The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 11
Myself have seen and known even a baby envious; it could not speak, yet it turned pale and looked bitterly on its foster-brother.
Ich selbst habe sogar ein neidisches Baby gesehen und gekannt; es konnte nicht sprechen, und doch wurde es blass und blickte bitter auf seinen Pflegebruder.
Who knows not this?
Wer kennt das nicht?
Mothers and nurses tell you that they allay these things by I know not what remedies.
Mütter und Ammen sagen euch, dass sie diese Dinge durch ich weiß nicht welche Mittel besänftigen.
Is that too innocence, when the fountain of milk is flowing in rich abundance, not to endure one to share it, though in extremest need, and whose very life as yet depends thereon?
Ist das auch Unschuld, wenn die Quelle der Milch in reicher Fülle fließt, es nicht zu dulden, dass jemand daran teilhat, obwohl er in äußerster Not ist und sein Leben noch davon abhängt?
We bear gently with all this, not as being no or slight evils, but because they will disappear as years increase; for, though tolerated now, the very same tempers are utterly intolerable when found in riper years.
Wir sehen all dies nachsichtig an, nicht weil es keine oder geringe Übel wären, sondern weil sie mit den Jahren verschwinden werden; denn obwohl sie jetzt geduldet werden, sind dieselben Charakterzüge in reiferen Jahren völlig unerträglich.
Thou, then, O Lord my God, who gavest life to this my infancy, furnishing thus with senses (as we see) the frame Thou gavest, compacting its limbs, ornamenting its proportions, and, for its general good and safety, implanting in it all vital functions, Thou commandest me to praise Thee in these things, to confess unto Thee, and sing unto Thy name, Thou most Highest.
Du also, o Herr, mein Gott, der Du diesem meinem Säuglingsalter das Leben gabst, indem Du so den Körper, den Du gabst, mit Sinnen ausstattetest (wie wir sehen), seine Glieder zusammenfügtest, seine Proportionen schmücktest und zu seinem allgemeinen Wohl und seiner Sicherheit alle lebenswichtigen Funktionen in ihn eingepflanzt hast, Du gebietest mir, Dich in diesen Dingen zu loben, Dir zu bekennen und Deinem Namen zu singen, Du Allerhöchster.
For Thou art God, Almighty and Good, even hadst Thou done nought but only this, which none could do but Thou: whose Unity is the mould of all things; who out of Thy own fairness makest all things fair; and orderest all things by Thy law.
Denn Du bist Gott, Allmächtig und Gut, selbst wenn Du nichts anderes getan hättest als nur dies, was niemand außer Dir tun konnte: dessen Einheit die Form aller Dinge ist; der Du aus Deiner eigenen Schönheit alle Dinge schön machst und alle Dinge durch Dein Gesetz ordnest.
Vocabulary
- selbst
- Reflexive intensifier meaning 'myself' or 'even'
- habe
- First person singular present of 'haben', meaning 'have'
- sogar
- Adverb meaning 'even' or 'in fact'
- neidisches
- Adjective meaning 'envious' or 'jealous'
- gesehen
- Past participle of 'sehen', meaning 'seen'
- gekannt
- Past participle of 'kennen', meaning 'known' or 'acquainted with'
- konnte
- Simple past of 'können', meaning 'could' or 'was able to'
- sprechen
- Verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- doch
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'yet', 'but', or 'still'
- wurde
- Simple past auxiliary meaning 'became' or 'was'
- blass
- Adjective meaning 'pale' or 'pallid'
- blickte
- Simple past of 'blicken', meaning 'looked' or 'glanced'
- bitter
- Adjective meaning 'bitter' or 'resentful'
- Pflegebruder
- Noun meaning 'foster brother' or 'nursing brother'
- kennt
- Third person singular of 'kennen', meaning 'knows' or 'is acquainted with'
- Mütter
- Plural noun meaning 'mothers'
- Ammen
- Plural noun meaning 'wet nurses' or 'nursemaids'
- euch
- Second person plural pronoun meaning 'you' (dative/accusative)
- Dinge
- Plural noun meaning 'things' or 'matters'
- durch
- Preposition meaning 'through' or 'by means of'
- weiß
- First person singular of 'wissen', meaning 'know'
- welche
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'what'
- Mittel
- Noun meaning 'means', 'remedy', or 'method'
- besänftigen
- Verb meaning 'to calm', 'to soothe', or 'to appease'
- Unschuld
- Noun meaning 'innocence' or 'guiltlessness'
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if'
- Quelle
- Noun meaning 'source', 'spring', or 'fountain'
- Milch
- Noun meaning 'milk'
- reicher
- Adjective meaning 'rich', 'abundant', or 'plentiful'
- Fülle
- Noun meaning 'abundance', 'plenty', or 'fullness'
- fließt
- Third person singular of 'fließen', meaning 'flows'
- dulden
- Verb meaning 'to tolerate', 'to endure', or 'to bear'
- jemand
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'someone' or 'somebody'
- daran
- Adverb meaning 'at it', 'on it', or 'thereof'
- teilhat
- Third person singular of 'teilhaben', meaning 'participates' or 'shares in'
- obwohl
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'
- äußerster
- Superlative adjective meaning 'utmost', 'extreme', or 'greatest'
- Not
- Noun meaning 'need', 'distress', or 'necessity'
- Leben
- Noun meaning 'life' or 'existence'
- noch
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'even'
- davon
- Adverb meaning 'of it', 'from it', or 'thereof'
- abhängt
- Third person singular of 'abhängen', meaning 'depends on'
- sehen
- Verb meaning 'to see' or 'to look at'
- nachsichtig
- Adjective meaning 'indulgent', 'lenient', or 'tolerant'
- weil
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'since'
- keine
- Negative article meaning 'no', 'none', or 'not any'
- geringe
- Adjective meaning 'minor', 'slight', or 'small'
- Übel
- Noun meaning 'evil', 'ill', or 'ailment'
- wären
- Subjunctive past of 'sein', meaning 'would be' or 'were'
- sondern
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather' correcting a negative statement
- Jahren
- Plural dative noun meaning 'years'
- verschwinden
- Verb meaning 'to disappear' or 'to vanish'
- werden
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'will' or 'to become'
- denn
- Conjunction meaning 'because', 'for', or 'then'
- jetzt
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'
- geduldet
- Past participle of 'dulden', meaning 'tolerated' or 'endured'
- dieselben
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the same' (plural)
- Charakterzüge
- Plural noun meaning 'character traits' or 'personality features'
- reiferen
- Comparative adjective meaning 'more mature' or 'more ripe'
- völlig
- Adverb meaning 'completely', 'totally', or 'utterly'
- unerträglich
- Adjective meaning 'unbearable', 'intolerable', or 'insufferable'
- also
- Adverb meaning 'so', 'therefore', or 'thus'
- Herr
- Noun meaning 'Lord', 'master', or 'mister'
- Gott
- Noun meaning 'God' or 'deity'
- Säuglingsalter
- Noun meaning 'infancy' or 'period of babyhood'
- gabst
- Second person singular simple past of 'geben', meaning 'gave'
- indem
- Conjunction meaning 'by', 'while', or 'in that'
- Körper
- Noun meaning 'body' or 'physical form'
- Sinnen
- Plural noun meaning 'senses' or 'faculties of perception'
- ausstattetest
- Second person singular past of 'ausstatten', meaning 'equipped' or 'furnished'
- Glieder
- Plural noun meaning 'limbs', 'members', or 'joints'
- zusammenfügtest
- Second person singular past of 'zusammenfügen', meaning 'joined together'
- Proportionen
- Plural noun meaning 'proportions' or 'dimensions'
- schmücktest
- Second person singular past of 'schmücken', meaning 'adorned' or 'decorated'
- allgemeinen
- Adjective meaning 'general' or 'common' in inflected form
- Wohl
- Noun meaning 'well-being', 'welfare', or 'good'
- Sicherheit
- Noun meaning 'safety', 'security', or 'certainty'
- lebenswichtigen
- Adjective meaning 'vital', 'life-essential', or 'critical to life'
- Funktionen
- Plural noun meaning 'functions' or 'operations'
- eingepflanzt
- Past participle of 'einpflanzen', meaning 'implanted' or 'instilled'
- gebietest
- Second person singular of 'gebieten', meaning 'command' or 'bid'
- loben
- Verb meaning 'to praise' or 'to commend'
- bekennen
- Verb meaning 'to confess', 'to acknowledge', or 'to profess'
- Namen
- Dative form of 'Name', meaning 'name'
- singen
- Verb meaning 'to sing'
- Allerhöchster
- Superlative noun meaning 'Most High' as a title for God
- Denn
- Conjunction meaning 'for', 'because', or 'since'
- Allmächtig
- Adjective meaning 'almighty' or 'omnipotent'
- Gut
- Noun or adjective meaning 'good', 'goodness', or 'property'
- nichts
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nothing'
- anderes
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'other', 'different', or 'else'
- getan
- Past participle of 'tun', meaning 'done'
- hättest
- Second person singular subjunctive of 'haben', meaning 'would have'
- als
- Conjunction meaning 'than', 'as', or 'when'
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only', 'just', or 'merely'
- niemand
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'
- außer
- Preposition meaning 'except', 'besides', or 'apart from'
- tun
- Verb meaning 'to do' or 'to act'
- dessen
- Genitive relative pronoun meaning 'whose' or 'of which'
- Einheit
- Noun meaning 'unity', 'unit', or 'oneness'
- Form
- Noun meaning 'form', 'shape', or 'structure'
- eigenen
- Adjective meaning 'own' or 'one's own' in inflected form
- Schönheit
- Noun meaning 'beauty' or 'loveliness'
- schön
- Adjective meaning 'beautiful', 'pretty', or 'nice'
- machst
- Second person singular of 'machen', meaning 'make' or 'do'
- Gesetz
- Noun meaning 'law', 'rule', or 'statute'
- ordnest
- Second person singular of 'ordnen', meaning 'order' or 'arrange'
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