The Souls of Black Folk — Page 7
This, then, is the end of his striving: to be a co-worker in the kingdom of culture, to escape both death and isolation, to husband and use his best powers and his latent genius.
Dies also ist das Ziel seines Strebens: ein Mitarbeiter im Reich der Kultur zu sein, sowohl dem Tod als auch der Isolation zu entgehen, seine besten Kräfte und sein verborgenes Talent zu hegen und zu nutzen.
These powers of body and mind have in the past been strangely wasted, dispersed, or forgotten.
Diese Kräfte des Körpers und des Geistes sind in der Vergangenheit auf seltsame Weise verschwendet, zerstreut oder vergessen worden.
The shadow of a mighty Negro past flits through the tale of Ethiopia the Shadowy and of Egypt the Sphinx.
Der Schatten einer mächtigen schwarzen Vergangenheit huscht durch die Geschichte des schattenhaften Äthiopiens und des sphinxhaften Ägyptens.
Through history, the powers of single black men flash here and there like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness.
Im Laufe der Geschichte leuchten die Kräfte einzelner schwarzer Männer hier und dort wie Sternschnuppen auf und erlöschen manchmal, bevor die Welt ihre Helligkeit richtig einschätzen konnte.
Here in America, in the few days since Emancipation, the black man's turning hither and thither in hesitant and doubtful striving has often made his very strength to lose effectiveness, to seem like absence of power, like weakness.
Hier in Amerika hat das zögernde und zweifelnde Hin- und Herwenden des schwarzen Mannes in den wenigen Jahren seit der Emanzipation oft dazu geführt, dass seine eigentliche Stärke an Wirkung verlor und wie das Fehlen von Kraft, wie Schwäche wirkte.
And yet it is not weakness,—it is the contradiction of double aims.
Und doch ist es keine Schwäche – es ist der Widerspruch doppelter Ziele.
The double-aimed struggle of the black artisan—on the one hand to escape white contempt for a nation of mere hewers of wood and drawers of water, and on the other hand to plough and nail and dig for a poverty-stricken horde—could only result in making him a poor craftsman, for he had but half a heart in either cause.
Der zwiespältige Kampf des schwarzen Handwerkers – einerseits der weißen Verachtung für eine Nation bloßer Holzfäller und Wasserträger zu entfliehen und andererseits für eine verarmte Masse zu pflügen, zu hämmern und zu graben – konnte nur dazu führen, ihn zu einem schlechten Handwerker zu machen, denn er war keiner der beiden Sachen mit ganzem Herzen ergeben.
By the poverty and ignorance of his people, the Negro minister or doctor was tempted toward quackery and demagogy; and by the criticism of the other world, toward ideals that made him ashamed of his lowly tasks.
Durch die Armut und Unwissenheit seines Volkes wurde der schwarze Prediger oder Arzt zur Quacksalberei und Demagogie verleitet; und durch die Kritik der anderen Welt zu Idealen, die ihn seiner bescheidenen Aufgaben schämten.
Vocabulary
- Dies
- This; demonstrative pronoun referring to something mentioned.
- also
- Thus; so; therefore; used to indicate consequence or conclusion.
- ist
- Is; third person singular present of sein (to be).
- das
- The; neuter singular definite article or relative pronoun.
- Ziel
- Goal; aim; target; objective to be achieved.
- seines
- His; possessive pronoun, genitive form of sein.
- Strebens
- Striving; effort; aspiration; genitive form of Streben.
- ein
- A; an; indefinite article or numeral one.
- Mitarbeiter
- Colleague; coworker; employee working with others.
- im
- In the; contraction of in dem.
- Reich
- Realm; kingdom; empire; domain or sphere.
- der
- The; feminine or plural definite article.
- Kultur
- Culture; civilization; intellectual and artistic development.
- zu
- To; towards; used with infinitives and prepositions.
- sein
- To be; fundamental verb expressing existence or state.
- sowohl
- Both; as well as; used in correlative constructions.
- dem
- The; dative form of the definite article.
- Tod
- Death; the end of life; dying.
- als
- As; than; when; used in comparisons and temporal contexts.
- auch
- Also; too; as well; furthermore.
- Isolation
- Isolation; separation; state of being alone or cut off.
- entgehen
- Escape; elude; avoid; get away from something.
- seine
- His; her; its; possessive pronoun in various cases.
- besten
- Best; superlative form of gut; highest quality.
- Kräfte
- Powers; forces; abilities; strength or energy.
- und
- And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
- verborgenes
- Hidden; concealed; secret; not revealed or visible.
- Talent
- Talent; gift; natural ability or aptitude.
- nutzen
- Use; utilize; benefit from; make use of.
- Diese
- These; this; plural or singular feminine demonstrative.
- des
- Of the; genitive form of the definite article.
- Körpers
- Body; physical form; material substance of living being.
- Geistes
- Mind; spirit; intellectual or spiritual faculties.
- sind
- Are; second and third person plural of sein.
- in
- In; into; preposition indicating location or direction.
- Vergangenheit
- Past; previous time; bygone era or period.
- auf
- On; upon; preposition indicating position or movement.
- seltsame
- Strange; odd; peculiar; unusual or surprising.
- Weise
- Way; manner; mode of doing something.
- verschwendet
- Wasted; squandered; used wastefully or carelessly.
- oder
- Or; conjunction offering alternatives or choices.
- vergessen
- Forgotten; neglected; failed to remember something.
- worden
- Become; auxiliary past participle of werden.
- Der
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- Schatten
- Shadow; shade; dark figure or silhouette.
- einer
- Of a; feminine singular indefinite article genitive.
- mächtigen
- Powerful; mighty; having great power or strength.
- schwarzen
- Black; dark color; adjective describing dark hue.
- durch
- Through; across; preposition indicating passage or movement.
- die
- The; plural or feminine singular definite article.
- Geschichte
- History; story; narrative of past events.
- Im
- In the; contraction of in dem.
- Laufe
- Course; progression; in the course of.
- leuchten
- Shine; glow; emit light or brightness.
- einzelner
- Individual; separate; single or isolated.
- Männer
- Men; plural of Mann; adult male humans.
- hier
- Here; in this place; at this location.
- dort
- There; in that place; at that location.
- wie
- Like; as; used in similes and comparisons.
- manchmal
- Sometimes; occasionally; at times or now then.
- bevor
- Before; prior to; earlier in time.
- Welt
- World; earth; universe or sphere of existence.
- ihre
- Her; their; possessive pronoun in various cases.
- richtig
- Correct; right; accurate or proper.
- einschätzen
- Assess; evaluate; estimate or judge accurately.
- konnte
- Could; was able; past tense of können.
- Hier
- Here; in this place; at this location.
- Amerika
- America; continent or United States of America.
- hat
- Has; possess; third person singular of haben.
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