441Vous avez tué? ... voyez plutôt:'killed any? Oh, yes--some--just take a look for yourself.' Withpas mal'not badly' cf.j'ai tué pas mal de bécasses'I killed quite a number of woodcocks.'
447c'est des tout petits:popular force sont, cf.9026.
4411en resta planté:'stood rooted (to the spot)', cf. note to1231En=de cela, 'at all this', cf. note to819.
4415se faisaient:'were becoming', cf. note to523.
4428Sous ... étoiles:'in the dim starlight'--leur ombrecf. note to2911.
Return to page 44
458en 1ui tirant la patte:en tirant la patte au chevreau, cf.lui faisant battre le coeur5316.
4513que le lion l'entendît:colloquial omission ofne, which is regularly used with verbs of fearing, avoiding, etc, egj'ai peur qu'il ne vienne'I fear that he may come.'
4515de plus belle:cf. note to818.
4519Cela se baissait ... s'arrêtait net:an admirable description
4521a n'en pas douter:'no doubt of it!' cf. note to22.
4524En joue! feu!:'aim! fire!'Mettre(coucher)en joue un fusil= 'to aim a gun'Mettre(coucher)en joue quelque chose= 'to aim at a thing.'
4529Il en a!'he has (caught) it!' 'he's hit!' LIT. 'he has some.'
4530en avait ... compte:'had more than it wanted.'
Return to page 45
467venir a bout de:'come to (the) end of' 'succeed'.
468Il eut beau s'escrimer:onavoir beaucf. note to119.Escrimer= 'to fence,'s'escrimer= 'to exert oneself.'
469ne s'ouvrit pas:cf. note to523.
4611De guerre lasse:forde guerre las'tired of struggling.' Finalswas pronounced in Old French, after it was no longer pronounced in most words it still continued to be sounded inlasin the expressionde guerre lasbecause of the presence of the feminineguerrewhence the erroneous spellinglasse.
4612dessus:adverb, cf. note to16.
4619artichauts:the true or globe artichoke (not to be confounded with the Jerusalem artichoke) resembles a large thistle, and hence is well adapted to give the impression described in4426-27.
4624bastides, bastidons:Provençalbastido= 'country house,' 'villa', Provençalbastidounis the diminutive, = 'little villa,' 'cottage.'
Return to page 46
476parbleu!euphemistic forpardieu, transl. 'of course!'
478bourriquots:cf. Engl.burro, which is borrowed from the Spanish Frenchbourrique'she ass' comes from the Provençalbourric'donkey' (Latinburricusa kind of small horse.)
4711tout à la pitié:'entirely one of pity', cf.7930.
4716tout ce que ... touchant:'the most touching thing you could imagine.'
4718avait ... vie:'had two farthings' worth of life left in him',liard, an ancient coin worth a quarter of a sou (i.e. of a cent), is usually translated 'farthing.'
4723Noiraud:'Blacky,' a pet name often given to animals.
4728en marmotte:'with a kerchief tied over her head.' This use of the wordmarmotteis derived from the fact that Savoyard women who formerly traveled about the country with marmots (cf. note to7427) employed this form of head covering.
Return to page 47
481réclamant ... Mustapha:'shouting for her donkey till all the echos of Mustapha rang.'Réclamer à= 'to demand from.'
486tarterfle:corruption of Germander Teufel'the devil.' German was the language generally used by the Alsatian peasants before the war, though their sympathies were French (cf. note to437) See "La Dernière Classe" and some of the other stories in "Contes du lundi."
4811Va te promener!lit. 'go take a walk!' transl. 'much good it did him!'--sa vigueur le prouvait bien'her vigor proved it (that she was deaf) conclusively.' 'To strike like a deaf person,'frapper comme un sourd, is said of one who uses the cudgel energetically and wildly, as if he did not hear the laments of his victim.
4817l'on s'entendit:cf. note to1629.
4821douros:say 'dollars' or 'cash.' A duro is a Spanish coin whose par value is now five francs, before 1871, a trifle more.
4826a deux lieues:cf. note to48.
Return to page 48
491Ah! ben! merci:'ah, indeed! no, thank you!'Ben(pronounced likebain) is popular forbien Merciin answer to a question (e.g. "will you have some more meat?") means "no, thank you!" Contrast English 'thank you,' which usually expresses assent--pourquoi faire?cf. note to3821.
497banlieue:distinguishbanlieue, 'suburbs' in the sense now usual, the district of country surrounding a city and full of dependent villages, fromfaubourgs, 'suburbs' in the older sense, forming a continuous mass of houses with the main city, andun village(orune ville)de(la)banlieuefromun faubourg. Cf. note to432.
498comme on en voit:cf. note to3217--rameau:a branch hung out was used formerly and is still used to a certain extent as the sign of a country inn, of the English proverb "good wine needs no bush."
4911Au Rendez-vous des lapins:'The Rabbits' Headquarters.' The original expressionà l'enseigne de, 'at the sign of,' became by ellipsisaplus the article, which takes the gender and number of the noun following e.g.à la Belle jardinière, aux Armes de France.
4912O Bravida, quel souvenir!cf.97.
4913de quoi:cf. note to107.
4914ne se laissent pas abattre:cf. note to725.
4924il faisait un soleil, une poussière:fairemay be used in almost any expression concerning the weather;faire chaud, du soleil, du vent, de la poussière,etc. Here, 'it was so terribly hot, so dusty.'
4925d'un lourd:'frightfully heavy', adjective used as an abstract noun, of such English usages as 'of a decided red.' On the suppression cf. note to1521.
Return to page 49
507fusils rayés à doubles canons:cf. note to1432. To rifle (rayer) a gun is to cut spiral grooves in the barrel.
508complet:French law requires that only a certain number of passengers be carried on omnibuses. When this number is reached the omnibus is said to becomplet, 'filled.'
5014Abd-el-Kader:the great leader of Algerian resistance to the French conquest. He surrendered in 1847, was carried to France as a prisoner by a breach of faith, was released in 1852 on his oath to make no more trouble, went to Damascus and lived there till his death in 1883, using his influence in favor of the French. (Note that he was alive when "Tartarin" was published.)
5019de toute la route:'during the whole ride,' 'all the way.'
5021k'hol:'kohl,' a powder used in the Orient from ancient times, particularly to darken the eyes, thus making them seem larger and more oblong.
5032Que faire?'what was he to do?'
Return to page 50
513aux mains des:'into the hands of the.'
517s'ouvraient tout grands:'opened wide', cf.4214.
5110à l'entrée de:'at the beginning of.'
5114en se levant:'as she rose.'
5115qu'il l'effleura de son haleine:lit. 'that it (le visage) touched him lightly with its breath', transl. 'that he felt her breath sweep lightly over him.'
5117prêt à tout:'ready for anything.'
5118buffleteries:'belts' (of a soldier's outfit), 'strappings.'Buffle, masculine, = 'buffalo' or 'buff leather.'
5120de:'with',jeter de= 'to throw with', cf.6910.
5128De quelques jours encore:'for a few days yet.'
Return to page 51
527pied de trappeur:transl. 'hunting boot.'
528se parfume:cf. note to523.
529quoi qu'il fasse:'whatever he does,' i.e. despite all his efforts.
5210Maugrabine:'Maghrebi girl' Maghreb is the Arabic name of the western part of the north coast of Africa.
5213il n'y a qu'un Tarasconnais ... capable:lit. 'there is only a Tarasconian capable', transl. 'only a Tarasconian would be capable.'
5217se ressemblent:'look alike', cf. note to72 --ces dames:cf. note to1613--ne sortent guère:'rarely leave their homes',sortir= 'to go out,' 'to leave the house.'
5218ville haute:cf. note to3727.
5225Teurs ... forbans:'fierce Turks with pirate like heads', cf. note to15.
5229cité:'city.' This term, in English as well as in French, is applied in some cases to the oldest portion of a city, e.g. 'the City' of London, 'the City' of Paris.
Return to page 52
533janissaires:'janizaries,' the standing army of Turkey till 1826; a corps of most turbulent history, full of lawless arrogance toward civilians and Christians. The janizaries of Algiers became independent in 1669, and dominated the pirate commonwealth.
535Huit jours durant:'for a whole week.'Durant, 'during,' is emphatic when it follows its noun, cf.617.
536faire le pied de grue:'stand and wait,' lit. to stand like a crane (i.e. on one foot.)
537ces dames:cf. note to1613.
539quitter ... bottes:shoes must be taken off (which is easy with Oriental shoes) before one enters a Mohammedan sacred place. Cf. Exodus III, 5.
5311s'en revenait:Cf.s'en aller174,s'en retourner28.
5315tambours de basque:'tambourines,' called 'Biscayan drums' because generally seen in the northern (Biscayan, Basque) provinces of Spain.
5319poterne:'postern,' a back door, and then, by extension, any small door.
5323Tenons-nous bien:a phrase of warning to be on guard and ready, transl. 'ware Turks!'--Il: cf. note to423.
Return to page 53
541Il y avait ... cherchait:'for two long weeks the luckless Tartarin had been seeking.'
544Voici:'here is (how it happened).'
546ni plus ni moins que l'Opéra:'just as the Opera does.' TheOpérais the famous Opera House in Paris, where a great masked ball is given every year.
547de province:'provincial' All France outside of Paris is disdainfully designated by Parisians asla province. Withprovincedo not confuseProvence(cf. note to1327)--Peu de monde:'few people.'
548Bullier ... Casino:Parisian dance-halls--vierges folles:'frail sisters.' In the French version of the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew xxv, 1-12) the foolish virgins are calledvierges folles.
549chicards:'dandies'--debardeurs:men who unload wood, 'stevedores.' Conventionalized dandy and stevedore costumes were made popular as early as the thirties by the clever cartoonist Gavarni and were seen at all masked balls. The reference here is to frequenters of Parisian masked balls who have found it advisable to leave France (en déroute) and have carried their costumes with them.
5410se lancent:'are launching out,' = 'are getting started,' i.e. in a disreputable life.
5412Le vrai coup d'oeil:'the real spectacle',coup d'oeil= 'glance,' and hence 'view' such as may be taken in all at once.
5415tapis verts:the green coverings of the gaming tables--turcos:'Turcos,' native soldiers of the French army in Algeria.
5416prêt:'pay' of non commissioned officers and soldiers, calledprêt(cf.prêter'to lend') because advanced to them before it is due.
5418l'argent d'une charrue:'the price of a plow.'
5420trouble:adjective.
5429la barbe de Père éternel:le Père éternelis, of course, God. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance did not scruple to represent him in sculpture and painting. Transl. 'with a long white beard.'
Return to page 54
557la garde qui monte:'the guard coming up.' Note that a French relative clause is often to be rendered by a present participle in English e g,je l'entends qui frappe'I hear him knocking.' Cf.610,6418,689.
558ces saturnales:'this saturnalia' The Roman festival of Saturn was a penod of riotous license--était venu s'égarer: 'had come straying', cf.9319.
5510s'en allait:forallait, cf. note to174.
5513M'sieu:indicates by the spelling the usual pronunciation ofMonsieur.
5515Après?'Well, what have you to say?'
5517Je ne demande pas mieux:'I don't ask (anything) better,' 'that's exactly what I should like to know.'
5525algarade:a word borrowed from the Spanish, the root being Arabic. It was originally a military expression meaning a raid, but now is used more or less jocularly for a wordy attack. Transl. 'dispute.'
5526Me voilà bien avancé:'I'm much farther along,' 'I'm much the wiser' (sarcastically).
5528ça:=cela, 'that,' 'the thing Gregory du Montenegro,' contemptuous when used of persons, cf.6932.
5530préince:Tartarin's Southern pronunciation ofprince.
Return to page 55
561Allons!'well!' cf. note to3618--Partagez-vous... question:the officer in disgust bids the prince and Tartarin to divide between them the twenty francs that are missing and let the matter drop.
562qu'il n'en soit plus question:'let's have no more talk about it', cf. note to423.
566j'en fais mon affaire:'I'll attend to this.'
5612Barbarin:when this work first appeared in serial form Tartarin was called "Barbarin." The name was changed when Daudet discovered that a family named Barbarin was living at Tarascon. See Introduction. The wordtartarinmeans the sacred or Arabian baboon.
5613souffla:'prompted.'Souffler, 'to blow,' 'to breathe,' in theatrical parlance means 'to prompt.'Le souffleuris 'the prompter.'
5614Entre ... mort:'between us now it's a compact for life and death!'
5617Vous pensez:cf. note to46.
5621terrasses:cf. note to642.
5622salade russe:'Russian salad,' a heavy fish and vegetable salad.
5625frisé au petit fer:'with finely curled hair.'Friser au fer= 'to curl with an iron.'
5626rasé à la pierre ponce:'very closely shaven.' Pumice stone has from ancient times been used by the effeminate for smoothing the skin.
5627lui donnait un faux air de:'made him look like', lit. 'gave him a false air of.'
5628Mazarin:Giulio Mazarini (1602-1661), an Italian who became cardinal, and prime minister under Louis XIII and Louis XIV, talked French with an Italian accent. He wore the mustache and slight beard usual at that period.
5629les langues latines:pompously forla langue latine--à tout propos:'apropos of everything,' 'at every opportunity'--Tacite:'Tacitus' (54-140 A.D.), the famous latin historian.
5630Horace(64-8 B.C.) the Latin lyric poet--Commentaires:the histories of the wars of Julius Caesar written by himself, with supplements by his officers, bear the Latin titleCommentarii, i.e. 'Notebooks.'
5631héréditaire:transl. 'noble.'
5632depuis:adverb, 'since then', cf. note to16.
5633en Altesse philosophe:'in the role of philosophizing noble'; cf. note to520.
Return to page 56
577bon:'good natured,' 'kindly,' not 'good.'
5711On but sec:'they drank hard.'Boire secmeans to drink pure wine, without the usual admixture of water.
5712au Monténégro libre:Montenegrin independence was frequently menaced by Turkey during the nineteenth century. In 1862, as a result of a short but disastrous war, Montenegro had been forced to sign a humiliating treaty of peace in which she virtually acknowledged the suzerainty of Turkey. Daudet was in Africa in 1861-1862, gathering materials out of which "Tartarin" grew. It is possible that he met there the prototype of Gregory brooding over the disgrace of his country, or, at least, pretending to do so. However, the character of the prince and the information given in5631 ff lead us to suppose that in Gregory's mind "a free Montenegro" means a Montenegro free from the existing constitutional authorities, rather than free from Turkish domination.
5714qu'on secoue:'being shaken,' cf. note to557.
5718Parlez-moi des:'just trust'--lever ... la caille.'start the game.' The usual expression islever le lièvre'to start the hare,' 'to uncover something hidden.' A loose woman is sometimes calledcaille('quail'),caille coiffée, hence the substitution ofcailleforlièvre.
5720aux Platanes:=au restaurant des Platanes, cf.5620.
Return to page 57
584Bon!'that's nothing!'--vous n'êtes pas homme:'you are not the sort of man.'
585on ... à bout de:'we'll perhaps be able to dispose of', cf. note to467.
586lui achetant:cf. note to527--Allons:'come now!' cf. notes to3618,561.
5812Écrire ... simplement:'just write to the lady.'
5818à mesure:'as you go along', cf. note to3325.
5819que de bontés:lit. 'how many kindnesses!' transl. 'how good you are!' Cf. note to1024.
5823Fort heureusement que:cf. note to412.
5826Lamartine(Alphonse, 1790 1869) famous French poet, prose writer, and statesman. His "Voyage en Orient" is the record of his travels in 1832-1833.
5827Cantique des Cantiques:the 'Song of Songs,' or 'Song of Solomon,' full of the Oriental phraseology of passion.
5828qu'il se pût voir:(=pût se voir) 'that could be seen,' 'that ever was seen', cf. notes to423 (ilimpersonal),523 (se voir, reflexive with passive force).
Return to page 58
597Allons:plain imperative, not the exclamation cf.586.
5915l'espérer:for thislecf. note to2518.
5916du reste:'besides.'
5929casse-tête à pointes:'war club with spikes', cf. note to220.
5932le haut de la ville:=la ville haute(3727).
Return to page 59
605cour intérieure:Oriental houses are built in the form of a hollow square, the house surrounding the courtyard on all sides.
608plus forte:'stouter.'
609ne fit que traverser:'did no more than pass through,' 'merely passed through.'
6013sous les ramages ... fleurs:'under the figures of her flowered dress'--laissant deviner:cf. note to723.
6014friande à point:'dainty to the point of perfection.'
6015ronde de partout:'round all over'--narghile:'nargile,' a Turkish pipe in which the smoke is drawn through water, a hookah.
6016toute:'entirely.'
60chapter headingSidi:among the Mohammedans a title of respect, when addressed to a foreigner, about equivalent to Mr--ben:Arabic, 'son of' 'Tartarin son of Tartarin.'
6024à la veillée:'at the gossiping hour'Veillée= a sitting up at night for work or pleasure, especially to tell stories.
6028voici ... déjà:'already several years ago,' 'several years have already passed since then.'
6029dame du cru:'native girl', cf. note to266.
Return to page 60
612n'est autre que:'is no other than.'
614Qu'est-ce que vous voulez:'what can you expect?' lit. 'what do you wish?' Cf.7518.
617durant:cf. note to535.
619Annibal à Capoue:'Hannibal at Capua.' After the battle of Cannae (216 B.C.) in which the Roman army was overwhelmed, Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, instead of following up his success, retired for the winter into Capua, where his army was demoralized by the enervating influences of the luxury loving city. Livy makes this to have been the cause of Hannibal's failure--a view now generally discredited.
6115confitures au musc:'preserves perfumed with musk.'
6119se faisait des mines:'made grimaces to herself.'
6123avait tout le temps de:'had plenty of time to.'
Return to page 61
622la ville européenne:the part of the city inhabited by Europeans, as distinguished fromla ville haute3727, the Moorish quarter.
629on ne peut plus satisfait:'perfectly satisfied', lit. 'one cannot (be) more satisfied.'
6212il suffisait d'un regard:'a glance was enough', cf.il suffit d'un képi(7715) 'a military cap is enough.'
6214Circe.'Circe,' the enchantress, who by means of a potion transformed the companions of Ulysses into swine (Odyssey x).
6221se trouvaient être:'proved to be', cf. note to1322.
6224tous:pronoun, for pronunciation cf. note to2013.
6226lui gagnaient son argent:'won his money from him.'
6229le Prophète:Mohammed It is common in European literature to represent Mohammedans as paying to Mohammed the same sort of worship as Catholics pay to the highest saints. Cf. note to838.
6231leur ... et:'their white housetop which', lit. 'their terrace ... which acted as roof to the house and'Terrasseis any artificial level place for spending time outdoors, whether a terrace or a flat roof such as characterizes Oriental architecture, cf. the less familiar meanings ofterracein English.
Return to page 62
631en s'échelonnant:'in tiers', cf.413.
634s'égrenait ... ciel:'was diffused gently note by note through the sky.'Égrener= 'to strip' grain from the head, grapes from the bunch--minaret:the tower of a mosque. See next note.
635muezzin:an officer of a Mohammedan mosque who calls the faithful to prayer by crying from the top of the minaret. Since the minaret is high and from the top the muezzin has a view of the roofs of the houses where the Mohammedan women spend a great deal of the time, blind men are sought for this office--découpant ... dans:'his white shadow standing out against.'
636chantant la gloire d'Allah:cf. note to921.
6312une sainte Thérèse d'Orient:'an oriental St Theresa' St-Theresa (1515-1582) was one of Spain's greatest mystic poets.
63chapter headingOn ... Tarascon.'our Tarascon correspondent writes us.'
6317Par:cf. note to1022.
6318tout seulet:'in solitary ease'Seulet, femseulette, diminutive ofseul(cf. note to3327) The masculine is rarely used.
6319en spartene:'of esparto cloth,' woven from esparto, a Spanish grass much used in the manufacture of mats, baskets, hats, ropes, etc.
6320cédrats:'cedrats,' an especially fragrant citron (not melon).
6321balin-balan:Provençal, 'swaying.'
6322s'en allait:cf. note to174.
6327Hé! monstre de sort:cf. note to112--on dirait monsieur Tartarin:transl. 'if that doesn't look like Mr Tartarin!'
Return to page 63
642sur la porte de.=sur la terrasse detransl. 'in front of.' Tables are spread on the sidewalk in front of French restaurants and cafes in fine weather.
644He! adieu:cf. note to137.
646le voilà parti à rire:'he burst out laughing.'
649Qué:Provençal forquel.
6411Marco:a Provençal feminine noun, henceoinstead ofaMarca.
6415D'où sortez-vous donc:'where under the sun do you come from?' (that you are so credulous)./p>
6418qui s'allongeait:cf. note to557.
6420Mettons:'let's say.'
6421voyez-vous:'see here.'
6424sa moue:cf.311-14,3910.
6427faire dire:cf. note to725--au pays:'at home'Pays= native) 'country,' 'province,' or 'district.'La France(la Provence, Tarascon)est mon pays.Cf. note to116.
6428collègue:= Provençalcoulego'colleague,' 'comrade.'
6430quelques pipes:'a few pipefuls'--vous fera du bien:'will do you good', contrastferez bienwithoutdu, line 22.
Return to page 64
654jurons du cru:'oaths of his native land', cf. note to266.
655là-has:'over there' in Provence.
6511lui sauta aux yeux:cf. note to1225.
6514n'a ... depuis:'has not been heard from for', lit. 'has not given of his news since.'
6515Qu'est devenu:'what has become of?' lit. 'what has become?' Cf. note to937.
6523Tombouctou:'Timbuktu,' the most famous city of central Africa, a French possession since 1893, in Tartarin's time only three Europeans had ever reached it, and one of these was killed two days after he left the city.
6524garde:subjunctive.
Return to page 65
666Le temps d'inspecter ... et l'intrépide:transl. 'only a moment to inspect ... and the bold.'
667écrire deux mots:=écrire un mot'to write a line.'
6610la route de Blidah:'the Blidah road.' Blidah is a city about twenty five miles southwest of Algiers. Ondecf. note to15.
6612babouches:Turkish slippers, made of colored leather, without heels--défroque:'cast offs', properly, the possessions which a monk leaves behind at his death, then, by extension, what is abandoned disdainfully.
6613trèfles:'trefoils,' an ornamental foliation consisting of three divisions, or foils (architectural term).
Return to page 66
672gros bleu:=bleu foncé, 'dark blue.'
674moxas:'blisters.' The wordmoxa(originally Japanese) in English or French means a wad of cottony substance laid on any part of the body and set on fire for the purpose of counter irritation, its use is now out of date. In French the word may also mean the burn thus produced on the skin.
675rotonde:properly, 'rotunda,' a round building surmounted by a cupola; then, also, the 'back compartment' of a stage coach.
677dut se contenter de:'had to content himself with'; cf.8014,8814. See note to210.
6710Il y avait de tout un peu:=il y avait un peu de tout. Il y avait de touthas about the same meaning--trappiste:'Trappist' (monk). The abbey of La Trappe, from which this austere order takes its name, was founded in 1140 in the department of the Orne (northwestern France).
6712Orléansville:a city on the Sheliff, a hundred and thirty miles southwest of Algiers.--si charmante ... que fût la compagnie:'however charming the company was.' Cf. note to46.
6713n'était pas en train de:'was not in the mood for.' Cf.je ne suis pas en train de travailler'I don't feel like working,'je suis en train de travailler(cf.184) 'I am (busy) working.'
6715brassière:the 'arm-strap' of the carriage; more commonly, the strap by which a knapsack or similar article is held.
Return to page 67
688les flancs ... qui se plaignaient:cf. note to551.
6810vieille fée:read "Les Fées de France" in "Contes du lundi."
6818Joncquières(usually spelledJonquières),Bellegarde:small towns across the river from Tarascon, on the road to Nîmes.
6819remis:more colloquial than reconnu.
6820du corps que vous avez pris:'of the flesh you have taken on.'
6821coquin de bon sort:cf. note to112.
6824Mais enfin:'But, tell me.'
6827gré:a noun, 'liking,' used almost exclusively in prepositional phrases (de bon gré'willingly,'à son gré'to his liking,' and the like; cf.malgré) and insavoir gré à quelqu'un'to be grateful to a person':je lui sais gré de m'avoir aidé.Latingratum'that which is pleasing.'
6831réactionnaires:'reactionary.' This word means little to an American, but France has constantly been talking, more or less seriously, of reactions to previously existing states of affairs, as from republic to monarchy.
6832à mener:cf.à lire1022--une vie de galère:'the life of (such as one leads on) a galley,' 'a galley-slave's life', cf. note to15.
6833chemins de fer algériens:there were no railroads in Algeria when Daudet visited it in 1861, but between this year and 1872, when "Tartarin" appeared, several hundred miles of tracks had been constructed.
Return to page 68
692que je le regrette:'how I long for it.'Regretter= 'to regret,' 'to regret the loss or the absence of' a thing, hence 'to long for' a thing. For the anticipatorylecf. note to325.
694il fallait me voir:cf. note to243.
695vernissées a neuf:'varnished so that they shone like new.'
698sur l'air de:'to the tune of.'--Lagadigadeou(pronouncedèou): the refrain of Desanat's version of Tarascon's most popular song may be translated as follows:Lagadigadeou, la Tarasque--La Tarasque du Château--Un air de lagadeou--Qui résonne(resounds)à tout rompre(cf. note to22)avec son tapage.Notre-Dame du Château is a place of pilgrimage near Tarascon.Lagadigadeouis meanmgless. For theTarasquecf. note to325. For this song as a Provençal carter's song, see F.Gras, "The Terror," ch xxxiii.
699que:cf. note to51.
6910jetant d'un tour de bras:'throwing with a swing'; ofà tour de bras'with all one's might'; cf. note to5120.
6912allume:exclamation serving to encourage horses: 'quick, now!'
6915détaler:the opposite ofétaler(cf. note to3722), = 'to bring in goods exposed for sale,' 'to shut up shop,' and figuratively, in familiar discourse, 'to dash away,' 'scurry along'; cf.9413.--grande route royale:'king's highway.'
6917bornes kilométriques:'milestones' or rather 'kilometer-stones.' --ses petits tas ... espacés:'its little heaps of stones at regular intervals'; broken stone for repairing the road.
6921maires:'mayors,' presiding officers of communes (cf. note to1714).
6922préfet ... evêque:Nîmes is the chief city of the department (cf. note to1714) of the Gard, and therefore the seat of the prefect. It is also the seat of a bishop.
6923mazet:Provençal diminutive ofmas; = 'little country house.'--collégiens:'schoolboys.' The Frenchcollège(also thelycée) carries students from the beginning of their studies through a course which corresponds roughly to that completed in the second year of the American college.
6924tout frais rasés du matin:'all (adverb, =quite) freshly shaved that morning.'
6925vous ... casquettes:transl. 'all of you gentlemen, the caphunters.'
6927la vôtre:i.e.votre romance, cf. pages 6-7.
6930Bédouins:nomadic Arabs in northern Africa and Arabia.
6932tout cela:cf. note to5528.
6933auquel ... rien:cf.je ne comprends rien à tout cela'I don't understand any of that.'
Return to page 69