The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 5
She was accordingly admitted into his presence, where, discovering herself, she fell at his feet, and in the most affecting manner implored his forgiveness; at the same time representing the danger that threatened not only her life, but that of his own grandchild, which was about to see the light.
Sie wurde dementsprechend in seine Gegenwart gelassen, wo sie sich zu erkennen gab, ihm zu Füßen fiel und ihn auf die rührendste Weise um Vergebung bat; dabei schilderte sie die Gefahr, die nicht nur ihr Leben bedrohte, sondern auch die seines eigenen Enkelkindes, das im Begriff war, das Licht der Welt zu erblicken.
He told her he was sorry that the indiscretion of her and his son had compelled him to make a vow, which put it out of his power to give them any assistance; that he had already imparted his thoughts on that subject to her husband, and was surprised that they should disturb his peace with any farther importunity.
Er sagte ihr, es tue ihm leid, dass die Unbesonnenheit von ihr und seinem Sohn ihn gezwungen habe, ein Gelübde abzulegen, das es ihm unmöglich mache, ihnen irgendeine Hilfe zu gewähren; er habe seiner Tochter bereits seine Gedanken zu diesem Thema mitgeteilt, und er sei erstaunt, dass sie seinen Frieden mit weiterer Zudringlichkeit stören sollten.
This said, he retired.
Damit zog er sich zurück.
The violence of my mother's affliction had such an effect on her constitution that she was immediately seized with the pains of childbed; and had not an old maidservant, to whom she was very dear, afforded her pity and assistance, at the hazard of incurring my grandfather's displeasure, she and the innocent fruit of her womb must have fallen miserable victims to his rigour and inhumanity.
Die Heftigkeit des Kummers meiner Mutter hatte eine solche Wirkung auf ihre Gesundheit, dass sie sofort von den Wehen erfasst wurde; und wäre nicht eine alte Magd, der sie sehr am Herzen lag, ihr mit Mitgefühl und Beistand zur Seite gestanden, auf die Gefahr hin, den Unmut meines Großvaters auf sich zu ziehen, so wären sie und die unschuldige Frucht ihres Mutterleibes elende Opfer seiner Härte und Unmenschlichkeit geworden.
By the friendship of this poor woman she was carried up to a garret, and immediately delivered of a man child, the story of whose unfortunate birth he himself now relates.
Durch die Fürsorge dieser armen Frau wurde sie in eine Dachkammer gebracht und entband dort sogleich einen Knaben, dessen Geschichte seiner unglücklichen Geburt er nun selbst erzählt.
Vocabulary
- Sie
- You (formal singular or plural pronoun).
- wurde
- Was (past tense of werden).
- dementsprechend
- Accordingly; correspondingly.
- in
- In; into (preposition).
- seine
- His; its (possessive adjective).
- Gegenwart
- Presence; present moment.
- gelassen
- Left; allowed (past participle of lassen).
- wo
- Where (relative or interrogative adverb).
- sie
- She; they; her (pronoun).
- sich
- Herself; himself; themselves (reflexive pronoun).
- zu
- To; at; for (preposition or infinitive marker).
- erkennen
- To recognize; to acknowledge; to identify.
- gab
- Gave (past tense of geben).
- ihm
- Him; to him (dative pronoun).
- Füßen
- Feet (dative plural of Fuß).
- fiel
- Fell; fell down (past tense of fallen).
- und
- And (conjunction).
- ihn
- Him (accusative pronoun).
- auf
- On; upon; up (preposition).
- die
- The (definite article, feminine or plural).
- Weise
- Way; manner; fashion.
- um
- Around; for; in order to (preposition).
- Vergebung
- Forgiveness; pardon (noun).
- bat
- Asked; pleaded; prayed (past tense of bitten).
- dabei
- While doing that; at that; thereby.
- schilderte
- Described; depicted (past tense of schildern).
- Gefahr
- Danger; peril; risk.
- nicht
- Not; no (negation).
- nur
- Only; merely; just.
- ihr
- Her; its (possessive adjective, accusative).
- Leben
- Life; living (noun).
- bedrohte
- Threatened; menaced (past tense of bedrohen).
- sondern
- But; but rather (coordinating conjunction).
- auch
- Also; too; as well.
- seines
- His; its (genitive possessive pronoun).
- eigenen
- Own (possessive adjective, dative or accusative).
- Engelkindes
- Grandchild (genitive singular of Enkel/Enkelin).
- das
- That; which; what (neuter article/pronoun).
- im
- In the (contraction of in dem).
- Begriff
- Concept; term; notion.
- war
- Was (past tense of sein).
- Licht
- Light (noun).
- der
- The (definite article, masculine or genitive).
- Welt
- World (dative feminine of Welt).
- erblicken
- To catch sight of; to behold.
- Er
- He (masculine pronoun).
- sagte
- Said; told (past tense of sagen).
- es
- It (neuter pronoun).
- tue
- Does (subjunctive present of tun).
- leid
- Sorry; regretful (predicate adjective).
- dass
- That (subordinating conjunction).
- Unbesonnenheit
- Thoughtlessness; recklessness; imprudence.
- von
- From; of; by (preposition).
- seinem
- His; its (dative possessive adjective).
- Sohn
- Son (noun).
- gezwungen
- Forced; compelled (past participle of zwingen).
- habe
- Have (subjunctive present of haben).
- ein
- A; an; one (indefinite article).
- Gelübde
- Vow; oath; pledge.
- abzulegen
- To take (infinitive of ablegen).
- unmöglich
- Impossible; impossible (adjective).
- mache
- Make; do (present subjunctive of machen).
- ihnen
- Them; to them (dative pronoun).
- irgendeine
- Any; some (indefinite pronoun).
- Hilfe
- Help; aid; assistance.
- gewähren
- To grant; to allow; to bestow.
- er
- He (masculine pronoun).
- seiner
- His; its (dative possessive pronoun).
- Tochter
- Daughter (noun).
- bereits
- Already; previously (adverb).
- Gedanken
- Thoughts; ideas (accusative plural of Gedanke).
- diesem
- This; that (dative demonstrative adjective).
- Thema
- Topic; subject; theme.
- mitgeteilt
- Shared; communicated; imparted (past participle).
- sei
- Be (subjunctive present of sein).
- erstaunt
- Astonished; amazed; surprised (adjective).
- seinen
- His; its (accusative masculine possessive adjective).
- Frieden
- Peace; tranquility (accusative singular).
- mit
- With (preposition).
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