3.Chéri: Dear one.
4.croquignoles: Crunchy cookies.
5.Mon bébé, mon bébé, mon Chéri!: My baby, my baby, my dear one.
6.Oh, P’tit Maître! P’tit Maître! Venez donc! Au secours! Au secours!: Oh, Little Master, Little Master, Come quick! Help! Help!
7.Bon Dieu, ayez pitié La Folle! Bon Dieu, ayez pitié moi!: Good God, have mercy on La Folle! Good God, have mercy on me!
8.tisane: Herb tea.
The Return of Alcibiade
1.À la fin! mon fils! à la fin!: At last, my son, at last!
2.chapelet: Rosary.
3.il est malin, oui: He’s shrewd, he is.
4.grif: The child of a mulatto and a black person.
5.aux truffes: Stuffed with truffles.
6.Robert McFarlane: Chopin’s character—here and in her early novel At Fault—resembles Robert McAlpin, who once owned a plantation in northern Louisiana and who, according to tradition, was the inspiration for the character Simon Legree in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
7.négrillon: Black boy.
A Rude Awakening
1.Malédiction!: Damn!
2.ma fille: My daughter.
3.Les Chêniers: The oak grove.
4.mulâtresse: Mulatto woman.
The Bênitous’ Slave
1.extinguisher fashion: As a protection.
Désirée’s Baby
1.L’Abri: The Shelter.
2.corbeille: Wedding presents (from the groom to the bride).
3.cochon de lait: Piglet.
4.Mais si, Madame: Yes, indeed, Madam.
5.La Blanche: The white woman (the name apparently was given to the slave because of her light complexion).
6.Négrillon: Black boy.
7.peignoir: Robe or dressing gown.
8.layette: Baby’s clothing.
A Turkey Hunt
1.Polisson: The naughty one.
Madame Célestin’s Divorce
1.Watteau fold: A fold of the type worn by women in paintings by the eighteenth-century French painter Antoine Watteau.
2.pourtant: Furthermore.
3.je vous garantis: I give you my word, I assure you.
4.empressement: Eagerness.
Love on the Bon-Dieu
1.josie: Girl’s jacket.
2.Nid d’Hibout: Owl’s nest.
3.poudre de riz: Powder.
4.canaille: Low, dishonest.
5.endimanchés: Dressed up (for Sunday mass).
6.Tranquiline: The quiet one.
7.garde manger: Pantry.
Loka
1.Ma foi: Well.
2.Vrai sauvage ça: A true savage, this one.
3.une pareille sauvage: Such a savage.
4.Pas possible: It’s not possible.
5.canaille: Low, dishonest.
6.Non, non, ma femme: No, no, my wife.
Boulôt and Boulotte
1.Boulôt and Boulotte: The plump ones (boy and girl).
For Marse Chouchoute
1.Chouchoute: Dear one, sweet one.
2.v’là: Here is.
3.Bon-à-rien: Good for nothing.
4.Old Harry: The devil.
5.Buffalo Bill: William Frederick Cody, a scout and showman who in 1883 organized Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
A Visit to Avoyelles
1.Cher Maître!: Dear Lord.
2.en passant: On his way.
3.encore!: Still.
4.allez!: You know.
5.Non, j’te garantis!: No, I can assure you.
6.’Tit sauvage, va!: You little savage.
A Wizard from Gettysburg
1.Bon-Accueil: Welcome.
2.mé-mère: Grandmother.
Ma’ame Pélagie
1.Côte Joyeuse: Happy Coast.
2.Sesoeur: Sister.
3.La Petite: The little one.
4.Seigneur: Lord.
5.Tan’tante: Aunt.
6.Il ne faut pas faire mal à Pauline: We can’t let Pauline get hurt.
7.la guerre: War.
8.Sumter: Fort Sumter, at the entrance to the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina; site of the first military engagement of the Civil War.
9.La Ricaneuse: The sniggering one.
10.Adieu, adieu!: Farewell.
At the ’Cadian Ball
1.C’est Espagnol, ça: She’s Spanish.
2.Bon chien tient de race: French proverb: “Children take after their parents.” The sense is derogative here, as it usually is when applied to women.
3.Tiens, cocotte, va! Espèce de lionèse, prends ça, et ça!: Take this, you bitch! You lioness, take this, and that!
4.volante: Loose-fitting women’s garment.
5.nénaine: Godmother.
6.Ah, Sainte Vierge! faut de la patience! butor, va!: Holy Mary! One needs to be patient! You’re a disgrace!
7.John L. Sulvun: John L. Sullivan, American boxing champion.
8.le parc aux petits: The little ones’ room.
9.Ces maudits gens du raiderode: These people from the railroad.
10.brave homme: A good man.
11.chic, mais chic: Classy, really classy.
12.Boulanger: French general and minister of war who between 1887 and 1889 presented a threat for the recently established French Republican regime.
13.planté là: Planted there.
14.Ah, c’est vous, Calixta? Comment ça va, mon enfant?: It’s you, Calixta? How are you, my child?
15.Tcha va b’en; et vous, mam’zélle?: I’m fine. And you, miss?
16.Bonté divine!: Good God!
17.Ah Dieu sait!: God knows!
18.le bal est fini: The ball has ended.
La Belle Zoraïde
1.marais: Swamp.
2.Lisett’ to kité la plaine,
Mo perdi bonhair à moué;
Ziés à moué semblé fontaine,
Dépi mo pa miré toué.
Lisette has left,
I’ve lost my happiness;
My eyes are like fountains,
Since I can’t look at you.
3.corbeille: Wedding presents for the bride.
4.nénaine: Godmother.
5.le beau Mézor: Handsome Mézor.
6.Bon Dieu Seigneur: Good Lord God.
7.Malheureuse: Poor wretch.
8.Zoraïde, mo l’aime toi: Zoraïde, I love you.
9.Place d’Armes: A main square.
10.griffe: The child of a mulatto and a black person.
11.Zoraïde la folle: Zoraïde the mad woman.
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
1.comme ça: Like this.
A Lady of Bayou St. John
1.marais: Swamp.
2.M’amie: My friend.
3.triste: Sad.
4.cher ami: Dear friend.
5.mon ami: My friend.
6.bon voyage: A good journey.
A NIGHT IN ACADIE
A Night in Acadie
1.baignés: Doughnuts.
2.Nonc: Uncle.
3.nuque: Nape.
4.J’ vous réponds!: I tell you.
5.toile-cirée: Oilcloth.
6.Ah, b’en, pour ça!: Really!
7.piment rouge and piment vert: Red and green peppers.
8.Vaux mieux y s’méle ces affairs, lui; si non!: He would do better minding his own business, or else!
9.Tiens! t’es pareille comme ain mariée, Zaïda: You look just like a bride, Zaïda.
10.Tiens! c’est vous?: Is it you?
11.C’est toi qui s’y connais, ma fille! ’cré tonnerre!: You really are the best, my girl! By God!
12.Ah, b’en oui!: Oh, yes!
13.têtes-de-mulets: Stubborn mules.
14.bois-gras: Wood.
Athénaïse
1.rigolet de Bon Dieu: The Bon Dieu river.
2.C’est pas Chrétien, ténez!: This is not Christian, you know!
3.Juanita: A song by Caroline Norton, set to an old Spanish air:
Soft o’er
the fountain, ling’ring falls the southern moon,
Far o’er the mountain, breaks the day too soon!
In thy dark eyes’ splendor, where the warm light loves to dwell.
Weary looks, yet tender, speak their fond farewell.
Nita! Juanita! Ask thy soul if we should part!
Nita! Juanita! Lean thou on my heart.
When in thy dreaming, moons like these shall shine again,
And daylight beaming, prove thy dreams are vain;
Wilt thou not relenting, for thine absent lover sigh?
In thy heart consenting to a prayer gone by?
Nita! Juanita! Let me linger by thy side!
Nita! Juanita! Be my own Fair Bride.
4.Cochon! sacré cochon!: Swine, dirty swine!
5.Comment ça va?: How are you?
6.La fille de son père: Her father’s daughter.
7.maudit: Blasted.
8.Tiens! tu vas les garder comme tu as jadis fait. Je ne veux plus de ce train là, moi!: Here! you keep them as you used to do. I don’t want to do this anymore!
9.Voyons!: Listen!
10.chambres garnies: Furnished rooms.
11.volante: Loose-fitting women’s garment.
12.do the grand seigneur: Behave in a grand manner.
13.hors d’œuvres: Appetizers.
14.des esprits forts: Free spirits, free thinkers.
15.sapeur: Sapper, a soldier who is fearless.
16.The Duchess: Probably La Duchesse de Langeais (published in serial form in 1833 and 1834 and in book form under the present title in 1839), a novel by Honoré de Balzac about an unhappily married young woman.
17.Mrs. Humphrey Ward: English novelist and social worker.
18.one of Remington’s Cowboys: An illustration by Frederic Remington, American painter, sculptor, and writer.
19.monsieur et madame: Husband and wife (in this context).
20.faux-air: A (false) resemblance.
21.Pauvre ti chou: Poor little thing.
After the Winter
1.Les Chêniers: The oak grove.
2.La Fringante: The frisky one.
3.Bonté divine!: Good Lord!
4.en bon ami: Like a good friend.
5.Mon ami: My friend.
Polydore
1.mignon: Sweet.
2.eau sédative: Calming water.
3.nénaine: Godmother.
Regret
1.Ti Nomme: Little man.
2.Dieu sait: God knows.
3.alive encore: Still alive.
4.Croque-mitaine, Loup-garou: The ogre, the werewolf.
5.It’s terrassent! Bonté!: It’s exhausting! Good heavens!
A Matter of Prejudice
1.fleur de Laurier: Laurel’s flower.
2. “Partant pour la Syrie”: “Leaving for Syria,” a nineteenth-century French song of empire, celebrating Napoleon’s advance into northern Africa.
3.eau sédative: Calming water.
4.Plait-il, madame?: Excuse me, ma’am?
5.mon fils: My son.
6.ma mère: My mother.
Caline
1.loin là bas. . . . Djieu sait é où: Far away, over there. . . . God knows where.
2.lagniappe: A little something.
A Dresden Lady in Dixie
1.Ah, bien non: Oh, no, no way.
2.josie: Girl’s jacket.
Nég Créol
1.Chicot: Stump.
2.Maringouin: Insect, mosquito.
3.farceur: Trickster.
4.des ’tites cousines: Little cousins (girls).
5.Boisduré: Durable wood.
6.mulatresse, vendeuse de café: A mulatto woman selling coffee.
7.la maison grise: The grey house.
8.La Chouette: The Owl.
9.Pas d’ sucre, Nég?: No sugar, Nég?
10.la nuit blanche: A sleepless night.
11.tisanes: Herb teas.
12.grigris: Charms.
13.eau de Lourdes: Holy water from the French city of Lourdes, believed to be able to cure sickness.
14.Vous pas bézouin tisane, Mamzelle Aglaé? Vous pas veux mo cri gagni docteur?: You don’t want your tea, Miss Aglaé? You don’t want me to fetch a doctor?
15.Une goutte d’eau sucré, Nég!: A drop of sweetened water, Nég!
16.ma bonne Brigitte: My good Brigitte.
17.là-bas au Cathédral: Over there at the Cathedral.
18.chou-fleur: Cauliflower.
19.les Attakapas: An area in central Louisiana.
The Lilies
1.va t’en, chérie: Go on, my dear!
Azélie
1.le grand air: Fresh air.
2.Bon jou’, M’si’ Mathurin: Hello, Mr. Mathurin.
3.He . . . had an air . . . fanfaron: He was quite full of himself, very pleased with himself.
4.que voulez-vous?: What can you do?
5.après tout: After all.
6.Ah, b’en, no: Oh, no; no way.
Mamouche
1.A ta fenêtre, Daignes paraître—tra la la la!: Please be good enough to come to your window—tra la la la!
2.veillée: The evening.
A Sentimental Soul
1.l’Abeille: The Bee, a French paper published in the States.
2.Eh bien, Mamzelle Fleurette, à demain, à demain!: So Miss Fleurette, see you tomorrow, tomorrow!
3.Courier des États Unis: Another French paper published in the States.
4.Empress Eugénie: Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, French emperor from 1852 to 1870.
5.Dictionnaire de la Langue Française: Dictionary of the French Language.
6.Ce n’est pas Lacodie, Mamzelle Fleurette. C’est moi, Augustine: It is not Lacodie, Miss Fleurette. It is Augustine.
7.Bien bon de votre part, Mamzelle Fleurette—mais c’est fini. J’suis flambé, flambé, flambé!: This is nice of you, Miss Fleurette, but it’s over. I’m done for, really done for!
8.Inutile; il n’en veut pas: That’s pointless; he doesn’t want one.
9.Blanchisseuse de Fin: Laundress of fine fabrics.
10.charivari: Noisy wedding serenade.
Dead Men’s Shoes
1.le vieux Gamiche: Old Gamiche.
At Chênière Caminada
1.Chênière Caminada: A coastal area south of New Orleans, near Grand Isle, where parts of The Awakening take place.
2.Credo in unun Deum patrem omnipotentem: “I believe in one God, the father almighty.” The beginning of the Nicene creed, recited at mass after the gospel.
3.Church of Our Lady of Lourdes: Named after the city in southern France where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to a young woman in 1858.
4.Elle est morte: She died.
Cavanelle
1.poult-de-soie: Silky material.
2.voyez vous: You see.
3.des petits soins: Good care, small attentions.
4.soupçon: Little bit.
5.Où es tu donc?: Where are you?
6.sirop d’orgeat: A sweet drink.
7.savoir vivre: Social graces.
8.petit ménage: Small household.
9.lagniappes: Little things.
10.bouillie: Gruel.
11.demi-verre: Half-glass.
12.petit souper: Light supper.
13.mon ami: My friend.
14.friandises: Sweets.
15.mousseline de laine: Wool chiffon.
Tante Cat’rinette
1.Vieumaite: Old Master.
2.en règle: According to the law.
3.Bon dieu Seigneur: Good Lord in heaven.
4.free mulatto: According to Kate Chopin, “A term still applied in Louisiana to mulattoes who were never in slavery, and whose families in most instances were themselves slave owners.”
5.cher coeur: Sweetheart.
6.ti chou: Little thing.
7.céléra: Wicked.
A Respectable Woman
1.ma belle: My beauty.
2.apostrophe to the night: Gouver
nail has been quoting lines from section 21 of the 1892 edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. The remaining lines which Gouvernail recites read:
Press close bare-bosomed night—press close magnetic nourishing night!
Night of south winds—night of the large few stars!
Still nodding night—mad naked summer night.
3.chère amie: Dear friend.
Ripe Figs
1.Maman-Nainaine: Godmother.
2.la Madone: The Virgin Mary.
3.Toussaint: All Saints’ Day (November 1).
Ozème’s Holiday
1.a fainéant: A lazy person.
2.à la fin: Finally.
Kate Chopin, Bayou Folk and a Night in Acadie
(Series: # )
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