Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 9
The master is a person of an excellent disposition and is remarkable in the ship for his gentleness and the mildness of his discipline.
Der Kapitän ist eine Person von vortrefflichem Charakter und zeichnet sich auf dem Schiff durch seine Sanftmut und die Milde seiner Disziplin aus.
This circumstance, added to his well-known integrity and dauntless courage, made me very desirous to engage him.
Dieser Umstand, zusammen mit seiner weithin bekannten Integrität und seiner unerschrockenen Tapferkeit, ließ mich sehr darauf brennen, ihn anzuheuern.
A youth passed in solitude, my best years spent under your gentle and feminine fosterage, has so refined the groundwork of my character that I cannot overcome an intense distaste to the usual brutality exercised on board ship:
Eine in Einsamkeit verbrachte Jugend, meine besten Jahre unter Ihrer sanften und mütterlichen Fürsorge, hat das Fundament meines Charakters derart verfeinert, dass ich eine tiefe Abneigung gegen die übliche Brutalität an Bord eines Schiffes nicht überwinden kann:
I have never believed it to be necessary, and when I heard of a mariner equally noted for his kindliness of heart and the respect and obedience paid to him by his crew, I felt myself peculiarly fortunate in being able to secure his services.
Ich habe sie nie für notwendig gehalten, und als ich von einem Seefahrer hörte, der gleichermaßen für seine Herzensgüte wie für den Respekt und den Gehorsam bekannt war, den ihm seine Mannschaft entgegenbrachte, fühlte ich mich besonders glücklich, seine Dienste sichern zu können.
I heard of him first in rather a romantic manner, from a lady who owes to him the happiness of her life.
Ich hörte zuerst auf recht romantische Weise von ihm, durch eine Dame, die ihm das Glück ihres Lebens verdankt.
This, briefly, is his story.
Dies, in Kürze, ist seine Geschichte.
Some years ago he loved a young Russian lady of moderate fortune, and having amassed a considerable sum in prize-money, the father of the girl consented to the match.
Vor einigen Jahren liebte er eine junge russische Dame von bescheidenem Vermögen, und nachdem er eine beträchtliche Summe als Prisengelder angehäuft hatte, stimmte der Vater des Mädchens der Verbindung zu.
He saw his mistress once before the destined ceremony; but she was bathed in tears, and throwing herself at his feet, entreated him to spare her, confessing at the same time that she loved another, but that he was poor, and that her father would never consent to the union.
Er sah seine Angebetete einmal vor der bestimmten Zeremonie; doch sie war in Tränen gebadet und warf sich ihm zu Füßen, bat ihn flehentlich, sie zu verschonen, und gestand dabei, dass sie einen anderen liebte, dass dieser jedoch arm sei und ihr Vater der Verbindung niemals zustimmen würde.
My generous friend reassured the suppliant, and on being informed of the name of her lover, instantly abandoned his pursuit.
Mein großherziger Freund beruhigte die Flehende und gab, sobald er den Namen ihres Geliebten erfahren hatte, seine Werbung sofort auf.
Vocabulary
- Kapitän
- Captain; commander of a ship or aircraft
- Person
- Person; an individual human being
- vortrefflichem
- Excellent, outstanding; of admirable quality or character
- Charakter
- Character; a person's moral and mental qualities
- zeichnet
- Distinguishes, marks; third-person singular of 'zeichnen'
- Schiff
- Ship; a large vessel for traveling on water
- Sanftmut
- Gentleness, meekness; calm and kind temperament
- Milde
- Mildness, leniency; gentle and tolerant quality
- Disziplin
- Discipline; controlled orderly behavior or training
- Umstand
- Circumstance; a fact or condition affecting a situation
- zusammen
- Together; combined or in conjunction with something
- weithin
- Widely, far and wide; known or visible over distance
- bekannten
- Known, familiar; past participle of 'bekannt sein'
- Integrität
- Integrity; quality of being honest and morally upright
- unerschrockenen
- Fearless, undaunted; showing no fear in danger
- Tapferkeit
- Bravery, courage; readiness to face danger boldly
- ließ
- Let, allowed; past tense of 'lassen'
- darauf
- On it, thereupon; adverb referring to something prior
- brennen
- Burn; to be eager or passionately desirous of something
- anzuheuern
- To hire, sign on; recruit someone for ship's crew
- Einsamkeit
- Solitude, loneliness; state of being alone or isolated
- verbrachte
- Spent; past tense of 'verbringen,' to spend time
- Jugend
- Youth; the period of life when one is young
- sanften
- Gentle, soft; adjective describing tender kindness
- mütterlichen
- Motherly, maternal; relating to the care of a mother
- Fürsorge
- Care, welfare; attentive concern for someone's wellbeing
- Fundament
- Foundation, basis; underlying base of character or structure
- derart
- So, in such a way; adverb expressing degree or manner
- verfeinert
- Refined, polished; improved or made more subtle/delicate
- tiefe
- Deep, profound; describing intensity of feeling
- Abneigung
- Aversion, dislike; strong feeling against something
- übliche
- Usual, customary; referring to common or typical practice
- Brutalität
- Brutality; savage cruelty or violent harshness
- Bord
- Board; on board a ship or aircraft
- überwinden
- Overcome, surmount; to get past a difficulty or feeling
- notwendig
- Necessary, required; absolutely needed or essential
- gehalten
- Considered, held; past participle of 'halten'
- Seefahrer
- Seafarer, mariner; person who travels or works at sea
- gleichermaßen
- Equally, likewise; in the same degree or manner
- Herzensgüte
- Kindheartedness; natural warmth and goodness of heart
- Respekt
- Respect; admiration or deference toward someone
- Gehorsam
- Obedience; compliance with authority or commands
- bekannt
- Known, familiar; widely recognized or acknowledged
- Mannschaft
- Crew, team; group of people working together on vessel
- entgegenbrachte
- Showed, extended; past tense of 'entgegenbringen'
- besonders
- Especially, particularly; to a greater than usual degree
- glücklich
- Happy, fortunate; feeling or expressing joy
- Dienste
- Services; plural of 'Dienst,' work done for another
- sichern
- Secure, ensure; to obtain or make safe something
- zuerst
- First, at first; adverb indicating the beginning
- recht
- Quite, rather; adverb meaning fairly or genuinely
- romantische
- Romantic; relating to romance or idealized love
- Weise
- Way, manner; method or mode of doing something
- Dame
- Lady; a polite or formal term for a woman
- Glück
- Happiness, luck; a state of fortune or good fortune
- verdankt
- Owes, is indebted; to owe something to someone
- Kürze
- Brevity, briefness; shortness of expression or time
- Geschichte
- Story, history; narrative account of events
- einigen
- Some, a few; indefinite article indicating small number
- russische
- Russian; relating to Russia or its people
- bescheidenem
- Modest; of humble means or restrained in manner
- Vermögen
- Fortune, wealth; financial assets or ability
- nachdem
- After; subordinating conjunction of time
- beträchtliche
- Considerable, substantial; large in amount or degree
- Summe
- Sum, amount; total quantity of money
- Prisengelder
- Prize money; rewards for capturing enemy ships
- angehäuft
- Accumulated, amassed; past participle of 'anhäufen'
- stimmte
- Agreed, consented; past tense of 'zustimmen'
- Verbindung
- Union, connection; a bond or joining of two parties
- Angebetete
- Adored one, beloved; person who is worshipped or adored
- einmal
- Once, one time; adverb indicating a single occurrence
- bestimmten
- Certain, particular; specified or fixed in advance
- Zeremonie
- Ceremony; formal event or ritual observance
- doch
- Yet, but, however; contrastive or emphatic particle
- Tränen
- Tears; drops of fluid from eyes when crying
- gebadet
- Bathed; past participle of 'baden,' here drenched in tears
- warf
- Threw; past tense of 'werfen,' to throw
- Füßen
- Feet; dative plural of 'Fuß'
- bat
- Asked, begged; past tense of 'bitten'
- flehentlich
- Imploringly, pleadingly; begging urgently and earnestly
- verschonen
- Spare, exempt; to leave someone free from harm
- gestand
- Confessed; past tense of 'gestehen,' to admit
- dabei
- In doing so, thereby; adverb indicating concurrent action
- jedoch
- However, but; adversative conjunction expressing contrast
- arm
- Poor; lacking money or material possessions
- sei
- Be; subjunctive form of 'sein,' expressing reported speech
- niemals
- Never; adverb meaning at no time whatsoever
- zustimmen
- Agree, consent; to give approval to something
- würde
- Would; conditional form of 'werden'
- großherziger
- Magnanimous, generous-hearted; noble and giving in spirit
- beruhigte
- Calmed, reassured; past tense of 'beruhigen'
- Flehende
- Supplicant; person who is begging or pleading earnestly
- sobald
- As soon as; subordinating conjunction of time
- Geliebten
- Beloved's; genitive of 'Geliebte,' a loved one
- erfahren
- Learned, found out; to discover or gain knowledge of
- Werbung
- Courtship, suit; act of seeking someone's affection
- sofort
- Immediately, at once; without any delay
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