The Scarlet Letter — Page 4
The first time was three or four years since, when I favored the reader—inexcusably, and for no earthly reason, that either the indulgent reader or the intrusive author could imagine—with a description of my way of life in the deep quietude of an Old Manse.
Das erste Mal war vor drei oder vier Jahren, als ich dem Leser – unverzeihlich und ohne jeden irdischen Grund, den entweder der nachsichtige Leser oder der aufdringliche Autor sich hätte vorstellen können – mit einer Beschreibung meiner Lebensweise in der tiefen Stille eines alten Pfarrhauses aufwartete.
And now—because, beyond my deserts, I was happy enough to find a listener or two on the former occasion—I again seize the public by the button, and talk of my three years' experience in a Custom-House.
Und nun – weil ich, über mein Verdienst hinaus, so glücklich war, beim vorigen Mal den einen oder anderen Zuhörer zu finden – ergreife ich erneut die Öffentlichkeit beim Knopf und erzähle von meinen dreijährigen Erfahrungen in einem Zollhaus.
The example of the famous "P. P., Clerk of this Parish," was never more faithfully followed.
Dem Beispiel des berühmten „P. P., Schreiber dieser Gemeinde" wurde niemals treuer gefolgt.
The truth seems to be, however, that, when he casts his leaves forth upon the wind, the author addresses, not the many who will fling aside his volume, or never take it up, but the few who will understand him, better than most of his schoolmates or lifemates.
Die Wahrheit scheint jedoch zu sein, dass der Autor, wenn er seine Blätter dem Wind übergibt, nicht die Vielen anspricht, die sein Buch beiseitewerfen oder es niemals zur Hand nehmen werden, sondern die Wenigen, die ihn besser verstehen werden als die meisten seiner Schulkameraden oder Lebensgefährten.
Some authors, indeed, do far more than this, and indulge themselves in such confidential depths of revelation as could fittingly be addressed, only and exclusively, to the one heart and mind of perfect sympathy; as if the printed book, thrown at large on the wide world, were certain to find out the divided segment of the writer's own nature, and complete his circle of existence by bringing him into communion with it.
Manche Autoren gehen dabei sogar weit darüber hinaus und ergehen sich in so vertraulichen Tiefen der Offenbarung, wie sie passenderweise nur und ausschließlich an das eine Herz und den einen Geist vollkommener Sympathie gerichtet werden könnten; als ob das gedruckte Buch, in die weite Welt entlassen, mit Sicherheit jenen abgetrennten Teil der eigenen Natur des Schriftstellers aufspüren und seinen Lebenskreis vollenden würde, indem es ihn in Gemeinschaft mit jenem bringt.
It is scarcely decorous, however, to speak all, even where we speak impersonally.
Es ist jedoch kaum schicklich, alles auszusprechen, selbst dort, wo wir unpersönlich sprechen.
Vocabulary
- erste
- First in order or sequence
- Mal
- Time, instance, or occasion
- war
- Past tense of 'sein'; was
- vor
- Before, ago, or in front of
- drei
- The number three
- vier
- The number four
- Jahren
- Dative plural of Jahr; years
- als
- When, as, or than in comparisons
- Leser
- Reader, one who reads text
- unverzeihlich
- Unforgivable, inexcusable, not to be pardoned
- ohne
- Preposition meaning without
- jeden
- Accusative of jeder; every, each
- irdischen
- Earthly, worldly, pertaining to the earth
- Grund
- Reason, ground, or cause for something
- entweder
- Either, used in either…or constructions
- nachsichtige
- Indulgent, lenient, tolerant toward others
- aufdringliche
- Intrusive, pushy, or obtrusive in manner
- Autor
- Author, writer of a literary work
- hätte
- Subjunctive II of haben; would have
- vorstellen
- To imagine, introduce, or present something
- können
- Modal verb meaning to be able to
- Beschreibung
- Description or account of something
- Lebensweise
- Way of life, lifestyle, manner of living
- tiefen
- Deep, profound; adjective in declined form
- Stille
- Silence, stillness, quiet atmosphere
- alten
- Old; adjective in declined form
- Pfarrhauses
- Parsonage, rectory, clergyman's residence
- aufwartete
- Waited upon, presented, or served someone
- nun
- Now, at this point in time
- weil
- Subordinating conjunction meaning because
- über
- Preposition meaning over, above, or about
- Verdienst
- Merit, achievement, or deserved reward
- hinaus
- Beyond, out, past a certain point
- glücklich
- Happy, fortunate, lucky
- vorigen
- Previous, preceding, former
- anderen
- Another, other, different one
- Zuhörer
- Listener, audience member, one who listens
- finden
- To find or discover something
- ergreife
- Seize, grasp, take hold of something
- erneut
- Again, anew, once more
- Öffentlichkeit
- The public, public sphere or audience
- Knopf
- Button or knob; surname used here
- erzähle
- Tell, narrate, recount a story
- dreijährigen
- Three-year, lasting three years
- Erfahrungen
- Experiences, knowledge gained through practice
- Zollhaus
- Customhouse, tollhouse, building for customs duties
- Beispiel
- Example, model, or illustration of something
- berühmten
- Famous, renowned, celebrated; declined adjective form
- Schreiber
- Scribe, writer, clerk, one who writes
- Gemeinde
- Community, congregation, or municipality
- wurde
- Past passive auxiliary; was, became
- niemals
- Never, at no time whatsoever
- treuer
- More faithful, more loyal; comparative of treu
- gefolgt
- Followed; past participle of folgen
- Wahrheit
- Truth, the state of being true
- scheint
- Seems, appears; third-person singular of scheinen
- jedoch
- However, nevertheless, yet
- sein
- To be; infinitive of the verb sein
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction meaning that
- wenn
- When or if; conditional conjunction
- Blätter
- Leaves, pages, or sheets of paper
- Wind
- Wind, moving air; natural phenomenon
- übergibt
- Hands over, surrenders, transfers to someone
- Vielen
- Many people; dative plural of viel
- anspricht
- Appeals to, addresses, speaks to someone
- Buch
- Book, a bound written work
- beiseitewerfen
- To throw aside, discard something carelessly
- Hand
- Hand, the body part used for grasping
- nehmen
- To take or pick up something
- werden
- To become; future auxiliary verb
- sondern
- But rather; corrective conjunction
- Wenigen
- Few people; dative plural of wenig
- besser
- Better; comparative of gut
- verstehen
- To understand, comprehend something
- meisten
- Most; superlative form of viel
- Schulkameraden
- Schoolmates, classmates, fellow students
- Lebensgefährten
- Life companions, partners sharing one's life
- Manche
- Some, several, a number of
- Autoren
- Authors, plural of Autor
- gehen
- To go, walk, move somewhere
- dabei
- In doing so, thereby, in the process
- sogar
- Even, as far as, indeed
- weit
- Far, wide, distant
- darüber
- About it, over it, beyond that
- ergehen
- To issue, go out; to befall someone
- vertraulichen
- Confidential, intimate, private in nature
- Tiefen
- Depths, profound levels; plural of Tiefe
- Offenbarung
- Revelation, disclosure of something hidden
- wie
- How, as, like; comparative particle
- passenderweise
- Fittingly, appropriately, in a suitable manner
- nur
- Only, merely, just
- ausschließlich
- Exclusively, solely, to the exclusion of others
- Herz
- Heart, the organ or seat of emotion
- Geist
- Mind, spirit, intellect
- vollkommener
- More perfect, complete; comparative of vollkommen
- Sympathie
- Sympathy, affinity, fellow feeling
- gerichtet
- Directed, aimed, addressed toward something
- könnten
- Subjunctive II of können; could
- ob
- Whether; subordinating conjunction expressing uncertainty
- gedruckte
- Printed; past participle of drucken as adjective
- weite
- Wide, broad, vast; declined form of weit
- Welt
- World, the earth or society at large
- entlassen
- Released, sent out, discharged into
- Sicherheit
- Safety, security, certainty
- jenen
- Accusative of jener; that, those
- abgetrennten
- Separated, detached, cut off from the whole
- Teil
- Part, portion, or section of something
- eigenen
- Own; possessive adjective in declined form
- Natur
- Nature, character, or natural world
- Schriftstellers
- Of the writer; genitive of Schriftsteller
- aufspüren
- To track down, trace, or discover something
- Lebenskreis
- Circle of life, sphere of existence
- vollenden
- To complete, perfect, or finish something
- würde
- Conditional of werden; would
- indem
- By doing, while, in that manner
- Gemeinschaft
- Community, fellowship, shared bond
- jenem
- Dative of jener; to that one
- bringt
- Brings; third-person singular of bringen
- kaum
- Hardly, scarcely, barely
- schicklich
- Proper, seemly, appropriate, becoming
- alles
- Everything, all things
- auszusprechen
- To express, utter, or speak out fully
- selbst
- Even, oneself; emphasizing particle
- dort
- There, in that place
- wo
- Where; relative or interrogative adverb
- unpersönlich
- Impersonal, without personal involvement or feeling
- sprechen
- To speak, talk, converse
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