Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 3
Ahab did not like Micaiah, because he never prophesied good concerning him, but evil; probably he liked the sycophant son of Chenaanah better; yet might Ahab have escaped a bloody death, had he but stopped his ears to flattery, and opened them to faithful counsel.
Ahab mochte Micaiah nicht, weil dieser ihm gegenüber niemals Gutes prophezeite, sondern nur Böses; wahrscheinlich mochte er den schmeichlerischen Sohn Chenaahs lieber; dennoch hätte Ahab einem blutigen Tod entgehen können, wenn er nur seine Ohren der Schmeichelei verschlossen und sie dem treuen Rat geöffnet hätte.
There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before the great ones of society, much as the son of Imlah came before the throned Kings of Judah and Israel; and who speaks truth as deep, with a power as prophet-like and as vital—a mien as dauntless and as daring.
Es gibt einen Mann in unseren eigenen Tagen, dessen Worte nicht darauf ausgerichtet sind, empfindliche Ohren zu kitzeln: der, nach meiner Meinung, vor die Großen der Gesellschaft tritt, ähnlich wie der Sohn Imlahs vor die thronenden Könige Judas und Israels trat; und der Wahrheit ebenso tief ausspricht, mit einer Kraft, die ebenso prophetisch und lebendig ist – mit einer Haltung, die ebenso furchtlos und kühn ist.
Is the satirist of "Vanity Fair" admired in high places? I cannot tell; but I think if some of those amongst whom he hurls the Greek fire of his sarcasm, and over whom he flashes the levin-brand of his denunciation, were to take his warnings in time—they or their seed might yet escape a fatal Rimoth-Gilead.
Wird der Satiriker des „Jahrmarkts der Eitelkeit" an hohen Stellen bewundert? Das kann ich nicht sagen; aber ich glaube, wenn einige derjenigen, unter die er das Griechische Feuer seines Sarkasmus schleudert und über die er den Blitzstrahl seiner Anklage zucken lässt, seine Warnungen rechtzeitig beherzigen würden – sie oder ihre Nachkommen könnten noch einem verhängnisvollen Rimoth-Gilead entgehen.
Why have I alluded to this man? I have alluded to him, Reader, because I think I see in him an intellect profounder and more unique than his contemporaries have yet recognised; because I regard him as the first social regenerator of the day—as the very master of that working corps who would restore to rectitude the warped system of things; because I think no commentator on his writings has yet found the comparison that suits him, the terms which rightly characterise his talent.
Warum habe ich auf diesen Mann angespielt? Ich habe auf ihn angespielt, lieber Leser, weil ich glaube, in ihm einen Verstand zu erkennen, der tiefsinniger und einzigartiger ist, als seine Zeitgenossen bisher erkannt haben; weil ich ihn als den ersten gesellschaftlichen Erneuerer der Zeit betrachte – als den eigentlichen Meister jenes arbeitenden Kreises, der das verdrehte System der Dinge wieder in die rechte Bahn lenken würde; weil ich glaube, dass noch kein Kommentator seiner Werke den Vergleich gefunden hat, der ihm gerecht wird, und die Begriffe, die sein Talent treffend kennzeichnen.
Vocabulary
- mochte
- Liked; wanted; past tense of mögen.
- nicht
- Not; negation particle; most common negative word.
- weil
- Because; conjunction introducing causal clauses.
- dieser
- This; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- ihm
- Him; to him; dative pronoun for masculine nouns.
- gegenüber
- Opposite; facing; across from; toward.
- niemals
- Never; at no time; emphatic negation.
- Gutes
- Good things; goodness; neuter noun form.
- prophezeite
- Prophesied; predicted; past tense of prophezeihen.
- sondern
- But; rather; coordinating conjunction for contrasts.
- nur
- Only; merely; just; restrictive particle.
- Böses
- Evil; bad things; neuter noun form.
- wahrscheinlich
- Probably; likely; probably; adverb of probability.
- er
- He; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- den
- The; accusative masculine article.
- schmeichlerischen
- Flattering; sycophantic; adjective describing deceptive praise.
- Sohn
- Son; male child; masculine noun.
- lieber
- Rather; preferably; comparative form of lieb.
- dennoch
- Nevertheless; still; yet; despite that.
- hätte
- Would have; subjunctive form of haben.
- einem
- A; an; dative masculine article.
- blutigen
- Bloody; bleeding; adjective describing violence.
- Tod
- Death; dying; masculine noun.
- entgehen
- Escape; avoid; elude; verb.
- können
- Can; to be able to; modal verb.
- wenn
- If; when; conditional or temporal conjunction.
- seine
- His; possessive pronoun masculine or plural.
- Ohren
- Ears; plural of Ohr; auditory organs.
- der
- The; definite article nominative or genitive.
- Schmeichelei
- Flattery; sycophancy; feminine noun.
- verschlossen
- Closed; shut; locked; past participle adjective.
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction linking words.
- sie
- She; they; feminine or plural pronoun.
- dem
- The; dative article masculine or neuter.
- treuen
- Faithful; loyal; true; adjective form.
- Rat
- Advice; council; counsel; masculine noun.
- geöffnet
- Opened; past participle of öffnen.
- Es
- It; neuter pronoun; impersonal subject.
- gibt
- Gives; there is; present tense verb.
- einen
- A; an; accusative masculine indefinite article.
- Mann
- Man; male person; masculine noun.
- in
- In; inside; preposition of location.
- unseren
- Our; possessive pronoun plural or accusative.
- eigenen
- Own; one's own; reflexive possessive adjective.
- Tagen
- Days; plural of Tag; periods of time.
- dessen
- Whose; of which; genitive relative pronoun.
- Worte
- Words; plural of Wort; utterances.
- darauf
- Thereupon; on that; adverb of location.
- ausgerichtet
- Aimed; directed; oriented; past participle.
- sind
- Are; plural present tense of sein.
- empfindliche
- Sensitive; tender; delicate; adjective form.
- zu
- To; too; at; preposition or infinitive marker.
- kitzeln
- Tickle; to excite; verb.
- nach
- After; according to; following; preposition.
- meiner
- My; possessive pronoun feminine or genitive.
- Meinung
- Opinion; view; belief; feminine noun.
- vor
- Before; in front of; forward; preposition.
- Großen
- Great; large; adjective plural or superlative.
- Gesellschaft
- Society; company; association; feminine noun.
- tritt
- Steps; treads; present tense of treten.
- ähnlich
- Similar; alike; resembling; adjective or adverb.
- wie
- How; as; like; comparative or question word.
- thronenden
- Enthroned; seated on throne; past participle.
- Könige
- Kings; plural of König; monarchs.
- trat
- Stepped; trod; past tense of treten.
- Wahrheit
- Truth; reality; veracity; feminine noun.
- ebenso
- Equally; likewise; similarly; adverb.
- tief
- Deep; profound; deeply; adjective or adverb.
- ausspricht
- Speaks out; utters; present tense verb.
- mit
- With; using; accompanying; preposition.
- einer
- A; an; dative feminine indefinite article.
- Kraft
- Force; power; strength; feminine noun.
- prophetisch
- Prophetic; of prophecy; adjective form.
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