The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 15
For we feared not our torments less; nor prayed we less to Thee to escape them.
Denn wir fürchteten unsere Qualen nicht weniger; noch beteten wir weniger zu Dir, ihnen zu entfliehen.
And yet we sinned, in writing or reading or studying less than was exacted of us.
Und dennoch sündigten wir, indem wir weniger schrieben oder lasen oder lernten, als von uns verlangt wurde.
For we wanted not, O Lord, memory or capacity, whereof Thy will gave enough for our age; but our sole delight was play; and for this we were punished by those who yet themselves were doing the like.
Denn es mangelte uns nicht, o Herr, an Gedächtnis oder Fähigkeit, wovon Dein Wille genug für unser Alter gab; aber unsere einzige Freude war das Spiel; und dafür wurden wir von jenen bestraft, die selbst dasselbe taten.
But elder folks' idleness is called "business"; that of boys, being really the same, is punished by those elders; and none commiserates either boys or men.
Aber der Müßiggang der Älteren wird "Geschäft" genannt; jener der Knaben, der im Grunde derselbe ist, wird von diesen Älteren bestraft; und niemand bemitleidet weder Knaben noch Männer.
For will any of sound discretion approve of my being beaten as a boy, because, by playing a ball, I made less progress in studies which I was to learn, only that, as a man, I might play more unbeseemingly?
Denn wird irgendjemand von gesundem Urteil gutheißen, dass ich als Knabe geschlagen wurde, weil ich durch Ballspielen weniger Fortschritte in den Studien machte, die ich erlernen sollte, nur damit ich als Mann noch ungebührlicher spielen könnte?
and what else did he who beat me? who, if worsted in some trifling discussion with his fellow-tutor, was more embittered and jealous than I when beaten at ball by a play-fellow?
Und was anderes tat jener, der mich schlug? Der, wenn er in irgendeiner nichtigen Auseinandersetzung mit seinem Miterzieher unterlag, verbitterter und eifersüchtiger war als ich, wenn ich von einem Spielgefährten beim Ball besiegt wurde?
And yet, I sinned herein, O Lord God, the Creator and Disposer of all things in nature, of sin the Disposer only, O Lord my God, I sinned in transgressing the commands of my parents and those of my masters.
Und dennoch sündigte ich hierin, o Herr Gott, der Schöpfer und Ordner aller Dinge in der Natur, der Sünde Ordner allein, o Herr mein Gott, ich sündigte, indem ich die Gebote meiner Eltern und die meiner Lehrer übertrat.
For what they, with whatever motive, would have me learn, I might afterwards have put to good use.
Denn was sie, aus welchem Beweggrund auch immer, mich lernen lassen wollten, hätte ich hernach gut verwenden können.
Vocabulary
- Denn
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'
- wir
- First person plural pronoun meaning 'we'
- fürchteten
- Past tense of fürchten; feared or were afraid
- unsere
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'our'
- Qualen
- Plural noun meaning torments, agonies, or sufferings
- nicht
- Negation word meaning 'not'
- weniger
- Comparative adverb meaning 'less'
- noch
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'nor'
- beteten
- Past tense of beten; prayed or said prayers
- zu
- Preposition or particle meaning 'to' or 'too'
- Dir
- Dative form of 'du'; to you (formal/devotional)
- ihnen
- Dative pronoun meaning 'them' or formal 'you'
- entfliehen
- Infinitive verb meaning to flee or escape from
- Und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- dennoch
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless' or 'yet nonetheless'
- sündigten
- Past tense of sündigen; sinned or committed sins
- indem
- Conjunction meaning 'by doing' or 'while doing'
- schrieben
- Past tense of schreiben; wrote or did writing
- oder
- Conjunction meaning 'or'
- lasen
- Past tense of lesen; read books or texts
- lernten
- Past tense of lernen; learned or studied something
- als
- Conjunction meaning 'than', 'as', or 'when'
- von
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'of', or 'by'
- uns
- Accusative/dative pronoun meaning 'us'
- verlangt
- Past participle of verlangen; demanded or required something
- wurde
- Past tense auxiliary meaning 'was' or 'became'
- es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- mangelte
- Past tense of mangeln; lacked or was deficient in
- Herr
- Noun meaning 'Lord', 'master', or 'Mister'
- an
- Preposition meaning 'at', 'on', or 'in' something
- Gedächtnis
- Noun meaning memory or capacity to remember things
- Fähigkeit
- Noun meaning ability, skill, or capability
- wovon
- Relative adverb meaning 'of which' or 'from which'
- Dein
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'your' (singular informal)
- Wille
- Noun meaning will, intention, or volition
- genug
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'enough' or 'sufficient'
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for'
- unser
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'our'
- Alter
- Noun meaning age, old age, or period of life
- gab
- Past tense of geben; gave or there was something
- aber
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- einzige
- Adjective meaning 'only' or 'sole' one thing
- Freude
- Noun meaning joy, pleasure, or happiness
- war
- Past tense of sein; was or existed
- das
- Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'that'
- Spiel
- Noun meaning game, play, or sport
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- dafür
- Adverb meaning 'for it', 'for that', 'in return'
- wurden
- Past tense auxiliary meaning 'were' or 'became'
- jenen
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'those ones'
- bestraft
- Past participle of bestrafen; punished for a wrongdoing
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning 'the' or 'who'
- selbst
- Reflexive intensifier meaning 'themselves' or 'even'
- dasselbe
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the same thing'
- taten
- Past tense of tun; did or performed an action
- Aber
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- der
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning 'the'
- Müßiggang
- Noun meaning idleness, laziness, or doing nothing
- Älteren
- Noun/adjective meaning 'the elders' or older people
- wird
- Present tense of werden; becomes or will be
- Geschäft
- Noun meaning business, shop, or affair
- genannt
- Past participle of nennen; called or named something
- jener
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'that one'
- Knaben
- Genitive/plural of Knabe; of boys or youths
- im
- Contraction of 'in dem'; in the
- Grunde
- Dative of Grund; basically, at bottom, fundamentally
- derselbe
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the same one'
- ist
- Third person singular of sein; is or exists
- diesen
- Dative demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these' or 'those'
- niemand
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'
- bemitleidet
- Present/past participle of bemitleiden; pitied or shown sympathy
- weder
- Conjunction used in 'weder...noch'; neither...nor
- Männer
- Plural noun meaning men or males
- irgendjemand
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'anyone' or 'somebody'
- gesundem
- Dative adjective meaning 'healthy' or 'sound judgment'
- Urteil
- Noun meaning judgment, verdict, or opinion
- gutheißen
- Infinitive meaning to approve of or sanction something
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'that'
- ich
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- Knabe
- Noun meaning boy or youth
- geschlagen
- Past participle of schlagen; beaten, struck, or hit
- weil
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'because'
- durch
- Preposition meaning 'through' or 'by means of'
- Fortschritte
- Plural noun meaning progress or advances made
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
- den
- Definite article accusative/dative plural meaning 'the'
- Studien
- Plural noun meaning studies or academic pursuits
- machte
- Past tense of machen; made or did something
- erlernen
- Infinitive meaning to learn or acquire a skill
- sollte
- Past tense of sollen; was supposed to or should
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'
- damit
- Conjunction meaning 'so that' or adverb 'with it'
- Mann
- Noun meaning man or husband
- ungebührlicher
- Adjective meaning more improperly or more indecently
- spielen
- Infinitive meaning to play a game or instrument
- könnte
- Subjunctive of können; could or would be able
- was
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'
- anderes
- Pronoun/adjective meaning 'other' or 'something else'
- tat
- Past tense of tun; did or performed an action
- mich
- Accusative first person pronoun meaning 'me'
- schlug
- Past tense of schlagen; struck, hit, or beat
- Der
- Definite article or demonstrative meaning 'the' or 'he'
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if' (conditional)
- er
- Third person singular pronoun meaning 'he'
- irgendeiner
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'some' or 'any one'
- nichtigen
- Adjective meaning trivial, petty, or insignificant
- Auseinandersetzung
- Noun meaning dispute, argument, or confrontation
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- seinem
- Possessive dative pronoun meaning 'his' or 'its'
- unterlag
- Past tense of unterliegen; lost or was defeated
- verbitterter
- Adjective meaning more embittered or more resentful
- eifersüchtiger
- Adjective meaning more jealous or more envious
- einem
- Indefinite dative article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- beim
- Contraction of 'bei dem'; at the, during the
- Ball
- Noun meaning ball or formal dance event
- besiegt
- Past participle of besiegen; defeated or overcome someone
- sündigte
- Past tense of sündigen; sinned or committed a sin
- hierin
- Adverb meaning 'herein', 'in this', or 'in here'
- Gott
- Noun meaning God or a deity
- Schöpfer
- Noun meaning creator or maker of something
- Ordner
- Noun meaning organizer, binder, or orderer of things
- aller
- Genitive of alle; of all or belonging to everything
- Dinge
- Plural noun meaning things or objects
- Natur
- Noun meaning nature or natural world
- Sünde
- Noun meaning sin or moral transgression
- allein
- Adjective/adverb meaning alone, only, or solely
- mein
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'my'
- Gebote
- Plural noun meaning commandments, rules, or precepts
- meiner
- Genitive possessive pronoun meaning 'of my' or 'my'
- Eltern
- Plural noun meaning parents
- Lehrer
- Noun meaning teacher or instructor
- übertrat
- Past tense of übertreten; transgressed or violated a rule
- sie
- Pronoun meaning 'she', 'they', or formal 'you'
- aus
- Preposition meaning 'out of', 'from', or 'made of'
- welchem
- Relative/interrogative pronoun meaning 'which' (dative)
- Beweggrund
- Noun meaning motive, reason, or driving impulse
- auch
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'even'
- immer
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'ever'
- lernen
- Infinitive meaning to learn or study something
- lassen
- Infinitive meaning to let, allow, or have done
- wollten
- Past tense of wollen; wanted or intended to do
- hätte
- Subjunctive of haben; would have or had (conditional)
- hernach
- Adverb meaning 'afterwards' or 'thereafter'
- gut
- Adjective meaning 'good' or 'well'
- verwenden
- Infinitive meaning to use, employ, or apply something
- können
- Modal verb infinitive meaning 'to be able to'
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