← Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone

Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone — Page 3

English → De Full Text Level 8/10

Yea, Oedipus, my sovereign lord and king,

Ja, Ödipus, mein erhabener Herr und König,

Thou seest how both extremes of age besiege

Du siehst, wie beide Extreme des Alters belagern

Thy palace altars—fledglings hardly winged,

Deiner Palastalträre — kaum befiederte Jungvögel,

and greybeards bowed with years; priests, as am I

und vom Alter gebeugte Greise; Priester, wie ich es bin

of Zeus, and these the flower of our youth.

des Zeus, und diese hier die Blüte unserer Jugend.

Meanwhile, the common folk, with wreathed boughs

Unterdessen drängt das gemeine Volk mit bekränzten Zweigen

Crowd our two market-places, or before

Unsere beiden Marktplätze, oder vor

Both shrines of Pallas congregate, or where

Beiden Heiligtümern der Pallas zusammen, oder dort, wo

Ismenus gives his oracles by fire.

Ismenus seine Orakel durch Feuer verkündet.

For, as thou seest thyself, our ship of State,

Denn, wie du selbst siehst, unser Staatsschiff,

Sore buffeted, can no more lift her head,

Schwer geschlagen, kann seinen Bug nicht mehr heben,

Foundered beneath a weltering surge of blood.

Versunken unter einer wogenden Flut von Blut.

A blight is on our harvest in the ear,

Ein Fluch liegt auf unserer Ernte in der Ähre,

A blight upon the grazing flocks and herds,

Ein Fluch auf den weidenden Herden und Scharen,

A blight on wives in travail; and withal

Ein Fluch auf Frauen in den Wehen; und überdies

Armed with his blazing torch the God of Plague

Mit seiner lodernden Fackel bewaffnet ist der Gott der Pest

Hath swooped upon our city emptying

Über unsere Stadt hergefallen und leert

The house of Cadmus, and the murky realm

Das Haus des Kadmos, und das düstere Reich

Of Pluto is full fed with groans and tears.

Des Pluto ist gesättigt mit Stöhnen und Tränen.

Therefore, O King, here at thy hearth we sit,

Daher, o König, sitzen wir hier an deinem Herd,

I and these children; not as deeming thee

Ich und diese Kinder; nicht weil wir dich

A new divinity, but the first of men;

Für eine neue Gottheit halten, sondern für den Ersten der Menschen;

First in the common accidents of life,

Ersten in den gewöhnlichen Wechselfällen des Lebens,

And first in visitations of the Gods.

Und ersten in den Heimsuchungen der Götter.

Art thou not he who coming to the town

Bist du nicht derjenige, der in die Stadt

of Cadmus freed us from the tax we paid

Des Kadmos kam und uns von dem Tribut befreite, den wir zahlten

To the fell songstress? Nor hadst thou received

An die grausame Sängerin? Und du hattest auch nicht

Prompting from us or been by others schooled;

Einen Wink von uns erhalten oder von anderen belehrt worden;

No, by a god inspired (so all men deem,

Nein, von einem Gott beseelt (so glauben alle Menschen,

And testify) didst thou renew our life.

Und bezeugen) hast du unser Leben erneuert.

Vocabulary

Ja: Yes; an affirmative response.
mein: My; first-person singular possessive pronoun.
erhabener: Sublime, exalted, noble in character or rank.
Herr: Lord, master, or formal title for a man.
und: And; basic coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses.
König: King; male monarch ruling a kingdom.
Du: You; informal second-person singular pronoun.
siehst: You see; second-person singular present of sehen.
wie: How or as; introduces comparisons or manner.
beide: Both; referring to two things or people together.
Extreme: Extremes; the furthest opposing ends of a range.
des: Of the; genitive masculine/neuter definite article.
Alters: Of age; refers to old age or a period in time.
belagern: To besiege or crowd around someone persistently.
Deiner: Your; genitive form of the informal possessive pronoun.
kaum: Barely, hardly; indicating something only just occurs.
vom: From the; contraction of von and dem.
Alter: Age; period of life, often referring to old age.
gebeugte: Bent, bowed; stooped over, often from old age.
Greise: Old men; elderly males bowed down by age.
Priester: Priest; a religious official who performs sacred rites.
ich: I; first-person singular nominative pronoun.
es: It; third-person singular neuter pronoun.
bin: Am; first-person singular present tense of sein.
diese: These; demonstrative pronoun indicating nearby objects.
hier: Here; indicating a nearby or present location.
die: The; definite article for feminine or plural nouns.
Blüte: Blossom, bloom; also the prime or best of something.
unserer: Our; genitive feminine form of the possessive pronoun.
Jugend: Youth; the period of being young or young people.
Unterdessen: Meanwhile, in the meantime; during the same period.
drängt: Presses, crowds, urges; third-person singular of drängen.
das: The; definite article for neuter nouns.
gemeine: Common, ordinary; referring to the common populace.
Volk: People, nation; a community sharing common identity.
mit: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
Zweigen: Branches; plural of Zweig, twigs or boughs of trees.
Unsere: Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun, nominative.
beiden: Both; referring to the two previously mentioned items.
Marktplätze: Marketplaces; public squares used for commerce and gathering.
oder: Or; coordinating conjunction expressing alternatives.
vor: Before, in front of; preposition of location or time.
Beiden: Both; dative form indicating two jointly referenced items.
Heiligtümern: Sanctuaries, shrines; dative plural of Heiligtum.
der: The; definite article for masculine or genitive feminine nouns.
zusammen: Together; indicating joint assembly or combination.
dort: There; indicating a location away from the speaker.
wo: Where; relative or interrogative adverb of location.
seine: His or its; third-person singular masculine possessive.
Orakel: Oracle; a divine prophecy or the place it is given.
durch: Through, by means of; preposition indicating passage or means.
Feuer: Fire; flames used for light, warmth, or ritual.
verkündet: Proclaims, announces; third-person singular of verkünden.
Denn: For, because; conjunction explaining a reason.
du: You; informal second-person singular nominative pronoun.
selbst: Yourself, oneself; intensifying reflexive pronoun.
unser: Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun.
Schwer: Heavily, severely; indicating great weight or difficulty.
geschlagen: Struck, beaten; past participle of schlagen.
kann: Can, is able to; modal verb expressing capability.
seinen: Its, his; accusative masculine possessive pronoun.
Bug: Bow; the front part of a ship.
nicht: Not; negation particle in German sentences.
mehr: More, anymore; indicating greater quantity or continuation.
heben: To lift, raise; to move something upward.
Versunken: Sunken, submerged; having gone beneath a surface.
unter: Under, beneath; preposition indicating position below.
einer: A, one; indefinite article dative feminine form.
Flut: Flood, surge, tide; a great wave or rush.
von: Of, from, by; common German preposition.
Blut: Blood; the red fluid circulating in living bodies.
Ein: A, an; indefinite article for singular neuter nouns.
Fluch: Curse; a supernatural invocation of harm or ill fortune.
liegt: Lies, rests; third-person singular of liegen.
auf: On, upon; preposition indicating location or surface.
Ernte: Harvest; the gathering of ripened crops.
in: In, into; preposition indicating location within something.
Ähre: Ear of grain; a stalk bearing seeds of cereal crops.
den: The; accusative masculine or dative plural definite article.
Herden: Herds, flocks; groups of grazing animals.
Scharen: Throngs, crowds; large groups of people or creatures.
Frauen: Women; plural of Frau, adult female persons.
Wehen: Labor pains; contractions during childbirth.
überdies: Moreover, besides; adding further information to a statement.
Mit: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or instrument.
seiner: His, its; genitive or dative masculine possessive pronoun.
Fackel: Torch; a stick with burning material at one end.
bewaffnet: Armed; equipped with weapons or destructive tools.
ist: Is; third-person singular present tense of sein.
Gott: God; a divine supreme being or deity.
Pest: Plague, pestilence; a deadly infectious epidemic disease.
Über: Over, above, upon; preposition of location or motion.
unsere: Our; first-person plural possessive pronoun, accusative/nominative.
Stadt: City, town; an urban settlement of significant size.
leert: Empties; third-person singular of leeren, to empty.
Das: The; definite article for neuter nominative/accusative nouns.
Haus: House; a building used as a dwelling or lineage.
düstere: Gloomy, dark, somber; describing a dark forbidding realm.
Reich: Realm, kingdom, empire; a territory ruled by a monarch.
Des: Of the; genitive masculine/neuter definite article.
gesättigt: Satiated, satisfied; having received more than enough.
Stöhnen: Groaning, moaning; sounds expressing pain or suffering.
Tränen: Tears; drops of liquid shed from the eyes when crying.
Daher: Therefore, hence; indicating a result or conclusion.
sitzen: To sit; to be seated in a place.
wir: We; first-person plural nominative pronoun.
an: At, on, to; preposition indicating closeness or attachment.
deinem: Your; dative masculine/neuter informal possessive pronoun.
Herd: Hearth, stove; a domestic fireplace or symbolic home center.
Ich: I; first-person singular nominative pronoun.
Kinder: Children; plural of Kind, young persons.
weil: Because; subordinating conjunction introducing a reason.
dich: You; accusative form of the informal second-person pronoun.
Für: For; preposition indicating purpose, benefit, or regard.
eine: A, an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns.
neue: New; adjective describing something recently made or discovered.
Gottheit: Deity, divinity; a divine being or godlike entity.
halten: To hold, consider; to regard something in a certain way.
sondern: But rather; conjunction correcting a negative statement.
für: For; preposition indicating purpose or classification.
Ersten: First; foremost among people in ability or rank.
Menschen: People, humans; plural of Mensch, human beings.
gewöhnlichen: Ordinary, common; describing everyday or unremarkable things.
Wechselfällen: Vicissitudes; the changing fortunes or ups and downs of life.
Lebens: Of life; genitive of Leben, existence or living.
Und: And; coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses.
ersten: First; ordinal adjective indicating the earliest in order.
Heimsuchungen: Visitations, afflictions; divine trials sent upon a people.
Götter: Gods; plural of Gott, divine supernatural beings.
Bist: Are; second-person singular present tense of sein.
derjenige: The one who; demonstrative pronoun referring to a specific person.
kam: Came; simple past third-person singular of kommen.
uns: Us; first-person plural accusative/dative pronoun.
dem: The; dative masculine/neuter definite article.
Tribut: Tribute; a payment or submission imposed by a conqueror.
befreite: Freed, liberated; simple past of befreien.
zahlten: Paid; simple past plural of zahlen, to pay.
An: To, at; preposition indicating direction or location.
grausame: Cruel, fierce; describing something savagely brutal.
Sängerin: Female singer; here likely the Sphinx who posed riddles.
hattest: Had; second-person singular simple past of haben.
auch: Also, too; adverb adding information or emphasis.
Einen: A, one; accusative masculine indefinite article or numeral.
Wink: Hint, sign, tip; a subtle signal or piece of advice.
erhalten: Received, obtained; past participle of erhalten.
anderen: Others, another; referring to different persons or things.
belehrt: Taught, instructed; past participle of belehren.
worden: Been; auxiliary past participle used in passive constructions.
Nein: No; negative response or refusal.
einem: A, one; dative masculine/neuter indefinite article.
beseelt: Inspired, animated; filled with spirit or soul.
so: So, thus; adverb indicating manner or degree.
glauben: To believe; to accept something as true or real.
alle: All, everyone; referring to the entirety of a group.
bezeugen: To attest, testify; to bear witness to something.
hast: Have; second-person singular present tense of haben.
Leben: Life; existence of a living being or vitality.
erneuert: Renewed, restored; past participle of erneuern.

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