Robinson Crusoe — Chapter 20 in French
By Daniel Defoe
Ceci fait, je pris congé d’eux le jour suivant, et m’en allai à bord du navire. Having done all this I left them the next day, and went on board the ship. Nous nous disposâmes immédiatement à mettre à la voile, mais nous n’appareillâmes que de nuit. We prepared immediately to sail, but did not weigh that night. Le lendemain matin, de très-bonne heure, deux des cinq exilés rejoignirent le bâtiment à la nage, et, se plaignant très-lamentablement des trois autres bannis, demandèrent au nom de Dieu à être pris à bord, car ils seraient assassinés. The next morning early, two of the five men came swimming to the ship's side, and making the most lamentable complaint of the other three, begged to be taken into the ship for God's sake, for they should be murdered, and begged the captain to take them on board, though he hanged them immediately. Ils supplièrent le capitaine de les accueillir, dussent-ils être pendus sur-le-champ. À cela le capitaine prétendit ne pouvoir rien sans moi ; mais après quelques difficultés, mais après de leur part une solemnelle promesse d’amendement, nous les reçûmes à bord. Upon this the captain pretended to have no power without me; but after some difficulty, and after their solemn promises of amendment, they were taken on board, and were, some time after, soundly whipped and pickled; after which they proved very honest and quiet fellows.
Ensuite, à marée haute, j’allai au rivage avec la chaloupe chargée des choses promises aux exilés, et auxquelles, à mon intercession, le capitaine avait donné l’ordre qu’on ajoutât leurs coffres et leurs vêtements, qu’ils reçurent avec beaucoup de reconnaissance. Some time after this, the boat was ordered on shore, the tide being up, with the things promised to the men; to which the captain, at my intercession, caused their chests and clothes to be added, which they took, and were very thankful for. Pour les encourager je leur dis que s’il ne m’était point impossible de leur envoyer un vaisseau pour les prendre, je ne les oublierais pas. I also encouraged them, by telling them that if it lay in my power to send any vessel to take them in, I would not forget them.
Quand je pris congé de l’île j’emportai à bord, comme reliques, le grand bonnet de peau de chèvre que je m’étais fabriqué, mon parasol et un de mes perroquets. When I took leave of this island, I carried on board, for relics, the great goat-skin cap I had made, my umbrella, and one of my parrots; also, I forgot not to take the money I formerly mentioned, which had lain by me so long useless that it was grown rusty or tarnished, and could hardly pass for silver till it had been a little rubbed and handled, as also the money I found in the wreck of the Spanish ship. De cette seconde captivité je fus délivré le même jour du mois que je m’étais enfui jadis dans le barco-longo, de chez les Maures de Sallé. Sur ce navire, au bout d’un long voyage, j’arrivai en Angleterre le 11 juin de l’an 1687, après une absence de trente-cinq années. And thus I left the island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account, in the year 1686, after I had been upon it eight-and-twenty years, two months, and nineteen days; being delivered from this second captivity the same day of the month that I first made my escape in the long-boat from among the Moors of Sallee. In this vessel, after a long voyage, I arrived in England the 11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty-five years absent.
Quand j'arrivai en Angleterre, j'étais un parfait étranger pour tout le monde, comme si je n'y avais jamais été connu. When I came to England I was as perfect a stranger to all the world as if I had never been known there. Mon bienfaiteur et fidèle intendant, à qui j'avais confié mon argent en dépôt, vivait encore, mais avait essuyé de grands revers; il était devenu veuve une seconde fois et se trouvait dans une situation fort précaire. My benefactor and faithful steward, whom I had left my money in trust with, was alive, but had had great misfortunes in the world; was become a widow the second time, and very low in the world. ne l'oublierais jamais pour sa bonté passée ; et je ne l'oublia point en effet, quand j'eus de quoi l'aider, comme on le verra en son lieu. I made her very easy as to what she owed me, assuring her I would give her no trouble; but, on the contrary, in gratitude for her former care and faithfulness to me, I relieved her as my little stock would afford; which at that time would, indeed, allow me to do but little for her; but I assured her I would never forget her former kindness to me; nor did I forget her when I had sufficient to help her, as shall be observed in its proper place. Je descendis ensuite dans le Yorkshire; mais mon père était mort, et ma mère et toute la famille éteinte, excepté que je trouvai deux sœurs et deux des enfants d'un de mes frères; et comme on m'avait depuis longtemps donné pour mort, il n'avait été fait aucune disposition en ma faveur; de sorte que, en un mot, je ne trouvai rien pour me soulager ou m'assister; et le peu d'argent que j'avais n'aurait pas suffi pour m'établir dans le monde. I went down afterwards into Yorkshire; but my father was dead, and my mother and all the family extinct, except that I found two sisters, and two of the children of one of my brothers; and as I had been long ago given over for dead, there had been no provision made for me; so that, in a word, I found nothing to relieve or assist me; and that the little money I had would not do much for me as to settling in the world.