||||||||||||最も重要な| Il pensa, si cet homme pouvait être élevé maintenant, quelles seraient ses pensées principales ? Avarice, hard-dealing, griping cares? |||grübelnden| |hard||gripping| |||不満を言う| L'avarice, les soucis durs, râleurs ? They have brought him to a rich end, truly! Ils l'ont mené à une fin riche, vraiment !

He lay, in the dark empty house, with not a man, a woman, or a child, to say that he was kind to me in this or that, and for the memory of one kind word I will be kind to him. Il gisait, dans la sombre maison vide, sans homme, femme ou enfant, pour dire qu'il était gentil avec moi dans ceci ou cela, et pour le souvenir d'un mot gentil, je serai gentil avec lui. A cat was tearing at the door, and there was a sound of gnawing rats beneath the hearth-stone. Un chat déchirait à la porte, et il y avait un bruit de rats qui rongeaient sous la pierre du foyer. What they wanted in the room of death, and why they were so restless and disturbed, Scrooge did not dare to think. |||||||||||||restless|||||||| Ce qu'ils voulaient dans la chambre de la mort, et pourquoi ils étaient si agités et dérangés, Scrooge n'osait pas le penser.

“Spirit!” he said, “this is a fearful place. In leaving it, I shall not leave its lesson, trust me. En le quittant, je ne laisserai pas sa leçon, croyez-moi. Let us go!”

Still the Ghost pointed with an unmoved finger to the head. ||||||unbeweglichem|||| Le fantôme pointait toujours d'un doigt immobile la tête.

“I understand you,” Scrooge returned, “and I would do it, if I could. — Je vous comprends, répliqua Scrooge, et je le ferais, si je le pouvais. But I have not the power, Spirit. I have not the power.”

Again it seemed to look upon him.

“If there is any person in the town, who feels emotion caused by this man's death,” said Scrooge quite agonised, “show that person to me, Spirit, I beseech you!” |||||||||||||||||||qualvoll||||||||besehe| |||||||||||||||||||agonized||||||||beseech| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||お願い| « S'il y a quelqu'un dans la ville qui ressent une émotion causée par la mort de cet homme », a déclaré Scrooge assez angoissé, « montrez-moi cette personne, Esprit, je vous en supplie ! » The Phantom spread its dark robe before him for a moment, like a wing; and withdrawing it, revealed a room by daylight, where a mother and her children were. |||||Umhang||||||||||zog|||||||||||||

She was expecting some one, and with anxious eagerness; for she walked up and down the room; started at every sound; looked out from the window; glanced at the clock; tried, but in vain, to work with her needle; and could hardly bear the voices of the children in their play. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||needle|||||||||||| Elle attendait quelqu'un, et avec un empressement anxieux ; car elle se promenait dans la pièce ; a commencé à chaque son; regardé par la fenêtre; jeta un coup d'œil à l'horloge ; essayé, mais en vain, de travailler avec son aiguille; et pouvait à peine supporter les voix des enfants dans leur jeu.

At length the long-expected knock was heard. She hurried to the door, and met her husband; a man whose face was careworn and depressed, though he was young. ||||||||||||||worn from worry||depressed|||| There was a remarkable expression in it now; a kind of serious delight of which he felt ashamed, and which he struggled to repress. |||||||jetzt||||||||||||||||unterdrücken ||||||||||||delight|||||||||||suppress |||||||||||||||||||||||抑える Il y avait maintenant une expression remarquable ; une sorte de joie sérieuse dont il avait honte et qu'il s'efforçait de réprimer.

He sat down to the dinner that had been hoarding for him by the fire; and when she asked him faintly what news (which was not until after a long silence), he appeared embarrassed how to answer. |||||||||waiting||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Il s'assit pour le dîner qui lui avait été réservé près du feu ; et quand elle lui demanda faiblement quelles nouvelles (ce qui ne fut qu'après un long silence), il parut embarrassé de la réponse.

“Is it good?” she said, “or bad?”—to help him.

“Bad,” he answered.

“We are quite ruined?” |||ruined

“No. There is hope yet, Caroline.”

“If he relents,” she said, amazed, “there is! ||nachgibt||||| ||changes his mind||||| ||譲る||||| « S'il fléchit, dit-elle, stupéfaite, il y a ! Nothing is past hope, if such a miracle has happened.”

“He is past relenting,” said her husband. |||nachgeben||| |||changing his mind||| |||譲歩する||| « Il ne s'est plus apaisé », a déclaré son mari. “He is dead.”

She was a mild and patient creature if her face spoke truth; but she was thankful in her soul to hear it, and she said so, with clasped hands. She prayed forgiveness the next moment, and was sorry; but the first was the emotion of her heart. Elle a prié le pardon l'instant suivant, et était désolée; mais la première était l'émotion de son cœur.

“What the half-drunken woman whom I told you of last night, said to me, when I tried to see him and obtain a week's delay; and what I thought was a mere excuse to avoid me; turns out to have been quite true. |||||||||||||||||tried|||||||||||||||||||||||||| – Ce que m'a dit la femme à demi ivre dont je vous ai parlé hier soir, lorsque j'ai essayé de le voir et d'obtenir une semaine de délai ; et ce que je pensais n'était qu'une simple excuse pour m'éviter ; s'avère avoir été tout à fait vrai. He was not only very ill, but dying, then.” Il était non seulement très malade, mais mourant, alors.

“To whom will our debt be transferred?” « À qui sera transférée notre dette ? »

“I don't know. But before that time we shall be ready with the money; and even though we were not, it would be a bad fortune indeed to find so merciless a creditor in his successor. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||gnadenlos||Gläubiger|||Nachfolger |||||||||||||||||||||||||||merciless||||| Mais avant cela, nous serons prêts avec l'argent ; et même si nous ne l'étions pas, ce serait en effet une mauvaise fortune de trouver un créancier si impitoyable dans son successeur. We may sleep to-night with light hearts, Caroline!” Nous pouvons dormir ce soir le cœur léger, Caroline !

Yes. Soften it as they would, their hearts were lighter. Soften|||||||| Adoucissez-le comme ils le feraient, leurs cœurs étaient plus légers. The children's faces, hushed and clustered round to hear what they so little understood, were brighter; and it was a happier house for this man's death! |||quiet|||||||||||||||||||||| Les visages des enfants, étouffés et groupés pour entendre ce qu'ils comprenaient si peu, étaient plus brillants ; et c'était une maison plus heureuse pour la mort de cet homme ! The only emotion that the Ghost could show him, caused by the event, was one of pleasure. La seule émotion que le Fantôme pouvait lui montrer, provoquée par l'événement, était une émotion de plaisir.