Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 1
PLATO'S HISTORY OF ATLANTIS.
PLATOS GESCHICHTE VON ATLANTIS.
Plato has preserved for us the history of Atlantis.
Plato hat uns die Geschichte von Atlantis bewahrt.
If our views are correct, it is one of the most valuable records which have come down to us from antiquity.
Wenn unsere Ansichten richtig sind, ist es einer der wertvollsten Berichte, die uns aus dem Altertum überliefert worden sind.
Plato lived 400 years before the birth of Christ.
Plato lebte 400 Jahre vor der Geburt Christi.
His ancestor, Solon, was the great law-giver of Athens 600 years before the Christian era.
Sein Vorfahre, Solon, war der große Gesetzgeber Athens 600 Jahre vor der christlichen Zeitrechnung.
Solon visited Egypt.
Solon besuchte Ägypten.
Plutarch says, "Solon attempted in verse a large description, or rather fabulous account of the Atlantic Island, which he had learned from the wise men of Sais, and which particularly concerned the Athenians; but by reason of his age, not want of leisure (as Plato would have it), he was apprehensive the work would be too much for him, and therefore did not go through with it.
Plutarch sagt: „Solon versuchte in Versen eine ausführliche Beschreibung, oder vielmehr eine sagenhafte Schilderung der Atlantischen Insel, die er von den Weisen von Sais erfahren hatte und die die Athener besonders betraf; doch aus Gründen seines Alters, nicht aus Mangel an Muße (wie Plato es haben wollte), befürchtete er, dass die Arbeit zu viel für ihn sein würde, und führte sie daher nicht zu Ende.
These verses are a proof that business was not the hinderance:
Diese Verse sind ein Beweis, dass die Geschäfte nicht das Hindernis waren:
'I grow in learning as I grow in age.'
„Ich wachse im Lernen, wie ich im Alter wachse.'
And again:
Und weiter:
'Wine, wit, and beauty still their charms bestow, Light all the shades of life, and cheer us as we go.'
„Wein, Geist und Schönheit schenken noch immer ihre Reize, erhellen alle Schatten des Lebens und erheitern uns auf unserem Weg.'
"Plato, ambitious to cultivate and adorn the subject of the Atlantic Island, as a delightful spot in some fair field unoccupied, to which also he had some claim by reason of his being related to Solon, laid out magnificent courts and enclosures, and erected a grand entrance to it, such as no other story, fable, or Poem ever had.
„Plato, ehrgeizig darauf bedacht, das Thema der Atlantischen Insel zu pflegen und auszuschmücken, wie einen reizvollen Fleck in einem schönen, unbestellten Feld, auf das er auch einen gewissen Anspruch hatte, weil er mit Solon verwandt war, legte prächtige Höfe und Einfriedungen an und errichtete einen großartigen Eingang dazu, wie ihn keine andere Geschichte, Fabel oder kein anderes Gedicht je besessen hatte.
Vocabulary
- GESCHICHTE
- History or story; narrative of past events
- VON
- Of, from; common German preposition
- hat
- Has; third-person singular present of haben
- uns
- Us; first-person plural accusative/dative pronoun
- die
- The; definite article for feminine or plural nouns
- Geschichte
- History or story; narrative of past events
- von
- Of, from; very common German preposition
- bewahrt
- Preserved, kept safe; past participle of bewahren
- Wenn
- If, when; conditional or temporal conjunction
- unsere
- Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun
- Ansichten
- Views, opinions; plural of Ansicht
- richtig
- Correct, right; adjective describing accuracy or truth
- sind
- Are; third-person plural present of sein
- ist
- Is; third-person singular present of sein
- es
- It; third-person singular neuter pronoun
- einer
- One of; indefinite pronoun or article, masculine
- der
- The; definite article for masculine nouns
- wertvollsten
- Most valuable; superlative adjective from wertvoll
- Berichte
- Reports, accounts; plural of Bericht
- aus
- From, out of; common German preposition
- dem
- The; dative masculine or neuter definite article
- Altertum
- Antiquity, ancient times; historical era long past
- überliefert
- Handed down, transmitted; past participle of überliefern
- worden
- Been; auxiliary past participle used in passive constructions
- lebte
- Lived; third-person singular simple past of leben
- Jahre
- Years; plural of Jahr
- vor
- Before, ago, in front of; common preposition
- Geburt
- Birth; the event of being born
- Sein
- His; third-person masculine possessive pronoun
- Vorfahre
- Ancestor, forebear; a person from whom one descends
- war
- Was; third-person singular simple past of sein
- große
- Great, large; adjective describing size or importance
- Gesetzgeber
- Lawmaker, legislator; one who creates laws
- christlichen
- Christian; adjective relating to Christianity
- Zeitrechnung
- Calendar era, chronology; system of counting time
- besuchte
- Visited; third-person singular simple past of besuchen
- Ägypten
- Egypt; North African country on the Nile
- sagt
- Says; third-person singular present of sagen
- versuchte
- Tried, attempted; simple past of versuchen
- in
- In, into; very common German preposition
- Versen
- Verses; dative plural of Vers, poetic lines
- eine
- A, an; indefinite article for feminine nouns
- ausführliche
- Detailed, thorough; adjective describing comprehensive treatment
- Beschreibung
- Description; a written or spoken account of something
- oder
- Or; coordinating conjunction offering an alternative
- vielmehr
- Rather, more precisely; adverb offering a correction
- sagenhafte
- Legendary, mythical; adjective describing something of legend
- Schilderung
- Depiction, portrayal; a detailed descriptive account
- Insel
- Island; a land mass surrounded by water
- er
- He; third-person singular masculine pronoun
- den
- The; accusative masculine or dative plural article
- Weisen
- Wise men, sages; dative plural of Weise
- erfahren
- Learned, experienced; past participle of erfahren
- hatte
- Had; third-person singular simple past of haben
- und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- besonders
- Especially, particularly; adverb emphasizing degree
- betraf
- Concerned, affected; simple past of betreffen
- doch
- But, yet, however; concessive or emphatic particle
- Gründen
- Reasons; dative plural of Grund
- seines
- His; genitive masculine possessive pronoun
- Alters
- Of age; genitive of Alter, referring to old age
- nicht
- Not; basic negation adverb in German
- Mangel
- Lack, shortage; absence or deficiency of something
- an
- At, on, to; common German preposition
- Muße
- Leisure, free time; unhurried time for reflection
- wie
- As, how, like; conjunction or interrogative adverb
- haben
- To have; fundamental auxiliary and main verb
- wollte
- Wanted; simple past of wollen, modal verb
- befürchtete
- Feared, dreaded; simple past of befürchten
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- Arbeit
- Work, labor; task or effort requiring exertion
- zu
- To, too, at; very common preposition or particle
- viel
- Much, a lot; adjective or adverb of quantity
- für
- For; preposition indicating purpose or beneficiary
- ihn
- Him; third-person singular masculine accusative pronoun
- sein
- To be; infinitive of fundamental German verb
- würde
- Would; conditional auxiliary form of werden
- führte
- Led, brought; simple past of führen
- sie
- She, they, it; third-person pronoun
- daher
- Therefore, hence; adverb indicating consequence
- Ende
- End; the conclusion or final point of something
- Diese
- These, this; demonstrative pronoun or article
- Verse
- Verses; plural of Vers, lines of poetry
- ein
- A, an; indefinite article for masculine or neuter
- Beweis
- Proof, evidence; something demonstrating a fact
- Geschäfte
- Business affairs; plural of Geschäft
- das
- The, that; definite article or demonstrative pronoun
- Hindernis
- Obstacle, hindrance; something blocking progress
- waren
- Were; third-person plural simple past of sein
- Ich
- I; first-person singular nominative pronoun
- wachse
- Grow; first-person singular present of wachsen
- im
- In the; contraction of in dem
- Lernen
- Learning; nominalized infinitive of lernen
- ich
- I; first-person singular nominative pronoun
- Alter
- Age, old age; stage of life or period of time
- Und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- weiter
- Further, additionally; adverb indicating continuation
- Wein
- Wine; alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes
- Geist
- Spirit, mind, intellect; inner mental or spiritual force
- Schönheit
- Beauty; quality of being aesthetically pleasing
- schenken
- To give, bestow; to offer something as a gift
- noch
- Still, yet; adverb indicating continuation or addition
- immer
- Always, still; adverb of frequency or continuation
- ihre
- Their, her; third-person possessive pronoun
- Reize
- Charms, attractions; plural of Reiz
- erhellen
- To illuminate, brighten; to shed light on something
- alle
- All, every; adjective or pronoun of totality
- Schatten
- Shadows, shade; darkness cast by blocking light
- des
- Of the; genitive masculine or neuter definite article
- Lebens
- Of life; genitive form of Leben
- erheitern
- To cheer up, brighten; to make someone feel joyful
- auf
- On, upon, at; common German preposition
- unserem
- Our; dative possessive pronoun, first-person plural
- Weg
- Way, path, road; route or course of travel
- ehrgeizig
- Ambitious; driven by desire for achievement or success
- darauf
- Thereon, on it; adverb referring to something prior
- bedacht
- Mindful, intent on; past participle of bedenken
- Thema
- Theme, topic; the subject of discussion or work
- pflegen
- To tend, cultivate, be accustomed to doing something
- auszuschmücken
- To embellish, adorn; to decorate or ornament elaborately
- einen
- A, an; accusative indefinite article, masculine
- reizvollen
- Charming, attractive; adjective describing appealing quality
- Fleck
- Spot, patch, place; a particular location or area
- einem
- A, an; dative indefinite article, masculine or neuter
- schönen
- Beautiful; adjective in inflected form describing noun
- unbestellten
- Uncultivated, untilled; adjective for land not farmed
- Feld
- Field; open area of land, often agricultural
- auch
- Also, too; additive adverb indicating inclusion
- gewissen
- Certain, particular; adjective indicating a specific unnamed thing
- Anspruch
- Claim, entitlement; right or demand to something
- weil
- Because; subordinating causal conjunction
- mit
- With; common German preposition of accompaniment
- verwandt
- Related, akin; sharing family or conceptual connection
- legte
- Laid, placed; simple past of legen
- prächtige
- Magnificent, splendid; adjective describing grandeur
- Höfe
- Courtyards, courts; plural of Hof
- errichtete
- Built, erected; simple past of errichten
- großartigen
- Grand, magnificent; adjective in inflected form
- Eingang
- Entrance, entry; the way into a building or place
- dazu
- In addition, to it; adverb referring to something previously mentioned
- keine
- No, none; negative article for feminine or plural nouns
- andere
- Other, another; adjective indicating a different one
- Fabel
- Fable, tale; short moral story, often with animals
- kein
- No, not any; negative article for masculine or neuter
- anderes
- Other, another; adjective in neuter inflected form
- Gedicht
- Poem; a piece of literary writing in verse form
- je
- Ever; adverb referring to any point in time
- besessen
- Possessed, owned; past participle of besitzen
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →