The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself — Page 2
By the horrors of that trade was I first torn away from all the tender connexions that were naturally dear to my heart; but these, through the mysterious ways of Providence, I ought to regard as infinitely more than compensated by the introduction I have thence obtained to the knowledge of the Christian religion, and of a nation which, by its liberal sentiments, its humanity, the glorious freedom of its government, and its proficiency in arts and sciences, has exalted the dignity of human nature.
Durch die Schrecken jenes Handels wurde ich zuerst von all den zarten Bindungen losgerissen, die meinem Herzen von Natur aus teuer waren; doch diese, durch die geheimnisvollen Wege der Vorsehung, sollte ich als unendlich mehr als aufgewogen betrachten durch die Einführung, die ich dadurch in die Kenntnis der christlichen Religion und einer Nation erlangt habe, welche durch ihre freisinnigen Gesinnungen, ihre Menschlichkeit, die ruhmreiche Freiheit ihrer Regierung und ihre Fortschritte in Künsten und Wissenschaften die Würde der menschlichen Natur erhoben hat.
I am sensible I ought to entreat your pardon for addressing to you a work so wholly devoid of literary merit; but, as the production of an unlettered African, who is actuated by the hope of becoming an instrument towards the relief of his suffering countrymen, I trust that such a man, pleading in such a cause, will be acquitted of boldness and presumption.
Ich bin mir bewusst, dass ich um Ihre Vergebung bitten sollte, Ihnen ein Werk zu unterbreiten, das so gänzlich jedes literarischen Verdienstes entbehrt; doch als das Erzeugnis eines ungebildeten Afrikaners, der von der Hoffnung angetrieben wird, ein Werkzeug zur Linderung des Leidens seiner leidenden Landsleute zu werden, vertraue ich darauf, dass ein solcher Mann, der in einer solchen Sache plädiert, von Kühnheit und Anmaßung freigesprochen werden wird.
May the God of heaven inspire your hearts with peculiar benevolence on that important day when the question of Abolition is to be discussed, when thousands, in consequence of your Determination, are to look for Happiness or Misery!
Möge der Gott des Himmels Ihre Herzen mit besonderer Güte erfüllen an jenem wichtigen Tag, an dem die Frage der Abschaffung erörtert werden soll, wenn Tausende infolge Ihrer Entscheidung auf Glück oder Elend hoffen müssen!
I am, My Lords and Gentlemen, Your most obedient, And devoted humble Servant, Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa.
Ich bin, Meine Lords und Herren, Ihr gehorsamster und ergebener demütiger Diener, Olaudah Equiano, oder Gustavus Vassa.
Union-Street, Mary-le-bone, March 24, 1789.
Union-Street, Mary-le-bone, 24. März 1789.
LIST of SUBSCRIBERS.
LISTE DER SUBSKRIBENTEN.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
Seine Königliche Hoheit der Prinz von Wales.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York.
Seine Königliche Hoheit der Herzog von York.
A
A
The Right Hon. the Earl of Ailesbury
Der Hochwohlgeborene Graf von Ailesbury
Admiral Affleck
Admiral Affleck
Mr. William Abington, 2 copies
Herr William Abington, 2 Exemplare
Mr. John Abraham
Herr John Abraham
James Adair, Esq.
James Adair, Esquire
Reverend Mr.
Hochwürden Herr
Vocabulary
- Durch
- Through; by means of something
- die
- The; definite article, feminine or plural
- Schrecken
- Terror, horror, fright, dread
- jenes
- That; demonstrative pronoun, genitive or neuter
- Handels
- Of trade, commerce; genitive of Handel
- wurde
- Was, became; past tense of werden
- ich
- I; first-person singular pronoun
- zuerst
- First, at first, initially
- von
- From, of, by; common preposition
- all
- All, every, entire
- den
- The; definite article, dative or accusative masculine
- zarten
- Tender, delicate, gentle; inflected adjective
- Bindungen
- Bonds, ties, connections, attachments
- losgerissen
- Torn away, wrenched apart, severed
- meinem
- My; dative possessive pronoun
- Herzen
- Heart; dative form of Herz
- Natur
- Nature; the natural world or character
- aus
- From, out of; preposition indicating origin
- teuer
- Dear, precious, expensive, cherished
- waren
- Were; past tense of sein
- doch
- Yet, however, still; emphasizing particle
- diese
- These, this; demonstrative pronoun
- durch
- Through, by means of
- geheimnisvollen
- Mysterious, secretive, enigmatic; inflected adjective
- Wege
- Ways, paths, routes
- der
- The; definite article, masculine or genitive
- Vorsehung
- Providence; divine guidance or foresight
- sollte
- Should, was supposed to; past subjunctive of sollen
- als
- As, than, when; conjunction or comparison word
- unendlich
- Infinite, endless, immensely, boundlessly
- mehr
- More; comparative adverb or adjective
- aufgewogen
- Outweighed, compensated, balanced out
- betrachten
- To consider, regard, view, observe
- Einführung
- Introduction, initiation into something
- dadurch
- Thereby, by that means, through it
- in
- In, into; common preposition of location
- Kenntnis
- Knowledge, awareness, familiarity with something
- christlichen
- Christian; inflected adjective of christlich
- Religion
- Religion; system of faith and worship
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction
- einer
- A, one; indefinite article, genitive or dative
- Nation
- Nation, country, people as a group
- erlangt
- Obtained, acquired, attained
- habe
- Have; first-person singular of haben
- welche
- Which, who; relative or interrogative pronoun
- ihre
- Their, her; possessive pronoun
- freisinnigen
- Liberal-minded, open-minded; inflected adjective
- Gesinnungen
- Convictions, attitudes, dispositions, sentiments
- Menschlichkeit
- Humanity, humaneness, compassion toward people
- ruhmreiche
- Glorious, illustrious, renowned; inflected adjective
- Freiheit
- Freedom, liberty
- ihrer
- Their, her; genitive possessive pronoun
- Regierung
- Government, administration, ruling body
- Fortschritte
- Progress, advances, improvements
- Künsten
- Arts; dative plural of Kunst
- Wissenschaften
- Sciences, academic disciplines, scholarly fields
- Würde
- Dignity, worth, honor; also subjunctive of werden
- menschlichen
- Human; inflected adjective of menschlich
- erhoben
- Raised, elevated, lifted; past participle of erheben
- hat
- Has; third-person singular of haben
- Ich
- I; first-person singular pronoun
- bin
- Am; first-person singular of sein
- mir
- Me, to me; dative of ich
- bewusst
- Aware, conscious, cognizant of something
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction
- um
- Around, in order to; preposition or conjunction
- Ihre
- Your; formal possessive pronoun
- Vergebung
- Forgiveness, pardon, absolution
- bitten
- To ask, request, beg for something
- Ihnen
- You; formal dative pronoun
- ein
- A, an; indefinite article
- Werk
- Work, piece, creation, literary or artistic product
- zu
- To, at, too; preposition or infinitive marker
- unterbreiten
- To submit, present, put forward formally
- das
- The, that; definite article or demonstrative pronoun
- so
- So, thus, in such a way
- gänzlich
- Entirely, completely, wholly, utterly
- jedes
- Every, each; genitive of jeder
- literarischen
- Literary; inflected adjective of literarisch
- Verdienstes
- Merit, worth, credit; genitive of Verdienst
- entbehrt
- Lacks, is devoid of, goes without
- Erzeugnis
- Product, creation, output of work
- eines
- Of a; genitive indefinite article
- ungebildeten
- Uneducated, unlearned; inflected adjective
- Hoffnung
- Hope, expectation, wish for something positive
- angetrieben
- Driven, motivated, propelled; past participle
- wird
- Becomes, will; third-person singular of werden
- Werkzeug
- Tool, instrument used for a purpose
- zur
- To the; contraction of zu + der
- Linderung
- Alleviation, relief, mitigation of suffering
- des
- Of the; genitive definite article
- Leidens
- Of suffering; genitive of Leiden
- seiner
- His, its; genitive or dative possessive pronoun
- leidenden
- Suffering, afflicted; inflected participle adjective
- Landsleute
- Compatriots, fellow countrymen, people from same land
- werden
- To become; auxiliary verb for future or passive
- vertraue
- Trust, rely on; first-person present of vertrauen
- darauf
- On it, upon that, thereof
- solcher
- Such a; demonstrative adjective masculine
- Mann
- Man, husband, male person
- solchen
- Such; inflected form of solcher
- Sache
- Cause, matter, thing, affair
- plädiert
- Pleads, advocates for a cause
- Kühnheit
- Boldness, audacity, daring
- Anmaßung
- Presumption, arrogance, overstepping one's place
- freigesprochen
- Acquitted, absolved, exonerated of blame
- Möge
- May; subjunctive of mögen expressing wish
- Gott
- God; the supreme divine being
- Himmels
- Of heaven, sky; genitive of Himmel
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- besonderer
- Special, particular; inflected adjective
- Güte
- Goodness, kindness, graciousness, benevolence
- erfüllen
- To fulfill, fill, satisfy, imbue with something
- an
- At, on, to; common preposition
- jenem
- That; dative demonstrative pronoun
- wichtigen
- Important, significant; inflected adjective
- Tag
- Day; a 24-hour period
- dem
- The; dative definite article
- Frage
- Question, issue, matter under discussion
- Abschaffung
- Abolition, elimination, doing away with something
- erörtert
- Discussed, debated, examined in detail
- soll
- Shall, is supposed to; modal verb
- wenn
- When, if; conditional or temporal conjunction
- Tausende
- Thousands; large number of people or things
- infolge
- As a result of, owing to, due to
- Ihrer
- Your; formal genitive possessive pronoun
- Entscheidung
- Decision, ruling, resolution made
- auf
- On, onto, upon; common preposition
- Glück
- Happiness, luck, fortune, good fortune
- oder
- Or; coordinating disjunctive conjunction
- Elend
- Misery, wretchedness, poverty, suffering
- hoffen
- To hope, wish for a positive outcome
- müssen
- Must, have to; modal verb of obligation
- Meine
- My; feminine or plural possessive adjective
- Herren
- Gentlemen, lords, masters; plural of Herr
- Ihr
- Your; formal or plural possessive pronoun
- gehorsamster
- Most obedient; superlative of gehorsam
- ergebener
- Devoted, dedicated, humble; inflected adjective
- demütiger
- Humble, meek; inflected adjective of demütig
- Diener
- Servant, attendant, one who serves
- März
- March; third month of the year
- LISTE
- List; an enumeration or catalog of items
- DER
- The; definite article, masculine or genitive
- Seine
- His; possessive pronoun, also honorific
- Königliche
- Royal; inflected adjective of königlich
- Hoheit
- Highness; royal or noble title of address
- Prinz
- Prince; male member of royal family
- Herzog
- Duke; high-ranking nobleman title
- Der
- The; definite article, masculine nominative
- Graf
- Count, earl; aristocratic noble title
- Herr
- Mister, lord, gentleman; common title
- Exemplare
- Copies, specimens; plural of Exemplar
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