Spoon River Anthology — Page 5

English → De Full Text Level 4/10

That is my husband who, by secret cruelty

Das ist mein Mann, der durch heimliche Grausamkeit

Never to be told, robbed me of my youth and my beauty;

Die niemals zu sagen ist, mir meine Jugend und meine Schönheit raubte;

Till at last, wrinkled and with yellow teeth,

Bis ich schließlich, runzlig und mit gelben Zähnen,

And with broken pride and shameful humility,

Und mit gebrochenem Stolz und schmählicher Demut,

I sank into the grave.

In das Grab sank.

But what think you gnaws at my husband's heart?

Aber was, glaubt ihr, nagt am Herzen meines Mannes?

The face of what I was, the face of what he made me!

Das Gesicht dessen, was ich war, das Gesicht dessen, was er aus mir machte!

These are driving him to the place where I lie.

Dies treibt ihn an den Ort, wo ich liege.

In death, therefore, I am avenged.

Im Tode also bin ich gerächt.

Fletcher McGee

She took my strength by minutes,

Sie nahm meine Kraft Minute für Minute,

She took my life by hours,

Sie nahm mein Leben Stunde für Stunde,

She drained me like a fevered moon

Sie zehrte mich aus wie ein fiebernder Mond,

That saps the spinning world.

Der die sich drehende Welt aussaugt.

The days went by like shadows,

Die Tage vergingen wie Schatten,

The minutes wheeled like stars.

Die Minuten kreisten wie Sterne.

She took the pity from my heart,

Sie nahm das Mitleid aus meinem Herzen,

And made it into smiles.

Und verwandelte es in Lächeln.

She was a hunk of sculptor's clay,

Sie war ein Klumpen Bildhauertons,

My secret thoughts were fingers:

Meine geheimen Gedanken waren Finger:

They flew behind her pensive brow

Sie flogen hinter ihre nachdenkliche Stirn

And lined it deep with pain.

Und furchten sie tief mit Schmerz.

They set the lips, and sagged the cheeks,

Sie formten die Lippen und ließen die Wangen erschlaffen,

And drooped the eye with sorrow.

Und senkten das Auge vor Kummer.

My soul had entered in the clay,

Meine Seele war in den Ton gefahren,

Fighting like seven devils.

Kämpfend wie sieben Teufel.

It was not mine, it was not hers;

Es war nicht meins, es war nicht ihrs;

She held it, but its struggles

Sie hielt es, doch sein Ringen

Modeled a face she hated,

Formte ein Gesicht, das sie hasste,

And a face I feared to see.

Und ein Gesicht, das ich zu sehen fürchtete.

I beat the windows, shook the bolts.

Ich schlug gegen die Fenster, rüttelte an den Riegeln.

I hid me in a corner

Ich verbarg mich in einer Ecke

And then she died and haunted me,

Und dann starb sie und verfolgte mich,

And hunted me for life.

Und jagte mich fürs Leben.

Vocabulary

Das: The (neuter nominative/accusative article)
ist: Is (third person singular present of sein)
mein: My (possessive adjective)
Mann: Man; husband
der: The (masculine nominative article)
durch: Through; by means of
heimliche: Secret; secretive; clandestine
Grausamkeit: Cruelty; brutality; harsh treatment
Die: The (feminine nominative/plural article)
niemals: Never; not ever
zu: To; too; at (preposition/adverb)
sagen: To say; to tell
mir: Me; to me (dative pronoun)
meine: My (possessive adjective, feminine/plural)
Jugend: Youth; youthfulness
und: And (conjunction)
Schönheit: Beauty; loveliness
raubte: Robbed; stole (past tense of rauben)
Bis: Until; till (conjunction)
ich: I (first person singular pronoun)
schließlich: Finally; eventually; at last
mit: With (preposition)
gelben: Yellow (adjective, dative/accusative form)
Zähnen: Teeth (dative/accusative plural)
Und: And (conjunction, capitalized)
gebrochenem: Broken (adjective, dative neuter form)
Stolz: Pride; dignity
Demut: Humility; meekness; submission
In: In; into (preposition)
das: The (neuter article)
Grab: Grave; tomb
sank: Sank; descended (past tense of sinken)
Aber: But; however (conjunction)
was: What (interrogative/relative pronoun)
glaubt: Believe; thinks (third person singular)
ihr: You (plural/formal pronoun)
am: On the; at the (contraction)
Herzen: Heart (dative singular)
meines: My; of mine (possessive, genitive)
Gesicht: Face (noun, neuter)
dessen: Whose; of which (relative pronoun)
war: Was (past tense of sein)
er: He; it (masculine pronoun)
aus: From; out of (preposition)
machte: Made; did (past tense of machen)
Dies: This (demonstrative pronoun)
treibt: Drives; urges (present tense of treiben)
ihn: Him; it (accusative masculine pronoun)
den: The (masculine accusative article)
Ort: Place; location; spot
wo: Where (relative/interrogative adverb)
liege: Lie; rest (first person singular subjunctive)
Im: In the (contraction)
Tode: Death (dative singular)
also: Thus; therefore; so
bin: Am (first person singular of sein)
gerächt: Avenged; revenged (past participle)
Sie: She; you (formal pronoun)
nahm: Took (past tense of nehmen)
Kraft: Strength; power; force
Minute: Minute (noun, feminine)
für: For (preposition)
Leben: Life (noun, neuter)
Stunde: Hour (noun, feminine)
mich: Me (accusative pronoun)
wie: Like; as (conjunction/preposition)
ein: A; an (indefinite article)
Mond: Moon (noun, masculine)
Der: The (masculine nominative article)
die: Who; which (relative pronoun, feminine)
sich: Himself; herself; itself (reflexive pronoun)

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