Spoon River Anthology — Page 9

De → English Full Text Level 4/10

Richter Somers

Judge Somers

Wie kommt es, sag mir,

How does it happen, tell me,

Dass ich, der gelehrteste aller Anwälte,

That I who was most erudite of lawyers,

Der Blackstone und Coke fast auswendig kannte,

Who knew Blackstone and Coke almost by heart,

Der die größte Rede hielt, die das Gericht je gehört hatte,

Who made the greatest speech the court-house ever heard,

Und eine Eingabe verfasste, die das Lob von Richter Breese gewann,

And wrote a brief that won the praise of Justice Breese,

Wie kommt es, sag mir,

How does it happen, tell me,

Dass ich hier namenlos und vergessen liege,

That I lie here unmarked, forgotten,

Während Chase Henry, der Stadttrunkenbold,

While Chase Henry, the town drunkard,

Einen Marmorblock hat, gekrönt von einer Urne,

Has a marble block, topped by an urn,

In die die Natur, in ironischer Laune,

Wherein Nature, in a mood ironical,

Ein blühendes Unkraut gesät hat?

Has sown a flowering weed?

Kinsey Keene

Ihre Aufmerksamkeit, Thomas Rhodes, Präsident der Bank;

Your attention, Thomas Rhodes, president of the bank;

Coolbaugh Whedon, Herausgeber des Argus;

Coolbaugh Whedon, editor of the Argus;

Pfarrer Peet, Pastor der führenden Kirche;

Rev. Peet, pastor of the leading church;

A. D. Blood, mehrfacher Bürgermeister von Spoon River;

A. D. Blood, several times Mayor of Spoon River;

Und schließlich ihr alle, Mitglieder des Clubs für Soziale Reinheit—

And finally all of you, members of the Social Purity Club—

Ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf Cambronne's sterbende Worte,

Your attention to Cambronne's dying words,

Als er mit dem heldenhaften Rest

Standing with the heroic remnant

Von Napoleons Garde auf dem Mont Saint-Jean stand,

Of Napoleon's guard on Mount Saint Jean,

Auf dem Schlachtfeld von Waterloo,

At the battle field of Waterloo,

Als Maitland, der Engländer, ihnen zurief:

When Maitland, the Englishman, called to them:

„Ergebt euch, tapfere Franzosen!"—

"Surrender, brave Frenchmen!"—

Dort am Ende des Tages, mit der hoffnungslos verlorenen Schlacht,

There at close of day with the battle hopelessly lost,

Und Scharen von Männern, die nicht länger das Heer

And hordes of men no longer the army

Des großen Napoleon waren,

Of the great Napoleon,

Strömten vom Feld wie zerfetzte Streifen

Streamed from the field like ragged strips

Von Gewitterwolken im Sturm.

Of thunder clouds in the storm.

Nun, was Cambronne zu Maitland sagte,

Well, what Cambronne said to Maitland,

Bevor das englische Feuer die Stirn des Hügels ebnete

Ere the English fire made smooth the brow of the hill,

Gegen das sinkende Tageslicht,

Against the sinking light of day,

Das sage ich euch, und euch allen,

Say I to you, and all of you,

Und dir, o Welt.

And to you, O world.

Und ich beauftrage euch, es

And I charge you to carve it

Auf meinen Stein zu meißeln.

Upon my stone.

Vocabulary

Judge: Person who makes legal decisions in court.
How: In what way; by what means.
does: Third person singular of 'do'.
it: Pronoun referring to a thing.
happen: To occur; to take place.
tell: To communicate information to someone.
me: Pronoun; object form of I.
That: Demonstrative pronoun or conjunction.
who: Interrogative or relative pronoun for persons.
was: Past tense of 'be'.
most: Superlative; the greatest degree.
erudite: Highly educated; possessing deep knowledge.
of: Preposition showing possession or relationship.
lawyers: People trained in law; legal professionals.
knew: Past tense of 'know'.
and: Conjunction joining words or phrases.
almost: Nearly; very close to something.
by: Preposition showing agent or means.
heart: Organ pumping blood; memorized completely.
made: Past tense of 'make'; created.
the: Definite article in English.
greatest: Superlative of great; most excellent.
speech: Spoken words; formal address to audience.
court: Place where legal cases are heard.
house: Building where people live.
ever: At any time; always.
heard: Past tense of 'hear'; perceived sound.
wrote: Past tense of 'write'; composed text.
brief: Short; concise written legal document.
that: Demonstrative pronoun or conjunction.
won: Achieved victory; past of 'win'.
praise: Expression of approval and admiration.
Justice: Fairness; judge or court official.
lie: Untruth; to recline on surface.
here: In this place; at this location.
unmarked: Without visible sign or label.
forgotten: No longer remembered; past participle of forget.
While: During the time that; contrast.
Chase: Proper name; to pursue something.
town: Urban area smaller than city.
drunkard: Person who frequently drinks alcohol excessively.
Has: Present tense of 'have'.
marble: Hard stone used for sculptures.
block: Solid piece; to obstruct passage.
topped: Covered on top; past of 'top'.
an: Indefinite article before vowels.
urn: Vessel for ashes; decorative container.
Wherein: In which; within which location.
Nature: Physical world; natural environment.
in: Preposition indicating location or state.
mood: Emotional state; atmosphere or feeling.
ironical: Using irony; expressing contradiction humorously.
sown: Past participle of sow; planted seeds.
flowering: Blooming; producing flowers; flourishing period.
weed: Unwanted plant; to remove weeds.
Your: Possessive pronoun; belonging to you.
attention: Notice or consideration directed to something.
president: Head of organization or country.
bank: Financial institution; river edge.
editor: Person who prepares text for publication.
Rev: Abbreviation for Reverend; religious title.
pastor: Priest or minister of church.
leading: Primary; most important; heading direction.
church: Religious building; Christian congregation.
Blood: Red fluid circulating in body.

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