Crime and Punishment — Page 3
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The heat in the street was terrible: and the airlessness, the bustle and the plaster, scaffolding, bricks, and dust all about him, and that special Petersburg stench, so familiar to all who are unable to get out of town in summer--all worked painfully upon the young man's already overwrought nerves.
Die Hitze auf der Straße war schrecklich: und die Schwüle, das Getümmel und der Putz, das Gerüst, die Ziegel und der Staub rings um ihn, und dieser besondere Petersburger Gestank, so vertraut all jenen, die im Sommer nicht aus der Stadt herauskommen können – all das wirkte qualvoll auf die ohnehin überreizten Nerven des jungen Mannes ein.
The insufferable stench from the pot-houses, which are particularly numerous in that part of the town, and the drunken men whom he met continually, although it was a working day, completed the revolting misery of the picture.
Der unerträgliche Gestank aus den Schenken, die in diesem Stadtviertel besonders zahlreich sind, und die betrunkenen Männer, denen er unaufhörlich begegnete, obwohl es ein Werktag war, vollendeten das widerliche Elend des Bildes.
An expression of the profoundest disgust gleamed for a moment in the young man's refined face.
Ein Ausdruck tiefsten Ekels leuchtete für einen Moment in dem feinen Gesicht des jungen Mannes auf.
He was, by the way, exceptionally handsome, above the average in height, slim, well-built, with beautiful dark eyes and dark brown hair.
Er war übrigens außergewöhnlich gutaussehend, überdurchschnittlich groß, schlank, wohlgebaut, mit schönen dunklen Augen und dunkelbraunem Haar.
Soon he sank into deep thought, or more accurately speaking into a complete blankness of mind; he walked along not observing what was about him and not caring to observe it.
Bald versank er in tiefes Nachdenken, oder genauer gesagt in eine völlige Gedankenleere; er ging dahin, ohne wahrzunehmen, was um ihn herum vorging, und ohne den Wunsch, es wahrzunehmen.
From time to time, he would mutter something, from the habit of talking to himself, to which he had just confessed.
Von Zeit zu Zeit murmelte er etwas vor sich hin, aus der Gewohnheit des Selbstgespräches, die er soeben eingestanden hatte.
At these moments he would become conscious that his ideas were sometimes in a tangle and that he was very weak; for two days he had scarcely tasted food.
In diesen Momenten wurde ihm bewusst, dass seine Gedanken mitunter wirr waren und dass er sehr schwach war; seit zwei Tagen hatte er kaum etwas gegessen.
He was so badly dressed that even a man accustomed to shabbiness would have been ashamed to be seen in the street in such rags.
Er war so ärmlich gekleidet, dass sich selbst ein an Schäbigkeit gewöhnter Mann geschämt hätte, in solchen Lumpen auf der Straße gesehen zu werden.
In that quarter of the town, however, scarcely any shortcoming in dress would have created surprise.
In jenem Stadtviertel allerdings hätte kaum irgendein Mangel in der Kleidung Aufsehen erregt.
Vocabulary
- Die
- The (feminine/plural definite article in German)
- Hitze
- Heat, extreme warmth of the atmosphere
- auf
- On, upon, or onto a surface
- der
- The (masculine definite article in German)
- Straße
- Street, road, or public thoroughfare
- war
- Was, past tense of 'sein' (to be)
- schrecklich
- Terrible, dreadful, or extremely unpleasant
- und
- And, a coordinating conjunction linking elements
- die
- The (feminine/plural definite article in German)
- Schwüle
- Sultry or muggy humidity in the air
- das
- The (neuter definite article in German)
- Getümmel
- Hustle and bustle, noisy crowd or turmoil
- Putz
- Plaster or stucco used on building walls
- Gerüst
- Scaffolding or framework supporting construction work
- Ziegel
- Brick or tile used in construction
- Staub
- Dust, fine dry particles in the air
- rings
- All around, on every side surrounding something
- um
- Around, about, or at a specific time
- ihn
- Him, accusative personal pronoun third person singular
- dieser
- This (masculine demonstrative pronoun or article)
- besondere
- Special, particular, or distinctive in some way
- Gestank
- Stench, foul or offensive bad smell
- so
- So, thus, or in such a manner
- vertraut
- Familiar, well-known, or intimately acquainted with
- all
- All, every, or the entirety of something
- jenen
- Those (dative plural demonstrative pronoun)
- im
- In the (contraction of 'in dem')
- Sommer
- Summer, the warmest season of the year
- nicht
- Not, negation particle in German sentences
- aus
- Out of, from, or made of something
- Stadt
- City or town, an urban settlement area
- herauskommen
- To come out, to leave or emerge from
- können
- Can, to be able to do something
- wirkte
- Had an effect, acted upon something or someone
- qualvoll
- Agonizing, causing great pain or torment
- ohnehin
- Anyway, in any case, regardless of circumstances
- überreizten
- Overstimulated, excessively irritated or agitated nerves
- Nerven
- Nerves, the nerve fibers or emotional state
- des
- Of the (genitive masculine/neuter definite article)
- jungen
- Young, of a person in early life stage
- Mannes
- Man's, genitive form of 'Mann' (man)
- ein
- A, an (indefinite article for German nouns)
- Der
- The (masculine nominative definite article)
- unerträgliche
- Unbearable, intolerable, impossible to endure further
- den
- The (accusative masculine or dative plural article)
- Schenken
- Taverns or inns where alcohol is served
- in
- In, inside, or within a place or time
- diesem
- This (dative masculine/neuter demonstrative article)
- Stadtviertel
- Neighborhood or district within a city
- besonders
- Especially, particularly, or in a special degree
- zahlreich
- Numerous, present in large or great numbers
- sind
- Are, present tense plural of 'sein' (to be)
- betrunkenen
- Drunk, intoxicated from alcohol consumption
- Männer
- Men, plural of 'Mann' (man)
- denen
- Whom, dative plural relative or demonstrative pronoun
- er
- He, third person singular masculine pronoun
- unaufhörlich
- Incessantly, without stopping or ceasing
- begegnete
- Encountered, met or came across someone
- obwohl
- Although, even though, a concessive conjunction
- es
- It, third person singular neuter pronoun
- Werktag
- Workday, a regular weekday for working
- vollendeten
- Complete, perfected, or fully finished in degree
- widerliche
- Disgusting, repulsive, causing nausea or revulsion
- Elend
- Misery, wretchedness, or extreme poverty and suffering
- Bildes
- Of the picture or image, genitive of 'Bild'
- Ein
- A, an (indefinite article introducing a noun)
- Ausdruck
- Expression, a look conveying feeling on face
- tiefsten
- Deepest, superlative of 'tief' (deep)
- Ekels
- Disgust, revulsion, strong feeling of repugnance
- leuchtete
- Lit up, shone or gleamed visibly
- für
- For, in favor of, or intended for someone
- einen
- A, an (accusative masculine indefinite article)
- Moment
- Moment, a very brief period of time
- dem
- The (dative masculine/neuter definite article)
- feinen
- Fine, refined, delicate, or elegant in quality
- Gesicht
- Face, the front part of the head
- Er
- He, third person singular masculine subject pronoun
- übrigens
- By the way, incidentally, as a side note
- außergewöhnlich
- Extraordinary, unusually remarkable or exceptional
- gutaussehend
- Good-looking, handsome, or physically attractive
- überdurchschnittlich
- Above average, exceeding the normal standard
- groß
- Tall, large, or great in size
- schlank
- Slim, slender, lean in body shape
- wohlgebaut
- Well-built, having a strong and attractive physique
- mit
- With, together with, or by means of
- schönen
- Beautiful, lovely, attractive in appearance
- dunklen
- Dark, of a deep or dim color
- Augen
- Eyes, the organs of sight on a face
- dunkelbraunem
- Dark brown, describing a deep brown color
- Haar
- Hair, the strands growing from the head
- Bald
- Soon, in a short time from now
- versank
- Sank into, became absorbed in deep thought
- tiefes
- Deep, profound, or intense in degree
- Nachdenken
- Deep thought, reflection, or pondering something carefully
- oder
- Or, a disjunctive coordinating conjunction
- genauer
- More precisely, more exactly, or more accurately
- gesagt
- Said, past participle of 'sagen' (to say)
- eine
- A, an (feminine indefinite article in German)
- völlige
- Complete, total, or utter in every respect
- Gedankenleere
- Mental blankness, total emptiness of all thoughts
- ging
- Went, past tense of 'gehen' (to go)
- dahin
- Along, onward, or in that direction
- ohne
- Without, lacking something or not including it
- wahrzunehmen
- To perceive, notice, or be aware of something
- was
- What, an interrogative or relative pronoun
- herum
- Around, in the surrounding area nearby
- vorging
- Was happening, going on around someone
- Wunsch
- Wish, desire, or something longed for
- Von
- From, of, or by indicating origin or source
- Zeit
- Time, a measurable period or moment
- zu
- To, towards, or too (in excess)
- murmelte
- Murmured, spoke quietly and indistinctly to oneself
- etwas
- Something, somewhat, or a little bit
- vor
- Before, in front of, or ago
- sich
- Himself/herself/itself, reflexive pronoun in German
- hin
- Away, towards a destination or direction
- Gewohnheit
- Habit, custom, or regular tendency of behavior
- Selbstgespräches
- Soliloquy or talking to oneself, self-conversation
- soeben
- Just now, a moment ago, very recently
- eingestanden
- Admitted, confessed or acknowledged something to oneself
- hatte
- Had, past tense of 'haben' (to have)
- In
- In, inside, or within a place or time
- diesen
- These (accusative plural demonstrative article)
- Momenten
- Moments, brief periods or instants of time
- wurde
- Became, was (past tense of 'werden')
- ihm
- Him, dative third person singular masculine pronoun
- bewusst
- Aware, conscious, or mindful of something
- dass
- That, a subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- seine
- His, possessive pronoun for masculine third person
- Gedanken
- Thoughts, ideas passing through the mind
- mitunter
- Sometimes, occasionally, now and then
- wirr
- Confused, tangled, disordered or incoherent
- waren
- Were, past tense plural of 'sein' (to be)
- sehr
- Very, extremely, to a great degree
- schwach
- Weak, feeble, lacking physical or mental strength
- seit
- Since, for (used with a duration of time)
- zwei
- Two, the number 2
- Tagen
- Days, plural dative of 'Tag' (day)
- kaum
- Hardly, scarcely, or barely at all
- gegessen
- Eaten, past participle of 'essen' (to eat)
- ärmlich
- Poorly, in a shabby or wretched manner
- gekleidet
- Dressed, clothed in a certain manner
- selbst
- Even, oneself, or by one's own effort
- an
- At, on, or to, a preposition of location
- Schäbigkeit
- Shabbiness, seediness, the state of being ragged
- gewöhnter
- Accustomed, used to something through habit
- Mann
- Man, an adult male human being
- geschämt
- Ashamed, felt embarrassment or shame about something
- hätte
- Would have, subjunctive of 'haben' (to have)
- solchen
- Such, of that kind or sort
- Lumpen
- Rags, old torn pieces of worn-out clothing
- gesehen
- Seen, past participle of 'sehen' (to see)
- werden
- To become, or to be (auxiliary verb)
- jenem
- That (dative masculine/neuter demonstrative pronoun)
- allerdings
- However, admittedly, or to be sure though
- irgendein
- Some, any, some kind of indefinite thing
- Mangel
- Lack, deficiency, or shortage of something needed
- Kleidung
- Clothing, garments worn on the body
- Aufsehen
- Attention, sensation, or causing a public stir
- erregt
- Aroused, excited, or caused to attract notice
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