The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 6
But for this earth most pitiful,
Doch für diese allererbärmlichste Erde,
This little land I know,
Dies kleine Land, das ich kenne,
If that which is for ever is,
Ob das, was ewig ist, auch ist,
Or if our hearts shall break with bliss,
Oder ob unsere Herzen vor Seligkeit zerbrechen werden,
Seeing the stranger go?
Beim Anblick des Fremden, der geht?
"When our last bow is broken, Queen,
„Wenn unser letzter Bogen gebrochen ist, Königin,
And our last javelin cast,
Und unser letzter Speer geworfen ist,
Under some sad, green evening sky,
Unter einem traurigen, grünen Abendhimmel,
Holding a ruined cross on high,
Ein zerbrochenes Kreuz hoch erhebend,
Under warm westland grass to lie,
Unter warmem westländischem Gras zu liegen,
Shall we come home at last?"
Werden wir endlich nach Hause kommen?"
And a voice came human but high up,
Und eine Stimme erklang, menschlich doch hoch oben,
Like a cottage climbed among
Wie ein Häuschen, das sich emporklimmt
The clouds; or a serf of hut and croft
Zu den Wolken; oder ein Leibeigener aus Hütte und Kotten,
That sits by his hovel fire as oft,
Der wie so oft an seinem Hütttenfeuer sitzt,
But hears on his old bare roof aloft
Doch auf seinem alten kahlen Dach hoch oben hört,
A belfry burst in song.
Wie ein Glockenturm in Gesang ausbricht.
"The gates of heaven are lightly locked,
„Die Tore des Himmels sind leicht verschlossen,
We do not guard our gain,
Wir bewachen unseren Gewinn nicht,
The heaviest hind may easily
Die schwerste Magd kann leicht
Come silently and suddenly
Still und plötzlich kommen
Upon me in a lane.
Auf mich in einem Gässchen.
"And any little maid that walks
„Und jedes kleine Mädchen, das wandelt
In good thoughts apart,
In guten Gedanken für sich,
May break the guard of the Three Kings
Kann die Wacht der Drei Könige brechen
And see the dear and dreadful things
Und die teuren und schrecklichen Dinge sehen,
I hid within my heart.
Die ich in meinem Herzen verbarg.
"The meanest man in grey fields gone
„Der ärmste Mann, fort in grauen Feldern
Behind the set of sun,
Hinter dem Untergang der Sonne,
Heareth between star and other star,
Hört zwischen Stern und anderem Stern,
Through the door of the darkness fallen ajar,
Durch die Tür der Dunkelheit, angelehnt gefallen,
The council, eldest of things that are,
Den Rat, den ältesten aller Dinge, die sind,
The talk of the Three in One.
Das Gespräch der Drei in Einem.
Vocabulary
- Doch
- Yet, however; but used as a conjunction.
- für
- For; preposition indicating purpose or direction.
- diese
- These; plural or singular feminine demonstrative pronoun.
- Erde
- Earth; soil; ground; land.
- Dies
- This; demonstrative pronoun in neuter singular form.
- kleine
- Small, little; adjective describing size or extent.
- Land
- Land, country, region; geographical or political territory.
- das
- The; neuter singular definite article or pronoun.
- ich
- I; first person singular personal pronoun.
- kenne
- Know; first person present of kennen.
- Ob
- Whether, if; conjunction expressing doubt or condition.
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun.
- ewig
- Eternal, everlasting, forever; timeless.
- ist
- Is; third person singular present of sein.
- auch
- Also, too, as well; addition particle.
- Oder
- Or; conjunction presenting alternative options.
- ob
- Whether, if; introduces conditional or interrogative clause.
- unsere
- Our; first person plural possessive pronoun.
- Herzen
- Hearts; plural of Herz, seat of emotions.
- vor
- Before, in front of; preposition of place.
- zerbrechen
- Break, shatter; to break into pieces.
- werden
- Become, will; auxiliary and full verb.
- Beim
- At the, by the; contraction of bei dem.
- des
- Of the, the; genitive singular definite article.
- Fremden
- Foreign, strange; stranger or foreigner.
- der
- The, who, which; definite article or relative pronoun.
- geht
- Goes, walks; third person singular of gehen.
- Wenn
- When, if; conditional conjunction or temporal.
- unser
- Our; first person plural possessive pronoun.
- letzter
- Last, final; superlative adjective.
- Bogen
- Bow, arch, curve; weapon for shooting arrows.
- gebrochen
- Broken, shattered; past participle of brechen.
- Königin
- Queen; female monarch or consort.
- Und
- And; coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses.
- Speer
- Spear; long pointed weapon for fighting.
- geworfen
- Thrown, cast; past participle of werfen.
- Unter
- Under, beneath; preposition indicating position below.
- einem
- A, one; indefinite article or numeral.
- traurigen
- Sad, sorrowful, melancholy; adjective describing mood.
- grünen
- Green; color or vegetation adjective.
- Ein
- A, one; indefinite article or numeral.
- zerbrochenes
- Broken, shattered; past participle adjective form.
- Kreuz
- Cross; religious symbol or intersection.
- hoch
- High, tall, loud; adjective or adverb.
- warmem
- Warm; temperature adjective in dative case.
- Gras
- Grass; green plant covering ground.
- zu
- To, too, at; preposition or adverb.
- liegen
- Lie, rest; be positioned horizontally.
- Werden
- Become, will; auxiliary or main verb.
- wir
- We; first person plural personal pronoun.
- endlich
- Finally, at last, at length.
- nach
- After, to, toward; preposition.
- Hause
- Home; direction or destination.
- kommen
- Come, arrive; basic verb of motion.
- eine
- A, one; indefinite article feminine.
- Stimme
- Voice, sound, vote; auditory expression.
- menschlich
- Human, humane, humanitarian; adjective.
- doch
- Yet, however, but; conjunction.
- oben
- Above, up, upstairs; adverb of place.
- Wie
- How, as, like; interrogative or comparative.
- ein
- A, one; indefinite article or numeral.
- sich
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for accusative.
- Zu
- To, toward, at; preposition.
- den
- The; dative plural definite article.
- Wolken
- Clouds; water vapor condensed in sky.
- oder
- Or; conjunction presenting alternatives.
- aus
- From, out of; preposition of origin.
- Hütte
- Hut, cabin, cottage; small dwelling.
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction.
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