← The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original

The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original — Page 6

English → De Preface Level 6/10

Even as of late Aegisthus, beyond that which was ordained, took to him the wedded wife of the son of Atreus, and killed her lord on his return, and that with sheer doom before his eyes, since we had warned him by the embassy of Hermes the keen-sighted, the slayer of Argos, that he should neither kill the man, nor woo his wife.

Wie erst kürzlich Aegisthus, über das Bestimmte hinaus, die angetraute Frau des Sohnes des Atreus zu sich nahm und ihren Herrn bei seiner Rückkehr erschlug, und das mit dem sicheren Verderben vor Augen, da wir ihn durch die Botschaft des Hermes, des Scharfblickenden, des Töters des Argos, gewarnt hatten, dass er den Mann weder töten noch seiner Frau den Hof machen solle.

For the son of Atreus shall be avenged at the hand of Orestes, so soon as he shall come to man's estate and long for his own country.

Denn der Sohn des Atreus wird durch Orestes' Hand gerächt werden, sobald dieser das Mannesalter erreicht und sich nach seiner Heimat sehnt.

So spake Hermes, yet he prevailed not on the heart of Aegisthus, for all his good will; but now hath he paid one price for all.'

So sprach Hermes, doch vermochte er das Herz des Aegisthus nicht zu bewegen, bei allem guten Willen; nun aber hat er einen Preis für alles bezahlt.'

And the goddess, grey-eyed Athene, answered him, saying: 'O father, our father Cronides, throned in the highest; that man assuredly lies in a death that is his due; so perish likewise all who work such deeds!

Und die Göttin, die grauäugige Athene, antwortete ihm und sprach: 'O Vater, unser Vater Kronide, der du auf dem höchsten Thron sitzest; jener Mann liegt gewiss in einem Tode, der ihm gebührt; so mögen ebenso alle zugrunde gehen, die solche Taten vollbringen!

But my heart is rent for wise Odysseus, the hapless one, who far from his friends this long while suffereth affliction in a sea-girt isle, where is the navel of the sea, a woodland isle, and therein a goddess hath her habitation, the daughter of the wizard Atlas, who knows the depths of every sea, and himself upholds the tall pillars which keep earth and sky asunder.

Aber mein Herz zerreißt es um den weisen Odysseus, den Unglückseligen, der fern von seinen Freunden schon so lange Zeit Leid leidet auf einer meerumgürteten Insel, wo der Nabel des Meeres ist, einer waldreichen Insel, und darin eine Göttin ihre Wohnstatt hat, die Tochter des zaubermächtigen Atlas, der die Tiefen jedes Meeres kennt und selbst die hohen Säulen trägt, die Erde und Himmel auseinanderhalten.

His daughter it is that holds the hapless man in sorrow: and ever with soft and guileful tales she is wooing him to forgetfulness of Ithaca.

Seine Tochter ist es, die den unglückseligen Mann in Kummer hält: und stets mit sanften und listigen Worten umwirbt sie ihn, damit er Ithaka vergesse.

Vocabulary

Wie
How; in what way or manner
erst
First; only; not until
kürzlich
Recently; a short time ago
über
Over; above; about; across
das
The; that (neuter article or pronoun)
Bestimmte
Certain; specific; determined or destined
hinaus
Out; beyond; outward direction or extent
die
The; that (feminine or plural article)
Frau
Woman; wife; Mrs.; lady of household
des
Of the; genitive article masculine or neuter
Sohnes
Son; male child (genitive case form)
zu
To; at; too; towards; shut
sich
Himself; herself; itself; oneself reflexive
nahm
Took; past tense of nehmen
und
And; plus; as well as conjunction
ihren
Her; their (accusative or dative plural)
Herrn
Lord; master; husband (accusative or dative)
bei
At; by; near; with; during
seiner
His; of him (genitive masculine or dative)
Rückkehr
Return; homecoming; coming back home
mit
With; by means of; together with
dem
The; that (dative masculine or neuter)
sicheren
Certain; sure; safe; secure inevitable
Verderben
Ruin; destruction; doom; damnation
vor
Before; in front of; ago
Augen
Eyes; sight; view (plural of Auge)
da
There; then; since; because
wir
We; us (nominative plural pronoun)
ihn
Him; it (accusative masculine singular)
durch
Through; by; by means of via
Botschaft
Message; news; communication; embassy
gewarnt
Warned; cautioned (past participle of warnen)
hatten
Had; possessed (plural past tense)
dass
That; so that (subordinating conjunction)
er
He; it (nominative masculine singular)
den
The; that (accusative masculine singular)
Mann
Man; husband; male person
weder
Neither; not either (conjunction)
töten
Kill; slay; put to death
noch
Nor; still; yet; neither
Hof
Court; courtyard; farm; estate
machen
Make; do; create; produce
solle
Should; shall; ought (subjunctive form)
Denn
For; because; since; that is
der
The; that (nominative masculine singular)
Sohn
Son; male child; offspring
wird
Will; shall; becomes (future auxiliary)
Hand
Hand; by hand; handwriting
werden
Become; will; is; grow
sobald
As soon as; the moment when
dieser
This; this one (nominative masculine singular)
erreicht
Reaches; attains; achieves (third person singular)
nach
After; towards; according to
Heimat
Homeland; home country; native place
sehnt
Longs; yearns; desires (third person)
So
So; thus; in this way
sprach
Spoke; said (past tense of sprechen)
doch
Yet; but; however; nevertheless
Herz
Heart; courage; affection; center
nicht
Not; no; does not negate
bewegen
Move; stir; influence; persuade
allem
All; everything (dative neuter form)
guten
Good; well (dative or accusative form)
Willen
Will; intention; goodwill (dative form)
nun
Now; well then; at present
aber
But; however; yet; still
hat
Has; have (third person singular present)
einen
A; an; one (accusative masculine singular)
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