The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 12
This age then, Lord, whereof I have no remembrance, which I take on others' word, and guess from other infants that I have passed, true though the guess be, I am yet loth to count in this life of mine which I live in this world.
Dieses Zeitalter also, Herr, an das ich keine Erinnerung habe, das ich auf das Wort anderer annehme und aus anderen Kindern erschließe, die ich durchlebt habe, so wahr die Vermutung auch sein mag, zähle ich dennoch ungern zu diesem meinem Leben, das ich in dieser Welt lebe.
For no less than that which I spent in my mother's womb, is it hid from me in the shadows of forgetfulness.
Denn nicht weniger als jene Zeit, die ich im Schoße meiner Mutter verbrachte, ist sie mir verborgen im Dunkel der Vergessenheit.
But if I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me, where, I beseech Thee, O my God, where, Lord, or when, was I Thy servant guiltless?
Aber wenn ich in Ungerechtigkeit gestaltet wurde und meine Mutter mich in Sünde empfangen hat, wo, ich flehe Dich an, o mein Gott, wo, Herr, oder wann war ich, Dein Knecht, schuldlos?
But, lo! that period I pass by; and what have I now to do with that, of which I can recall no vestige?
Doch sieh! jene Zeit lasse ich hinter mir; und was habe ich nun mit dem zu tun, von dem ich keine Spur in meiner Erinnerung habe?
Passing hence from infancy, I came to boyhood, or rather it came to me, displacing infancy.
Von der Kindheit weitergehend, kam ich zum Knabenalter, oder vielmehr es kam zu mir und verdrängte die Kindheit.
Nor did that depart,--(for whither went it?)--and yet it was no more.
Noch wich jene hinweg – (denn wohin ging sie?) – und doch war sie nicht mehr.
For I was no longer a speechless infant, but a speaking boy.
Denn ich war nicht länger ein sprachloses Kind, sondern ein sprechender Knabe.
This I remember; and have since observed how I learned to speak.
Dies erinnere ich mich; und habe seitdem beobachtet, wie ich sprechen lernte.
It was not that my elders taught me words (as, soon after, other learning) in any set method; but I, longing by cries and broken accents and various motions of my limbs to express my thoughts, that so I might have my will, and yet unable to express all I willed, or to whom I willed, did myself, by the understanding which Thou, my God, gavest me, practise the sounds in my memory.
Es war nicht so, dass meine Älteren mir Wörter (wie bald darauf andere Lerninhalte) nach irgendeiner festgelegten Methode beibrachten; sondern ich selbst, der ich mich sehnte, durch Schreien und gebrochene Laute und verschiedene Bewegungen meiner Glieder meine Gedanken auszudrücken, damit ich meinen Willen durchsetzen könnte, und doch nicht imstande war, alles auszudrücken, was ich wollte, oder an wen ich es wollte, übte selbst durch den Verstand, den Du, mein Gott, mir gegeben hast, die Laute in meinem Gedächtnis.
Vocabulary
- Dieses
- This; demonstrative pronoun referring to something nearby.
- Zeitalter
- Age; era or period of time in history.
- also
- So; therefore; thus; used to conclude or transition.
- Herr
- Lord; sir; master; title of respect for men.
- an
- On; at; to; preposition indicating position or direction.
- das
- The; neuter singular definite article in German.
- ich
- I; first person singular pronoun.
- keine
- No; not a; negation article in feminine or plural.
- Erinnerung
- Memory; remembrance; recollection of past events.
- habe
- Have; first person singular present of haben.
- auf
- On; upon; at; preposition indicating position or location.
- Wort
- Word; utterance; linguistic unit of meaning.
- anderer
- Other; different; alternative; different person or thing.
- annehme
- Accept; assume; take on; first person singular present.
- und
- And; conjunction connecting words, phrases, or clauses.
- aus
- From; out of; preposition indicating origin or source.
- anderen
- Other; different; plural or dative form of anderer.
- Kindern
- Children; plural dative form of Kind.
- erschließe
- Infer; deduce; conclude from available information.
- die
- The; feminine singular or plural definite article.
- so
- So; thus; in this manner or way.
- wahr
- True; genuine; authentic; conforming to fact.
- Vermutung
- Conjecture; guess; supposition about something uncertain.
- auch
- Also; too; as well; likewise.
- sein
- Be; exist; to have a certain state.
- mag
- May; might; express possibility or permission.
- zähle
- Count; number; enumerate items or people.
- dennoch
- Nevertheless; still; however; despite this situation.
- zu
- To; towards; at; preposition indicating direction.
- diesem
- This; dative or neuter form of demonstrative dieser.
- meinem
- My; possessive adjective in dative or neuter form.
- Leben
- Life; existence; duration of individual existence.
- in
- In; into; preposition indicating location or direction.
- dieser
- This; feminine singular form of demonstrative dieser.
- Welt
- World; earth; the planet and its inhabitants.
- lebe
- Live; exist; first person singular present of leben.
- Denn
- For; because; since; conjunction explaining cause.
- nicht
- Not; negation particle; expressing denial or refusal.
- weniger
- Less; fewer; smaller in amount or degree.
- als
- Than; as; when; used in comparisons.
- jene
- That; those; demonstrative pronoun referring to distant.
- Zeit
- Time; period; duration of moments or events.
- im
- In the; contraction of in dem.
- meiner
- My; possessive adjective in genitive or feminine form.
- Mutter
- Mother; female parent; woman who gave birth.
- verbrachte
- Spent; passed; occupied time in activity.
- ist
- Is; third person singular present of sein.
- sie
- She; it; they; third person pronoun.
- mir
- Me; to me; dative first person pronoun.
- verborgen
- Hidden; concealed; kept secret from view.
- Dunkel
- Darkness; obscurity; absence of light or clarity.
- der
- The; masculine singular definite article in German.
- Aber
- But; however; yet; expressing contrast.
- wenn
- When; if; whenever; conditional or temporal conjunction.
- gestaltet
- Formed; shaped; created; given form or structure.
- wurde
- Was; became; past tense of werden.
- meine
- My; possessive adjective in feminine or plural form.
- mich
- Me; accusative first person singular pronoun.
- Sünde
- Sin; transgression; violation of moral or religious law.
- empfangen
- Conceive; receive; become pregnant with.
- hat
- Has; third person singular present of haben.
- wo
- Where; in what place; at which location.
- Dich
- You; accusative form of formal second person.
- mein
- My; possessive adjective in nominative or accusative.
- Gott
- God; supreme being; object of religious worship.
- oder
- Or; otherwise; expressing alternative choices.
- wann
- When; at what time; at which moment.
- Dein
- Your; possessive adjective in informal singular form.
- Doch
- But; yet; however; expressing contradiction.
- sieh
- See; look; behold; imperative of sehen.
- lasse
- Let; allow; permit; first person singular subjunctive.
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