Anna Karenina — Chapter 195 in French
By Leo Tolstoy
Lévine arriva au cercle juste au moment où y régnait le plus d’animation. Levin reached the club very punctually. Avec lui arrivaient une foule d’invités et de membres du club. A number of the guests and members arrived there at the same time as he did. Lévine n’était pas venu au club depuis sa sortie de l’université, alors qu’il vivait à Moscou et allait dans le monde. Levin had not been at the club very recently, indeed, not since the time when, having finished his studies at the university, he passed a winter at Moscow, and went into society. Il se rappelait le cercle, certains détails de son installation, mais il avait complètement oublié l’impression qu’il y éprouvait jadis. He remembered the club in a general sort of way, but had entirely forgotten the impressions which, in former days, it had made upon him. Mais dès en entrant dans la vaste cour circulaire, quand il descendit de voiture, gravit le perron et franchit la porte que le suisse ouvrit sans bruit, en saluant, aussitôt qu’il aperçut dans le premier vestiaire les pelisses et les galoches des membres du cercle, qui préféraient enlever leurs galoches en bas que de monter avec, quand il entendit la sonnette mystérieuse qui le précédait et aperçut en haut de l’escalier couvert d’un tapis la statue qui ornait le palier, quand il vit devant la porte le troisième suisse qu’il connaissait, qui sans hâte ni lenteur ouvrait la porte et regardait le nouvel arrivant, Lévine retrouva l’ancienne impression du club, une impression de bien-être et de bonne compagnie. But as soon as he entered the great semicircular dvor, or court, sent away his izvoshchik, and mounted the steps and saw the liveried Swiss noiselessly open the door for him, and bow as he ushered him in; as soon as he saw in the cloak-room the galoshes and shubas of the members, who felt that it was less work to take them off down-stairs, and leave them with the Swiss, than to wear them up-stairs; as soon as he heard the well-known mysterious sound of the bell, and as soon as he mounted the easy flight of carpeted stairs and saw the statue on the landing, and on the upper floor recognized the third Swiss in his club livery, who, having grown older, displayed neither dilatoriness nor haste in opening the door for him, he once more felt the old-time impression of the club—the atmosphere of comfort, ease, and good-breeding.
— Donnez-moi, s’il vous plaît, votre chapeau, dit le suisse à Lévine, qui avait oublié l’obligation de laisser son chapeau dans l’antichambre. "Your hat, if you please," said the Swiss to Levin, who had forgotten the rule of the club to leave hats at the cloak-room.
Il y a longtemps que vous n’êtes venu. "It's a long time since you were here," said the Swiss. Le prince vous a inscrit hier. "The prince wrote to you yesterday. Le prince Stépan Arkadiévitch n’est pas encore arrivé. Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch has not come yet."
Le suisse connaissait non seulement Lévine, mais ses parents et ses amis, et il lui parlait aussitôt de toutes les personnes de sa connaissance. The Swiss knew not only Levin, but all his connec- tions and family, and took pleasure in reminding him of his relationships.