Anne of Green Gables — Page 10
Rachel prided herself on always speaking her mind; she proceeded to speak it now, having adjusted her mental attitude to this amazing piece of news.
Rachel war stolz darauf, immer offen ihre Meinung zu sagen; und so tat sie es auch jetzt, nachdem sie ihre innere Haltung dieser erstaunlichen Neuigkeit gegenüber zurechtgerückt hatte.
"Well, Marilla, I'll just tell you plain that I think you're doing a mighty foolish thing--a risky thing, that's what.
„Nun, Marilla, ich sage es Ihnen geradeheraus: Ich halte das für eine äußerst törichte Sache – eine riskante Sache, das ist es.
You don't know what you're getting.
Sie wissen nicht, worauf Sie sich einlassen.
You're bringing a strange child into your house and home and you don't know a single thing about him nor what his disposition is like nor what sort of parents he had nor how he's likely to turn out.
Sie nehmen ein fremdes Kind in Ihr Haus und Heim auf, und Sie wissen nicht das Geringste über es, nicht, wie sein Wesen ist, nicht, was für Eltern es hatte, noch, wie es sich wohl entwickeln wird.
Why, it was only last week I read in the paper how a man and his wife up west of the Island took a boy out of an orphan asylum and he set fire to the house at night--set it _on purpose_, Marilla--and nearly burnt them to a crisp in their beds.
Warum, erst letzte Woche las ich in der Zeitung, wie ein Mann und seine Frau im Westen der Insel einen Jungen aus einem Waisenhaus aufnahmen, und er steckte das Haus nachts in Brand – _absichtlich_, Marilla – und hätte sie dabei fast lebendig in ihren Betten verbrannt.
And I know another case where an adopted boy used to suck the eggs--they couldn't break him of it.
Und ich kenne noch einen anderen Fall, wo ein adoptierter Junge die Eier aussaugte – sie konnten ihm diese Angewohnheit einfach nicht abgewöhnen.
If you had asked my advice in the matter--which you didn't do, Marilla--I'd have said for mercy's sake not to think of such a thing, that's what."
Wenn Sie mich in dieser Angelegenheit um Rat gefragt hätten – was Sie nicht getan haben, Marilla – hätte ich Ihnen gesagt, um Himmels willen nicht an so etwas zu denken, das hätte ich gesagt."
This Job's comforting seemed neither to offend nor to alarm Marilla.
Dieser Hiobstrost schien Marilla weder zu kränken noch zu beunruhigen.
She knitted steadily on.
Sie strickte ruhig weiter.
"I don't deny there's something in what you say, Rachel.
„Ich bestreite nicht, dass etwas dran ist an dem, was Sie sagen, Rachel.
I've had some qualms myself.
Ich hatte selbst so meine Bedenken.
But Matthew was terrible set on it.
Aber Matthew war schrecklich versessen darauf.
I could see that, so I gave in.
Das konnte ich sehen, und so gab ich nach.
Vocabulary
- war
- Was; past tense of 'sein' (to be)
- stolz
- Proud; feeling pride or satisfaction
- darauf
- On it, upon it; referring to something previously mentioned
- immer
- Always; at all times, continually
- offen
- Open, openly; frank or candid in manner
- ihre
- Her, their; possessive pronoun (third person)
- Meinung
- Opinion; a personal view or judgment
- zu
- To, too, closed; preposition or particle
- sagen
- To say; to express something in words
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction joining elements
- so
- So, thus; in this way or manner
- tat
- Did; past tense of 'tun' (to do)
- sie
- She, they, them; third-person pronoun
- es
- It; neuter third-person singular pronoun
- auch
- Also, too; indicating addition or agreement
- jetzt
- Now; at this moment or time
- nachdem
- After; conjunction indicating a subsequent event
- innere
- Inner, internal; relating to the inside or mind
- Haltung
- Attitude, posture; one's stance or bearing
- dieser
- This, this one; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- erstaunlichen
- Astonishing, amazing; causing great surprise
- Neuigkeit
- News, piece of news; newly received information
- gegenüber
- Opposite, toward, regarding; preposition of position
- zurechtgerückt
- Adjusted, straightened out; put into proper order
- hatte
- Had; past tense of 'haben' (to have)
- Nun
- Now, well; used to introduce a statement
- ich
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- sage
- Say; first-person singular present of 'sagen'
- Ihnen
- You (dative, formal); indirect object formal pronoun
- geradeheraus
- Frankly, bluntly; speaking in a direct manner
- Ich
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- halte
- Consider, hold; first-person singular of 'halten'
- das
- That, the; neuter definite article or pronoun
- für
- For; preposition indicating purpose or opinion
- eine
- A, an; feminine indefinite article
- äußerst
- Extremely, utmost; to the greatest degree
- törichte
- Foolish, silly; lacking good sense or judgment
- Sache
- Thing, matter; an object or affair
- riskante
- Risky, dangerous; involving potential hazard
- ist
- Is; third-person singular present of 'sein'
- Sie
- You (formal); polite second-person pronoun
- wissen
- To know; to have knowledge or information
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German
- worauf
- On what, whereupon; referring to a thing
- sich
- Oneself, themselves; reflexive pronoun
- einlassen
- To get involved, let in; to engage with something
- nehmen
- To take; to receive or accept something
- ein
- A, an, one; indefinite article or numeral
- fremdes
- Foreign, strange; unknown or unfamiliar
- Kind
- Child; a young human being
- in
- In, into; preposition of location or direction
- Ihr
- Your (formal); possessive adjective formal address
- Haus
- House; a building for human habitation
- Heim
- Home; one's place of residence or belonging
- auf
- On, up, onto; preposition of position or direction
- Geringste
- Least, slightest; smallest or most minimal amount
- über
- About, over, above; preposition of position or topic
- wie
- How, as, like; interrogative or comparative word
- sein
- His, to be; possessive adjective or infinitive
- Wesen
- Nature, character; essential qualities of a being
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun
- Eltern
- Parents; a child's mother and father
- noch
- Still, yet, even; indicating continuation or addition
- wohl
- Well, probably; expressing assumption or well-being
- entwickeln
- To develop; to grow or evolve over time
- wird
- Will, becomes; future auxiliary or present of 'werden'
- Warum
- Why; interrogative asking for a reason
- erst
- First, only, just; indicating recency or sequence
- letzte
- Last; most recent or final in a sequence
- Woche
- Week; a period of seven days
- las
- Read; past tense of 'lesen' (to read)
- der
- The; definite article, masculine nominative
- Zeitung
- Newspaper; a printed daily publication of news
- Mann
- Man, husband; an adult male person
- seine
- His; masculine possessive adjective
- Frau
- Woman, wife, Mrs.; an adult female person
- im
- In the; contraction of 'in dem'
- Westen
- West; the cardinal direction or western region
- Insel
- Island; a landmass surrounded by water
- einen
- A, an, one; masculine accusative indefinite article
- Jungen
- Boy; a young male child
- aus
- From, out of; preposition of origin or exit
- einem
- A, an; dative indefinite article (neuter/masculine)
- Waisenhaus
- Orphanage; institution housing children without parents
- aufnahmen
- Took in, admitted; past tense of 'aufnehmen'
- er
- He; third-person masculine singular pronoun
- steckte
- Set, put, stuck; past tense of 'stecken'
- nachts
- At night; during the nighttime hours
- Brand
- Fire, blaze; a destructive burning or conflagration
- _absichtlich_
- Intentionally, deliberately; done on purpose
- hätte
- Would have, had; subjunctive of 'haben'
- dabei
- In doing so, thereby; in the process of it
- fast
- Almost, nearly; very close to but not quite
- lebendig
- Alive, living; being in a state of life
- ihren
- Their, her; possessive accusative pronoun
- Betten
- Beds; furniture pieces used for sleeping
- verbrannt
- Burned; past participle of 'verbrennen'
- Und
- And; coordinating conjunction joining clauses
- kenne
- Know; first-person singular of 'kennen'
- anderen
- Other, another; referring to a different one
- Fall
- Case, fall; an instance or example of something
- wo
- Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place
- adoptierter
- Adopted; legally taken as one's own child
- Junge
- Boy; a young male child
- die
- The; definite article feminine or plural
- Eier
- Eggs; oval reproductive bodies of birds
- aussaugte
- Sucked out; past tense of 'aussaugen'
- konnten
- Could; past tense of 'können' (to be able)
- ihm
- Him, it; dative third-person singular pronoun
- diese
- This, these; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- Angewohnheit
- Habit; a regular tendency or practice
- einfach
- Simple, simply, just; without complexity
- abgewöhnen
- To break a habit; to wean someone off something
- Wenn
- If, when; conditional or temporal conjunction
- mich
- Me; first-person accusative singular pronoun
- Angelegenheit
- Matter, affair; a concern or business to handle
- um
- Around, for, about; preposition with various uses
- Rat
- Advice, council; guidance offered to someone
- gefragt
- Asked; past participle of 'fragen' (to ask)
- getan
- Done; past participle of 'tun' (to do)
- haben
- To have; auxiliary or main verb of possession
- gesagt
- Said; past participle of 'sagen' (to say)
- Himmels
- Heaven's; genitive of 'Himmel' (heaven, sky)
- willen
- Sake; used in 'um ... willen' (for the sake of)
- an
- At, on, to; preposition of proximity or direction
- etwas
- Something, somewhat; an unspecified thing or amount
- denken
- To think; to use one's mind or consider
- Dieser
- This; demonstrative pronoun masculine nominative
- Hiobstrost
- Cold comfort; unhelpful consolation making things worse
- schien
- Seemed, appeared; past tense of 'scheinen'
- weder
- Neither; used in 'weder...noch' (neither...nor)
- kränken
- To hurt, offend; to cause emotional pain
- beunruhigen
- To worry, disturb; to cause unease or concern
- strickte
- Knitted; past tense of 'stricken' (to knit)
- ruhig
- Calmly, quiet; peaceful and undisturbed
- weiter
- Further, continued; going on or ahead
- bestreite
- Dispute, deny; first-person singular of 'bestreiten'
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- dran
- To it, at it; colloquial form of 'daran'
- dem
- The; dative definite article masculine or neuter
- selbst
- Myself, itself, even; reflexive intensifier
- meine
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- Bedenken
- Reservations, concerns; doubts or hesitations about something
- Aber
- But, however; coordinating conjunction of contrast
- schrecklich
- Terribly, dreadfully; to an extreme or frightful degree
- versessen
- Keen on, set on; intensely determined or eager
- Das
- That, the; neuter demonstrative or article
- konnte
- Could; past tense of 'können' (to be able)
- sehen
- To see; to perceive with the eyes
- gab
- Gave, there was; past tense of 'geben'
- nach
- After, to, according to; preposition of direction
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