The Scarlet Letter — Page 7
Over the entrance hovers an enormous specimen of the American eagle, with outspread wings, a shield before her breast, and, if I recollect aright, a bunch of intermingled thunderbolts and barbed arrows in each claw.
Über dem Eingang schwebt ein gewaltiges Exemplar des amerikanischen Adlers, mit ausgebreiteten Schwingen, einem Schild vor der Brust, und, wenn ich mich recht entsinne, einem Bündel aus Blitzen und gezackten Pfeilen in jeder Klaue.
With the customary infirmity of temper that characterizes this unhappy fowl, she appears, by the fierceness of her beak and eye, and the general truculency of her attitude, to threaten mischief to the inoffensive community; and especially to warn all citizens, careful of their safety, against intruding on the premises which she overshadows with her wings.
Mit der ihr eigenen Reizbarkeit, die diesen unglückseligen Vogel kennzeichnet, scheint sie durch die Wildheit ihres Schnabels und Blickes sowie die allgemeine Drohgebärde ihrer Haltung der harmlosen Gemeinschaft Unheil anzudrohen; und insbesondere alle Bürger, die auf ihre Sicherheit bedacht sind, davor zu warnen, in die Räumlichkeiten einzudringen, die sie mit ihren Schwingen überschattet.
Nevertheless, vixenly as she looks, many people are seeking, at this very moment, to shelter themselves under the wing of the federal eagle; imagining, I presume, that her bosom has all the softness and snugness of an eider-down pillow.
Dennoch suchen viele Menschen in eben diesem Augenblick, so zänkisch sie auch dreinschaut, Zuflucht unter dem Flügel des Bundesadlers; in der Vorstellung, wie ich vermute, dass ihr Busen die ganze Weichheit und Geborgenheit eines Eiderdaunenkissens besitzt.
But she has no great tenderness, even in her best of moods, and, sooner or later,—oftener soon than late,—is apt to fling off her nestlings, with a scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak, or a rankling wound from her barbed arrows.
Doch selbst in ihrer besten Stimmung besitzt sie keine große Zärtlichkeit, und früher oder später — meistens früher als später — neigt sie dazu, ihre Nestlinge von sich zu schleudern, mit einem Kratzer ihrer Klaue, einem Stoß ihres Schnabels oder einer schwärenden Wunde von ihren gezackten Pfeilen.
The pavement round about the above-described edifice—which we may as well name at once as the Custom-House of the port—has grass enough growing in its chinks to show that it has not, of late days, been worn by any multitudinous resort of business.
Das Pflaster rund um das oben beschriebene Gebäude — das wir ebenso gut sogleich als das Zollhaus des Hafens benennen können — hat in seinen Ritzen genug Gras wachsen, um zu zeigen, dass es in den letzten Tagen nicht von einem vielgeschäftigen Zustrom von Händlern abgenutzt worden ist.
In some months of the year, however, there often chances a forenoon when affairs move onward with a livelier tread.
In manchen Monaten des Jahres jedoch ereignet es sich oft, dass an einem Vormittag die Geschäfte mit lebhafterem Schritt voranschreiten.
Vocabulary
- Über
- Above; preposition indicating position over something
- dem
- Dative definite article for masculine/neuter nouns
- Eingang
- Entrance or entry point of a building
- schwebt
- Hovers or floats in the air
- ein
- Indefinite article; a or an
- gewaltiges
- Enormous, mighty, or imposing in size
- Exemplar
- A specimen or individual example of something
- des
- Genitive definite article; of the
- amerikanischen
- Adjective form of American
- Adlers
- Genitive form of eagle
- mit
- Preposition meaning with
- ausgebreiteten
- Spread out or extended, as wings
- Schwingen
- Wings, especially powerful bird wings
- einem
- Dative indefinite article; a or an
- Schild
- Shield; a protective or emblematic device
- vor
- In front of; preposition of position
- der
- Definite article; the
- Brust
- Chest or breast of a person or animal
- und
- Conjunction meaning and
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning when or if
- ich
- First-person singular pronoun; I
- mich
- Accusative form of first-person pronoun; me
- recht
- Correctly or rightly; used in phrases of recollection
- entsinne
- Recall or remember something from memory
- Bündel
- Bundle or cluster of objects tied together
- aus
- Preposition meaning out of or from
- Blitzen
- Lightning bolts; flashes of electrical discharge
- gezackten
- Jagged or serrated in shape
- Pfeilen
- Arrows; pointed projectiles shot from a bow
- in
- Preposition meaning in or into
- jeder
- Each or every; distributive adjective
- Klaue
- Claw or talon of a bird or animal
- Mit
- Preposition meaning with
- ihr
- Her or their; possessive or personal pronoun
- eigenen
- Own; belonging to oneself
- Reizbarkeit
- Irritability; tendency to become easily agitated
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun; the or who
- diesen
- Accusative form of this; this particular one
- unglückseligen
- Unfortunate or wretched; deeply unhappy
- Vogel
- Bird; a feathered winged animal
- kennzeichnet
- Characterizes or marks as distinctive
- scheint
- Seems or appears; third-person singular of scheinen
- sie
- She, they, or formal you pronoun
- durch
- Preposition meaning through or by means of
- Wildheit
- Wildness or ferocity of manner or appearance
- ihres
- Genitive form of her or their
- Schnabels
- Beak or bill of a bird
- Blickes
- Genitive of glance or look; piercing gaze
- sowie
- As well as; conjunction linking additional elements
- allgemeine
- General or overall; applying broadly
- Drohgebärde
- Threatening gesture or aggressive posture
- ihrer
- Genitive or dative form of her or their
- Haltung
- Posture, bearing, or attitude of a person
- harmlosen
- Harmless or innocent; causing no danger
- Gemeinschaft
- Community or fellowship; group sharing common bonds
- Unheil
- Misfortune, harm, or disaster
- anzudrohen
- To threaten someone with harm or danger
- insbesondere
- In particular; especially or specifically
- alle
- All; every member of a group
- Bürger
- Citizens or residents of a community
- auf
- Preposition meaning on, onto, or upon
- ihre
- Their or her; possessive pronoun
- Sicherheit
- Safety or security; freedom from danger
- bedacht
- Mindful or intent on something
- sind
- Are; third-person plural of sein
- davor
- In front of it; before that thing
- zu
- To; infinitive particle or preposition
- warnen
- To warn someone against danger
- Räumlichkeiten
- Premises or rooms; interior spaces of a building
- einzudringen
- To intrude or force entry into a place
- ihren
- Accusative form of their or her
- überschattet
- Overshadows or casts a shadow over
- Dennoch
- Nevertheless or yet; despite what was stated
- suchen
- To seek or look for something
- viele
- Many; a large number of people or things
- Menschen
- People or human beings in general
- eben
- Just, exactly, or precisely at this moment
- diesem
- Dative form of this
- Augenblick
- Moment or instant in time
- so
- So or thus; adverb of manner or degree
- zänkisch
- Quarrelsome or contentious in temperament
- auch
- Also or even; additive conjunction
- Zuflucht
- Refuge or shelter sought in difficult times
- unter
- Under or beneath; preposition of position
- Flügel
- Wing of a bird or aircraft
- Vorstellung
- Idea, notion, or mental image of something
- wie
- How or as; comparative or interrogative conjunction
- vermute
- Suppose or suspect; first-person of vermuten
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- Busen
- Bosom or breast; poetic term for chest
- ganze
- Whole or entire; all of something
- Weichheit
- Softness or gentleness of texture or manner
- Geborgenheit
- Feeling of safety, warmth, and security
- eines
- Genitive indefinite article; of a
- besitzt
- Possesses or owns something
- Doch
- Yet, however, or but; contrastive particle
- selbst
- Even or itself; reflexive or emphatic particle
- besten
- Best; superlative form of gut
- Stimmung
- Mood or atmosphere; emotional state
- keine
- No or not any; negative article
- große
- Great or big; adjective of size
- Zärtlichkeit
- Tenderness or affection shown toward others
- früher
- Earlier or sooner; comparative of früh
- oder
- Or; disjunctive conjunction
- später
- Later; comparative of spät
- meistens
- Mostly or usually; in most cases
- als
- As or than; conjunction of comparison or time
- neigt
- Tends or inclines toward something
- dazu
- To it or toward that; prepositional adverb
- von
- Preposition meaning from or of
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself or themselves
- schleudern
- To fling or hurl something forcefully
- Kratzer
- Scratch; a mark or wound from clawing
- Stoß
- A push, thrust, or blow
- einer
- Genitive or dative indefinite article; of a
- Wunde
- Wound or injury to the body
- Das
- Definite article for neuter nouns; the
- Pflaster
- Pavement, cobblestones, or a bandage or plaster
- rund
- Around or round; surrounding a place
- um
- Around or at; preposition of place or time
- das
- Definite article or relative pronoun; the or that
- oben
- Above or up there; adverb of position
- beschriebene
- Described; previously mentioned in text
- Gebäude
- Building or structure
- wir
- We; first-person plural pronoun
- ebenso
- Just as or equally; comparative adverb
- gut
- Good or well; basic adjective of quality
- sogleich
- Immediately or right away
- Hafens
- Genitive of harbor or port
- benennen
- To name or designate something
- können
- Can; modal verb expressing ability or possibility
- hat
- Has; third-person singular of haben
- seinen
- Dative or accusative of his or its
- Ritzen
- Cracks or crevices in a surface
- genug
- Enough; sufficient in amount or degree
- Gras
- Grass; green ground-covering plant
- wachsen
- To grow; to increase in size naturally
- zeigen
- To show or indicate something
- es
- It; third-person neuter pronoun
- den
- Accusative or dative definite article; the
- letzten
- Last or most recent; final in a series
- Tagen
- Dative plural of Tag; days
- nicht
- Not; basic negation particle in German
- Zustrom
- Influx or steady flow of people or things
- Händlern
- Dative plural of merchants or traders
- abgenutzt
- Worn down or worn out through use
- worden
- Become; past participle in passive constructions
- ist
- Is; third-person singular of sein
- In
- In or during; preposition of place or time
- manchen
- Some or certain; referring to unspecified individuals
- Monaten
- Dative plural of months
- Jahres
- Genitive of year; of the year
- jedoch
- However or nevertheless; contrastive conjunction
- ereignet
- Occurs or takes place; third-person of ereignen
- oft
- Often; frequently occurring
- an
- At or on; preposition of position or time
- Vormittag
- Morning or forenoon; time before noon
- Geschäfte
- Businesses or affairs; commercial transactions
- lebhafterem
- More lively or animated; comparative of lebhaft
- Schritt
- Step or pace; unit of movement forward
- voranschreiten
- To advance or make progress; move forward
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