Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem — Page 8

English → De Full Text Level 9/10

_When the hero arrives in his own land, Higelac treats him as a distinguished guest. He is the hero of the hour._

_Als der Held in seinem eigenen Land ankommt, behandelt Higelac ihn als einen angesehenen Gast. Er ist der Held des Augenblicks._

_Beowulf subsequently becomes king of his own people, the Geats. After he has been ruling for fifty years, his own neighborhood is wofully harried by a fire-spewing dragon. Beowulf determines to kill him. In the ensuing struggle both Beowulf and the dragon are slain. The grief of the Geats is inexpressible. They determine, however, to leave nothing undone to honor the memory of their lord. A great funeral-pyre is built, and his body is burnt. Then a memorial-barrow is made, visible from a great distance, that sailors afar may be constantly reminded of the prowess of the national hero of Geatland._

_Beowulf wird später König seines eigenen Volkes, der Gauten. Nachdem er fünfzig Jahre lang regiert hat, wird seine eigene Heimat von einem feuerspeienden Drachen fürchterlich verwüstet. Beowulf beschließt, ihn zu töten. Im darauffolgenden Kampf werden sowohl Beowulf als auch der Drache erschlagen. Der Kummer der Gauten ist unbeschreiblich. Sie beschließen jedoch, nichts unversucht zu lassen, um das Andenken ihres Herrn zu ehren. Ein großer Scheiterhaufen wird errichtet und sein Leichnam verbrannt. Dann wird ein Gedenkgrabhügel errichtet, der aus großer Entfernung sichtbar ist, damit Seeleute in der Ferne stets an die Tapferkeit des Nationalhelden von Gautland erinnert werden._

_The poem closes with a glowing tribute to his bravery, his gentleness, his goodness of heart, and his generosity._

_Das Gedicht schließt mit einer begeisterten Würdigung seiner Tapferkeit, seiner Sanftmut, seiner Herzensgüte und seiner Großzügigkeit._

It is the devout desire of this translator to hasten the day when the story of Beowulf shall be as familiar to English-speaking peoples as that of the Iliad.

Es ist der innige Wunsch dieses Übersetzers, den Tag zu beschleunigen, an dem die Geschichte von Beowulf den englischsprachigen Völkern ebenso vertraut sein wird wie die der Ilias.

Beowulf is our first great epic.

Beowulf ist unser erstes großes Epos.

It is an epitomized history of the life of the Teutonic races.

Es ist eine zusammengefasste Geschichte des Lebens der germanischen Völker.

It brings vividly before us our forefathers of pre-Alfredian eras, in their love of war, of sea, and of adventure.

Es führt uns lebendig unsere Vorfahren aus voralfredzeitlichen Epochen vor Augen, mit ihrer Liebe zum Krieg, zum Meer und zum Abenteuer.

My special thanks are due to Professors Francis A. March and James A. Harrison, for advice, sympathy, and assistance.

Mein besonderer Dank gilt den Professoren Francis A. March und James A. Harrison für Rat, Mitgefühl und Unterstützung.

J.L. HALL.

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES.

IM ANHANG VERWENDETE ABKÜRZUNGEN.

B. = Bugge. C.

Vocabulary

Als: When or as; introduces a subordinate clause.
der: Definite article 'the' (masculine nominative).
Held: A hero, a person of great courage or valor.
in: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
seinem: Possessive pronoun 'his' (dative masculine/neuter).
eigenen: Adjective meaning 'own', belonging to oneself.
Land: Country, land, or region; a geographical area.
ankommt: Arrives; third-person singular of ankommen.
behandelt: Treats someone in a certain manner or way.
ihn: Personal pronoun 'him' (accusative masculine).
als: As or than; used in comparisons and clauses.
einen: Indefinite article 'a/an' (accusative masculine).
angesehenen: Respected, esteemed, held in high regard.
Gast: A guest, visitor received in someone's home.
Er: Personal pronoun 'he' (nominative masculine).
ist: Is; third-person singular present of sein (to be).
des: Definite article 'the' (genitive masculine/neuter).
Augenblicks: Moment, instant; a very brief period of time.
wird: Becomes or will be; auxiliary for future/passive.
später: Later, afterward; at a subsequent point in time.
König: King; the male ruler of a kingdom or nation.
seines: Possessive pronoun 'his' (genitive masculine/neuter).
Volkes: People, nation, folk (genitive of Volk).
Nachdem: After; conjunction introducing a past subordinate clause.
er: Personal pronoun 'he' (nominative masculine).
fünfzig: Fifty; the cardinal number 50.
Jahre: Years; plural of Jahr, a unit of time.
lang: Long; indicating duration or physical length.
regiert: Governed, ruled; past participle of regieren.
hat: Has; auxiliary verb used in perfect tense.
seine: Possessive pronoun 'his' (nominative feminine/plural).
eigene: Own; adjective indicating personal possession.
Heimat: Homeland, native region; place one considers home.
von: From or by; preposition indicating origin or agent.
einem: Indefinite article 'a/an' (dative masculine/neuter).
feuerspeienden: Fire-breathing; adjective describing a dragon's ability.
Drachen: Dragon; a mythical fire-breathing creature.
fürchterlich: Terribly, dreadfully; in a frightful manner.
verwüstet: Devastated, ravaged, laid waste to an area.
beschließt: Decides, resolves; third-person singular of beschließen.
zu: To; preposition or infinitive particle.
töten: To kill, to cause someone's death.
Im: In the; contraction of in dem (dative).
darauffolgenden: Subsequent, following; the one that comes next.
Kampf: Fight, battle, struggle; a physical or armed conflict.
werden: Become or are; auxiliary for passive or future.
sowohl: Both; used in 'sowohl … als auch' construction.
auch: Also, too; indicates inclusion of another element.
Drache: Dragon; mythical fire-breathing creature (nominative).
erschlagen: Slain, killed; past participle of erschlagen.
Der: Definite article 'the' (masculine nominative).
Kummer: Grief, sorrow, distress; a feeling of sadness.
unbeschreiblich: Indescribable, beyond words; impossible to fully express.
Sie: They (or formal 'you'); third-person plural pronoun.
beschließen: To decide, to resolve upon a course of action.
jedoch: However, nevertheless; introduces a contrasting statement.
nichts: Nothing; not anything at all.
unversucht: Untried, unattempted; not yet tried or tested.
lassen: To let, to leave; to allow something to happen.
um: In order to; preposition or part of infinitive clause.
das: Definite article 'the' (neuter nominative/accusative).
Andenken: Memory, remembrance, keepsake; tribute to someone past.
ihres: Possessive pronoun 'their/her' (genitive masculine/neuter).
Herrn: Lord, master, gentleman (genitive/accusative of Herr).
ehren: To honor, to show respect or tribute to someone.
Ein: Indefinite article 'a/an' (neuter or masculine nominative).
großer: Great, large, big; adjective in strong declension.
Scheiterhaufen: Funeral pyre; a pile of wood for burning a body.
errichtet: Erected, built; past participle of errichten.
und: And; coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses.
sein: His; possessive pronoun (nominative neuter/masculine).
Leichnam: Corpse, dead body; the physical remains of someone.
verbrannt: Burned, incinerated; past participle of verbrennen.
Dann: Then, afterward; indicating the next step in sequence.
ein: Indefinite article 'a/an' (neuter or masculine nominative).
aus: From, out of; preposition indicating origin or material.
Entfernung: Distance; the space between two points or places.
sichtbar: Visible, able to be seen from a distance.
damit: So that; conjunction expressing purpose or intention.
Seeleute: Sailors, seamen; people who work on ships.
Ferne: Distance, far-off place; a remote or distant area.
stets: Always, constantly; at all times without exception.
an: On, at, to; preposition indicating proximity or direction.
die: Definite article 'the' (feminine or plural).
Tapferkeit: Bravery, valor, courage; quality of being fearless.
Nationalhelden: National hero (genitive); a country's celebrated heroic figure.
erinnert: Reminded; past participle or third-person of erinnern.
Das: Definite article 'the' (neuter nominative/accusative).
Gedicht: Poem; a piece of literary writing in verse form.
schließt: Closes, ends; third-person singular of schließen.
mit: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
einer: Indefinite article 'a/an' (dative/genitive feminine).
begeisterten: Enthusiastic, passionate; adjective in declined form.
Würdigung: Appreciation, tribute; recognition of someone's qualities.
seiner: His; possessive pronoun (genitive masculine/neuter).
Sanftmut: Gentleness, meekness; a calm and mild disposition.
Herzensgüte: Kindheartedness, goodness of heart; genuine inner warmth.
Großzügigkeit: Generosity; the quality of giving freely and willingly.
Es: It; neuter third-person singular pronoun.
innige: Heartfelt, sincere, fervent; describing deep emotional desire.
Wunsch: Wish, desire; a longing or hope for something.
dieses: This; demonstrative pronoun (genitive masculine/neuter).
Übersetzers: Translator's (genitive); belonging to the person translating.
den: Definite article 'the' (accusative masculine or dative plural).
Tag: Day; a 24-hour period or a specific calendar day.
beschleunigen: To accelerate, to hasten; to make something happen sooner.
dem: Definite article 'the' (dative masculine/neuter).
Geschichte: Story, history; a narrative or account of past events.
englischsprachigen: English-speaking; relating to people who speak English.
Völkern: Peoples, nations (dative plural of Volk).
ebenso: Just as, equally; indicating the same degree or manner.
vertraut: Familiar, well-known; closely acquainted with something.
wie: As, like, how; used in comparisons or questions.
unser: Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun.
erstes: First; ordinal adjective in neuter nominative form.
großes: Great, large; adjective in neuter nominative strong form.
Epos: Epic; a long narrative poem about heroic deeds.
eine: Indefinite article 'a/an' (feminine nominative/accusative).
zusammengefasste: Summarized, condensed; presented in a brief overview form.
Lebens: Life (genitive); relating to or of someone's life.
germanischen: Germanic; relating to ancient Germanic peoples and culture.
Völker: Peoples, nations; plural of Volk.
führt: Leads, guides; third-person singular of führen.
uns: Us; first-person plural accusative/dative pronoun.
lebendig: Vividly, lively; in a vivid and animated manner.
unsere: Our; first-person plural possessive (feminine/plural nominative).
Vorfahren: Ancestors, forefathers; people from whom one descends.
Epochen: Epochs, eras; significant historical periods of time.
vor: Before, in front of; preposition of place or time.
Augen: Eyes; plural of Auge; also used figuratively.
ihrer: Their/her; possessive pronoun (genitive/dative feminine).
Liebe: Love; a deep feeling of affection or devotion.
zum: To the; contraction of zu dem (dative).
Krieg: War; armed conflict between groups or nations.
Meer: Sea, ocean; a large body of salt water.
Abenteuer: Adventure; an exciting or unusual experience or journey.
Mein: My; first-person singular possessive pronoun.
besonderer: Special, particular; adjective in strong masculine nominative.
Dank: Thanks, gratitude; appreciation expressed toward someone.
gilt: Goes to, applies; third-person singular of gelten.
Professoren: Professors; academic teachers at university level.
für: For; preposition indicating purpose, benefit, or exchange.
Rat: Advice, counsel; guidance offered by a knowledgeable person.
Mitgefühl: Sympathy, compassion; sharing in another's feelings.
Unterstützung: Support, assistance; help given to someone in need.
IM: In the; capitalized contraction of in dem (dative).
ANHANG: Appendix; supplementary material at the end of a text.
VERWENDETE: Used, employed; past participle of verwenden (capitalized).
ABKÜRZUNGEN: Abbreviations; shortened forms of words or phrases.

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