The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 4

English → De BOOK I. THE VISION OF THE KING Level 7/10

For earthquake swallowing earthquake

Denn Erdbeben, das Erdbeben verschlingt,

Uprent the Wessex tree;

Entwurzelte den Baum von Wessex;

The whirlpool of the pagan sway

Der Strudel der heidnischen Herrschaft

Had swirled his sires as sticks away

Hatte seine Ahnen wie Stäbe fortgewirbelt,

When a flood smites the sea.

Wie eine Flut das Meer erschlägt.

And the great kings of Wessex

Und die großen Könige von Wessex

Wearied and sank in gore,

Ermüdeten und versanken im Blut,

And even their ghosts in that great stress

Und selbst ihre Geister in jener großen Not

Grew greyer and greyer, less and less,

Wurden grauer und grauer, immer weniger,

With the lords that died in Lyonesse

Mit den Herren, die in Lyonesse starben,

And the king that comes no more.

Und dem König, der nicht mehr kommt.

And the God of the Golden Dragon

Und der Gott des Goldenen Drachen

Was dumb upon his throne,

War stumm auf seinem Thron,

And the lord of the Golden Dragon

Und der Herr des Goldenen Drachen

Ran in the woods alone.

Lief allein durch die Wälder.

And if ever he climbed the crest of luck

Und wenn er je den Gipfel des Glücks erklomm

And set the flag before,

Und die Fahne vorantrug,

Returning as a wheel returns,

Kehrte das Verderben zurück wie ein Rad sich dreht,

Came ruin and the rain that burns,

Kam der Untergang und der brennende Regen,

And all began once more.

Und alles begann von vorn.

And naught was left King Alfred

Und König Alfred blieb nichts übrig

But shameful tears of rage,

Als schmachvolle Tränen der Wut,

In the island in the river

Auf der Insel im Fluss

In the end of all his age.

Am Ende all seiner Zeit.

In the island in the river

Auf der Insel im Fluss

He was broken to his knee:

War er bis auf die Knie gebrochen:

And he read, writ with an iron pen,

Und er las, geschrieben mit einer eisernen Feder,

That God had wearied of Wessex men

Dass Gott der Männer von Wessex müde geworden war

And given their country, field and fen,

Und ihr Land, Feld und Moor,

To the devils of the sea.

Den Teufeln des Meeres gegeben hatte.

And he saw in a little picture,

Und er sah in einem kleinen Bild,

Tiny and far away,

Winzig und weit entfernt,

His mother sitting in Egbert's hall,

Seine Mutter, sitzend in Egberts Halle,

And a book she showed him, very small,

Und ein Buch, das sie ihm zeigte, sehr klein,

Where a sapphire Mary sat in stall

Worin eine saphirblaue Maria im Gestühl saß

With a golden Christ at play.

Mit einem goldenen Christus beim Spiel.

It was wrought in the monk's slow manner,

Es war in der bedächtigen Art der Mönche gearbeitet,

From silver and sanguine shell,

Aus Silber und blutroter Muschel,

Where the scenes are little and terrible,

Wo die Szenen klein und schrecklich sind,

Keyholes of heaven and hell.

Schlüssellöcher des Himmels und der Hölle.

Vocabulary

Denn: Because; for (conjunction introducing reason)
Erdbeben: Earthquake; seismic tremor of the earth
das: The (neuter singular definite article)
verschlingt: Devours; engulfs or swallows up completely
Entwurzelte: Uprooted; removed from roots or origins
den: The (accusative masculine singular article)
Baum: Tree; woody plant with trunk and branches
von: From; of (preposition showing origin or possession)
Der: The (nominative masculine singular article)
Strudel: Whirlpool; swirling current or vortex of water
der: The (feminine singular or genitive/dative article)
heidnischen: Pagan; non-Christian or heathen (adjective)
Herrschaft: Rule; dominion or authority over a region
Hatte: Had; past tense of haben (to have)
seine: His; possessive pronoun (masculine or neuter)
Ahnen: Ancestors; forebears or progenitors of a family
wie: Like; as or in the manner of
Stäbe: Staffs; rods or sticks used as symbols
Wie: How; in what manner or way
eine: A; feminine singular indefinite article
Flut: Flood; surge of water or overwhelming wave
Meer: Sea; large body of salt water
erschlägt: Slays; kills or strikes down violently
Und: And; conjunction linking words or clauses
die: The; feminine plural or nominative/accusative article
großen: Great; large or of considerable importance
Könige: Kings; plural of König, male monarchs
und: And; conjunction joining words or phrases
versanken: Sank; submerged or descended into depths
im: In the; contraction of in dem
Blut: Blood; vital fluid of the body
selbst: Even; themselves or oneself (emphatic pronoun)
ihre: Their; possessive pronoun (plural)
Geister: Spirits; ghosts or immaterial beings
in: In; preposition indicating location or state
jener: That; demonstrative pronoun (archaic or poetic)
Not: Distress; hardship or dire necessity
Wurden: Became; past tense of werden (to become)
grauer: Grayer; more gray (comparative adjective)
immer: Always; ever or constantly
weniger: Less; smaller in amount or degree
Mit: With; preposition showing accompaniment or means
Herren: Lords; plural of Herr (gentlemen or masters)
starben: Died; past tense of sterben (to die)
dem: The; dative masculine singular article
König: King; male monarch or sovereign ruler
nicht: Not; negation or denial
mehr: More; greater in amount or degree
kommt: Comes; present tense of kommen (to come)
Gott: God; divine being or deity
des: The; genitive masculine or neuter singular article
Goldenen: Golden; made of gold or gold-colored
Drachen: Dragon; mythical serpentine creature with wings
War: Was; past tense of sein (to be)
stumm: Silent; mute or not speaking
auf: On; preposition showing position or surface
seinem: His; dative masculine or neuter possessive pronoun
Thron: Throne; seat of royal power or authority
Herr: Lord; master or gentleman of high rank
Lief: Ran; past tense of laufen (to run)
allein: Alone; solitary or without companions
durch: Through; preposition indicating passage or movement
Wälder: Forests; plural of Wald (wooded areas)
wenn: When; if or at what time
er: He; masculine singular personal pronoun
je: Ever; at any time or once
Gipfel: Peak; summit or highest point
Glücks: Of happiness; genitive of Glück (luck)
Fahne: Flag; banner or standard symbol
Kehrte: Returned; past tense of kehren (to return)
Verderben: Ruin; destruction or damnation
zurück: Back; again or in return
ein: A; masculine singular indefinite article
Rad: Wheel; circular object that revolves

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