The Souls of Black Folk — Page 6
After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.
Nach dem Ägypter und dem Inder, dem Griechen und dem Römer, dem Germanen und dem Mongolen ist der Neger eine Art siebter Sohn, geboren mit einem Schleier und begabt mit dem zweiten Gesicht in dieser amerikanischen Welt – einer Welt, die ihm kein wahres Selbstbewusstsein gewährt, sondern ihn sich selbst nur durch die Offenbarung der anderen Welt erblicken lässt.
It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.
Es ist ein eigentümliches Gefühl, dieses doppelte Bewusstsein, dieses Empfinden, sich selbst stets durch die Augen anderer zu betrachten, die eigene Seele am Maßstab einer Welt zu messen, die mit belustigter Verachtung und Mitleid zuschaut.
One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.
Man fühlt stets seine Zweiheit – ein Amerikaner, ein Neger; zwei Seelen, zwei Gedanken, zwei unversöhnte Strebungen; zwei kämpfende Ideale in einem dunklen Leib, dessen verbissene Kraft allein ihn davor bewahrt, zerrissen zu werden.
The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self.
Die Geschichte des amerikanischen Negers ist die Geschichte dieses Kampfes – dieser Sehnsucht, ein selbstbewusstes Menschsein zu erlangen, sein doppeltes Ich in ein besseres und wahrhaftigeres Ich zu vereinen.
In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost.
Bei dieser Vereinigung wünscht er, dass keines der beiden früheren Ichs verloren geht.
He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa.
Er will Amerika nicht afrikanisieren, denn Amerika hat der Welt und Afrika zu viel beizubringen.
He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world.
Er will seine Negersele nicht in einer Flut weißen Amerikanismus ausbleichen, denn er weiß, dass das Negerblut eine Botschaft für die Welt trägt.
He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face.
Er wünscht schlicht, es einem Mann zu ermöglichen, zugleich Neger und Amerikaner zu sein, ohne von seinen Mitmenschen verflucht und angespieen zu werden, ohne dass ihm die Türen der Möglichkeit schroff vor dem Gesicht geschlossen werden.
Vocabulary
- Nach
- After, according to, or following something
- dem
- Dative definite article for masculine/neuter nouns
- Ägypter
- Egyptian; a person from Egypt
- und
- And; connecting words or clauses together
- Inder
- Indian; a person from India
- Griechen
- Greeks; people from ancient or modern Greece
- Römer
- Romans; people from ancient or modern Rome
- Germanen
- Germanic peoples; ancient tribes of northern Europe
- Mongolen
- Mongols; people from Mongolia or their empire
- ist
- Is; third-person singular of 'sein' (to be)
- der
- Definite article for masculine nouns; the
- eine
- A/an; indefinite article for feminine nouns
- Art
- Kind, type, or manner of something
- siebter
- Seventh; ordinal number following the sixth
- Sohn
- Son; male offspring of a parent
- geboren
- Born; past participle of 'gebären' (to give birth)
- mit
- With; indicating accompaniment or means
- einem
- Dative indefinite article for masculine/neuter nouns
- Schleier
- Veil; a thin covering over the face or object
- begabt
- Gifted, talented; endowed with a special ability
- zweiten
- Second; ordinal adjective in declined form
- Gesicht
- Face or vision; the front of one's head
- in
- In, into; preposition indicating location or direction
- dieser
- This; demonstrative adjective for feminine/genitive nouns
- amerikanischen
- American; adjective relating to America, declined form
- Welt
- World; the earth or a particular domain of existence
- einer
- Genitive/dative indefinite article or pronoun meaning 'one'
- die
- Definite article for feminine/plural nouns; the
- ihm
- Him/it; dative personal pronoun, third-person masculine
- kein
- No, not any; negative indefinite article
- wahres
- True, genuine; adjective 'wahr' in declined neuter form
- Selbstbewusstsein
- Self-confidence or self-awareness; consciousness of oneself
- gewährt
- Grants, allows; third-person singular of 'gewähren'
- sondern
- But rather; conjunction correcting a negative statement
- ihn
- Him; accusative personal pronoun, third-person masculine
- sich
- Himself/herself/itself; reflexive pronoun, third person
- selbst
- Self, himself; emphatic or reflexive pronoun
- nur
- Only, just; limiting adverb restricting scope
- durch
- Through, by means of; preposition indicating passage or means
- Offenbarung
- Revelation; disclosure of something hidden or divine
- anderen
- Others; dative/genitive plural form of 'andere'
- erblicken
- To catch sight of, to perceive or glimpse
- lässt
- Lets, allows; third-person singular of 'lassen'
- Es
- It; nominative/accusative neuter personal pronoun
- ein
- A/an/one; indefinite article or numeral
- eigentümliches
- Peculiar, distinctive; adjective meaning characteristic or odd
- Gefühl
- Feeling, emotion, or sensation experienced internally
- dieses
- This; demonstrative pronoun/article in genitive or neuter form
- doppelte
- Double, twofold; adjective indicating duplication
- Bewusstsein
- Consciousness, awareness; state of being conscious
- Empfinden
- Feeling, perception; the act of sensing something
- stets
- Always, constantly; adverb indicating continuous occurrence
- Augen
- Eyes; plural of 'Auge', organs of vision
- anderer
- Of others; genitive form of 'andere' (other people)
- zu
- To, at, too; preposition or infinitive particle
- betrachten
- To observe, view, or consider something carefully
- eigene
- Own; adjective indicating personal possession or identity
- Seele
- Soul; the spiritual or emotional core of a person
- am
- At the, on the; contraction of 'an dem'
- Maßstab
- Standard, yardstick; a measure used for comparison
- messen
- To measure; to assess size, value, or degree
- belustigter
- Amused; adjective from 'belustigen' in declined form
- Verachtung
- Contempt, disdain; feeling of scorn toward someone
- Mitleid
- Pity, compassion; sympathy felt for another's suffering
- zuschaut
- Watches, looks on; third-person singular of 'zuschauen'
- Man
- One, people in general; impersonal pronoun in German
- fühlt
- Feels; third-person singular of 'fühlen' (to feel)
- seine
- His, its; possessive pronoun for masculine/neuter nouns
- Zweiheit
- Duality, twoness; the state of being double or divided
- Amerikaner
- American; a person from the United States of America
- zwei
- Two; the cardinal number following one
- Seelen
- Souls; plural of 'Seele', spiritual essences of persons
- Gedanken
- Thoughts, ideas; plural of 'Gedanke'
- unversöhnte
- Unreconciled; adjective meaning not brought into harmony
- Strebungen
- Strivings, aspirations; efforts toward a goal
- kämpfende
- Fighting, struggling; present participle of 'kämpfen'
- Ideale
- Ideals; plural of 'Ideal', cherished principles or goals
- dunklen
- Dark; adjective 'dunkel' in declined form
- Leib
- Body; the physical form or torso of a person
- dessen
- Whose, of which; genitive relative/demonstrative pronoun
- verbissene
- Dogged, grim; adjective meaning stubbornly determined
- Kraft
- Strength, force, power; physical or moral energy
- allein
- Alone, only; adverb or adjective indicating solitude
- davor
- From it, before it; adverb indicating prevention or position
- bewahrt
- Protects, preserves; third-person singular of 'bewahren'
- zerrissen
- Torn apart; past participle of 'zerreißen'
- werden
- To become; auxiliary or main verb indicating change
- Die
- The; definite article for feminine or plural nouns
- Geschichte
- History, story; account of past events or narrative
- des
- Of the; genitive definite article for masculine/neuter nouns
- Kampfes
- Of the struggle; genitive form of 'Kampf'
- Sehnsucht
- Longing, yearning; deep desire for something unattained
- selbstbewusstes
- Self-confident, self-aware; adjective in declined neuter form
- Menschsein
- Being human; the state or condition of humanity
- erlangen
- To attain, achieve, or obtain something desired
- sein
- His or to be; possessive pronoun or infinitive verb
- doppeltes
- Double, twofold; adjective 'doppelt' in declined neuter form
- Ich
- I, self, ego; first-person pronoun or the self
- besseres
- Better; comparative adjective 'besser' in declined neuter form
- wahrhaftigeres
- More truthful; comparative of 'wahrhaftig' in declined form
- vereinen
- To unite, combine; to bring together into one
- Bei
- At, by, with; preposition indicating proximity or context
- Vereinigung
- Union, unification; the act of joining things together
- wünscht
- Wishes, desires; third-person singular of 'wünschen'
- er
- He; nominative personal pronoun, third-person masculine
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- keines
- None of, not any; genitive form of 'kein'
- beiden
- Both; referring to two previously mentioned entities
- früheren
- Earlier, former; adjective 'früher' in declined genitive form
- Ichs
- Egos, selves; genitive plural of 'Ich' as a noun
- verloren
- Lost; past participle of 'verlieren' (to lose)
- geht
- Goes; third-person singular of 'gehen' (to go)
- Er
- He; nominative personal pronoun, third-person masculine
- will
- Wants to, intends to; modal verb expressing desire
- Amerika
- America; the continent or United States of America
- nicht
- Not; negation adverb used to negate verbs or adjectives
- denn
- Because, for; coordinating conjunction giving a reason
- hat
- Has; third-person singular of 'haben' (to have)
- Afrika
- Africa; the continent south of the Mediterranean Sea
- viel
- Much, a lot; adverb or determiner indicating large quantity
- beizubringen
- To impart, contribute; infinitive of 'beibringen' with 'zu'
- Flut
- Flood, tide; a large quantity or rush of something
- weißen
- White; adjective 'weiß' in declined accusative/dative form
- Amerikanismus
- Americanism; cultural or ideological traits of America
- ausbleichen
- To bleach out, fade; to lose color or identity
- weiß
- Knows or white; verb 'wissen' or adjective of color
- das
- The; definite article or demonstrative pronoun, neuter
- Botschaft
- Message, embassy; an important communication or mission
- für
- For; preposition indicating purpose, recipient, or duration
- trägt
- Carries, bears; third-person singular of 'tragen'
- schlicht
- Simply, plain; adverb or adjective meaning straightforward
- es
- It; neuter personal pronoun, nominative or accusative
- Mann
- Man; an adult male human being
- ermöglichen
- To enable, make possible; to allow something to happen
- zugleich
- At the same time, simultaneously; adverb of concurrence
- ohne
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- von
- From, of, by; preposition indicating origin or possession
- seinen
- His; possessive pronoun in accusative/dative masculine form
- Mitmenschen
- Fellow human beings; one's neighbors or contemporaries
- verflucht
- Cursed, damned; past participle of 'verfluchen'
- Türen
- Doors; plural of 'Tür', movable barriers in doorways
- Möglichkeit
- Possibility, opportunity; the chance for something to occur
- schroff
- Abruptly, harshly; adjective or adverb meaning brusque
- vor
- Before, in front of; preposition of place or time
- geschlossen
- Closed, shut; past participle of 'schließen'
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