Translation into mother tongue

Dear readers,

Well, today, we will study a kind of exercise you maybe did when you were in College : translation into mother tongue. The one I found is from A levels (baccalaureat) level. So, normally, it is easy for you. Let us start!

My first school

I was taken into a Form Room and told to sit at a desk. All the other boys were out of doors, and I was alone with the Form Master. He produced a thin greeny-brown, covered book filled with words in different types of print.
"You have never done any Latin before, have you?" he said.
"No, Sir."
"This is Latin grammar." He opened it at a well-thumbed page. "You must learn this", he said, pointing to a number of words in a frame of lines. "I will come back in half an hour and see what you know."
Behold me then on a gloomy evening, with an aching heart, seated in front of the First Declension.

mensa      a table
mensa      O table
mensam   a table
mensae    of a table
mensae    to or for a table
mensa      by, with or from a table

What on earth did it mean? Where was the sense in it? It seemed absolute rigmarole to me. However, there was something I could always do: I could learn it by heart. And I thereupon proceeded, as far as my private sorrows would allow, to memorize the task which had been set me.
In due course the Master returned.
"Have you learned it?" he asked.
"I think I can say it, sir.", I replied, and I gabbled it off.
He seemed so satisfied with that that I was emboldened to ask a question.
"What does it mean, sir?"
"It means what it says. Mensa, a table. Mensa is a noun of the First Declension. There are five declensions. You have learnt the singular of the First Declension."
"But", I repeated, "what does it mean?".
"Mensa means a table", he answered.
"Then why does Mensa also mean O table", I enquired, "and what does O table mean?"
"Mensa, O table is vocative case", he replied.
"But why O table?", I persisted in genuine curiosity.
"O table, - you would use that in adressing a table, in invoking a table." And then seeing he was not carrying me with him, "You would use it in speaking to a table."
"But, I never do," I blurted out in honest amazement.
"If you are impertinent, you will be punished, and punished, let me tell you, very severely," was his conclusive rejoinder.
Such was my first introduction to the classics from which, I have been told, many of our cleverest men have derived so much solace and profit.

Winston Churchill, My Early Life, 1930.

Let us try to translate the text sentence by sentence:

- My first School ---- Ma premiere ecole

- I was taken into a Form Room and told to sit at a desk.
Je fus conduit dans une salle d'etude et dit de m'asseoir a un bureau (voix passive en anglais et impersonnel en francais)

- All the other boys were out of doors,
Tous les autres eleves etaient sortis

- and I was alone with the Form Master.
et j'etais seul avec le maitre d'etude.

- He produced a thin greeny-brown, covered book
Il sortit un petit livre couvert de couleur marron verdatre

- filled with words in different types of print.
rempli de mots, de differents types de caracteres

- He opened it at a well-thumbed page.
Il l'ouvrit a une page bien "poucee" (marquee d'un pouce)

- "You must learn this", he said
"Vous devez apprendre ceci", dit-il,

-pointing to a number of words in a frame of lines.
montrant du doigt une liste de mots dans un cadre.

- "I will come back in half an hour and see what you know"
Je reviendrai dans une demi-heure pour voir ce que vous savez

- Behold me then on a gloomy evening,
Imaginez-moi alors dans un soir lugubre

- with an aching heart,
avec le coeur douloureux (le coeur gros)

- seated in front of the First Declension
assis en face de la premiere declinaison

- What on earth did it mean?
Qu'est-ce que tout cela pouvait bien vouloir dire?

- Where was the sense in it?
Ou etait le sens dans cela?

- It seemed absolute rigmarole to me.
Pour moi, c'etait du galimatias.

- However, there was something I could always do:
Cependant, il y avait quelque chose que je pouvais toujours faire:

- I could learn it by heart
je pouvais l'apprendre par coeur

- And thereupon proceeded,
Et je m'employai aussitot,

- as far as my private sorrows would allow,
pour autant que mon chagrin le permettait

- to memorize the task which had been set to me.
a memoriser la tache qui m'avait ete impartie

- In due course the Master returned.
En temps du (a l'heure dite), le maitre d'etude revint.

- "I think I can say it, sir", I replied, and I gabbled it off.
je pense que je peux la dire, monsieur, repondis-je; et je la debirai d'un trait

- He seemed so satisfied with that
Il en semble si satisfait

- that I was emboldened to ask a question.
que je m'enhardis a lui poser une question.

- "Mensa, O table is the vocative case", he replied.
"Mensa, O table est le vocatif", repondit-il?

- But why O table? I persisted in genuine curiosity.
Mais pourquoi O table? persistai-je en toute curiosite.

- O table - you would use that in adressing a table, in invoking a table.
O table s'utilise en s'adressant a une table, en invoquant une table

- And then seeing he was not carrying me with him,
Et alors en voyant qu'il ne m'avait pas convaincu,

"But I never do", I blurted out in honest amazement.
Mais je ne le fais jamais, m'exclamai-je sincerement surpris.

- "If you are impertinent, you will be punished, and punished, let me tell you, very severely"
Si vous etes impertinent, vous serez puni et puni, permettez-moi de vous le dire, tres severement,

- was his conclusive rejoinder.
fut son verdict final

- Such was my first introduction to the classics from which,
Telle fut mon introduction aux classiques (aux etudes classiques), desquelles,

- I have been told, many of our cleverest men have derived
m'a t'on dit, bien de nos personnalites les plus avisees ont tire

- so much solace and profit.
tant de reconfort et de benefices.

Here it is!

With best wishes,
Ceraulen