Actually, the English translation would use approximately the same words as in French... Modern English vocabulary is approximately 60-70% of French origin. So here's the sentence in English: One had even prepared the housing for these friends of imagination and of singular colors, these favorites of a strange Muse. The essential thing to note is that the author is not writing LITERALLY, but LITERARILY, so that the sentences must be construed as metaphors. So "friends of imagination" probably means "writers" or other artists with great imagination. "Friends of singular colors" probably means "impressionist painters." Together, these writers, poets, artists, and painters are the favorites of a strange Muse (according to Greek legend, a Muse is a goddess who inspires the arts). Perhaps the author regards this Muse as strange because of these artists' revolutionary ideas on art...