The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Page 1
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
Von den schönsten Geschöpfen wünschen wir uns Nachkommenschaft,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
Damit die Rose der Schönheit niemals sterbe,
But as the riper should by time decease,
Doch wenn der Reifere durch die Zeit dahinscheiden soll,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
Möge sein zarter Erbe sein Andenken tragen:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Doch du, deinen eigenen strahlenden Augen verschrieben,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Nährst die Flamme deines Lichts mit eigenem Stoff,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Erschaffst eine Hungersnot, wo Überfluss herrscht,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Du selbst dein Feind, deinem süßen Ich gegenüber zu grausam:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
Du, der du nun des Weltalls frischer Schmuck bist,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Und einziger Herold des prächtigen Frühlings,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
Vergräbst in deiner eigenen Knospe deinen Inhalt,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
Und, zarter Grobian, verschwendest durch Knauserei:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
Hab Mitleid mit der Welt, oder sei dieser Vielfraß,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.
Der des Weltalls Erbteil verschlingt, durch das Grab und durch dich.
When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
Wenn vierzig Winter deine Stirn belagern werden,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Und tiefe Gräben in deines Schönheit Feld graben,
Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now,
Die stolze Livree deiner Jugend, jetzt so bewundert,
Will be a tattered weed of small worth held:
Wird als zerlumptes Unkraut von geringem Wert gelten:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Wenn man dann fragt, wo deine ganze Schönheit liegt,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
Wo der gesamte Schatz deiner kraftvollen Tage;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Zu sagen, in deinen eigenen tief versunkenen Augen,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
Wäre eine alles verzehrende Schande und verschwenderisches Lob.
How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use,
Wie viel mehr Lob verdiente der Gebrauch deiner Schönheit,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Wenn du antworten könntest: „Dieses schöne Kind von mir
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,'
Wird meine Rechnung begleichen und mein Alter entschuldigen,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine.
Indem es seine Schönheit als deine durch Erbfolge beweist.
This were to be new made when thou art old,
Dies wäre, neu erschaffen zu werden, wenn du alt bist,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
Und dein Blut warm zu sehen, wenn du es kalt fühlst.
Vocabulary
- Von
- From; of; by (preposition indicating origin)
- den
- The (accusative masculine singular or dative plural article)
- schönsten
- Most beautiful (superlative form of schön)
- Geschöpfen
- Creatures; beings (plural of Geschöpf)
- wünschen
- To wish; to desire (verb)
- wir
- We (first person plural pronoun)
- uns
- Us; ourselves (first person plural pronoun)
- Nachkommenschaft
- Offspring; descendants; posterity (noun)
- Damit
- So that; in order that; with that (conjunction)
- die
- The; she; it (feminine singular or plural article/pronoun)
- Rose
- Rose (the flower; feminine noun)
- der
- The (masculine singular or genitive/dative plural article)
- Schönheit
- Beauty (noun; abstract quality or state)
- niemals
- Never; at no time (adverb)
- sterbe
- Die (first person singular present subjunctive of sterben)
- Doch
- Yet; however; but (conjunction or adverb)
- wenn
- If; when (conditional conjunction)
- durch
- Through; by means of (preposition)
- Zeit
- Time (noun; period or duration)
- soll
- Shall; should; is to (modal auxiliary verb)
- Möge
- May (third person singular present subjunctive of mögen)
- sein
- To be; his (verb or possessive pronoun)
- zarter
- Tender; delicate (comparative form of zart)
- Erbe
- Heir; heritage; inheritance (noun)
- Andenken
- Memory; keepsake; souvenir (noun)
- tragen
- To carry; to wear; to bear (verb)
- du
- You (informal second person singular pronoun)
- deinen
- Your (accusative masculine singular possessive pronoun)
- eigenen
- Own (accusative masculine singular of eigen)
- strahlenden
- Radiant; shining; glowing (present participle adjective)
- Augen
- Eyes (plural of Auge)
- Nährst
- Nourish; feed (second person singular of nähren)
- Flamme
- Flame; fire (noun; feminine)
- deines
- Your; of yours (genitive masculine singular possessive)
- Lichts
- Of light; light's (genitive singular of Licht)
- mit
- With (preposition)
- eigenem
- Own (dative neuter singular of eigen)
- Stoff
- Material; substance; matter (noun)
- Erschaffst
- Create; make (second person singular of erschaffen)
- eine
- A; an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- wo
- Where; in which (relative or interrogative adverb)
- Überfluss
- Abundance; plenty; excess (noun)
- herrscht
- Reigns; prevails; rules (third person singular of herrschen)
- Du
- You (informal second person singular pronoun)
- selbst
- Self; even; myself; yourself (pronoun/adverb)
- dein
- Your (informal second person singular possessive)
- Feind
- Enemy (noun; masculine)
- deinem
- Your (dative singular possessive pronoun)
- süßen
- Sweet (dative masculine singular of süß)
- Ich
- I (first person singular pronoun)
- gegenüber
- Opposite; facing; towards (preposition or adverb)
- zu
- To; at; too (preposition or adverb)
- grausam
- Cruel; harsh; merciless (adjective)
- nun
- Now; at present (adverb)
- des
- Of the; the (genitive masculine/neuter singular article)
- frischer
- Fresh; new (genitive feminine singular of frisch)
- Schmuck
- Ornament; jewelry; decoration (noun)
- bist
- Are (second person singular present of sein)
- Und
- And (coordinating conjunction)
- einziger
- Only; sole; single (nominative masculine singular)
- prächtigen
- Magnificent; splendid; grand (genitive masculine singular)
- Frühlings
- Spring's; of spring (genitive singular of Frühling)
- in
- In; into (preposition)
- deiner
- Your (dative feminine singular possessive)
- Knospe
- Bud; unopened flower (noun; feminine)
- Inhalt
- Content; substance; essence (noun)
- verschwendest
- Waste; squander (second person singular of verschwenden)
- Hab
- Have (imperative second person singular of haben)
- Mitleid
- Pity; compassion; sympathy (noun)
- Welt
- World (noun; feminine)
- oder
- Or (coordinating conjunction)
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