The Republic — Page 3
Neither must we forget that the Republic is but the third part of a still larger design which was to have included an ideal history of Athens, as well as a political and physical philosophy.
Auch dürfen wir nicht vergessen, dass die Republik nur der dritte Teil eines noch größeren Entwurfs ist, der eine ideale Geschichte Athens sowie eine politische und physikalische Philosophie hätte umfassen sollen.
The fragment of the Critias has given birth to a world-famous fiction, second only in importance to the tale of Troy and the legend of Arthur; and is said as a fact to have inspired some of the early navigators of the sixteenth century.
Das Fragment des Kritias hat eine weltberühmte Dichtung hervorgebracht, die an Bedeutung nur hinter der Geschichte von Troja und der Legende von Artus zurücksteht; und es heißt, dass sie tatsächlich einige der frühen Seefahrer des sechzehnten Jahrhunderts inspiriert haben soll.
This mythical tale, of which the subject was a history of the wars of the Athenians against the Island of Atlantis, is supposed to be founded upon an unfinished poem of Solon, to which it would have stood in the same relation as the writings of the logographers to the poems of Homer.
Diese mythische Erzählung, deren Gegenstand eine Geschichte der Kriege der Athener gegen die Insel Atlantis war, soll auf einem unvollendeten Gedicht Solons beruhen, zu dem sie in demselben Verhältnis gestanden hätte wie die Schriften der Logographen zu den Gedichten Homers.
It would have told of a struggle for Liberty (cp. Tim. 25 C), intended to represent the conflict of Persia and Hellas.
Es hätte von einem Kampf um die Freiheit (vgl. Tim. 25 C) berichtet, der dazu bestimmt war, den Konflikt zwischen Persien und Hellas darzustellen.
We may judge from the noble commencement of the Timaeus, from the fragment of the Critias itself, and from the third book of the Laws, in what manner Plato would have treated this high argument.
Wir können aus dem erhabenen Beginn des Timaios, aus dem Fragment des Kritias selbst und aus dem dritten Buch der Gesetze urteilen, auf welche Weise Platon dieses hohe Thema behandelt hätte.
Vocabulary
- Auch
- Also; used to add emphasis or additional information
- dürfen
- To be allowed to; modal verb expressing permission
- wir
- We; first person plural pronoun
- nicht
- Not; basic negation word in German
- vergessen
- To forget; to fail to remember something
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- die
- The; definite article for feminine or plural nouns
- Republik
- Republic; a state governed by elected representatives
- nur
- Only; merely; restricting or limiting a statement
- der
- The; definite article for masculine nominative nouns
- dritte
- Third; ordinal number following second
- Teil
- Part; a portion or section of a whole
- eines
- Of a; indefinite article in genitive singular
- noch
- Still; yet; even; adds emphasis or continuation
- größeren
- Larger; comparative adjective of groß in inflected form
- Entwurfs
- Draft; design; preliminary plan or project outline
- ist
- Is; third person singular of sein, to be
- eine
- A; indefinite article for feminine nominative nouns
- ideale
- Ideal; perfect; representing the best possible version
- Geschichte
- History; story; narrative of past events
- sowie
- As well as; and also; connecting additional elements
- politische
- Political; relating to governance and state affairs
- und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction linking elements
- physikalische
- Physical; relating to physics or natural philosophy
- Philosophie
- Philosophy; study of fundamental questions about existence
- hätte
- Would have; subjunctive form of haben expressing conditionality
- umfassen
- To encompass; to include; to comprise various elements
- sollen
- Should; ought to; modal verb expressing obligation or expectation
- Das
- The; definite article for neuter nominative nouns
- Fragment
- Fragment; an incomplete or broken piece of writing
- des
- Of the; definite article in masculine or neuter genitive
- hat
- Has; third person singular present of haben
- weltberühmte
- World-famous; internationally renowned and widely celebrated
- Dichtung
- Poetry; literary writing; creative imaginative literature
- hervorgebracht
- Produced; brought forth; past participle of hervorbringen
- an
- At; on; to; versatile preposition indicating position or direction
- Bedeutung
- Significance; meaning; importance of something
- hinter
- Behind; after; preposition indicating position or rank
- von
- Of; from; by; common preposition indicating origin or relation
- Legende
- Legend; a traditional story of heroic or mythical events
- zurücksteht
- Ranks behind; stands back; yields in importance to another
- es
- It; third person singular neuter pronoun
- heißt
- It is said; means; is called; from heißen
- sie
- She; they; her; third person pronoun
- tatsächlich
- Actually; indeed; truly; confirming something as real
- einige
- Some; a few; several; an unspecified small number
- frühen
- Early; referring to an earlier period or time
- Seefahrer
- Seafarer; sailor; person who travels by sea
- sechzehnten
- Sixteenth; ordinal number for 16th, inflected form
- Jahrhunderts
- Of the century; genitive of Jahrhundert, hundred-year period
- inspiriert
- Inspired; motivated creatively; past participle of inspirieren
- haben
- To have; auxiliary verb used in perfect tenses
- soll
- Is said to; shall; modal verb expressing reported claim
- Diese
- This; these; demonstrative pronoun or determiner
- mythische
- Mythical; relating to myth; legendary and not historical
- Erzählung
- Narrative; story; account of events in prose form
- deren
- Whose; of which; genitive relative pronoun
- Gegenstand
- Subject matter; object; topic under discussion or study
- Kriege
- Wars; plural of Krieg, armed conflicts between states
- gegen
- Against; versus; preposition expressing opposition or direction
- Insel
- Island; a landmass surrounded entirely by water
- war
- Was; simple past tense of sein, to be
- auf
- On; upon; onto; versatile German preposition
- einem
- A; an; indefinite article in dative singular
- unvollendeten
- Unfinished; incomplete; not brought to a final state
- Gedicht
- Poem; a piece of literary writing in verse form
- beruhen
- To be based on; to rest upon a foundation
- zu
- To; at; too; common preposition or infinitive marker
- dem
- The; definite article in dative masculine or neuter
- in
- In; inside; preposition indicating location or time
- demselben
- The same; demonstrative pronoun in dative case form
- Verhältnis
- Relationship; ratio; proportion between two things
- gestanden
- Stood; past participle of stehen, to stand or relate
- wie
- How; as; like; comparison or manner conjunction
- Schriften
- Writings; texts; plural of Schrift, written works
- den
- The; definite article in dative plural or accusative masculine
- Gedichten
- Poems; plural of Gedicht in dative case form
- Es
- It; neuter third person pronoun, subject form
- Kampf
- Struggle; fight; battle for a cause or survival
- um
- For; around; about; preposition or conjunction
- Freiheit
- Freedom; liberty; the state of being free
- berichtet
- Reports; recounts; narrates events or information
- dazu
- In addition; for that purpose; additionally related
- bestimmt
- Intended; determined; meant for a specific purpose
- Konflikt
- Conflict; a serious disagreement or armed struggle
- zwischen
- Between; among; preposition indicating a position in between
- darzustellen
- To portray; to depict; to represent something clearly
- Wir
- We; first person plural subject pronoun
- können
- Can; to be able to; modal verb of ability
- aus
- From; out of; preposition indicating origin or material
- erhabenen
- Sublime; elevated; lofty in tone or quality
- Beginn
- Beginning; start; the opening of something
- selbst
- Itself; himself; herself; emphatic reflexive pronoun
- dritten
- Third; ordinal number in declined accusative or dative form
- Buch
- Book; a written or printed literary work
- Gesetze
- Laws; plural of Gesetz; rules established by authority
- urteilen
- To judge; to assess; to form an opinion
- welche
- Which; what; relative or interrogative pronoun
- Weise
- Way; manner; mode in which something is done
- dieses
- This; demonstrative determiner in genitive or neuter form
- hohe
- High; lofty; of great importance or elevated status
- Thema
- Theme; topic; the main subject being discussed
- behandelt
- Treats; handles; deals with a topic or subject
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