The Scarlet Letter — Page 14
At all events, I, the present writer, as their representative, hereby take shame upon myself for their sakes, and pray that any curse incurred by them—as I have heard, and as the dreary and unprosperous condition of the race, for many a long year back, would argue to exist—may be now and henceforth removed.
Auf jeden Fall nehme ich, der gegenwärtige Verfasser, als ihr Vertreter, hiermit Scham auf mich um ihretwillen und bete, dass jeder Fluch, den sie auf sich geladen haben mögen—wie ich gehört habe, und wie der triste und wenig gedeihliche Zustand des Geschlechts seit vielen langen Jahren vermuten lässt, dass er existiert—nunmehr und fortan aufgehoben sein möge.
Doubtless, however, either of these stern and black-browed Puritans would have thought it quite a sufficient retribution for his sins, that, after so long a lapse of years, the old trunk of the family tree, with so much venerable moss upon it, should have borne, as its topmost bough, an idler like myself.
Zweifellos jedoch hätte jeder dieser strengen und finster blickenden Puritaner es für eine durchaus hinreichende Vergeltung für seine Sünden gehalten, dass der alte Stamm des Familienbaums, mit so viel ehrwürdigem Moos bedeckt, nach so langer Zeit als seinen obersten Ast einen Müßiggänger wie mich hervorgebracht haben sollte.
No aim, that I have ever cherished, would they recognize as laudable; no success of mine—if my life, beyond its domestic scope, had ever been brightened by success—would they deem otherwise than worthless, if not positively disgraceful.
Kein Ziel, das ich je gehegt habe, würden sie als lobenswert anerkennen; keinen Erfolg von mir—wenn mein Leben, über seinen häuslichen Bereich hinaus, jemals durch Erfolg erhellt worden wäre—würden sie als etwas anderes als wertlos betrachten, wenn nicht geradezu als schändlich.
"A writer of story-books! What kind of a business in life—what mode of glorifying God, or being serviceable to mankind in his day and generation—may that be?
„Ein Schreiber von Geschichtenbüchern! Was für eine Lebensaufgabe—welche Art, Gott zu verherrlichen oder der Menschheit in seiner Zeit und Generation zu dienen—mag das sein?
Such are the compliments bandied between my great-grandsires and myself, across the gulf of time!
Das sind die Artigkeiten, die zwischen meinen Urgroßvätern und mir über den Abgrund der Zeit hinweg ausgetauscht werden!
And yet, let them scorn me as they will, strong traits of their nature have intertwined themselves with mine.
Und doch, mögen sie mich verachten, wie sie wollen, starke Züge ihrer Natur haben sich mit meiner verflochten.
Vocabulary
- Auf
- Preposition meaning on, upon, or at.
- jeden
- Adjective meaning every or each.
- Fall
- Noun meaning case, instance, or fall.
- nehme
- First person singular present of nehmen (take).
- ich
- First person singular pronoun meaning I.
- der
- Definite article meaning the (masculine).
- gegenwärtige
- Adjective meaning present or current.
- Verfasser
- Noun meaning author or writer.
- als
- Conjunction meaning as or when.
- ihr
- Possessive pronoun meaning her or their.
- Vertreter
- Noun meaning representative or agent.
- Scham
- Noun meaning shame or disgrace.
- auf
- Preposition meaning on, upon, or at.
- mich
- Accusative pronoun meaning me.
- um
- Preposition meaning around or about.
- und
- Conjunction meaning and.
- bete
- First person singular present of beten (pray).
- dass
- Conjunction meaning that.
- jeder
- Pronoun meaning every or each.
- Fluch
- Noun meaning curse or curse word.
- den
- Definite article meaning the (accusative).
- sie
- Pronoun meaning she, they, or you.
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning themselves or oneself.
- geladen
- Past participle of laden meaning loaded.
- haben
- Verb meaning to have.
- mögen
- Modal verb meaning may or might.
- wie
- Conjunction or adverb meaning how or like.
- gehört
- Past participle of hören meaning heard.
- habe
- First person singular present of haben (have).
- wenig
- Adjective meaning little or few.
- Zustand
- Noun meaning state or condition.
- des
- Genitive article meaning the.
- Geschlechts
- Genitive of Geschlecht meaning gender or race.
- seit
- Preposition meaning since or for.
- vielen
- Dative plural of viel meaning many.
- langen
- Adjective meaning long or lengthy.
- Jahren
- Dative plural of Jahr meaning years.
- vermuten
- Verb meaning to suppose or suspect.
- lässt
- Third person singular of lassen (let or allow).
- er
- Third person singular pronoun meaning he.
- existiert
- Third person singular of existieren (exist).
- aufgehoben
- Past participle of aufheben meaning abolished.
- sein
- Verb meaning to be.
- möge
- Third person singular subjunctive of mögen.
- Zweifellos
- Adverb meaning undoubtedly or doubtlessly.
- jedoch
- Conjunction meaning however or yet.
- hätte
- Conditional past of haben (would have).
- dieser
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning this or that.
- strengen
- Adjective meaning strict or stringent.
- finster
- Adjective meaning dark or gloomy.
- blickenden
- Present participle of blicken meaning glancing.
- es
- Third person singular pronoun meaning it.
- für
- Preposition meaning for.
- eine
- Indefinite article meaning a or an.
- durchaus
- Adverb meaning quite or thoroughly.
- Vergeltung
- Noun meaning retribution or retaliation.
- seine
- Possessive pronoun meaning his or its.
- Sünden
- Plural of Sünde meaning sins.
- gehalten
- Past participle of halten meaning held or considered.
- alte
- Adjective meaning old or ancient.
- Stamm
- Noun meaning stem, trunk, or tribe.
- mit
- Preposition meaning with.
- so
- Adverb meaning so or as.
- viel
- Adjective meaning much or many.
- Moos
- Noun meaning moss.
- bedeckt
- Past participle of bedecken meaning covered.
- nach
- Preposition meaning after or according to.
- langer
- Adjective meaning long or lengthy.
- Zeit
- Noun meaning time or period.
- seinen
- Possessive pronoun meaning his or its.
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