The Souls of Black Folk — Page 11
Here at last seemed to have been discovered the mountain path to Canaan; longer than the highway of Emancipation and law, steep and rugged, but straight, leading to heights high enough to overlook life.
Hier schien endlich der Bergpfad nach Kanaan entdeckt worden zu sein; länger als die Heerstraße der Emanzipation und des Gesetzes, steil und rau, aber gerade, zu Höhen führend, die hoch genug waren, um das Leben zu überblicken.
Up the new path the advance guard toiled, slowly, heavily, doggedly; only those who have watched and guided the faltering feet, the misty minds, the dull understandings, of the dark pupils of these schools know how faithfully, how piteously, this people strove to learn.
Den neuen Pfad hinauf mühte sich die Vorhut ab, langsam, schwerfällig, hartnäckig; nur jene, die die wankenden Schritte, die nebeligen Gedanken, das schwerfällige Verständnis der dunklen Schüler dieser Schulen beobachtet und gelenkt haben, wissen, wie treu, wie kläglich dieses Volk danach strebte zu lernen.
It was weary work.
Es war ermüdende Arbeit.
The cold statistician wrote down the inches of progress here and there, noted also where here and there a foot had slipped or some one had fallen.
Der nüchterne Statistiker notierte da und dort die Zentimeter des Fortschritts, vermerkte auch, wo da und dort ein Fuß ausgerutscht oder jemand gestürzt war.
To the tired climbers, the horizon was ever dark, the mists were often cold, the Canaan was always dim and far away.
Für die müden Kletterer war der Horizont stets dunkel, die Nebel waren oft kalt, und Kanaan war immer trüb und weit entfernt.
If, however, the vistas disclosed as yet no goal, no resting-place, little but flattery and criticism, the journey at least gave leisure for reflection and self-examination; it changed the child of Emancipation to the youth with dawning self-consciousness, self-realization, self-respect.
Wenn jedoch die Aussichten noch kein Ziel, keinen Rastplatz enthüllten und wenig außer Schmeichelei und Kritik boten, so gewährte die Reise zumindest Muße zur Besinnung und Selbstprüfung; sie verwandelte das Kind der Emanzipation in den Jüngling mit erwachendem Selbstbewusstsein, Selbsterkenntnis und Selbstachtung.
In those sombre forests of his striving his own soul rose before him, and he saw himself,—darkly as through a veil; and yet he saw in himself some faint revelation of his power, of his mission.
In jenen düsteren Wäldern seines Strebens erhob sich seine eigene Seele vor ihm, und er sah sich selbst — dunkel wie durch einen Schleier; und doch erblickte er in sich eine schwache Offenbarung seiner Kraft, seiner Sendung.
He began to have a dim feeling that, to attain his place in the world, he must be himself, and not another.
Er begann eine dunkle Ahnung zu hegen, dass er, um seinen Platz in der Welt zu erlangen, er selbst sein müsse und nicht ein anderer.
Vocabulary
- Hier
- In this place; at this location.
- schien
- Appeared; seemed (past tense of scheinen).
- endlich
- Finally; at last; eventually.
- der
- The (definite article, masculine nominative).
- nach
- After; toward; according to.
- entdeckt
- Discovered; found (past participle).
- worden
- Become; been (past participle auxiliary).
- zu
- To; at; too; toward.
- sein
- To be; to exist.
- länger
- Longer; longer-lasting (comparative form).
- als
- Than; as; when.
- die
- The (definite article, feminine/plural).
- Emanzipation
- Emancipation; liberation from restrictions.
- und
- And; conjunction connecting words/clauses.
- des
- Of the (genitive article, masculine/neuter).
- Gesetzes
- Law; statute; legal rule.
- steil
- Steep; precipitous; sharply inclined.
- rau
- Rough; coarse; harsh.
- aber
- But; however; yet; nevertheless.
- gerade
- Straight; just; exactly; upright.
- Höhen
- Heights; elevations; high places.
- führend
- Leading; conducting; guiding.
- hoch
- High; tall; elevated.
- genug
- Enough; sufficient; adequate.
- waren
- Were (plural past tense of sein).
- um
- Around; about; in order to.
- das
- The; that (neuter definite article).
- Leben
- Life; living; existence.
- überblicken
- To overlook; survey; understand completely.
- Den
- The (accusative masculine article).
- neuen
- New; fresh; recent (accusative masculine).
- Pfad
- Path; trail; way; route.
- hinauf
- Up; upward; upstairs.
- mühte
- Toiled; labored; struggled (past tense).
- sich
- Oneself; himself; herself; itself; themselves.
- ab
- Off; down; away from.
- langsam
- Slowly; at a slow pace.
- schwerfällig
- Cumbersome; clumsy; sluggish; unwieldy.
- hartnäckig
- Stubborn; persistent; obstinate; tenacious.
- nur
- Only; merely; just; solely.
- jene
- Those; that; those over there.
- wankenden
- Wavering; faltering; unsteady; vacillating.
- Schritte
- Steps; paces; strides.
- nebeligen
- Foggy; misty; hazy; nebulous.
- Gedanken
- Thoughts; ideas; considerations.
- schwerfällige
- Cumbersome; clumsy; awkward (adjective form).
- Verständnis
- Understanding; comprehension; sympathy.
- dunklen
- Dark; obscure; dim (accusative/dative).
- Schüler
- Student; pupil; schoolchild.
- dieser
- This; these (demonstrative pronoun).
- Schulen
- Schools; educational institutions.
- beobachtet
- Observed; watched; noticed (past participle).
- gelenkt
- Directed; guided; steered (past participle).
- haben
- To have; to possess; auxiliary verb.
- wissen
- To know; to be aware of.
- wie
- How; as; like; in what way.
- treu
- Faithful; loyal; true; devoted.
- kläglich
- Miserable; pitiful; lamentable; deplorable.
- dieses
- This; this one (neuter demonstrative).
- Volk
- People; nation; folk; population.
- danach
- After that; afterwards; then.
- strebte
- Strove; aspired; aimed (past tense).
- lernen
- To learn; to study; to find out.
- Es
- It; that (neuter pronoun).
- war
- Was (singular past tense of sein).
- ermüdende
- Tiring; fatiguing; exhausting; wearisome.
- Arbeit
- Work; labor; job; task.
- Der
- The (nominative masculine definite article).
- nüchterne
- Sober; matter-of-fact; clear-headed; objective.
- Statistiker
- Statistician; one who analyzes statistics.
- notierte
- Noted; recorded; wrote down.
- da
- There; here; then; because.
- dort
- There; over there; in that place.
- Zentimeter
- Centimeter; unit of length measurement.
- Fortschritts
- Progress; advancement; improvement (genitive).
- vermerkte
- Noted; recorded; marked; indicated.
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