Heart of Darkness — Page 6
But Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be excepted), and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine.
Aber Marlow war nicht typisch (wenn man seine Neigung, Geschichten zu spinnen, einmal außer Acht lässt), und für ihn lag die Bedeutung einer Episode nicht innen wie ein Kern, sondern außen, die Erzählung umhüllend, die sie nur so herausbrachte, wie ein Schimmer einen Dunst hervorbringt, nach Art eines jener nebligen Höfe, die manchmal durch das gespenstische Licht des Mondscheins sichtbar gemacht werden.
His remark did not seem at all surprising.
Seine Bemerkung schien keineswegs überraschend.
It was just like Marlow.
Das war typisch Marlow.
It was accepted in silence.
Es wurde schweigend hingenommen.
No one took the trouble to grunt even; and presently he said, very slow—"I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago—the other day ....
Niemand nahm sich die Mühe, auch nur zu knurren; und bald sagte er, sehr langsam: „Ich dachte an sehr alte Zeiten, als die Römer zum ersten Mal hierher kamen, vor neunzehnhundert Jahren – neulich ....
Light came out of this river since—you say Knights?
Licht kam seitdem aus diesem Fluss – Sie sagen Ritter?
Yes; but it is like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds.
Ja; aber es ist wie ein dahinlaufendes Feuer auf einer Ebene, wie ein Blitz in den Wolken.
We live in the flicker—may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!
Wir leben im Flackern – möge es so lange andauern, wie die alte Erde sich dreht!
But darkness was here yesterday.
Aber gestern war hier Dunkelheit.
Imagine the feelings of a commander of a fine—what d'ye call 'em?—trireme in the Mediterranean, ordered suddenly to the north; run overland across the Gauls in a hurry; put in charge of one of these craft the legionaries—a wonderful lot of handy men they must have been, too—used to build, apparently by the hundred, in a month or two, if we may believe what we read.
Stellen Sie sich die Gefühle eines Befehlshabers einer schönen – wie nennt man sie gleich? – Trireme im Mittelmeer vor, der plötzlich in den Norden beordert wird; überstürzt über Land durch Gallien zu reisen; dem eines jener Fahrzeuge anvertraut wird, die die Legionäre – eine wunderbare Menge geschickter Männer müssen sie auch gewesen sein – offenbar zu Hunderten in ein oder zwei Monaten zu bauen pflegten, wenn wir glauben dürfen, was wir lesen.
Vocabulary
- Aber
- But, however; used to introduce contrast.
- war
- Was; past tense of sein (to be).
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German sentences.
- typisch
- Typical; characteristic of a particular type.
- wenn
- If, when; conditional or temporal conjunction.
- man
- One, you; indefinite pronoun meaning people generally.
- seine
- His; possessive adjective in nominative or accusative.
- Neigung
- Inclination, tendency; propensity to do something.
- Geschichten
- Stories, tales; plural of Geschichte.
- zu
- To; preposition or infinitive marker in German.
- spinnen
- To spin, weave; to tell elaborate stories.
- einmal
- Once, at one time; temporal adverb.
- außer
- Except, besides, apart from; preposition.
- Acht
- Attention, heed; as in außer Acht lassen.
- lässt
- Lets, allows; third person singular of lassen.
- und
- And; fundamental coordinating conjunction.
- für
- For; preposition expressing purpose or beneficiary.
- ihn
- Him; accusative pronoun, third person singular.
- lag
- Lay, was located; past tense of liegen.
- die
- The; feminine singular or plural article.
- Bedeutung
- Meaning, significance; importance of something.
- einer
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- Episode
- Episode, incident; distinct part of a narrative.
- innen
- Inside, within; interior location or position.
- wie
- Like, as; comparison or manner adverb.
- ein
- A, an; indefinite article in German.
- Kern
- Core, kernel, seed; central essential part.
- sondern
- But rather; adversative conjunction after negation.
- außen
- Outside, outward; exterior location or surface.
- Erzählung
- Narrative, narration; the act of telling stories.
- umhüllend
- Enveloping, wrapping; present participle of umhüllen.
- sie
- She, it, them; third person pronoun.
- nur
- Only, merely; limiting adverb or particle.
- so
- So, thus, in such way; adverb.
- herausbrachte
- Brought out; past tense of herausbringen.
- Schimmer
- Shimmer, gleam; faint or wavering light.
- einen
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- Dunst
- Haze, mist, vapor; obscuring atmospheric condition.
- hervorbringt
- Brings forth, produces; third person singular present.
- nach
- After, according to; preposition expressing manner.
- Art
- Manner, kind, type; way of doing things.
- eines
- Of a, of an; genitive singular article.
- jener
- That, those; demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
- nebligen
- Foggy, misty; adjective describing hazy conditions.
- Höfe
- Courts, yards; plural of Hof.
- manchmal
- Sometimes, occasionally; temporal adverb of frequency.
- durch
- Through, via; preposition expressing movement or means.
- das
- The; neuter singular definite article.
- gespenstische
- Ghostly, spectral; adjective describing eerie atmosphere.
- Licht
- Light; illumination from natural or artificial source.
- des
- Of the; genitive singular definite article.
- Mondscheins
- Moonlight; genitive form of Mondschein.
- sichtbar
- Visible, perceivable; able to be seen.
- gemacht
- Made, caused; past participle of machen.
- werden
- Become, are; passive voice auxiliary or main verb.
- Seine
- His; possessive adjective, capitalized at sentence start.
- Bemerkung
- Remark, comment, observation; statement or utterance.
- schien
- Seemed, appeared; past tense of scheinen.
- keineswegs
- By no means, not at all; adverb.
- überraschend
- Surprising, astonishing; present participle or adjective.
- Das
- That; neuter singular demonstrative pronoun.
- Es
- It; neuter singular personal pronoun.
- wurde
- Was; past tense of werden in passive voice.
- schweigend
- Silently, in silence; present participle or adverb.
- hingenommen
- Accepted, tolerated; past participle of hinnehmen.
- Niemand
- Nobody, no one; indefinite pronoun for persons.
- nahm
- Took; past tense of nehmen (to take).
- sich
- Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun.
- Mühe
- Effort, trouble; labor or exertion required.
- auch
- Also, too, even; additive or emphatic particle.
- knurren
- To growl, grumble; express discontent or displeasure.
- bald
- Soon, shortly; temporal adverb of near future.
- sagte
- Said, spoke; past tense of sagen.
- er
- He; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- sehr
- Very, much; intensifying adverb or modifier.
- langsam
- Slowly, at slow pace; adverb of speed.
- Ich
- I; first person singular personal pronoun.
- dachte
- Thought; past tense of denken (to think).
- an
- At, on, to; preposition with accusative or dative.
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