Anna Karenina — Chapter 111 in French
By Leo Tolstoy
Tous, sauf Lévine et Kitty, prenaient part à la conversation. All took part in the general conversation except Kitty and Levin.
D’abord, quand on parla de l’influence qu’un peuple a sur un autre, Lévine, malgré lui, se rappela les opinions qu’il avait sur ce sujet. At first, when they were talking about the influence of one people over another, Levin recalled what he had to say on this subject; but his thoughts, which at one time had seemed to him very important, simply flashed through his mind like notions in a dream, and now had not the least interest for him; he even thought it strange that people could trouble themselves about such useless questions.
De son côté, Kitty, semblait-il, aurait dû s’intéresser à la discussion sur les droits et sur l’instruction des femmes : souvent elle y avait réfléchi en songeant à son amie de l’étranger, Varenka, qui se trouvait dans une si pénible dépendance ; souvent aussi elle avait pensé à elle-même et au sort qui lui était réservé si elle ne se mariait pas ; combien de fois enfin n’en avait-elle pas parlé avec sa sœur ! Kitty, for her part, ought to have been interested in what was said about women's rights and education. How many times had she pondered over these subjects as she remembered her friend Varenka, whose dependence was so hard to bear! How many times had she thought what she herself would do in case she should not marry! How often had she disputed with her sister on the subject! À ce moment cependant cela ne l’intéressait nullement. But now it did not interest her in the least.
Elle causait en particulier avec Lévine et ce n’était pas seulement une conversation, mais une sorte de rapprochement mystérieux qui, à chaque moment, les unissait davantage et faisait naître en eux un sentiment de crainte mêlé de joie devant l’inconnu où ils entraient. She and Levin had their own talk, and yet it was not a conversation so much as it was a mysterious affinity, which brought them nearer and nearer to each other, and filled them with a joyful timidity before the unknown which they were about to enter.