The Scarlet Letter — Page 6
In my native town of Salem, at the head of what, half a century ago, in the days of old King Derby, was a bustling wharf,—but which is now burdened with decayed wooden warehouses, and exhibits few or no symptoms of commercial life; except, perhaps, a bark or brig, half-way down its melancholy length, discharging hides; or, nearer at hand, a Nova Scotia schooner, pitching out her cargo of firewood,—at the head, I say, of this dilapidated wharf, which the tide often overflows, and along which, at the base and in the rear of the row of buildings, the track of many languid years is seen in a border of unthrifty grass,—here, with a view from its front windows adown this not very enlivening prospect, and thence across the harbor, stands a spacious edifice of brick.
In meiner Heimatstadt Salem, am Kopfende jenes Kais, der vor einem halben Jahrhundert, zu Zeiten des alten König Derby, ein geschäftiger Anlegeplatz war,—der aber heute von verfallenen Holzlagerhäusern beschwert wird und kaum oder gar keine Zeichen gewerblichen Lebens zeigt; außer vielleicht einem Bark oder einer Brigg, auf halber Länge seines melancholischen Ausmaßes, beim Entladen von Häuten; oder, näher zur Hand, einem Schoner aus Neuschottland, der seine Ladung Brennholz auswirft,—am Kopfende, sage ich, dieses verfallenen Kais, den die Flut häufig überschwemmt, und entlang dessen, am Fuß und im Rücken der Häuserreihe, die Spur vieler träger Jahre sich in einem Saum von kümmerlichem Gras zeigt,—hier, mit dem Blick aus den Vorderfenstern auf diese wenig belebende Aussicht und von dort hinüber über den Hafen, steht ein geräumiges Backsteingebäude.
From the loftiest point of its roof, during precisely three and a half hours of each forenoon, floats or droops, in breeze or calm, the banner of the republic; but with the thirteen stripes turned vertically, instead of horizontally, and thus indicating that a civil, and not a military post of Uncle Sam's government is here established.
Vom höchsten Punkt seines Daches weht oder hängt, während genau dreieinhalb Stunden jedes Vormittags, im Wind oder bei Windstille, das Banner der Republik; jedoch mit den dreizehn Streifen senkrecht statt waagerecht ausgerichtet, und damit anzeigend, dass hier ein ziviler und kein militärischer Posten der Regierung von Onkel Sam eingerichtet ist.
Its front is ornamented with a portico of half a dozen wooden pillars, supporting a balcony, beneath which a flight of wide granite steps descends towards the street.
Seine Vorderfront ist mit einem Portikus aus einem halben Dutzend Holzpfeilern geschmückt, die einen Balkon tragen, unter dem eine Folge breiter Granitstufen zur Straße hinabführt.
Vocabulary
- meiner
- Possessive pronoun, first person singular genitive/dative feminine.
- Heimatstadt
- One's hometown or native city.
- am
- Contraction of 'an dem', meaning at the or on the.
- Kopfende
- The head end or upper end of something.
- jenes
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning that or that one.
- Kais
- Genitive of Kai; quay or wharf along water.
- vor
- Preposition meaning before, ago, or in front of.
- halben
- Adjective meaning half, used in dative context.
- Jahrhundert
- A period of one hundred years; century.
- Zeiten
- Plural of Zeit; times or periods in history.
- alten
- Adjective meaning old, here in inflected dative form.
- König
- A king or male monarch ruling a kingdom.
- geschäftiger
- Adjective meaning busy or bustling with activity.
- Anlegeplatz
- A landing place or mooring spot for boats.
- war
- Past tense of sein; was, third person singular.
- aber
- Coordinating conjunction meaning but or however.
- heute
- Adverb meaning today or nowadays.
- verfallenen
- Adjective meaning dilapidated, decayed, or crumbling.
- Holzlagerhäusern
- Plural dative of wooden storage warehouses or lumber sheds.
- beschwert
- Past participle of beschweren; burdened or weighed down.
- wird
- Third person singular present of werden; becomes or is.
- kaum
- Adverb meaning hardly, barely, or scarcely.
- gar
- Adverb intensifier meaning at all or even.
- keine
- Negative article meaning no or not any.
- Zeichen
- Signs, marks, or indicators of something.
- gewerblichen
- Adjective meaning commercial or related to trade.
- Lebens
- Genitive of Leben; of life or living activity.
- zeigt
- Third person singular of zeigen; shows or displays.
- außer
- Preposition meaning except, besides, or apart from.
- vielleicht
- Adverb meaning perhaps or maybe.
- Bark
- A type of sailing vessel with multiple masts.
- Brigg
- A two-masted sailing ship; a brig.
- halber
- Adjective meaning half, in genitive feminine context.
- Länge
- Length or extent of something measured lengthwise.
- seines
- Possessive pronoun, genitive masculine/neuter meaning his or its.
- melancholischen
- Adjective meaning melancholic, sad, or gloomy.
- Ausmaßes
- Genitive of Ausmaß; of the extent or dimension.
- beim
- Contraction of bei dem; at the or while.
- Entladen
- The act of unloading cargo from a vessel.
- Häuten
- Plural dative of Haut; hides or animal skins.
- näher
- Comparative of nah; nearer or closer.
- Hand
- The hand; also means nearby or at hand.
- Schoner
- A schooner; sailing vessel with fore-and-aft rigging.
- Neuschottland
- Nova Scotia; a Canadian maritime province.
- seine
- Possessive pronoun, third person singular masculine accusative.
- Ladung
- A cargo or load carried by a vehicle or vessel.
- Brennholz
- Firewood used for burning and heating.
- auswirft
- Third person singular of auswerfen; throws out or unloads.
- sage
- First person singular of sagen; I say or state.
- dieses
- Demonstrative pronoun or article meaning this or these.
- Flut
- The tide or flood; rising water level.
- häufig
- Adjective or adverb meaning frequent or frequently.
- überschwemmt
- Past participle of überschwemmen; flooded or inundated.
- entlang
- Preposition or adverb meaning along something.
- dessen
- Relative pronoun, genitive masculine/neuter meaning whose or of which.
- Fuß
- The foot; base or lower edge of something.
- Rücken
- The back; rear side of something.
- Häuserreihe
- A row of houses standing side by side.
- Spur
- A trace, track, or sign left behind.
- vieler
- Genitive plural of viel; of many.
- träger
- Comparative of träge; lazier or more sluggish.
- Jahre
- Plural of Jahr; years.
- Saum
- A hem, edge, or border of something.
- kümmerlichem
- Adjective meaning meager, sparse, or pitiful.
- Gras
- Grass; green plants covering ground.
- hier
- Adverb meaning here or at this place.
- Blick
- A look, glance, or view toward something.
- Vorderfenstern
- Plural dative of Vorderfenster; front windows of a building.
- diese
- Demonstrative pronoun or article meaning this or these.
- wenig
- Adjective or adverb meaning little or few.
- belebende
- Present participle adjective of beleben; enlivening or animating.
- Aussicht
- A view, prospect, or outlook from a position.
- dort
- Adverb meaning there or at that place.
- hinüber
- Adverb meaning over there or across to the other side.
- über
- Preposition meaning over, above, or across.
- Hafen
- A harbor or port where ships dock.
- steht
- Third person singular of stehen; stands or is located.
- geräumiges
- Adjective meaning spacious or roomy.
- Backsteingebäude
- A building constructed from brick.
- Vom
- Contraction of von dem; from the.
- höchsten
- Superlative of hoch; highest or topmost.
- Punkt
- A point, spot, or specific location.
- Daches
- Genitive of Dach; of the roof.
- weht
- Third person singular of wehen; blows as wind does.
- hängt
- Third person singular of hängen; hangs or is suspended.
- während
- Conjunction or preposition meaning while or during.
- genau
- Adverb or adjective meaning exactly or precisely.
- dreieinhalb
- Cardinal number meaning three and a half.
- Stunden
- Plural of Stunde; hours.
- jedes
- Indefinite pronoun meaning every or each.
- Vormittags
- Genitive of Vormittag; of the morning or forenoon.
- Wind
- Wind; moving air.
- bei
- Preposition meaning at, near, or in case of.
- Windstille
- Calm; absence of wind or still air.
- Banner
- A flag or banner displayed as a symbol.
- Republik
- A republic; a form of democratic government.
- jedoch
- Conjunction meaning however, yet, or nevertheless.
- dreizehn
- The number thirteen.
- Streifen
- Stripes or strips on a surface.
- senkrecht
- Adjective or adverb meaning vertical or perpendicular.
- statt
- Preposition meaning instead of or in place of.
- waagerecht
- Adjective or adverb meaning horizontal or level.
- ausgerichtet
- Past participle of ausrichten; aligned or oriented.
- damit
- Conjunction or adverb meaning so that or thereby.
- anzeigend
- Present participle of anzeigen; indicating or signaling.
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction meaning that.
- ziviler
- Adjective meaning civil or civilian in nature.
- kein
- Negative article meaning no or not a.
- militärischer
- Adjective meaning military or relating to armed forces.
- Posten
- A post, position, or station assigned to someone.
- Regierung
- Government or administration of a state.
- Onkel
- Uncle; a parent's brother.
- eingerichtet
- Past participle of einrichten; established or set up.
- Seine
- Possessive pronoun, third person singular masculine nominative.
- Vorderfront
- The front facade or face of a building.
- Portikus
- A portico; a columned porch at a building entrance.
- Dutzend
- A dozen; a group or set of twelve.
- Holzpfeilern
- Plural dative of wooden pillars or columns.
- geschmückt
- Past participle of schmücken; decorated or adorned.
- Balkon
- A balcony projecting from a building's exterior.
- tragen
- Infinitive of tragen; to carry or support.
- unter
- Preposition meaning under, below, or among.
- Folge
- A sequence, series, or succession of things.
- breiter
- Comparative of breit; wider or broader.
- Granitstufen
- Plural of Granitstufe; granite steps or stone stairs.
- Straße
- A street or road.
- hinabführt
- Third person singular of hinabführen; leads down to.
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