Scène iv Notcs La Saint-Martin
Page 73, Une i. à force de, by dint of. 8. bien, comfortabU. 17. trop le dire, say it too often, or "say too much about it."
Page 74, line 6. allez, you know, hère. See dictionary. 7. à moi, aswe say of mine, for un de mes neveux. 17. miens, i.e. relatives. 22. certaine nièce, some nièce or other^ 27. ç' for cela, résumes the preceding clause, and requires no translation in English.
Page 75, line 2. bien in this construction, which is very common in coUoquial French, is simply intensive, and may be translated by accent alone or by a great variety of adverbs, for instance hère, " I really had to," etc. 14. gentille, nice, rather than "genteel" or "gentle." 25. morceaux. The French use loaf sugar almost exclusively for the table. 29. piquet, a game of cards for two persons.
Page 76, line 2. trouvé à faire, found opportunity to play. 4. tous les romans. The humor lies in their number. They count several hundred volumes. Cp. p. 98, 1. 15. 9. me passer de, get along without.
Page 77, line 2. bon, good-humored. The reader will probably hâve guessed already that this bewitching little lady is the nephew's wife. 18. pas mal d'argent, a good bit of money. Familiar. 19. grande, «r/j/o<:rû://V, not " large." 20. contrat. This is the preliminary of ail marriages in the middle and upper classes of France. The contract fixes the légal and especially the pecuniary relations of the parties, and is usually settled between the parents or the family lawyers, and must be signed and witnessed before a notary public. Hence, the fréquent présence of this personage, especially in the older comedy of intrigue. Cp. Almanach Hachette (1896), p. 512. 28. peur. Note this trait of the old bachelor who finds it natural to shrink from the responsibilities of matrimony even after he begins to be in love.
La Saint-Martin Notes ' Scènes iv,v
Page 78, line 10. de rien de tout, oj no aceount at ail. The phrase originates from such titles as '■^fournissent du roi^'' *' purveyor to His Majesty," and the like. 12. aplomb, assurance, impudence. 19. Sa femme ... sa femme, His wife! . . . that ivife of his. 20. grisette, sewing girl, seamstress, so called from their customary gray dress. Thèse young vvomen enjoyed during the romantic period, to which Briqueville's memory vvould easily and naturally revert, a réputation for facile gayety that would make the term insulting as applied to Adrienne. The grisette has now become a memory. In literature she is best portrayed in Murger's " Vie de bohème," and in Musset's " Mimi Pinson." The Rose Pompon of Sue's " Juif errant " is a more ideahzed vision. 24. lui en vouloir, h%ive a grudge against him. Cp. p. 86, 1. 27, p, loi, 1. 22, and p. iio, 1. I.
Page 79, line 3. S'il, supply " Can you ask," or something équivalent. Sometimes this si is best rendered by " Yes, indeed," though it must not be confounded with si from Latin sic^ as in p. 108, 1. 22. Cp. p. 89, 1. 2. 6. toutes. For the agreement of this adverb, see any grammar, and cp. p. 89, 1. 27. 12. autres, to be translated by accent " we zi/owi?;^," as distinct from "you men."
Page 80, line 4. Qui ça, IVho do you inean by ^' quelqu'un^^ ? 8. A qui en avez-vous, IVhom are you driving at ? or " Whom hâve you in mind? "
Page 81, line 9. veut dire, means. 11. en scène, toward the foot-lights. Cp. p. 67, 1. 4.
Page 82, line 12. pas à vouloir, no right to express a wish. 27. soit, so be it.
Page 83, line i. Que de façons, What a fuss. mon dieu.
Whenever there is a thought of deity D is used in this séries; in
other cases d. French usage varies. 2. dont vous mourez
d'envie, i.e. that you are dying to do. 4. par exemple,
Scènes vi-viii Notes La Saint-Martin
really noiv. Cp. p. 68, 1. 15, anJ p. 104, 1. 28, 19. très
bien, i.e. about my relations.
Page 84, line 4. ne fait rien, doesn't matter. 8. Ah ça, Oh, really! Expostulating. 17. c)i3iS&Q^ hunting-ground.
Page 84, line 4. en étions quittes pour, goi off with. 12. panier. Choice wine is served in this way that it may be decanted without shaking. 29. A la bonne heure, Thafs goocl, or / am glad of that, i.e. that Adrienne is protected from the sun.
Page 86, line 3. précautions infinies, to prevent stirring the sédiment, showing that the wine was old and choice. 16. périmètre, boundaries. 27. m'en vouloir autant, hâve siuh a grudge against vie. Cp. p. 78, 1. 24.
Page 87, line 9. C'a été ça, that wasjust what was. 17. il s'agissait de, // zuas a question of furnishings. 24. boutique, shop. Contemptuous.
Page 88, line 12. épulcher, htdl. Properly "pick over," " clean," especially of vegetables. 20. Tudieu, etc., Good p'acioîis ! what a sudden stroke of love at first sight. 24. temps, pause.
Page 89, line 2. si, par exemple, yes, indeed! 7. malice, archness, not " malice."
Page 90, line 12. viens vous dire, corne in order to tell y ou., or perhaps colloquial for de vous dire., " hâve just told y ou." 22. que, and yet. This construction is common, and yet often troubles beginners. The first conditional is best rendered by " might," the second by " would." Cp. p. 92, 1. 14. 23. mon parti était pris, my mind was made up.
Page 91, line 4. en train, in the humor or in the right mood. 8. That is : / donU care tohether he eats them or not. 1 2. histoire, story., not " history." Cp. p. 109, 1. 9. [125]
La Saint-iViartin Notes Scènes ix-xv
Page 92, line 8. état, social position. 20. nous y revenons, we (i.e. you) are at ow old tricks, " trying the old game," hère, as on p. 1 10, 1. 22.
Page 94, line 11. tient, desires. Cp. p. 108, 1. 11. 13. n'eût pas demandé mieux, would hâve been only too glad. 20. n'ai que taire de, dont tvant, or hâve no use for.
Page 95, line 11. on a beau,- ifs ail very luell, etc. Cp. p. loi, 1. S, and p. 107, 1. 16. 13. fini, i.e. with love. fillette, little girl^ *' lassie.'''
Page 96, line 10. point, degree or extent.
Page 97, line 7. On. Note the archness in the indefinite pronoun for a definite person, which is oftener used in the classical than in the modem comedy. In English it can in most cases be rendered only by tone.
Page 98, line 2, ai envie de, feel like. 5. quelque part, anywhere., or in any place. 12. Les Trois mousquetaires,
see p. 67, 1. 15, and for vvhat follows, p. 76, 1. 4. 14. même jeu, same stage-piay, hère, of course, coquetry.
Page 99, line 27. Le moyen de, How can I?
Page 100, line 6. C'est on ne peut plus simple, It's as simple as can be.
Page ioi, line 2. serait d'être, is that it would be. 9. comme ça, hère yoti knoiv. The phrase is very fréquent in conversation, especially in southern France, and has many intonations and shades of meaning which in print must be inferred from the context. Cp. p. 104, 1. 21.
Page 103, line 17. mari. He is hère first called so, but it should hâve been an open secret to the spectators, at least, from Scène iii (p. 72).
Page 104, line 9. lui, disjunctive nominative, on his own account. 21. comme ça, so unceremoniously. Cp. p. loi, 1. 9. 28. par exemple. See p. 68, 1. 15, and p. 83, 1. 4. [126]
Scènes xvi, xvii Notcs La Saint-Martiii
Page 105, Une 23. Dame, corresponding to the obsolète English "By our Lady," is used chiefly (cp. "Moi," p. 7, 1. 7) by provincial and countiy Catholics. It is simply an intensive, either affirmative or négative, and must be rendered according to the situation. Hère it implies " I couldn't help it."
Page 106, line 3. bourrer, stuff. Inélégant. 5. battu la campagne tant et tant, beat aboiU the bush so much. Familiar. 27. remonte. The word alludes to the slope of the stage. Actors re?7iontent to the /?«^ and descendent to the premier plan or en scène, as p. 108, 1. 2.
Page 107, line 15. bête comme tout, as silly as can be, Familiar. 16. avait beau être bête, tnight be as silly as you please. Cp. p. 95, 1. 12, and p. loi, 1. 8.
Page 108, line 22. Si fait, Yes, indeed ! Strong affirmation.
Page 109, line 20. bien, certainly. allez, of course. Both spoken archly. avais tant envie, /^^Vî^y^w/^o. 27. embrasse. The kiss has been the symbol of reconciliation everywhere and always, but it is well to note that it is more used among friends and relatives in France than with us. The forehead is the chosen site of paternal and avuncular affection, the cheek of fraternal feeling and of close friendship, the lip is reserved for parental and marital relations.
Page 110, line 12. soleil de la Saint-Martin, see note to p. 65. 22. nous y revenons, cp. p. 92, 1. 20. 23. bien. P'or the rest of the scène cp. Scène iv, p. 73. [127]
t^ Banville, Théodore Faullain
2187 de
G7 Gringoire
