Chapter 30 Capítulo 30

XXX THE CONCLUSION.

At the bottom of his heart Candide had no wish to marry Cunegonde. But the extreme impertinence of the Baron determined him to conclude the match, and Cunegonde pressed him so strongly that he could not go from his word. He consulted Pangloss, Martin, and the faithful Cacambo. Pangloss drew up an excellent memorial, wherein he proved that the Baron had no right over his sister, and that according to all the laws of the empire, she might marry Candide with her left hand. Pangloss rédigea un excellent mémoire, dans lequel il prouva que le baron n'avait aucun droit sur sa sœur et que, selon toutes les lois de l'empire, elle pouvait épouser Candide de la main gauche. Martin was for throwing the Baron into the sea; Cacambo decided that it would be better to deliver him up again to the captain of the galley, after which they thought to send him back to the General Father of the Order at Rome by the first ship. Martin était pour jeter le baron à la mer; Cacambo décida qu'il valait mieux le remettre au capitaine de la galère, après quoi ils songèrent à le renvoyer au Père général de l'Ordre à Rome par le premier navire. This advice was well received, the old woman approved it; they said not a word to his sister; the thing was executed for a little money, and they had the double pleasure of entrapping a Jesuit, and punishing the pride of a German baron. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||trapping deceiving|||||||||| Ce conseil fut bien reçu, la vieille l'approuva; ils n'ont pas dit un mot à sa sœur; la chose fut exécutée pour un peu d'argent, et ils eurent le double plaisir de piéger un jésuite et de punir l'orgueil d'un baron allemand. [Pg 162]

It is natural to imagine that after so many disasters Candide married, and living with the philosopher Pangloss, the philosopher Martin, the prudent Cacambo, and the old woman, having besides brought so many diamonds from the country of the ancient Incas, must have led a very happy life. But he was so much imposed upon by the Jews that he had nothing left except his small farm; his wife became uglier every day, more peevish and unsupportable; the old woman was infirm and even more fretful than Cunegonde. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||irritable||unbearable|||||infirm||||irritable|| Mais il était tellement imposé par les Juifs qu'il ne lui restait plus que sa petite ferme; sa femme devenait chaque jour plus laide, plus maussade et insoutenable; la vieille était infirme et encore plus agitée que Cunégonde. Cacambo, who worked in the garden, and took vegetables for sale to Constantinople, was fatigued with hard work, and cursed his destiny. ||||||||||||||exhausted||||||| Cacambo, qui travaillait dans le jardin et vendait des légumes à Constantinople, était fatigué de travail acharné et maudissait son destin. Pangloss was in despair at not shining in some German university. ||at|||||||| Pangloss désespérait de ne pas briller dans une université allemande. For Martin, he was firmly persuaded that he would be as badly off elsewhere, and therefore bore things patiently. Pour Martin, il était fermement convaincu qu'il serait aussi mal ailleurs, et donc supportait patiemment les choses. Candide, Martin, and Pangloss sometimes disputed about morals and metaphysics. They often saw passing under the windows of their farm boats full of Effendis, Pashas, and Cadis, who were going into banishment to Lemnos, Mitylene, or Erzeroum. |||||||||||||||||||||exile||||| Ils voyaient souvent passer sous les fenêtres de leurs bateaux de ferme pleins d'Effendis, de Pachas et de Cadis, qui partaient en bannissement à Lemnos, Mitylene ou Erzeroum. And they saw other Cadis, Pashas, and Effendis coming to supply the place of the exiles, and afterwards exiled in their turn. Et ils virent d'autres Cadis, Pachas et Effendis venir ravitailler la place des exilés, puis exilés à leur tour. They saw heads decently impaled for presentation to the Sublime Porte. |||properly|displayed on stakes|||||| Ils ont vu des têtes décemment empalées pour être présentées à la Sublime Porte. Such spectacles as these increased the number[Pg 163] of their dissertations; and when they did not dispute time hung so heavily upon their hands, that one day the old woman ventured to say to them: ||||||||||dissertations|||||||||||||||||||||||| Des lunettes comme celles-ci augmentaient le nombre [Pg 163] de leurs thèses; et quand ils ne se disputaient pas, le temps leur tenait si lourdement les mains, qu'un jour la vieille se hasarda à leur dire:

"I want to know which is worse, to be ravished a hundred times by negro pirates, to have a buttock cut off, to run the gauntlet among the Bulgarians, to be whipped and hanged at an auto-da-fé , to be dissected, to row in the galleys—in short, to go through all the miseries we have undergone, or to stay here and have nothing to do?" |||||||||violently assaulted||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| «Je veux savoir ce qui est pire, être ravi cent fois par des pirates nègres, avoir une fesse coupée, courir le gant parmi les Bulgares, être fouetté et pendu à un auto-da-fé, être disséqué , ramer dans les galères, bref, traverser toutes les misères que nous avons subies, ou rester ici sans rien faire? "It is a great question," said Candide. This discourse gave rise to new reflections, and Martin especially concluded that man was born to live either in a state of distracting inquietude or of lethargic disgust. Ce discours a suscité de nouvelles réflexions, et Martin a surtout conclu que l'homme était né pour vivre soit dans un état d'inquiétude distrayante, soit de dégoût léthargique. Candide did not quite agree to that, but he affirmed nothing. |||||||||confirmed| Pangloss owned that he had always suffered horribly, but as he had once asserted that everything went wonderfully well, he asserted it still, though he no longer believed it. Pangloss a reconnu qu'il avait toujours souffert horriblement, mais comme il avait une fois affirmé que tout allait merveilleusement bien, il l'a affirmé encore, bien qu'il n'y croyait plus.

What helped to confirm Martin in his detestable principles, to stagger Candide more than ever, and to puzzle Pangloss, was that one day they saw Paquette and Friar Giroflée land at the farm in extreme misery. ||||||||||weakened Candide||||||||||||||||||||||||| Ce qui a contribué à confirmer Martin dans ses principes détestables, à décaler plus que jamais Candide et à intriguer Pangloss, c'est qu'un jour ils ont vu Paquette et frère Giroflée débarquer à la ferme dans une misère extrême. They had soon squandered their three thousand piastres, parted, were reconciled, quarrelled again, were thrown[Pg 164] into gaol, had escaped, and Friar Giroflée had at length become Turk. |||wasted|||||||||||||||||||||||| Ils avaient bientôt gaspillé leurs trois mille piastres, se sont séparés, se sont réconciliés, se sont à nouveau disputés, ont été jetés en prison, s'étaient échappés, et frère Giroflée était enfin devenu Turc. Paquette continued her trade wherever she went, but made nothing of it. Paquette continua son métier partout où elle allait, mais n'en fit rien.

"I foresaw," said Martin to Candide, "that your presents would soon be dissipated, and only make them the more miserable. |predicted|||||||||||wasted away||||||| «Je prévoyais, dit Martin à Candide, que vos cadeaux seraient bientôt dissipés, et ne les rendraient que plus misérables. You have rolled in millions of money, you and Cacambo; and yet you are not happier than Friar Giroflée and Paquette." Vous avez roulé dans des millions d'argent, vous et Cacambo; et pourtant vous n'êtes pas plus heureux que frère Giroflée et Paquette. "Ha!" said Pangloss to Paquette, "Providence has then brought you amongst us again, my poor child! Do you know that you cost me the tip of my nose, an eye, and an ear, as you may see? Savez-vous que vous m'avez coûté le bout de mon nez, un œil et une oreille, comme vous pouvez le voir? What a world is this!" And now this new adventure set them philosophising more than ever.

In the neighbourhood there lived a very famous Dervish who was esteemed the best philosopher in all Turkey, and they went to consult him. Pangloss was the speaker.

"Master," said he, "we come to beg you to tell why so strange an animal as man was made." "With what meddlest thou?" ||meddle| «De quel ennui tu? said the Dervish; "is it thy business?" dit le derviche. "c'est ton affaire?" "But, reverend father," said Candide, "there is horrible evil in this world." "What signifies it," said the Dervish, "whether there be evil or good? |means|||||||||| «Qu'est-ce que cela signifie, dit le derviche, qu'il y ait du mal ou du bien? When his highness sends[Pg 165] a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?" Quand Son Altesse envoie [Pg 165] un bateau en Égypte, se trouble-t-il la tête, que les souris à bord soient à leur aise ou non? " "What, then, must we do?" «Que devons-nous faire alors? said Pangloss.

"Hold your tongue," answered the Dervish. "I was in hopes," said Pangloss, "that I should reason with you a little about causes and effects, about the best of possible worlds, the origin of evil, the nature of the soul, and the pre-established harmony." At these words, the Dervish shut the door in their faces.

During this conversation, the news was spread that two Viziers and the Mufti had been strangled at Constantinople, and that several of their friends had been impaled. This catastrophe made a great noise for some hours. Pangloss, Candide, and Martin, returning to the little farm, saw a good old man taking the fresh air at his door under an orange bower. ||||||||||||||||||||||||arbor Pangloss, Candide et Martin, de retour à la petite ferme, virent un bon vieillard prendre l'air frais à sa porte sous une tonnelle orange. Pangloss, who was as inquisitive as he was argumentative, asked the old man what was the name of the strangled Mufti.

"I do not know," answered the worthy man, "and I have not known the name of any Mufti, nor of any Vizier. I am entirely ignorant of the event you mention; I presume in general that they who meddle with the administration of public affairs die sometimes miserably, and that they deserve it; but I never trouble my head[Pg 166] about what is transacting at Constantinople; I content myself with sending there for sale the fruits of the garden which I cultivate." |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||taking place|||||||||||||||||| J'ignore entièrement l'événement que vous mentionnez; Je présume en général que ceux qui se mêlent de l'administration des affaires publiques meurent parfois misérablement, et qu'ils le méritent; mais je ne m'inquiète jamais [Pg 166] de ce qui se passe à Constantinople; Je me contente d'y envoyer en vente les fruits du jardin que je cultive. " Having said these words, he invited the strangers into his house; his two sons and two daughters presented them with several sorts of sherbet, which they made themselves, with Kaimak enriched with the candied-peel of citrons, with oranges, lemons, pine-apples, pistachio-nuts, and Mocha coffee unadulterated with the bad coffee of Batavia or the American islands. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||lemons||||||pistachios|||||pure unmixed|||||||||| Ayant dit ces mots, il invita les étrangers dans sa maison; ses deux fils et ses deux filles leur présentèrent plusieurs sortes de sorbet, qu'ils fabriquèrent eux-mêmes, avec du Kaimak enrichi d'écorces de citrons confites, d'oranges, de citrons, de pommes de pin, de pistaches et de café moka pur avec le mauvais café de Batavia ou des îles américaines. After which the two daughters of the honest Mussulman perfumed the strangers' beards. "You must have a vast and magnificent estate," said Candide to the Turk. "I have only twenty acres," replied the old man; "I and my children cultivate them; our labour preserves us from three great evils—weariness, vice, and want." «Je n'ai que vingt acres,» répondit le vieil homme; «Mes enfants et moi les cultivons; notre travail nous préserve de trois grands maux: la lassitude, le vice et le besoin. Candide, on his way home, made profound reflections on the old man's conversation. "This honest Turk," said he to Pangloss and Martin, "seems to be in a situation far preferable to that of the six kings with whom we had the honour of supping." "Grandeur," said Pangloss, "is extremely dangerous according to the testimony of philosophers. greatness||||||||||| «La grandeur, dit Pangloss, est extrêmement dangereuse selon les témoignages des philosophes. For, in short, Eglon, King of Moab,[Pg 167] was assassinated by Ehud; Absalom was hung by his hair, and pierced with three darts; King Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, was killed by Baasa; King Ela by Zimri; Ahaziah by Jehu; Athaliah by Jehoiada; the Kings Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah, were led into captivity. You know how perished Crœsus, Astyages, Darius, Dionysius of Syracuse, Pyrrhus, Perseus, Hannibal, Jugurtha, Ariovistus, Cæsar, Pompey, Nero, Otho, Vitellius, Domitian, Richard II. of England, Edward II., Henry VI., Richard III., Mary Stuart, Charles I., the three Henrys of France, the Emperor Henry IV.! You know——" "I know also," said Candide, "that we must cultivate our garden." «Je sais aussi, dit Candide, que nous devons cultiver notre jardin. "You are right," said Pangloss, "for when man was first placed in the Garden of Eden, he was put there ut operaretur eum , that he might cultivate it; which shows that man was not born to be idle." "Let us work," said Martin, "without disputing; it is the only way to render life tolerable." |||||||||||||||bearable The whole little society entered into this laudable design, according to their different abilities. |||||||commendable plan|||||| Their little plot of land produced plentiful crops. Cunegonde was, indeed, very ugly, but she became an excellent pastry cook; Paquette worked at embroidery; the old woman looked after the[Pg 168] linen. Cunégonde était, en effet, très laide, mais elle devint une excellente pâtissière; Paquette travaillait à la broderie; la vieille femme s'occupait du linge [Pg 168]. They were all, not excepting Friar Giroflée, of some service or other; for he made a good joiner, and became a very honest man. Ils étaient tous, sans exception frère Giroflée, d'un service ou d'un autre; car il a fait un bon menuisier et est devenu un homme très honnête.

Pangloss sometimes said to Candide:

"There is a concatenation of events in this best of all possible worlds: for if you had not been kicked out of a magnificent castle for love of Miss Cunegonde: if you had not been put into the Inquisition: if you had not walked over America: if you had not stabbed the Baron: if you had not lost all your sheep from the fine country of El Dorado: you would not be here eating preserved citrons and pistachio-nuts." «Il y a une concaténation d'événements dans ce meilleur de tous les mondes possibles: car si vous n'aviez pas été expulsé d'un magnifique château par amour de Miss Cunégonde: si vous n'aviez pas été mis dans l'Inquisition: si vous n'aviez pas traversé l'Amérique : si tu n'avais pas poignardé le baron: si tu n'avais pas perdu tous tes moutons du beau pays d'El Dorado: tu ne serais pas ici en train de manger des citrons et des pistaches en conserve. " "All that is very well," answered Candide, "but let us cultivate our garden."