Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 6
Miles, the master, affirmed that he would do very well if he had fewer cakes and sweetmeats sent him from home; but the mother's heart turned from an opinion so harsh, and inclined rather to the more refined idea that John's sallowness was owing to over-application and, perhaps, to pining after home.
Miles, der Schulmeister, versicherte, dass es ihm sehr gut gehen würde, wenn ihm weniger Kuchen und Süßigkeiten von zu Hause geschickt würden; aber das Herz der Mutter wandte sich von einer so harten Meinung ab und neigte eher zu der verfeinerten Ansicht, dass Johns Blässe auf übermäßigen Fleiß und vielleicht auf Heimweh zurückzuführen sei.
John had not much affection for his mother and sisters, and an antipathy to me.
John hegte nicht viel Zuneigung für seine Mutter und Schwestern, und mir gegenüber empfand er eine Abneigung.
He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh in my bones shrank when he came near.
Er schikanierte und bestrafte mich; nicht zwei- oder dreimal in der Woche, auch nicht ein- oder zweimal am Tag, sondern unaufhörlich: Jeder Nerv in mir fürchtete ihn, und jedes Stückchen Fleisch an meinen Knochen zog sich zusammen, wenn er sich näherte.
There were moments when I was bewildered by the terror he inspired, because I had no appeal whatever against either his menaces or his inflictions; the servants did not like to offend their young master by taking my part against him, and Mrs. Reed was blind and deaf on the subject: she never saw him strike or heard him abuse me, though he did both now and then in her very presence, more frequently, however, behind her back.
Es gab Augenblicke, in denen ich von dem Schrecken, den er mir einflößte, verwirrt war, weil ich keinerlei Möglichkeit hatte, mich gegen seine Drohungen oder seine Misshandlungen zu wehren; die Dienstboten wollten ihren jungen Herrn nicht verärgeern, indem sie meine Partei gegen ihn ergriffen, und Mrs. Reed war in dieser Hinsicht blind und taub: Sie sah ihn nie schlagen und hörte ihn nie beschimpfen, obwohl er beides hin und wieder in ihrer unmittelbaren Gegenwart tat, häufiger jedoch hinter ihrem Rücken.
Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair: he spent some three minutes in thrusting out his tongue at me as far as he could without damaging the roots: I knew he would soon strike, and while dreading the blow, I mused on the disgusting and ugly appearance of him who would presently deal it.
Gewohnheitsmäßig John gehorchend, trat ich an seinen Stuhl heran: Er verbrachte etwa drei Minuten damit, mir die Zunge so weit wie möglich herauszustrecken, ohne die Wurzeln zu beschädigen: Ich wusste, dass er bald zuschlagen würde, und während ich den Schlag fürchtete, sann ich über das widerliche und hässliche Aussehen desjenigen nach, der ihn gleich austeilen würde.
Vocabulary
- der
- Definite article 'the' for masculine nouns
- Schulmeister
- Schoolmaster; a teacher or head of a school
- versicherte
- Assured or guaranteed; past tense of versichern
- dass
- Conjunction 'that,' introducing a subordinate clause
- es
- Pronoun 'it,' referring to a previously mentioned thing
- ihm
- Dative pronoun 'him,' indirect object form of er
- sehr
- Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- gut
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'good' or 'well'
- gehen
- Verb meaning 'to go' or 'to be doing' (health)
- würde
- Conditional auxiliary 'would,' used in hypothetical statements
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'when' in German
- weniger
- Comparative adjective meaning 'fewer' or 'less'
- Kuchen
- Noun meaning 'cake' or 'pastry,' a baked dessert
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- Süßigkeiten
- Noun meaning 'sweets' or 'candies,' sugary treats
- von
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'of' in German
- zu
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at,' also used with infinitives
- Hause
- Noun meaning 'home'; used in phrase 'zu Hause' (at home)
- geschickt
- Past participle of schicken, meaning 'sent'
- würden
- Conditional plural auxiliary 'would,' plural or formal form
- aber
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting clause
- das
- Definite article 'the' for neuter nouns; also 'that'
- Herz
- Noun meaning 'heart,' the vital organ or seat of emotion
- Mutter
- Noun meaning 'mother,' a female parent
- wandte
- Past tense of wenden, meaning 'turned' or 'directed away'
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself,' used with reflexive verbs
- einer
- Indefinite article 'a/an' in dative or genitive feminine form
- so
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'such,' indicating degree or manner
- harten
- Adjective 'harsh' or 'hard,' in inflected dative form
- Meinung
- Noun meaning 'opinion' or 'view' on a matter
- ab
- Separable verb prefix meaning 'off' or 'away'; also preposition
- neigte
- Past tense of neigen, meaning 'inclined' or 'tended toward'
- eher
- Adverb meaning 'rather' or 'more likely,' expressing preference
- verfeinerten
- Adjective meaning 'refined' or 'sophisticated,' in inflected form
- Ansicht
- Noun meaning 'view' or 'opinion' on a subject
- Blässe
- Noun meaning 'paleness' or 'pallor' of the complexion
- auf
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'onto,' or 'upon'
- übermäßigen
- Adjective meaning 'excessive' or 'immoderate,' in inflected form
- Fleiß
- Noun meaning 'diligence' or 'industriousness,' hard work
- vielleicht
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe,' expressing uncertainty
- Heimweh
- Noun meaning 'homesickness,' longing for one's home
- zurückzuführen
- Infinitive meaning 'to attribute' or 'to trace back to'
- sei
- Subjunctive form of sein, meaning 'be' (reported speech)
- hegte
- Past tense of hegen, meaning 'harbored' or 'cherished' feelings
- nicht
- Negation adverb meaning 'not,' negating verbs or adjectives
- viel
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'much' or 'a lot'
- Zuneigung
- Noun meaning 'affection' or 'fondness' toward someone
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for,' indicating purpose or recipient
- seine
- Possessive pronoun 'his,' referring to masculine possessor
- Schwestern
- Noun meaning 'sisters,' plural of Schwester
- mir
- Dative pronoun 'me,' indirect object form of ich
- gegenüber
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'opposite,' indicating relation
- empfand
- Past tense of empfinden, meaning 'felt' or 'perceived' emotionally
- er
- Pronoun 'he,' referring to a male subject
- eine
- Indefinite article 'a/an' for feminine or neuter nominative
- Abneigung
- Noun meaning 'aversion' or 'dislike' toward someone or something
- Er
- Pronoun 'he,' beginning a sentence referring to a male
- schikanierte
- Past tense of schikanieren, meaning 'bullied' or 'harassed'
- bestrafte
- Past tense of bestrafen, meaning 'punished' someone
- mich
- Accusative pronoun 'me,' direct object form of ich
- zwei-
- Prefix or numeral 'two,' used in compound expressions
- oder
- Conjunction meaning 'or,' offering an alternative
- dreimal
- Adverb meaning 'three times,' indicating frequency
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into,' indicating location or time
- Woche
- Noun meaning 'week,' a period of seven days
- auch
- Adverb meaning 'also' or 'too,' adding information
- ein-
- Prefix or numeral 'one,' used in compound expressions
- zweimal
- Adverb meaning 'twice,' indicating something happens two times
- am
- Contraction of 'an dem,' meaning 'at the' or 'on the'
- Tag
- Noun meaning 'day,' a 24-hour period
- sondern
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather,' correcting a negated statement
- unaufhörlich
- Adverb meaning 'incessantly' or 'without stopping'
- Jeder
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'
- Nerv
- Noun meaning 'nerve,' a fiber transmitting signals in the body
- fürchtete
- Past tense of fürchten, meaning 'feared' or 'was afraid of'
- ihn
- Accusative pronoun 'him,' direct object form of er
- jedes
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each,' in neuter form
- Stückchen
- Diminutive noun meaning 'little piece' or 'small bit'
- Fleisch
- Noun meaning 'flesh' or 'meat,' bodily tissue or food
- an
- Preposition meaning 'at,' 'on,' or 'to,' indicating position
- meinen
- Possessive adjective 'my' in accusative masculine or plural form
- Knochen
- Noun meaning 'bones,' the hard structures in the body
- zog
- Past tense of ziehen, meaning 'pulled' or 'drew'
- zusammen
- Adverb meaning 'together' or 'contracted'; separable verb prefix
- näherte
- Past tense of nähern, meaning 'approached' or 'drew near'
- Es
- Pronoun 'it,' often used as a dummy subject in German
- gab
- Past tense of geben; 'es gab' means 'there was/were'
- Augenblicke
- Noun meaning 'moments' or 'instants,' brief periods of time
- denen
- Relative pronoun 'in which,' dative plural form
- ich
- Pronoun 'I,' the first-person singular nominative pronoun
- dem
- Dative definite article 'the,' masculine or neuter form
- Schrecken
- Noun meaning 'terror' or 'fright,' intense fear or horror
- den
- Accusative masculine article 'the'; also dative plural form
- einflößte
- Past tense of einflößen, meaning 'instilled' or 'inspired' fear
- verwirrt
- Adjective or past participle meaning 'confused' or 'bewildered'
- war
- Past tense of sein, meaning 'was,' first/third person singular
- weil
- Conjunction meaning 'because,' introducing a causal clause
- keinerlei
- Determiner meaning 'no kind of' or 'no whatsoever'
- Möglichkeit
- Noun meaning 'possibility' or 'opportunity,' a potential option
- hatte
- Past tense of haben, meaning 'had,' first/third person singular
- gegen
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'toward,' indicating opposition
- Drohungen
- Noun meaning 'threats,' plural of Drohung
- Misshandlungen
- Noun meaning 'abuse' or 'mistreatment,' plural form
- wehren
- Verb meaning 'to defend' or 'to resist,' often reflexive
- die
- Definite article 'the' for feminine or plural nouns
- Dienstboten
- Noun meaning 'servants' or 'domestic staff,' plural form
- wollten
- Past tense of wollen, meaning 'wanted' or 'wished,' plural
- ihren
- Possessive adjective 'their' in accusative masculine form
- jungen
- Adjective meaning 'young,' in inflected weak form
- Herrn
- Noun meaning 'master' or 'gentleman,' dative/accusative form
- verärgeern
- Verb meaning 'to annoy' or 'to upset' someone
- indem
- Conjunction meaning 'by' doing something, indicating means
- sie
- Pronoun 'she,' 'they,' or polite 'you' depending on context
- meine
- Possessive pronoun 'my,' feminine or plural nominative form
- Partei
- Noun meaning 'side' or 'party'; jds. Partei ergreifen means 'to take someone's side'
- ergriffen
- Past participle of ergreifen, meaning 'seized' or 'taken'
- dieser
- Demonstrative adjective 'this,' in dative feminine form
- Hinsicht
- Noun meaning 'regard' or 'respect'; 'in dieser Hinsicht' means 'in this regard'
- blind
- Adjective meaning 'blind,' unable or unwilling to see
- taub
- Adjective meaning 'deaf,' unable or unwilling to hear
- Sie
- Pronoun 'she' (capitalized) or formal 'you'; here 'she'
- sah
- Past tense of sehen, meaning 'saw,' first/third person singular
- nie
- Adverb meaning 'never,' indicating something never occurred
- schlagen
- Verb meaning 'to hit' or 'to beat' someone or something
- hörte
- Past tense of hören, meaning 'heard,' first/third person singular
- beschimpfen
- Verb meaning 'to insult' or 'to verbally abuse' someone
- obwohl
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though,' concessive
- beides
- Pronoun meaning 'both,' referring to two previously mentioned things
- hin
- Directional adverb meaning 'there' or 'toward'; used in phrases
- wieder
- Adverb meaning 'again' or 'once more'
- ihrer
- Possessive pronoun 'her' or 'their,' in genitive/dative form
- unmittelbaren
- Adjective meaning 'immediate' or 'direct,' in inflected form
- Gegenwart
- Noun meaning 'presence' or 'present time'
- tat
- Past tense of tun, meaning 'did' or 'did it'
- häufiger
- Comparative adjective meaning 'more frequently' or 'more often'
- jedoch
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'however' or 'yet'
- hinter
- Preposition meaning 'behind' or 'at the back of'
- ihrem
- Possessive pronoun 'her' in dative masculine or neuter form
- Rücken
- Noun meaning 'back,' the rear part of the body
- Gewohnheitsmäßig
- Adverb meaning 'habitually' or 'out of habit'
- gehorchend
- Present participle of gehorchen, meaning 'obeying' habitually
- trat
- Past tense of treten, meaning 'stepped' or 'walked up to'
- seinen
- Possessive adjective 'his' in accusative masculine form
- Stuhl
- Noun meaning 'chair,' a piece of furniture for sitting
- heran
- Directional adverb meaning 'up to' or 'near,' toward something
- verbrachte
- Past tense of verbringen, meaning 'spent' time doing something
- etwa
- Adverb meaning 'about' or 'approximately,' indicating rough estimate
- drei
- Numeral meaning 'three,' the number 3
- Minuten
- Noun meaning 'minutes,' plural of Minute
- damit
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'so that' or 'with that'
- Zunge
- Noun meaning 'tongue,' the muscular organ in the mouth
- weit
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'far' or 'wide'
- wie
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as' or 'how'
- möglich
- Adjective meaning 'possible,' able to be done or achieved
- herauszustrecken
- Infinitive meaning 'to stick out' as far as possible
- ohne
- Preposition meaning 'without,' indicating absence of something
- Wurzeln
- Noun meaning 'roots,' plural; here likely figurative or anatomical
- beschädigen
- Verb meaning 'to damage' or 'to harm' something
- Ich
- Pronoun 'I,' first-person singular nominative pronoun
- wusste
- Past tense of wissen, meaning 'knew,' first/third person singular
- bald
- Adverb meaning 'soon' or 'shortly,' in the near future
- zuschlagen
- Verb meaning 'to strike' or 'to hit out' suddenly
- während
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'while' or 'during'
- Schlag
- Noun meaning 'blow' or 'strike,' a physical hit
- sann
- Past tense of sinnen, meaning 'pondered' or 'reflected' on
- über
- Preposition meaning 'over,' 'above,' or 'about'
- widerliche
- Adjective meaning 'repulsive' or 'disgusting,' in inflected form
- hässliche
- Adjective meaning 'ugly' or 'hideous,' in inflected form
- Aussehen
- Noun meaning 'appearance' or 'looks' of a person or thing
- desjenigen
- Demonstrative pronoun 'of that one,' genitive form
- nach
- Preposition meaning 'after,' 'to,' or 'according to'
- gleich
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'same,' 'equal,' or 'immediately'
- austeilen
- Verb meaning 'to deal out' or 'to distribute' blows or things
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →