Heart of Darkness — Page 3
And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men.
Und schließlich, in seinem gebogenen und unmerklichen Sinken, sank die Sonne tief herab und wandelte sich von leuchtendem Weiß zu einem stumpfen Rot ohne Strahlen und ohne Wärme, als ob sie plötzlich erlöschen wollte, zu Tode getroffen von der Berührung jenes Dunkels, das über einer Menschenmenge brütete.
Forthwith a change came over the waters, and the serenity became less brilliant but more profound.
Sogleich vollzog sich eine Veränderung über den Wassern, und die Stille wurde weniger strahlend, aber tiefer.
The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day, after ages of good service done to the race that peopled its banks, spread out in the tranquil dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth.
Der alte Fluss ruhte in seiner breiten Weite unerschütterlich beim Niedergang des Tages, nach Zeitaltern treuer Dienste an den Völkern, die seine Ufer bevölkert hatten, ausgebreitet in der stillen Würde eines Wasserweges, der zu den äußersten Enden der Erde führt.
We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs for ever, but in the august light of abiding memories.
Wir betrachteten den ehrwürdigen Strom nicht im lebhaften Schimmer eines kurzen Tages, der kommt und für immer vergeht, sondern im erhabenen Licht bleibender Erinnerungen.
And indeed nothing is easier for a man who has, as the phrase goes, "followed the sea" with reverence and affection, than to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames.
Und tatsächlich ist nichts leichter für einen Mann, der, wie man so sagt, die See mit Ehrfurcht und Zuneigung „verfolgt" hat, als den großen Geist der Vergangenheit auf den unteren Läufen der Themse heraufzubeschwören.
The tidal current runs to and fro in its unceasing service, crowded with memories of men and ships it had borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea.
Die Gezeitenströmung fließt hin und her in ihrem unaufhörlichen Dienst, erfüllt von Erinnerungen an Männer und Schiffe, die sie zur Ruhe der Heimat oder zu den Schlachten der See getragen hatte.
It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin, knights all, titled and untitled—the great knights-errant of the sea.
Sie hatte alle Männer gekannt und ihnen gedient, auf die die Nation stolz ist, von Sir Francis Drake bis Sir John Franklin, allesamt Ritter, betitelt und unbetitelt – die großen fahrenden Ritter der See.
Vocabulary
- Und
- Conjunction connecting words, clauses, or sentences together.
- schließlich
- Finally; eventually; in the end or conclusion.
- in
- Preposition indicating location, direction, or position within.
- seinem
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'his' or 'its' in dative case.
- gebogenen
- Curved; bent; arched (past participle of biegen).
- Sinken
- Sinking; the act or process of descending downward.
- sank
- Sank; descended; moved downward (past tense of sinken).
- die
- The; definite feminine singular article in German.
- Sonne
- Sun; the celestial body providing light and warmth.
- tief
- Deep; profound; extending far down or extending inward.
- herab
- Down; downward; used as adverb or prefix indicating downward motion.
- wandelte
- Changed; transformed; converted (past tense of wandeln).
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun 'himself,' 'herself,' 'itself,' or 'themselves.'
- von
- From; of; indicates origin, possession, or agent.
- leuchtendem
- Luminous; shining; glowing (present participle in dative case).
- Weiß
- White; the color of snow or light.
- zu
- To; towards; indicates direction or purpose.
- einem
- A; an; indefinite article in masculine dative case.
- stumpfen
- Dull; blunt; not sharp or bright (dative case).
- Rot
- Red; the color of blood or fire.
- ohne
- Without; lacking; in the absence of something.
- Strahlen
- Rays; beams; shafts of light or radiation.
- Wärme
- Warmth; heat; thermal energy or affectionate feeling.
- als
- As; when; used in comparisons or temporal clauses.
- ob
- As if; whether; introduces conditional or hypothetical clauses.
- sie
- She; it; third person feminine singular pronoun.
- plötzlich
- Suddenly; abruptly; all at once without warning.
- erlöschen
- Extinguish; go out; cease to exist or shine.
- wollte
- Wanted; wished; desired (past tense of wollen).
- Tode
- Death; the end of life (dative case).
- getroffen
- Struck; hit; affected (past participle of treffen).
- der
- The; definite article in masculine singular or dative.
- Berührung
- Touch; contact; the act of touching something.
- jenes
- That; those (demonstrative pronoun in neuter case).
- Dunkels
- Darkness; the absence of light (genitive case).
- das
- The; that; definite neuter article or pronoun.
- über
- Over; above; across; concerning or about something.
- einer
- A; one; indefinite article in dative or genitive.
- brütete
- Brooded; sat; hovered over (past tense of brüten).
- eine
- A; an; indefinite article in feminine singular.
- Veränderung
- Change; transformation; alteration or modification.
- den
- The; definite article in masculine or neuter accusative.
- Wassern
- Waters; bodies of water (dative plural case).
- Stille
- Silence; stillness; quietness or absence of sound.
- wurde
- Became; was; past tense of werden.
- weniger
- Less; fewer; smaller in amount or degree.
- strahlend
- Radiant; shining; glowing brightly with light.
- aber
- But; however; used to introduce contrast or exception.
- tiefer
- Deeper; more profound; comparative form of deep.
- Der
- The; definite article in masculine singular or nominative.
- alte
- Old; aged; having existed for a long time.
- Fluss
- River; stream; flowing body of water.
- ruhte
- Rested; reposed; was at rest (past tense).
- seiner
- His; its; possessive pronoun in dative case.
- breiten
- Broad; wide; expansive (dative or accusative case).
- beim
- At the; during; at the time of occurrence.
- Niedergang
- Decline; sunset; downward movement or ending.
- des
- The; of the; possessive article in genitive.
- Tages
- Day; the period of daylight (genitive case).
- nach
- After; according to; following in time or sequence.
- treuer
- Faithful; loyal; devoted (masculine nominative case).
- Dienste
- Services; duties; acts of service (plural nominative).
- an
- On; at; to; indicates position or direction.
- Völkern
- Peoples; nations; ethnic groups (dative plural).
- Ufer
- Shore; bank; edge of water or coastline.
- bevölkert
- Populated; inhabited; having people living there.
- hatten
- Had; possessed (past tense plural of haben).
- ausgebreitet
- Spread; extended; unfolded (past participle).
- stillen
- Quiet; calm; peaceful (accusative case).
- Würde
- Dignity; nobility; worthy or elevated character.
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