Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 15
A goodly number of curious, good people had been shivering since daybreak before the grand staircase of the palace; some even affirmed that they had passed the night across the threshold of the great door, in order to make sure that they should be the first to pass in.
Eine beträchtliche Anzahl neugieriger, gutmütiger Menschen hatte seit Tagesanbruch vor der großen Treppe des Palastes gezittert; manche versicherten sogar, dass sie die Nacht auf der Schwelle des großen Tores verbracht hatten, um sicherzustellen, dass sie die Ersten sein würden, die eintreten durften.
The crowd grew more dense every moment, and, like water, which rises above its normal level, began to mount along the walls, to swell around the pillars, to spread out on the entablatures, on the cornices, on the window-sills, on all the salient points of the architecture, on all the reliefs of the sculpture.
Die Menge wurde mit jedem Augenblick dichter und begann, gleich dem Wasser, das über seinen gewöhnlichen Stand steigt, an den Wänden emporzusteigen, sich um die Pfeiler zu bauschen, sich auf den Gebälken, auf den Gesimsen, auf den Fensterbänken, auf allen hervortretenden Punkten der Architektur, auf allen Reliefs der Bildhauerkunst auszubreiten.
Hence, discomfort, impatience, weariness, the liberty of a day of cynicism and folly, the quarrels which break forth for all sorts of causes—a pointed elbow, an iron-shod shoe, the fatigue of long waiting—had already, long before the hour appointed for the arrival of the ambassadors, imparted a harsh and bitter accent to the clamor of these people who were shut in, fitted into each other, pressed, trampled upon, stifled.
So hatten Unbehagen, Ungeduld, Erschöpfung, die Zügellosigkeit eines Tages voller Zynismus und Torheit, die Streitigkeiten, die aus allen möglichen Ursachen entstanden – ein spitzer Ellbogen, ein eisenbeschlagener Schuh, die Ermüdung langen Wartens – dem Lärm dieser eingesperrten, ineinandergepressten, gestoßenen, getretenen und erstickten Menschen bereits lange vor der für die Ankunft der Gesandten festgesetzten Stunde einen rauen und bitteren Klang verliehen.
Vocabulary
- beträchtliche
- Considerable or significant in size or amount.
- Anzahl
- A number or quantity of things or people.
- neugieriger
- Curious, eager to know or learn something.
- gutmütiger
- Good-natured, kind, and easy-going in temperament.
- Menschen
- People or human beings in general.
- seit
- Since or for a period of time.
- Tagesanbruch
- Daybreak; the moment when day begins.
- Treppe
- A staircase or flight of stairs.
- Palastes
- Of the palace; a grand official residence.
- gezittert
- Trembled or shivered from cold or nervousness.
- manche
- Some; referring to an unspecified number of people.
- versicherten
- Assured or insisted something was true.
- sogar
- Even; used to emphasize something surprising.
- Nacht
- Night; the dark period after sunset.
- Schwelle
- Threshold or doorstep of a building entrance.
- Tores
- Of the gate; a large entrance or gateway.
- verbracht
- Spent time in a particular place or way.
- sicherzustellen
- To ensure or make certain something happens.
- würden
- Conditional auxiliary meaning 'would'; subjunctive form.
- eintreten
- To enter or step into a place.
- durften
- Were allowed or permitted to do something.
- Menge
- A crowd or large quantity of people.
- jedem
- Every or each; referring to each individual instance.
- Augenblick
- Moment or instant of time passing.
- dichter
- Denser or thicker; more tightly packed together.
- gleich
- Like or equal; similar to something else.
- Wasser
- Water; the liquid essential for life.
- gewöhnlichen
- Usual or ordinary; referring to the normal level.
- Stand
- Level, standing, or state of something.
- steigt
- Rises or climbs upward; third person singular.
- Wänden
- Walls; vertical structures enclosing a room.
- emporzusteigen
- To climb or rise upward along a surface.
- Pfeiler
- Pillars or columns supporting a structure.
- bauschen
- To billow or swell outward; to puff up.
- Gebälken
- Beams or timber framework of a building.
- Gesimsen
- Cornices or moldings projecting from a wall.
- Fensterbänken
- Windowsills; the ledge at the bottom of windows.
- hervortretenden
- Protruding or projecting outward from a surface.
- Punkten
- Points or spots; specific locations on a surface.
- Architektur
- Architecture; the design and style of buildings.
- Reliefs
- Relief sculptures raised above a flat background.
- Bildhauerkunst
- The art of sculpture; sculpting figures in stone.
- auszubreiten
- To spread out or extend across a surface.
- Unbehagen
- Discomfort or unease; a feeling of unpleasantness.
- Ungeduld
- Impatience; inability to wait calmly.
- Erschöpfung
- Exhaustion; extreme tiredness from prolonged effort.
- Zügellosigkeit
- Unruliness or lack of restraint in behavior.
- voller
- Full of; filled entirely with something.
- Zynismus
- Cynicism; a distrustful or mocking attitude.
- Torheit
- Foolishness or folly; lack of good sense.
- Streitigkeiten
- Disputes or quarrels between people.
- möglichen
- Possible; that can happen or be done.
- Ursachen
- Causes or reasons behind an event.
- entstanden
- Arose or originated from a source.
- spitzer
- Pointed or sharp; having a sharp point.
- Ellbogen
- Elbow; the joint in the middle of the arm.
- eisenbeschlagener
- Iron-shod or fitted with iron; reinforced with iron.
- Schuh
- Shoe; a foot covering worn for protection.
- Ermüdung
- Fatigue or tiredness resulting from exertion.
- Wartens
- Of waiting; the act of waiting for something.
- Lärm
- Noise or loud sound causing disturbance.
- eingesperrten
- Locked in or confined; shut inside a space.
- ineinandergepressten
- Pressed together tightly into one another.
- gestoßenen
- Pushed or shoved; knocked against one another.
- getretenen
- Stepped on or trampled underfoot by others.
- erstickten
- Suffocated or stifled; unable to breathe freely.
- bereits
- Already; indicating something happened before now.
- Ankunft
- Arrival; the act of reaching a destination.
- Gesandten
- Of the envoy or ambassador; an official messenger.
- festgesetzten
- Fixed or scheduled; set in advance officially.
- Stunde
- Hour; a unit of time equal to sixty minutes.
- rauen
- Rough or harsh in texture, sound, or manner.
- bitteren
- Bitter; sharp or unpleasant in taste or tone.
- Klang
- Sound or tone; an audible acoustic impression.
- verliehen
- Lent or bestowed; granted a quality to something.
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