Spoon River Anthology — Page 12
And the Black-eyed cocotte took the tears for hers,
Und die schwarzäugige Kokotte nahm die Tränen für ihre,
As well as the deceiving kisses I gave her.
Ebenso wie die trügerischen Küsse, die ich ihr gab.
Somehow, from that hour, I had a new vision
Irgendwie hatte ich von dieser Stunde an eine neue Sichtweise
Dear Emily Sparks!
Liebe Emily Sparks!
Emily Sparks
Emily Sparks
Where is my boy, my boy
Wo ist mein Junge, mein Junge
In what far part of the world?
In welchem fernen Teil der Welt?
The boy I loved best of all in the school?—
Der Junge, den ich in der Schule am meisten liebte?—
I, the teacher, the old maid, the virgin heart,
Ich, die Lehrerin, die alte Jungfer, das unberührte Herz,
Who made them all my children.
Die sie alle zu meinen Kindern machte.
Did I know my boy aright,
Kannte ich meinen Jungen wirklich,
Thinking of him as a spirit aflame,
Wenn ich ihn mir als lodernden Geist vorstellte,
Active, ever aspiring?
Tatkräftig, stets aufstrebend?
Oh, boy, boy, for whom I prayed and prayed
Oh, Junge, Junge, für den ich betete und betete
In many a watchful hour at night,
In manch wacher Stunde in der Nacht,
Do you remember the letter I wrote you
Erinnerst du dich an den Brief, den ich dir schrieb
Of the beautiful love of Christ?
Von der wunderschönen Liebe Christi?
And whether you ever took it or not,
Und ob du ihn je angenommen hast oder nicht,
My, boy, wherever you are,
Mein Junge, wo immer du bist,
Work for your soul's sake,
Arbeite um deiner Seele willen,
That all the clay of you, all of the dross of you,
Damit all der Lehm in dir, all die Schlacke in dir,
May yield to the fire of you,
Dem Feuer in dir weiche,
Till the fire is nothing but light!…
Bis das Feuer nichts als Licht ist!…
Nothing but light!
Nichts als Licht!
Trainor, the Druggist
Trainor, der Apotheker
Only the chemist can tell, and not always the chemist,
Nur der Chemiker kann es sagen, und nicht immer der Chemiker,
What will result from compounding
Was beim Zusammenmischen entstehen wird
Fluids or solids.
Von Flüssigkeiten oder Feststoffen.
And who can tell
Und wer kann sagen,
How men and women will interact
Wie Männer und Frauen aufeinander einwirken werden
On each other, or what children will result?
Oder welche Kinder daraus hervorgehen werden?
There were Benjamin Pantier and his wife,
Da waren Benjamin Pantier und seine Frau,
Good in themselves, but evil toward each other;
Gut in sich selbst, aber böse zueinander;
He oxygen, she hydrogen,
Er Sauerstoff, sie Wasserstoff,
Their son, a devastating fire.
Ihr Sohn, ein vernichtendes Feuer.
I Trainor, the druggist, a miser of chemicals,
Ich, Trainor, der Apotheker, ein Geizhals mit Chemikalien,
Killed while making an experiment,
Beim Durchführen eines Experiments ums Leben gekommen,
Lived unwedded.
Lebte unverheiratet.
Vocabulary
- Und
- Conjunction used to connect words or clauses.
- die
- Definite article; the (feminine or plural).
- nahm
- Past tense of nehmen; took or accepted.
- Tränen
- Tears; plural of Träne.
- für
- Preposition meaning for or on behalf of.
- ihre
- Possessive pronoun; her or their.
- Ebenso
- Likewise; in the same way or manner.
- wie
- Conjunction or adverb meaning how or as.
- trügerischen
- Deceptive or misleading; adjective form.
- Küsse
- Kisses; plural of Kuss.
- ich
- First person singular pronoun; I.
- ihr
- Pronoun meaning her, to her, or you plural.
- gab
- Past tense of geben; gave or provided.
- Irgendwie
- Somehow; in some way or manner.
- hatte
- Past tense of haben; had or possessed.
- von
- Preposition meaning from or of.
- dieser
- Demonstrative pronoun; this or that.
- Stunde
- Hour; a period of sixty minutes.
- an
- Preposition meaning at, on, or to.
- eine
- Indefinite article; a or an (feminine).
- neue
- New; fresh or recently made.
- Sichtweise
- Perspective or point of view.
- Liebe
- Love; affection or romantic feeling.
- Wo
- Where; at or in what place.
- ist
- Present tense of sein; is or exists.
- mein
- Possessive pronoun; my or mine.
- Junge
- Boy; a young male person.
- In
- Preposition meaning in or inside.
- welchem
- Interrogative pronoun; which or what.
- fernen
- Distant or far away.
- Teil
- Part; a portion or section.
- der
- Definite article; the (masculine or plural).
- Welt
- World; the earth or universe.
- Der
- Definite article; the (masculine nominative).
- den
- Definite article; the (masculine accusative).
- in
- Preposition meaning in or inside.
- Schule
- School; institution for education.
- am
- Contraction of an dem; at the.
- meisten
- Most; the greatest amount or degree.
- liebte
- Past tense of lieben; loved.
- Ich
- First person singular pronoun; I.
- Lehrerin
- Female teacher; woman who teaches.
- alte
- Old; aged or advanced in years.
- das
- Definite article; the (neuter).
- unberührte
- Untouched or unspoiled; pure.
- Herz
- Heart; the organ that pumps blood.
- Die
- Definite article; the (plural or feminine).
- sie
- Third person pronoun; she or they.
- alle
- All; every one or the whole.
- zu
- Preposition meaning to or at.
- meinen
- Possessive pronoun; my or to mean.
- Kindern
- Children; plural of Kind.
- machte
- Past tense of machen; made or did.
- Kannte
- Past tense of kennen; knew or recognized.
- Jungen
- Boys; plural of Junge.
- wirklich
- Really; truly or actually.
- Wenn
- Conjunction meaning if or when.
- ihn
- Pronoun; him or it (accusative).
- mir
- Pronoun; me or to me (dative).
- als
- Conjunction meaning as, when, or than.
- lodernden
- Blazing or flaming; burning fiercely.
- Geist
- Spirit; ghost or mind.
- Tatkräftig
- Energetic or vigorous in action.
- stets
- Always; continuously or at all times.
- aufstrebend
- Striving upward; ambitious or aspiring.
- Oh
- Exclamation expressing surprise or emotion.
- betete
- Past tense of beten; prayed.
- manch
- Many or some; several.
- wacher
- Wakeful; awake or alert.
- Nacht
- Night; the period of darkness.
- Erinnerst
- Do you remember; second person singular.
- du
- Second person singular pronoun; you.
- dich
- Second person singular pronoun; yourself.
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