A Tale of Two Cities — Page 9
In the meantime, his son, whose head was garnished with tenderer spikes, and whose young eyes stood close by one another, as his father's did, kept the required watch upon his mother.
Inzwischen hielt sein Sohn, dessen Kopf mit zarteren Stacheln geziert war und dessen junge Augen dicht nebeneinander standen, wie die seines Vaters, die geforderte Wache über seine Mutter.
He greatly disturbed that poor woman at intervals, by darting out of his sleeping closet, where he made his toilet, with a suppressed cry of "You are going to flop, mother. --Halloa, father!" and, after raising this fictitious alarm, darting in again with an undutiful grin.
Er beunruhigte diese arme Frau von Zeit zu Zeit erheblich, indem er aus seiner Schlafkammer, wo er seine Toilette machte, mit einem unterdrückten Ruf herausschoss: "Du wirst umfallen, Mutter. – Hallo, Vater!" und, nachdem er diesen erdachten Alarm ausgelöst hatte, mit einem respektlosen Grinsen wieder hineinstürzte.
Mr. Cruncher's temper was not at all improved when he came to his breakfast.
Mr. Crunchers Laune hatte sich keineswegs gebessert, als er zu seinem Frühstück kam.
He resented Mrs. Cruncher's saying grace with particular animosity.
Er nahm Mrs. Crunchers Tischgebet mit besonderer Feindseligkeit übel.
"Now, Aggerawayter! What are you up to? At it again?"
"Na, Quälgeist! Was treibst du da? Schon wieder?"
His wife explained that she had merely "asked a blessing."
Seine Frau erklärte, dass sie lediglich "um einen Segen gebeten" habe.
"Don't do it!" said Mr. Crunches looking about, as if he rather expected to see the loaf disappear under the efficacy of his wife's petitions.
"Tu das nicht!" sagte Mr. Cruncher und blickte sich um, als erwarte er geradezu, dass der Laib Brot durch die Wirksamkeit der Gebete seiner Frau verschwinden würde.
"I ain't a going to be blest out of house and home. I won't have my wittles blest off my table. Keep still!"
"Ich werde mich nicht aus Haus und Hof heraussegnen lassen. Ich dulde nicht, dass mein Essen vom Tisch weggesegnet wird. Sei still!"
Exceedingly red-eyed and grim, as if he had been up all night at a party which had taken anything but a convivial turn, Jerry Cruncher worried his breakfast rather than ate it, growling over it like any four-footed inmate of a menagerie.
Mit äußerst geröteten Augen und grimmiger Miene, als hätte er die ganze Nacht bei einer Gesellschaft zugebracht, die alles andere als einen fröhlichen Verlauf genommen hatte, quälte Jerry Cruncher sein Frühstück mehr, als dass er es aß, und knurrte dabei wie irgendein vierbeiniger Bewohner einer Menagerie.
Towards nine o'clock he smoothed his ruffled aspect, and, presenting as respectable and business-like an exterior as he could overlay his natural self with, issued forth to the occupation of the day.
Gegen neun Uhr glättete er seine aufgebrachte Miene und machte sich, mit einem so respektablen und geschäftsmäßigen Äußeren, wie er es über sein natürliches Wesen zu legen vermochte, auf den Weg zu den Beschäftigungen des Tages.
Vocabulary
- Inzwischen
- Meanwhile; in the time between two events
- hielt
- Held; past tense of 'halten' (to hold)
- sein
- His; possessive pronoun, or 'to be'
- Sohn
- Son; a male child of a parent
- dessen
- Whose; genitive relative pronoun referring to a noun
- Kopf
- Head; the upper part of the human body
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- zarteren
- More delicate; comparative of 'zart' (tender, soft)
- geziert
- Adorned; decorated with an ornamental feature
- war
- Was; past tense of 'sein' (to be)
- und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- junge
- Young; adjective describing youth or immaturity
- Augen
- Eyes; organs of sight in the face
- dicht
- Close together; dense or tightly packed
- nebeneinander
- Side by side; positioned next to one another
- standen
- Stood; past tense of 'stehen' (to stand)
- wie
- Like; as; comparison or manner conjunction
- die
- The; definite article for feminine or plural nouns
- seines
- His; genitive form of possessive pronoun 'sein'
- Vaters
- Father's; genitive of 'Vater' (father)
- geforderte
- Required; demanded as necessary or expected
- Wache
- Watch or guard; act of keeping vigilant watch
- über
- Over; above; about; preposition with multiple uses
- seine
- His; possessive pronoun in nominative/accusative
- Mutter
- Mother; a female parent
- Er
- He; third-person singular masculine pronoun
- beunruhigte
- Disturbed; caused worry or anxiety to someone
- diese
- This; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby noun
- arme
- Poor; unfortunate; deserving of sympathy
- Frau
- Woman; wife; Mrs.; adult female person
- von
- From; of; preposition indicating origin or relation
- Zeit
- Time; a specific or general period
- zu
- To; too; preposition or infinitive particle
- erheblich
- Considerably; to a significant or notable degree
- indem
- By; while; conjunction indicating means or manner
- er
- He; third-person singular masculine personal pronoun
- aus
- Out of; from; preposition indicating origin or exit
- seiner
- His; genitive/dative form of possessive 'sein'
- wo
- Where; relative or interrogative adverb of place
- Toilette
- Toilet; also grooming/dressing routine
- machte
- Made; did; past tense of 'machen'
- einem
- A; one; indefinite article in dative case
- unterdrückten
- Suppressed; held back or stifled
- Ruf
- Call; shout; also reputation
- Du
- You; second-person singular informal pronoun
- wirst
- Will; second-person singular future of 'werden'
- umfallen
- To fall over; to topple or collapse
- Hallo
- Hello; common informal greeting
- Vater
- Father; male parent
- nachdem
- After; conjunction indicating sequence of events
- diesen
- This; accusative masculine demonstrative pronoun
- erdachten
- Invented; devised; thought up imaginatively
- Alarm
- Alarm; a warning or alert signal
- ausgelöst
- Triggered; set off; caused to occur
- hatte
- Had; past tense of 'haben' (to have)
- respektlosen
- Disrespectful; lacking in proper respect
- Grinsen
- Grin; a broad or cheeky smile
- wieder
- Again; once more; back
- Laune
- Mood; temper; current emotional state
- sich
- Himself/herself/itself; reflexive pronoun
- keineswegs
- By no means; not at all; certainly not
- gebessert
- Improved; made better; past participle of 'bessern'
- als
- When; than; as; conjunction with multiple uses
- seinem
- His; dative form of possessive pronoun 'sein'
- Frühstück
- Breakfast; the first meal of the day
- kam
- Came; past tense of 'kommen' (to come)
- nahm
- Took; past tense of 'nehmen' (to take)
- besonderer
- Particular; special; of a distinct or notable kind
- Feindseligkeit
- Hostility; unfriendly or aggressive attitude
- übel
- Bad; ill; unpleasant; used to express displeasure
- Na
- Well; hey; informal filler or exclamation
- Was
- What; interrogative pronoun
- treibst
- Are doing; second-person of 'treiben' (to do/drive)
- da
- There; here; then; versatile adverb of place/time
- Schon
- Already; even now; used for emphasis or reassurance
- Seine
- His; feminine nominative or referring to 'son' here
- erklärte
- Explained; declared; past tense of 'erklären'
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- sie
- She; they; third-person pronoun
- lediglich
- Merely; only; nothing more than
- um
- Around; for; in order to; preposition or conjunction
- einen
- A; one; indefinite article in accusative masculine
- Segen
- Blessing; a divine or spoken benediction
- gebeten
- Requested; past participle of 'bitten' (to ask)
- habe
- Have; first-person singular of 'haben' (to have)
- Tu
- Do; imperative of 'tun' (to do)
- das
- That; the; neuter definite article or pronoun
- nicht
- Not; negation particle
- sagte
- Said; past tense of 'sagen' (to say)
- blickte
- Glanced; looked; past tense of 'blicken'
- erwarte
- Expect; first-person of 'erwarten' (to expect)
- geradezu
- Virtually; downright; practically; used for emphasis
- der
- The; definite article masculine nominative
- Brot
- Bread; basic staple food made from flour
- durch
- Through; by means of; preposition
- Wirksamkeit
- Effectiveness; the quality of producing desired results
- Gebete
- Prayers; spoken or silent communications with God
- verschwinden
- To disappear; to vanish from sight
- würde
- Would; conditional form of 'werden'
- Ich
- I; first-person singular personal pronoun
- werde
- Will; first-person singular of 'werden'
- mich
- Me; first-person singular accusative reflexive pronoun
- Haus
- House; a building used as a home
- Hof
- Yard; courtyard; farm; outdoor area of a property
- lassen
- To let; to allow; to have something done
- dulde
- Tolerate; endure; first-person of 'dulden'
- mein
- My; first-person singular possessive pronoun
- Essen
- Food; meal; eating
- vom
- From the; contraction of 'von dem'
- Tisch
- Table; a piece of furniture with a flat surface
- wird
- Will be; becomes; third-person singular of 'werden'
- Sei
- Be; imperative of 'sein' (to be)
- still
- Quiet; still; silent; calm
- Mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- äußerst
- Extremely; to the utmost degree
- geröteten
- Reddened; flushed; having become red
- grimmiger
- Grimmer; more fierce or angry in expression
- Miene
- Expression; facial appearance conveying emotion
- hätte
- Would have; subjunctive of 'haben' (to have)
- ganze
- Whole; entire; complete
- Nacht
- Night; the dark period after sunset
- bei
- At; near; with; preposition indicating proximity
- einer
- A; one; indefinite article in dative feminine
- Gesellschaft
- Company; society; social gathering of people
- zugebracht
- Spent (time); past participle of 'zubringen'
- alles
- Everything; all; without exception
- andere
- Other; different; another
- fröhlichen
- Cheerful; merry; happy in disposition
- Verlauf
- Course; progress; the way events unfold
- genommen
- Taken; past participle of 'nehmen' (to take)
- quälte
- Tormented; troubled; caused pain or distress
- mehr
- More; a greater amount or degree
- es
- It; third-person singular neuter pronoun
- aß
- Ate; past tense of 'essen' (to eat)
- dabei
- Thereby; while doing so; at the same time
- irgendein
- Some; some kind of; any one (unspecified)
- Bewohner
- Inhabitant; resident; one who lives somewhere
- Gegen
- Around; against; toward; preposition of time or direction
- neun
- Nine; the number 9
- Uhr
- O'clock; clock; used to express time
- glättete
- Smoothed; flattened; past tense of 'glätten'
- aufgebrachte
- Agitated; incensed; stirred up emotionally
- so
- So; thus; in this way; adverb of manner
- respektablen
- Respectable; worthy of esteem or regard
- geschäftsmäßigen
- Businesslike; in a professional or formal manner
- Äußeren
- Appearance; outward exterior look or manner
- natürliches
- Natural; occurring in nature; not artificial
- Wesen
- Being; nature; essence; creature
- legen
- To lay; to place; to put something down
- vermochte
- Was able to; managed to; past of 'vermögen'
- auf
- On; onto; upon; preposition of position
- den
- The; definite article accusative masculine
- Weg
- Way; path; road; direction of travel
- Beschäftigungen
- Occupations; activities; tasks of the day
- des
- Of the; genitive definite article masculine/neuter
- Tages
- Of the day; genitive form of 'Tag' (day)
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