Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 3
There stood one, in physical proportion and stature commanding and exact—in intellect richly endowed—in natural eloquence a prodigy—in soul manifestly "created but a little lower than the angels"—yet a slave, ay, a fugitive slave,—trembling for his safety, hardly daring to believe that on the American soil, a single white person could be found who would befriend him at all hazards, for the love of God and humanity!
Da stand einer, an körperlichen Proportionen und Gestalt eindrucksvoll und ebenmäßig – an Verstand reich begabt – an natürlicher Beredsamkeit ein Wunderkind – an Seele offenkundig „nur wenig niedriger geschaffen als die Engel" – und dennoch ein Sklave, ja, ein flüchtiger Sklave, – zitternd um seine Sicherheit, kaum wagend zu glauben, dass auf amerikanischem Boden auch nur ein einziger Weißer zu finden wäre, der ihm unter allen Umständen, aus Liebe zu Gott und zur Menschheit, ein Freund sein würde!
Capable of high attainments as an intellectual and moral being—needing nothing but a comparatively small amount of cultivation to make him an ornament to society and a blessing to his race—by the law of the land, by the voice of the people, by the terms of the slave code, he was only a piece of property, a beast of burden, a chattel personal, nevertheless!
Fähig zu hohen Leistungen als geistiges und moralisches Wesen – nichts weiter benötigend als ein verhältnismäßig geringes Maß an Bildung, um ein Schmuck der Gesellschaft und ein Segen für seine Rasse zu werden – war er nach dem Gesetz des Landes, nach der Stimme des Volkes, nach den Bestimmungen des Sklavenkodex dennoch nichts weiter als ein Stück Eigentum, ein Lasttier, ein persönliches Hab und Gut!
A beloved friend from New Bedford prevailed on Mr. DOUGLASS to address the convention.
Ein geliebter Freund aus New Bedford überredete Herrn DOUGLASS, die Versammlung anzusprechen.
He came forward to the platform with a hesitancy and embarrassment, necessarily the attendants of a sensitive mind in such a novel position.
Er trat mit einem Zögern und einer Befangenheit auf das Podium, die notwendigerweise einen empfindsamen Geist in einer so ungewohnten Lage begleiten.
After apologizing for his ignorance, and reminding the audience that slavery was a poor school for the human intellect and heart, he proceeded to narrate some of the facts in his own history as a slave, and in the course of his speech gave utterance to many noble thoughts and thrilling reflections.
Nachdem er sich für seine Unwissenheit entschuldigt und das Publikum daran erinnert hatte, dass die Sklaverei eine schlechte Schule für den menschlichen Verstand und das Herz sei, schritt er dazu fort, einige Tatsachen aus seiner eigenen Geschichte als Sklave zu erzählen, und gab im Laufe seiner Rede vielen edlen Gedanken und erschütternden Betrachtungen Ausdruck.
Vocabulary
- Da
- There, at that place or point in time
- stand
- Stood; past tense of stehen (to stand)
- einer
- One, a (indefinite article/pronoun, masculine/feminine)
- an
- At, on, to (preposition indicating position or direction)
- körperlichen
- Physical, bodily (adjective, dative/accusative plural)
- Proportionen
- Proportions; relative dimensions of a body or object
- Gestalt
- Figure, form, shape of a person or thing
- eindrucksvoll
- Impressive, striking, making a strong impression
- ebenmäßig
- Regular, symmetrical, well-proportioned in appearance
- Verstand
- Intellect, mind, reason, mental capacity
- reich
- Rich, abundantly endowed (with qualities or wealth)
- begabt
- Gifted, talented, naturally endowed with abilities
- natürlicher
- Natural (adjective, genitive singular, here modifying Beredsamkeit)
- Beredsamkeit
- Eloquence, natural ability to speak persuasively
- Wunderkind
- Prodigy, a remarkably talented or gifted person
- Seele
- Soul, the spiritual or inner essence of a person
- offenkundig
- Obviously, manifestly, evidently apparent to all
- wenig
- Little, a small amount or degree
- niedriger
- Lower, lesser in rank or position
- geschaffen
- Created, made (past participle of schaffen)
- Engel
- Angel, a heavenly or divine spiritual being
- dennoch
- Nevertheless, yet, still, despite that
- Sklave
- Slave, a person legally owned by another
- ja
- Yes; here used as an intensifying particle (indeed)
- flüchtiger
- Fugitive (adjective, here: a runaway slave)
- zitternd
- Trembling, shaking with fear or anxiety
- Sicherheit
- Safety, security, certainty from danger
- kaum
- Hardly, barely, scarcely (adverb of degree)
- wagend
- Daring, venturing (present participle of wagen)
- glauben
- To believe, to think, to have faith
- amerikanischem
- American (adjective, dative singular masculine/neuter)
- Boden
- Ground, soil, floor, territory
- einziger
- Single, sole, only one (adjective, masculine nominative)
- Weißer
- White person (noun referring to a white individual)
- finden
- To find, to discover, to locate someone or something
- wäre
- Would be (subjunctive II of sein, to be)
- Umständen
- Circumstances, conditions (dative plural of Umstand)
- Liebe
- Love, deep affection toward another person
- Gott
- God, the supreme divine being
- Menschheit
- Humanity, mankind, the human race as a whole
- Freund
- Friend, a person with whom one has a bond
- würde
- Would (subjunctive II auxiliary for conditional mood)
- Fähig
- Capable, able, competent (adjective)
- hohen
- High, lofty (adjective, dative singular/plural)
- Leistungen
- Achievements, performances, accomplishments (plural noun)
- geistiges
- Intellectual, mental, spiritual (adjective, neuter nominative)
- moralisches
- Moral, ethical (adjective, neuter nominative)
- Wesen
- Being, creature, entity; also essence or nature
- nichts
- Nothing, not anything (indefinite pronoun)
- weiter
- Further, more, additionally (adverb or adjective)
- benötigend
- Requiring, needing (present participle of benötigen)
- verhältnismäßig
- Relatively, proportionately, comparatively (adverb)
- geringes
- Small, slight, low (adjective, neuter nominative/accusative)
- Maß
- Measure, degree, amount of something
- Bildung
- Education, cultivation, cultural formation
- Schmuck
- Ornament, jewellery; here figuratively an adornment
- Gesellschaft
- Society, company, social group or organization
- Segen
- Blessing, benefit, a source of good
- Rasse
- Race, a group defined by shared heritage or ethnicity
- werden
- To become, to turn into (auxiliary or main verb)
- Gesetz
- Law, statute, legally binding rule
- Landes
- Country, land (genitive singular of Land)
- Stimme
- Voice, vote, the sound produced by speaking
- Volkes
- People, folk (genitive singular of Volk)
- Bestimmungen
- Regulations, provisions, stipulations (plural noun)
- Sklavenkodex
- Slave code, legal system governing enslaved people
- Stück
- Piece, item, unit of property
- Eigentum
- Property, ownership, something legally owned
- Lasttier
- Beast of burden, animal used for heavy labor
- persönliches
- Personal, individual (adjective, neuter nominative)
- Hab
- Possessions (archaic, part of 'Hab und Gut')
- Gut
- Goods, property, estate; also good (adjective)
- geliebter
- Beloved, dear (adjective, masculine nominative strong)
- überredete
- Persuaded, convinced (past tense of überreden)
- Herrn
- Mr., sir (accusative/dative of Herr)
- Versammlung
- Assembly, meeting, gathering of people
- anzusprechen
- To address, to speak to an audience
- trat
- Stepped, walked up to (past tense of treten)
- Zögern
- Hesitation, reluctance to act or speak
- Befangenheit
- Shyness, inhibition, awkward self-consciousness
- Podium
- Podium, platform, raised stage for a speaker
- notwendigerweise
- Necessarily, inevitably, as a matter of necessity
- empfindsamen
- Sensitive, feeling, emotionally perceptive (adjective, dative)
- Geist
- Mind, spirit, intellect of a person
- ungewohnten
- Unfamiliar, unusual, unaccustomed (adjective, dative)
- Lage
- Situation, position, circumstances one finds oneself in
- begleiten
- To accompany, to go along with someone
- Nachdem
- After (subordinating temporal conjunction)
- Unwissenheit
- Ignorance, lack of knowledge or education
- entschuldigt
- Excused, apologized (past participle of entschuldigen)
- Publikum
- Audience, public, group of listeners or spectators
- daran
- Of it, at it, thereon (pronominal adverb)
- erinnert
- Reminded, recalled (past participle of erinnern)
- Sklaverei
- Slavery, the institution of owning human beings
- schlechte
- Bad, poor, inadequate (adjective, feminine nominative)
- Schule
- School, place or system of learning
- menschlichen
- Human, of humanity (adjective, genitive/dative singular)
- Herz
- Heart, the seat of feeling and character
- sei
- Be (subjunctive I of sein, used in reported speech)
- schritt
- Proceeded, stepped (past tense of schreiten)
- dazu
- To it, thereto, for that purpose (pronominal adverb)
- fort
- Forward, away, on (adverb indicating continuation)
- einige
- Some, a few, several (indefinite adjective/pronoun)
- Tatsachen
- Facts, truths, actual circumstances (plural noun)
- eigenen
- Own, personal (adjective, dative/genitive)
- Geschichte
- Story, history, narrative of events
- erzählen
- To tell, to narrate, to recount a story
- gab
- Gave (past tense of geben, to give)
- Laufe
- Course, progression (im Laufe = in the course of)
- Rede
- Speech, address, spoken presentation to an audience
- vielen
- Many, numerous (adjective/pronoun, dative plural)
- edlen
- Noble, elevated, refined (adjective, dative plural)
- Gedanken
- Thoughts, ideas (dative/genitive singular or plural)
- erschütternden
- Shattering, deeply moving, disturbing (adjective, dative plural)
- Betrachtungen
- Reflections, contemplations, observations (plural noun)
- Ausdruck
- Expression, utterance, giving voice to thoughts or feelings
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