Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 4
As soon as he had taken his seat, filled with hope and admiration, I rose, and declared that PATRICK HENRY, of revolutionary fame, never made a speech more eloquent in the cause of liberty, than the one we had just listened to from the lips of that hunted fugitive.
Sobald er sich gesetzt hatte, voller Hoffnung und Bewunderung, erhob ich mich und erklärte, dass PATRICK HENRY, von revolutionärem Ruhm, niemals eine Rede beredter für die Sache der Freiheit gehalten hatte als jene, der wir gerade aus den Lippen jenes gehetzten Flüchtlings gelauscht hatten.
So I believed at that time—such is my belief now.
So glaubte ich damals – so ist mein Glaube heute.
I reminded the audience of the peril which surrounded this self-emancipated young man at the North,—even in Massachusetts, on the soil of the Pilgrim Fathers, among the descendants of revolutionary sires; and I appealed to them, whether they would ever allow him to be carried back into slavery,—law or no law, constitution or no constitution.
Ich erinnerte das Publikum an die Gefahr, die diesen selbst befreiten jungen Mann im Norden umgab – selbst in Massachusetts, auf dem Boden der Pilgerväter, unter den Nachkommen revolutionärer Väter; und ich appellierte an sie, ob sie jemals zulassen würden, dass er zurück in die Sklaverei gebracht würde – Gesetz hin oder her, Verfassung hin oder her.
The response was unanimous and in thunder-tones—"NO!"
Die Antwort war einstimmig und in Donnerstimmen – „NEIN!"
"Will you succor and protect him as a brother-man—a resident of the old Bay State?"
„Werdet ihr ihm als Bruder beistehen und ihn schützen – als Bewohner des alten Bay State?"
"YES!" shouted the whole mass, with an energy so startling, that the ruthless tyrants south of Mason and Dixon's line might almost have heard the mighty burst of feeling, and recognized it as the pledge of an invincible determination, on the part of those who gave it, never to betray him that wanders, but to hide the outcast, and firmly to abide the consequences.
„JA!" rief die gesamte Menge mit einer so erschütternden Energie, dass die rücksichtslosen Tyrannen südlich der Mason-Dixon-Linie diesen gewaltigen Gefühlsausbruch beinahe hätten hören können und ihn als das Versprechen einer unbesiegbaren Entschlossenheit derjenigen erkannt hätten, die es gaben, den Irrenden niemals zu verraten, sondern den Verstoßenen zu verbergen und die Konsequenzen standhaft zu tragen.
It was at once deeply impressed upon my mind, that, if Mr.
Es prägte sich mir sofort tief ein, dass, wenn Mr.
Vocabulary
- Sobald
- As soon as a condition is met
- er
- Third person singular masculine pronoun: he
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject
- gesetzt
- Past participle of setzen: seated or placed
- hatte
- Past tense of haben: had
- voller
- Full of; filled with a quality or emotion
- Hoffnung
- Hope; expectation of something desired occurring
- und
- Coordinating conjunction meaning and
- Bewunderung
- Admiration; feeling of respect and approval
- erhob
- Past tense of erheben: rose or lifted up
- ich
- First person singular pronoun: I
- mich
- Accusative first person singular pronoun: me
- erklärte
- Past tense of erklären: declared or explained
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction introducing a clause: that
- von
- Preposition meaning of or from
- revolutionärem
- Of a revolutionary nature or character
- Ruhm
- Glory or fame earned through great deeds
- niemals
- Never; at no time whatsoever
- eine
- Indefinite article feminine nominative: a or one
- Rede
- Speech or address delivered to an audience
- beredter
- More eloquent; expressing ideas fluently and persuasively
- für
- Preposition meaning for or in favor of
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun: the
- Sache
- Cause or matter; a thing of concern
- der
- Definite article masculine nominative: the
- Freiheit
- Freedom or liberty from oppression or constraint
- gehalten
- Past participle of halten: held or delivered
- als
- Conjunction meaning than or as in comparisons
- jene
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning that or those
- wir
- First person plural pronoun: we
- gerade
- Just now; at this very moment
- aus
- Preposition meaning from or out of
- den
- Definite article dative plural or accusative masculine: the
- Lippen
- Lips; the fleshy parts framing the mouth
- jenes
- Demonstrative pronoun genitive: of that
- gehetzten
- Hunted or harassed; relentlessly pursued by others
- Flüchtlings
- Of a refugee or fugitive fleeing danger
- gelauscht
- Past participle of lauschen: listened attentively
- hatten
- Past tense plural of haben: had
- So
- Adverb meaning so or thus
- glaubte
- Past tense of glauben: believed or thought
- damals
- Back then; at that time in the past
- so
- Adverb meaning so, thus, or in this way
- ist
- Third person singular present of sein: is
- mein
- First person possessive adjective: my
- Glaube
- Belief or faith held with conviction
- heute
- Today; on this current day
- Ich
- First person singular pronoun: I
- erinnerte
- Past tense of erinnern: reminded or recalled
- das
- Definite article neuter or demonstrative pronoun: the
- Publikum
- Audience; people gathered to watch or listen
- an
- Preposition meaning at, on, or to
- Gefahr
- Danger; risk of harm or injury
- diesen
- Accusative masculine demonstrative: this particular one
- selbst
- Self; emphasizing the person acting alone
- befreiten
- Past participle adjective: freed or liberated
- jungen
- Adjective meaning young in inflected form
- Mann
- Man; an adult male person
- im
- Contraction of in dem: in the
- Norden
- The North; northern region or direction
- umgab
- Past tense of umgeben: surrounded or enclosed
- in
- Preposition meaning in or inside
- auf
- Preposition meaning on or upon
- dem
- Dative definite article masculine or neuter: the
- Boden
- Ground, floor, or soil beneath one's feet
- Pilgerväter
- Pilgrim Fathers; early colonial settlers of America
- unter
- Preposition meaning under, among, or beneath
- Nachkommen
- Descendants; those born from earlier generations
- revolutionärer
- Of a revolutionary nature, genitive or attributive form
- Väter
- Fathers; male parents or founding figures
- appellierte
- Past tense of appellieren: appealed or made an appeal
- sie
- Third person pronoun: she, they, or you formal
- ob
- Subordinating conjunction meaning whether or if
- jemals
- Ever; at any point in time
- zulassen
- To allow or permit something to happen
- würden
- Conditional form of werden: would do something
- zurück
- Back; returning to a previous place or state
- Sklaverei
- Slavery; forced servitude and ownership of persons
- gebracht
- Past participle of bringen: brought or taken
- würde
- Conditional singular of werden: would
- Gesetz
- Law; a rule enacted by governing authority
- hin
- Directional particle meaning toward or away thither
- oder
- Coordinating conjunction meaning or
- her
- Directional particle meaning hither or toward here
- Verfassung
- Constitution; fundamental law governing a state
- Die
- Definite article feminine nominative or plural: the
- Antwort
- Answer or response to a question
- war
- Past tense of sein: was
- einstimmig
- Unanimous; agreed upon by everyone present
- Donnerstimmen
- Thunderous voices; loud booming voices of a crowd
- NEIN
- No; a strong negative response or refusal
- Werdet
- Second person plural future of werden: will you become
- ihr
- Second person plural pronoun or possessive: you all
- ihm
- Dative third person masculine pronoun: him or it
- Bruder
- Brother; a male sibling or fellow member
- beistehen
- To stand by or assist someone in need
- ihn
- Accusative third person masculine pronoun: him
- schützen
- To protect or shield from harm or danger
- Bewohner
- Inhabitants or residents of a particular place
- des
- Genitive definite article masculine or neuter: of the
- alten
- Adjective meaning old in inflected form
- JA
- Yes; an affirmative answer or strong agreement
- rief
- Past tense of rufen: called out or shouted
- gesamte
- Entire or whole; referring to all together
- Menge
- Crowd or large quantity of people or things
- mit
- Preposition meaning with or together with
- einer
- Indefinite article dative feminine or genitive: a
- erschütternden
- Shaking or deeply stirring; emotionally overwhelming
- Energie
- Energy; vigorous force or enthusiasm in action
- rücksichtslosen
- Reckless or ruthless; showing no consideration for others
- Tyrannen
- Tyrants; cruel oppressive rulers abusing their power
- südlich
- Southern; located in or toward the south
- Mason-Dixon-Linie
- Mason-Dixon Line; boundary dividing North and South
- gewaltigen
- Enormous or powerful; of great force or magnitude
- Gefühlsausbruch
- Emotional outburst; sudden strong expression of feeling
- beinahe
- Almost or nearly; very close to happening
- hätten
- Subjunctive past of haben: would have had
- hören
- To hear or listen to something or someone
- können
- Modal verb meaning to be able to
- Versprechen
- Promise; a commitment to do something sincerely
- unbesiegbaren
- Invincible or unconquerable; impossible to defeat
- Entschlossenheit
- Determination or resolve; firm decision to act
- derjenigen
- Of those; genitive form of those particular people
- erkannt
- Past participle of erkennen: recognized or realized
- es
- Neuter third person pronoun: it
- gaben
- Past tense plural of geben: gave
- Irrenden
- Those who stray or wander in error
- zu
- Preposition or infinitive particle meaning to
- verraten
- To betray; handing someone over to enemies
- sondern
- Conjunction meaning but rather, correcting a negation
- Verstoßenen
- The ostracized or rejected; those cast out from society
- verbergen
- To hide or conceal someone from discovery
- Konsequenzen
- Consequences; results or effects of an action
- standhaft
- Steadfast or resolute; firmly maintaining one's position
- tragen
- To carry or bear a burden or responsibility
- Es
- Neuter third person pronoun: it
- prägte
- Past tense of prägen: impressed deeply or shaped
- mir
- Dative first person pronoun: to me or me
- sofort
- Immediately; without any delay whatsoever
- tief
- Deep or deeply; to a great extent
- ein
- Indefinite article masculine or separable verb prefix
- wenn
- Conditional or temporal conjunction meaning if or when
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →