The Prince — Page 11
And because Dante says:
Und weil Dante sagt:
Knowledge doth come of learning well retained, Unfruitful else,
Wissen kommt von gut behaltenem Lernen, Sonst fruchtlos,
I have noted down what I have gained from their conversation, and have composed a small work on 'Principalities,' where I pour myself out as fully as I can in meditation on the subject, discussing what a principality is, what kinds there are, how they can be acquired, how they can be kept, why they are lost: and if any of my fancies ever pleased you, this ought not to displease you: and to a prince, especially to a new one, it should be welcome: therefore I dedicate it to his Magnificence Giuliano.
Ich habe aufgezeichnet, was ich aus ihrem Gespräch gewonnen habe, und habe ein kleines Werk über 'Fürstentümer' verfasst, in dem ich mich so vollständig wie möglich in Betrachtungen über das Thema ergehe und erörtere, was ein Fürstentum ist, welche Arten es gibt, wie sie erworben werden können, wie sie erhalten werden können, warum sie verloren gehen: und wenn euch je eine meiner Ideen gefallen hat, sollte euch diese nicht missfallen: und einem Fürsten, besonders einem neuen, sollte sie willkommen sein: daher widme ich sie Seiner Herrlichkeit Giuliano.
Filippo Casavecchio has seen it; he will be able to tell you what is in it, and of the discourses I have had with him; nevertheless, I am still enriching and polishing it."
Filippo Casavecchio hat es gesehen; er wird euch sagen können, was darin steht, und von den Gesprächen, die ich mit ihm geführt habe; dennoch bereichere und verfeinere ich es noch immer."
The "little book" suffered many vicissitudes before attaining the form in which it has reached us.
Das „kleine Buch" durchlief viele Wechselfälle, bevor es die Form annahm, in der es uns erreicht hat.
Various mental influences were at work during its composition; its title and patron were changed; and for some unknown reason it was finally dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici.
Verschiedene geistige Einflüsse wirkten während seiner Entstehung; sein Titel und sein Gönner wurden geändert; und aus einem unbekannten Grund wurde es schließlich Lorenzo de' Medici gewidmet.
Although Machiavelli discussed with Casavecchio whether it should be sent or presented in person to the patron, there is no evidence that Lorenzo ever received or even read it: he certainly never gave Machiavelli any employment.
Obwohl Machiavelli mit Casavecchio darüber diskutierte, ob es dem Gönner zugesandt oder persönlich überreicht werden sollte, gibt es keinen Beweis dafür, dass Lorenzo es je erhalten oder auch nur gelesen hat: er hat Machiavelli gewiss nie eine Anstellung gegeben.
Although it was plagiarized during Machiavelli's lifetime, _The Prince_ was never published by him, and its text is still disputable.
Obwohl es zu Machiavellis Lebzeiten plagiiert wurde, wurde _Der Fürst_ von ihm nie veröffentlicht, und sein Text ist noch immer umstritten.
Vocabulary
- weil
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'because'.
- sagt
- Third-person singular present of 'sagen', meaning says.
- Wissen
- Knowledge or understanding gained through learning.
- kommt
- Third-person singular present of 'kommen', meaning comes.
- behaltenem
- Dative form of 'behalten'; retained or remembered well.
- Lernen
- The act or process of learning and acquiring knowledge.
- Sonst
- Adverb meaning 'otherwise' or 'else'.
- fruchtlos
- Adjective meaning fruitless, yielding no useful result.
- aufgezeichnet
- Past participle of 'aufzeichnen'; recorded or written down.
- Gespräch
- A conversation or dialogue between people.
- gewonnen
- Past participle of 'gewinnen'; gained or obtained something.
- Werk
- A work, piece of writing, or creative production.
- Fürstentümer
- Plural of 'Fürstentum'; principalities or sovereign territories.
- verfasst
- Past participle of 'verfassen'; written or authored a text.
- vollständig
- Adjective meaning complete, thorough, or fully comprehensive.
- möglich
- Adjective meaning possible or feasible.
- Betrachtungen
- Plural noun meaning reflections, observations, or contemplations.
- Thema
- A topic, subject, or theme under discussion.
- ergehe
- Subjunctive of 'ergehen'; to proceed or deal thoroughly with.
- erörtere
- Subjunctive of 'erörtern'; to discuss or examine in detail.
- Fürstentum
- A principality; territory ruled by a prince.
- Arten
- Plural of 'Art'; types, kinds, or varieties.
- erworben
- Past participle of 'erwerben'; acquired or obtained something.
- werden
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'to become' or future marker.
- können
- Modal verb meaning 'can' or 'to be able to'.
- erhalten
- To maintain, preserve, or keep something intact.
- warum
- Interrogative adverb meaning 'why'.
- verloren
- Past participle of 'verlieren'; lost or no longer possessed.
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'when'.
- euch
- Second-person plural dative/accusative pronoun meaning 'you'.
- je
- Adverb meaning 'ever' or 'at any time'.
- Ideen
- Plural of 'Idee'; ideas, concepts, or thoughts.
- gefallen
- Past participle of 'gefallen'; pleased or appealed to someone.
- sollte
- Past subjunctive of 'sollen'; should or ought to.
- missfallen
- To displease or be displeasing to someone.
- Fürsten
- Dative or plural of 'Fürst'; a prince or ruler.
- besonders
- Adverb meaning especially, particularly, or above all.
- willkommen
- Adjective or exclamation meaning welcome or welcomed warmly.
- daher
- Adverb meaning 'therefore', 'hence', or 'for that reason'.
- widme
- First-person singular of 'widmen'; to dedicate something to someone.
- Herrlichkeit
- Title of honor meaning 'His Excellency' or 'glory'.
- gesehen
- Past participle of 'sehen'; seen or viewed something.
- sagen
- Infinitive meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'.
- darin
- Adverb meaning 'therein', 'in it', or 'inside that'.
- steht
- Third-person singular of 'stehen'; stands or is written.
- Gesprächen
- Dative plural of 'Gespräch'; in conversations or dialogues.
- geführt
- Past participle of 'führen'; conducted or carried out.
- dennoch
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless', 'yet', or 'still'.
- bereichere
- First-person singular of 'bereichern'; to enrich or enhance.
- verfeinere
- First-person singular of 'verfeinern'; to refine or polish.
- noch
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'even'.
- immer
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
- Buch
- A book or written publication.
- durchlief
- Past tense of 'durchlaufen'; went through many changes or stages.
- viele
- Adjective meaning 'many' or 'a lot of'.
- Wechselfälle
- Plural noun meaning vicissitudes, changes of fortune, ups and downs.
- bevor
- Conjunction meaning 'before' introducing a subordinate clause.
- Form
- A form, shape, or structure of something.
- annahm
- Past tense of 'annehmen'; took on or assumed a form.
- erreicht
- Past participle of 'erreichen'; reached, attained, or arrived at.
- Verschiedene
- Adjective used as noun meaning various or several different ones.
- geistige
- Adjective meaning intellectual, mental, or spiritual in nature.
- Einflüsse
- Plural of 'Einfluss'; influences or effects on something.
- wirkten
- Past tense of 'wirken'; acted, had effect, or were at work.
- während
- Preposition or conjunction meaning 'during' or 'while'.
- Entstehung
- The origin, creation, or genesis of something.
- Titel
- A title of a work or person's honorific designation.
- Gönner
- A patron or benefactor who supports someone financially.
- wurden
- Past tense plural passive auxiliary meaning 'were'.
- geändert
- Past participle of 'ändern'; changed or altered.
- unbekannten
- Dative or genitive of 'unbekannt'; unknown or unfamiliar reason.
- Grund
- A reason, cause, or foundation for something.
- wurde
- Past tense singular passive auxiliary meaning 'was'.
- schließlich
- Adverb meaning 'finally', 'eventually', or 'in the end'.
- gewidmet
- Past participle of 'widmen'; dedicated to a person or cause.
- Obwohl
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'.
- darüber
- Adverb meaning 'about it', 'over it', or 'regarding that'.
- diskutierte
- Past tense of 'diskutieren'; discussed or deliberated on something.
- ob
- Conjunction meaning 'whether' introducing an indirect question.
- zugesandt
- Past participle of 'zusenden'; sent or dispatched to someone.
- persönlich
- Adverb or adjective meaning personally or in person.
- überreicht
- Past participle of 'überreichen'; handed over or presented formally.
- keinen
- Accusative masculine form of 'kein'; no or not any.
- Beweis
- Proof, evidence, or demonstration of a fact.
- dafür
- Adverb meaning 'for it', 'for that', or 'in support of'.
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'that'.
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only', 'just', or 'merely'.
- gelesen
- Past participle of 'lesen'; read a text or document.
- gewiss
- Adjective or adverb meaning certainly, surely, or definitely.
- nie
- Adverb meaning 'never'.
- Anstellung
- Employment, appointment to a position, or job placement.
- gegeben
- Past participle of 'geben'; given or provided to someone.
- Lebzeiten
- Plural noun meaning 'lifetime'; during one's life.
- plagiiert
- Past participle of 'plagiieren'; plagiarized or copied without credit.
- Fürst_
- Part of title meaning 'The Prince', Machiavelli's famous work.
- veröffentlicht
- Past participle of 'veröffentlichen'; published or made public.
- Text
- A written or printed text, document, or passage.
- umstritten
- Adjective meaning controversial, disputed, or contested in nature.
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