The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 5
In the river island of Athelney,
Auf der Flussinsel von Athelney,
With the river running past,
Mit dem Fluss, der vorbeifließt,
In colours of such simple creed
In Farben eines so schlichten Glaubens
All things sprang at him, sun and weed,
Sprangen ihm alle Dinge entgegen, Sonne und Unkraut,
Till the grass grew to be grass indeed
Bis das Gras wahrhaftig zu Gras wurde
And the tree was a tree at last.
Und der Baum endlich ein Baum war.
Fearfully plain the flowers grew,
Erschreckend schlicht wuchsen die Blumen,
Like the child's book to read,
Wie ein Kinderbuch zum Lesen,
Or like a friend's face seen in a glass;
Oder wie das Gesicht eines Freundes im Spiegel;
He looked; and there Our Lady was,
Er schaute; und dort war Unsere Liebe Frau,
She stood and stroked the tall live grass
Sie stand und streichelte das hohe lebendige Gras
As a man strokes his steed.
Wie ein Mann sein Streitross streichelt.
Her face was like an open word
Ihr Gesicht war wie ein offenes Wort
When brave men speak and choose,
Wenn tapfere Männer sprechen und wählen,
The very colours of her coat
Die bloßen Farben ihres Gewandes
Were better than good news.
Waren besser als gute Nachricht.
She spoke not, nor turned not,
Sie sprach nicht, noch wandte sie sich,
Nor any sign she cast,
Noch gab sie irgendein Zeichen,
Only she stood up straight and free,
Nur stand sie aufrecht und frei,
Between the flowers in Athelney,
Zwischen den Blumen in Athelney,
And the river running past.
Und dem Fluss, der vorbeifließt.
One dim ancestral jewel hung
Ein trübes Erbstück hing
On his ruined armour grey,
An seiner grauen, zerfallenen Rüstung,
He rent and cast it at her feet:
Er riss es los und warf es ihr zu Füßen:
Where, after centuries, with slow feet,
Wo nach Jahrhunderten, mit langsamen Schritten,
Men came from hall and school and street
Männer aus Halle, Schule und Straße kamen
And found it where it lay.
Und es fanden, wo es lag.
"I am but a common king,
„Ich bin nur ein gewöhnlicher König,
Nor will I ask what saints may ask,
Noch werde ich erbitten, was Heilige erbitten mögen,
To see a secret thing.
Ein geheimes Ding zu sehen.
"The gates of heaven are fearful gates
„Die Tore des Himmels sind furchtbare Tore
Worse than the gates of hell;
Schlimmer als die Tore der Hölle;
Not I would break the splendours barred
Nicht ich würde die versperrte Herrlichkeit erbrechen
Or seek to know the thing they guard,
Oder danach trachten, das zu kennen, was sie hüten,
Which is too good to tell.
Das zu gut ist, um es auszusprechen.
Vocabulary
- Auf
- On, upon, or at a location or time
- der
- The (definite article, masculine singular nominative)
- Flussinsel
- River island, an island formed within a river
- von
- From, of, or by (preposition indicating origin)
- Mit
- With, accompanied by or using something
- dem
- The (definite article, dative or neuter nominative)
- Fluss
- River, a large natural flowing body of water
- vorbeifließt
- Flows past or flows by something
- In
- In, inside, or within a location or time
- Farben
- Colors, plural of Farbe
- eines
- Of a or one (genitive form of ein)
- so
- So, thus, in such a manner or degree
- schlichten
- Simple, plain, or to settle a dispute
- Glaubens
- Of faith or belief (genitive of Glaube)
- Sprangen
- Jumped or sprang forward (past tense plural)
- ihm
- Him or to him (dative masculine pronoun)
- alle
- All or everything (plural or feminine form)
- Dinge
- Things, plural of Ding
- entgegen
- Toward or against (preposition or adverb)
- Sonne
- Sun, the star at center of solar system
- und
- And, conjunction connecting words or clauses
- Unkraut
- Weeds, unwanted plants growing wild
- Bis
- Until or till (temporal conjunction)
- das
- The or that (definite article, neuter nominative)
- Gras
- Grass, green vegetation covering ground
- wahrhaftig
- Truly, genuinely, or truthfully
- zu
- To, at, or too (preposition or adverb)
- wurde
- Became or was (past tense of werden)
- Und
- And, conjunction connecting words or clauses
- Baum
- Tree, a large woody plant with branches
- endlich
- Finally, at last, or eventually
- ein
- A, an, or one (indefinite article)
- war
- Was (past tense singular of sein)
- Erschreckend
- Frighteningly or terrifyingly simple
- schlicht
- Simple, plain, or straightforward
- wuchsen
- Grew or grew up (past tense plural)
- die
- The (definite article, feminine or plural)
- Blumen
- Flowers, plural of Blume
- Wie
- Like, how, or as (comparative or interrogative)
- Kinderbuch
- Children's book, a book for young readers
- zum
- To the or for the (contraction zu+dem)
- Lesen
- Reading or to read (infinitive noun)
- Oder
- Or, conjunction offering alternative choices
- wie
- Like, how, or as (comparative or interrogative)
- Gesicht
- Face, the front of a person's head
- Freundes
- Of a friend (genitive singular of Freund)
- im
- In the or in (contraction in+dem)
- Spiegel
- Mirror, reflective surface for seeing images
- Er
- He or him (masculine third person pronoun)
- schaute
- Looked or gazed (past tense of schauen)
- dort
- There, in that place or location
- Unsere
- Our (possessive adjective, plural or feminine)
- Liebe
- Love or beloved (noun or adjective)
- Frau
- Woman, wife, or lady (form of address)
- Sie
- She or you (formal, third person pronouns)
- stand
- Stood or was standing (past tense of stehen)
- streichelte
- Stroked or caressed (past tense of streicheln)
- hohe
- High, tall, or elevated
- lebendige
- Living, lively, or animate
- Mann
- Man, a male human being or husband
- sein
- To be or his (verb or possessive adjective)
- Streitross
- War horse used in medieval battles
- streichelt
- Strokes or caresses (present tense third person)
- Ihr
- Your or her (possessive adjective, formal)
- offenes
- Open or frank (neuter nominative singular)
- Wort
- Word, a single unit of speech or writing
- Wenn
- If or when (conditional or temporal conjunction)
- tapfere
- Brave or courageous (plural or feminine form)
- Männer
- Men, plural of Mann
- sprechen
- To speak or talk (infinitive verb)
- wählen
- To choose or select (infinitive verb)
- Die
- The (definite article, feminine or plural)
- bloßen
- Bare, naked, or mere (accusative plural)
- ihres
- Of her or hers (genitive possessive pronoun)
- Gewandes
- Of a garment (genitive singular of Gewand)
- Waren
- Were or goods (past plural of sein)
- besser
- Better, superior or of higher quality
- als
- Than or as (comparative or temporal conjunction)
- gute
- Good or well (plural or feminine form)
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