The Scarlet Letter — Page 11
And here, some six months ago,—pacing from corner to corner, or lounging on the long-legged stool, with his elbow on the desk, and his eyes wandering up and down the columns of the morning newspaper,—you might have recognized, honored reader, the same individual who welcomed you into his cheery little study, where the sunshine glimmered so pleasantly through the willow branches, on the western side of the Old Manse.
Und hier, vor etwa sechs Monaten,—auf und ab schreitend von Ecke zu Ecke, oder lümmelnd auf dem hochbeinigen Hocker, den Ellbogen auf den Schreibtisch gestützt und die Augen die Spalten der Morgenzeitung auf und ab wandern lassend,—hättet Ihr vielleicht, geehrter Leser, eben jenen Mann wiedererkannt, der Euch in sein fröhliches kleines Arbeitszimmer willkommen hieß, wo das Sonnenlicht so angenehm durch die Weidenzweige schimmerte, auf der westlichen Seite des alten Pfarrhauses.
But now, should you go thither to seek him, you would inquire in vain for the Locofoco Surveyor.
Doch nun, solltet Ihr dorthin gehen, um ihn zu suchen, würdet Ihr vergeblich nach dem Locofoco-Zollinspektor fragen.
The besom of reform has swept him out of office; and a worthier successor wears his dignity, and pockets his emoluments.
Der Besen der Reform hat ihn aus dem Amt gefegt; und ein würdigerer Nachfolger trägt seine Würde und steckt seine Bezüge ein.
This old town of Salem—my native place, though I have dwelt much away from it, both in boyhood and maturer years—possesses, or did possess, a hold on my affections, the force of which I have never realized during my seasons of actual residence here.
Diese alte Stadt Salem—mein Geburtsort, obwohl ich viel Zeit fernab von ihr verbracht habe, sowohl in der Kindheit als auch in reiferen Jahren—besitzt, oder besaß, einen Griff auf meine Zuneigung, dessen Kraft ich während meiner Zeiten tatsächlichen Aufenthalts hier niemals wirklich gespürt habe.
Indeed, so far as its physical aspect is concerned, with its flat, unvaried surface, covered chiefly with wooden houses, few or none of which pretend to architectural beauty,—its irregularity, which is neither picturesque nor quaint, but only tame,—its long and lazy street, lounging wearisomely through the whole extent of the peninsula, with Gallows Hill and New Guinea at one end, and a view of the almshouse at the other,—such being the features of my native town, it would be quite as reasonable to form a sentimental attachment to a disarranged checker-board.
In der Tat, was ihr äußeres Erscheinungsbild betrifft, mit ihrer flachen, eintönigen Oberfläche, hauptsächlich mit Holzhäusern bedeckt, von denen wenige oder keine architektonische Schönheit beanspruchen,—ihrer Unregelmäßigkeit, die weder malerisch noch eigenartig ist, sondern nur fade,—ihrer langen und trägen Straße, die sich ermüdend durch die gesamte Ausdehnung der Halbinsel schlängelt, mit Galgenhügel und Neu-Guinea an einem Ende und dem Blick auf das Armenhaus am anderen,—solche Züge meiner Heimatstadt in Betracht gezogen, wäre es durchaus ebenso vernünftig, eine sentimentale Zuneigung zu einem durcheinander gebrachten Damebrett zu entwickeln.
Vocabulary
- Und
- Conjunction used to connect words, phrases, or clauses.
- hier
- In or at this place; present location.
- vor
- Preposition indicating position in front of something.
- etwa
- Approximately; about; roughly in quantity or time.
- sechs
- The number six.
- Monaten
- Plural dative form of month; periods of time.
- auf
- Preposition meaning on, upon, or up to.
- und
- Conjunction used to connect words, phrases, or clauses.
- ab
- Prefix or adverb meaning off, down, or away.
- von
- Preposition indicating origin, possession, or agency.
- Ecke
- Corner; angular junction of two surfaces.
- zu
- Preposition meaning to, toward, or at.
- oder
- Conjunction presenting alternative choices or options.
- dem
- Dative article the; indirect object article.
- Hocker
- Stool; seat without back or armrests.
- den
- Accusative article the; direct object article.
- Ellbogen
- Elbow; joint between upper and forearm.
- Schreibtisch
- Desk; table used for writing or work.
- gestützt
- Supported; leaned upon for stability or balance.
- die
- Nominative or accusative article the; feminine.
- Augen
- Eyes; organs of sight and vision.
- Spalten
- Cracks; splits; narrow openings or fissures.
- der
- Genitive or dative article the; feminine.
- Morgenzeitung
- Morning newspaper; daily publication read in morning.
- wandern
- To wander; walk about; travel on foot.
- lassend
- Letting; allowing; permitting something to happen.
- Ihr
- Plural you; formal address to multiple people.
- vielleicht
- Perhaps; maybe; possibly or by chance.
- geehrter
- Honored; respected; esteemed person being addressed.
- Leser
- Reader; person who reads books or text.
- eben
- Just; precisely; exactly at that moment.
- jenen
- That; those; referring to something distant.
- Mann
- Man; male adult person or gentleman.
- wiedererkannt
- Recognized again; identified something familiar once more.
- Euch
- You; accusative or dative plural form.
- in
- Preposition meaning in, into, or within.
- sein
- Possessive pronoun his, its; or verb to be.
- fröhliches
- Cheerful; happy; full of joy or delight.
- kleines
- Small; tiny; of limited size or extent.
- Arbeitszimmer
- Study; workspace; room for work or writing.
- willkommen
- Welcome; received with pleasure or acceptance.
- hieß
- Called; named; was called or meant.
- wo
- Where; at which place or location.
- das
- Neuter nominative or accusative article the.
- Sonnenlicht
- Sunlight; light from the sun.
- so
- So; thus; in this manner or way.
- angenehm
- Pleasant; agreeable; comfortable or enjoyable to experience.
- durch
- Preposition meaning through or by way of.
- westlichen
- Western; of or toward the west direction.
- Seite
- Side; edge; surface of something flat.
- des
- Genitive article the; possessive neuter form.
- alten
- Old; aged; having existed for long time.
- Pfarrhauses
- Parsonage; priest's house or clergy residence.
- Doch
- However; yet; but; expressing contrast or objection.
- nun
- Now; at this time; at present.
- solltet
- Should; ought to; expressing obligation or expectation.
- dorthin
- There; to that place; in that direction.
- gehen
- To go; move from place to place.
- um
- Around; about; in order to achieve.
- ihn
- Him; masculine accusative pronoun; object form.
- suchen
- To seek; search for; look for something.
- würdet
- Would; conditional form expressing hypothetical action.
- vergeblich
- In vain; unsuccessfully; without achieving desired result.
- nach
- Preposition meaning after, toward, or according to.
- fragen
- To ask; inquire; pose question to someone.
- Der
- Nominative article the; masculine singular form.
- Besen
- Broom; cleaning implement with bristles.
- Reform
- Reform; change; improvement or transformation of system.
- hat
- Has; third person singular of haben.
- aus
- Preposition meaning from, out of, or made.
- Amt
- Office; position; official governmental or administrative position.
- gefegt
- Swept; cleaned with broom; removed away.
- ein
- A or an; indefinite article; one.
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