Sons and Lovers - Chapter 3
Amants et Fils - Chapitre 3
William's death came suddenly. He had been working in London, making a good life for himself. Then came the illness that would take him from them.
La mort de William survint soudainement. Il avait travaillé à Londres, se construisant une belle vie. Puis vint la maladie qui allait l'arracher à eux.
Gertrude received the news with a calm that frightened Paul. She moved through her days like a person in a dream, doing what needed to be done, making arrangements, writing letters, but her heart was broken.
Gertrude reçut la nouvelle avec un calme qui effraya Paul. Elle traversa ses journées comme une personne dans un rêve, faisant ce qui devait être fait, prenant des dispositions, écrivant des lettres, mais son cœur était brisé.
Paul watched his mother with pain. He saw how she aged in those weeks, how her hair seemed to whiten overnight, how the light left her eyes.
Paul observait sa mère avec douleur. Il vit comment elle vieillit au cours de ces semaines, comment ses cheveux semblèrent blanchir du jour au lendemain, comment la lumière quitta ses yeux.
"I have lost my son," she would say quietly to herself. "My beautiful William."
"J'ai perdu mon fils", se disait-elle doucement. "Mon beau William."
The house felt empty without William's energy and laughter. Even Walter was affected, though he tried not to show it. He drank more than usual, coming home later and later.
La maison semblait vide sans l'énergie et le rire de William. Même Walter fut affecté, bien qu'il essayât de ne pas le montrer. Il buvait plus que d'habitude, rentrant de plus en plus tard.
But the greatest change was in Gertrude. Before, she had divided her love between her two sons. Now, all her love focused on Paul.
Mais le plus grand changement se produisit chez Gertrude. Auparavant, elle avait partagé son amour entre ses deux fils. Maintenant, tout son amour se concentrait sur Paul.
Paul became the center of her world. She watched his every move, listened to his every word, offered constant advice and concern.
Paul devint le centre de son monde. Elle observait chacun de ses mouvements, écoutait chacune de ses paroles, offrait constamment des conseils et de l'inquiétude.
"Are you warm enough?" "Have you eaten?" "Are you tired, my son?"
"As-tu assez chaud ?" "As-tu mangé ?" "Es-tu fatigué, mon fils ?"
Paul loved his mother, but he also began to feel the weight of her love. It was a love that demanded everything, that left no space for anything else.
Paul aimait sa mère, mais il commença aussi à ressentir le poids de son amour. C'était un amour qui exigeait tout, qui ne laissait de place pour rien d'autre.
He tried to find his own interests, his own friends, but always he returned to his mother, to the comfort of her understanding, to the safety of her protection.
Il essaya de trouver ses propres intérêts, ses propres amis, mais toujours il revenait à sa mère, au réconfort de sa compréhension, à la sécurité de sa protection.
And so, in the shadow of William's death, the bond between Paul and his mother grew stronger and more complex, a relationship that would shape all of Paul's future.
Et ainsi, dans l'ombre de la mort de William, le lien entre Paul et sa mère devint plus fort et plus complexe, une relation qui allait façonner tout l'avenir de Paul.