The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Page 5
Street after street and all the folks asleep—street after street, all lighted up as if for a procession and all as empty as a church—till at last I got into that state of mind when a man listens and listens and begins to long for the sight of a policeman.
Straße um Straße und alle Leute schliefen – Straße um Straße, alles erleuchtet wie für einen Festzug und alles so leer wie eine Kirche – bis ich schließlich in jenen Gemütszustand geriet, in dem ein Mann immer wieder lauscht und sich danach sehnt, einen Polizisten zu erblicken.
All at once, I saw two figures: one a little man who was stumping along eastward at a good walk, and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten who was running as hard as she was able down a cross street.
Auf einmal sah ich zwei Gestalten: die eine war ein kleiner Mann, der in flottem Schritt ostwärts stapfte, und die andere ein Mädchen von vielleicht acht oder zehn Jahren, das so schnell es konnte eine Querstraße hinunterlief.
Well, sir, the two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground.
Nun, mein Herr, die beiden stießen ganz natürlich an der Ecke zusammen; und dann kam der schreckliche Teil der Sache; denn der Mann trampelte seelenruhig über den Körper des Kindes und ließ es schreiend auf dem Boden liegen.
It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see.
Es klingt harmlos, wenn man es hört, aber es war höllisch anzusehen.
It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut.
Es war nicht wie ein Mensch; es war wie ein verdammter Moloch.
I gave a few halloa, took to my heels, collared my gentleman, and brought him back to where there was already quite a group about the screaming child.
Ich rief ein paarmal laut auf, nahm die Beine in die Hand, packte meinen Herrn am Kragen und brachte ihn dorthin zurück, wo sich bereits eine ganze Gruppe um das schreiende Kind versammelt hatte.
He was perfectly cool and made no resistance, but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running.
Er war vollkommen kaltblütig und leistete keinen Widerstand, aber er warf mir einen Blick zu, so hässlich, dass er mir den Schweiß austrieb, als hätte ich gerannt.
The people who had turned out were the girl's own family; and pretty soon, the doctor, for whom she had been sent, put in his appearance.
Die Leute, die hinausgekommen waren, gehörten zur eigenen Familie des Mädchens; und ziemlich bald erschien auch der Arzt, den man geholt hatte.
Vocabulary
- Straße
- A road or street in a town or city.
- um
- Around, at, or in order to.
- und
- Basic coordinating conjunction meaning 'and'.
- alle
- Everyone or all people collectively.
- Leute
- People or persons in general.
- schliefen
- Past tense of schlafen; were sleeping.
- alles
- Everything or all things.
- erleuchtet
- Illuminated or lit up brightly.
- wie
- How or as; used for comparisons.
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for' indicating purpose.
- einen
- Indefinite article 'a/an' in accusative masculine.
- Festzug
- A festive procession or parade through streets.
- so
- So, thus, or in this manner.
- leer
- Empty, vacant, or devoid of content.
- eine
- Indefinite article 'a/an' in nominative feminine.
- Kirche
- A church or Christian place of worship.
- bis
- Until or up to a point in time.
- ich
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
- schließlich
- Finally or eventually after some time.
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
- jenen
- That or those; demonstrative pronoun in accusative.
- Gemütszustand
- A mental or emotional state of mind.
- geriet
- Past tense of geraten; fell into a state.
- dem
- Dative singular definite article 'the'.
- ein
- Indefinite article 'a' or 'one'.
- Mann
- An adult male person or husband.
- immer
- Always or continually without stopping.
- wieder
- Again or once more, repeatedly.
- lauscht
- Listens intently or eavesdrops on something.
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, itself.
- danach
- After that or thereafter in sequence.
- sehnt
- Yearns or longs deeply for something.
- Polizisten
- Police officers or policemen on duty.
- zu
- To, too, or towards; also infinitive marker.
- erblicken
- To catch sight of or spot someone.
- Auf
- On, upon, or up; also used in phrases.
- einmal
- Once or suddenly; all at once.
- sah
- Past tense of sehen; saw something.
- zwei
- The number two.
- Gestalten
- Figures or shapes of persons seen.
- die
- Definite article 'the' or relative pronoun 'who/that'.
- war
- Past tense of sein; was.
- kleiner
- Smaller or shorter in size or stature.
- der
- Definite article 'the' in masculine nominative.
- flottem
- Brisk, lively, or quick in movement.
- Schritt
- A step or stride when walking.
- ostwärts
- Towards the east; in an eastward direction.
- stapfte
- Stomped or trudged heavily while walking.
- andere
- Other or another person or thing.
- Mädchen
- A girl or young female person.
- von
- Of, from, or by; preposition of origin.
- vielleicht
- Perhaps or maybe; expressing uncertainty.
- acht
- The number eight.
- oder
- Or; a disjunctive coordinating conjunction.
- zehn
- The number ten.
- Jahren
- Years; plural of Jahr in dative.
- das
- Definite article 'the' or demonstrative 'that'.
- schnell
- Fast, quick, or rapidly.
- es
- Third-person neuter pronoun meaning 'it'.
- konnte
- Past tense of können; was able to.
- Querstraße
- A cross street or intersecting side street.
- hinunterlief
- Ran down a street or path.
- Nun
- Now or well; used as a discourse marker.
- mein
- My; first-person singular possessive pronoun.
- Herr
- Mister, gentleman, or lord; formal address.
- beiden
- Both; referring to two people or things.
- stießen
- Collided or bumped into each other.
- ganz
- Quite, entirely, or completely.
- natürlich
- Naturally or of course; as expected.
- an
- At, on, or to; a common preposition.
- Ecke
- A corner of a street or room.
- zusammen
- Together or jointly with others.
- dann
- Then or after that in sequence.
- kam
- Past tense of kommen; came.
- schreckliche
- Terrible or dreadful; causing horror or shock.
- Teil
- Part or portion of a whole.
- Sache
- Thing, matter, or affair in question.
- denn
- Because or for; a causal conjunction.
- trampelte
- Trampled or stomped over something heavily.
- seelenruhig
- Completely calm or totally unperturbed.
- über
- Over, above, or across something.
- den
- Definite article 'the' in accusative masculine.
- Körper
- Body of a person or living being.
- des
- Definite article 'the' in genitive case.
- Kindes
- Child's; genitive of Kind.
- ließ
- Past tense of lassen; let or left.
- schreiend
- Screaming or crying out loudly in pain.
- auf
- On, onto, or upon something.
- Boden
- Ground, floor, or soil beneath feet.
- liegen
- To lie or be situated somewhere.
- Es
- It; third-person singular neuter pronoun.
- klingt
- Sounds; third-person singular of klingen.
- harmlos
- Harmless or innocuous; causing no harm.
- wenn
- When or if; a subordinating conjunction.
- man
- One or you; impersonal indefinite pronoun.
- hört
- Hears; third-person singular of hören.
- aber
- But or however; a contrasting conjunction.
- höllisch
- Hellish or diabolical; extremely terrible.
- anzusehen
- To look at or watch something.
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German.
- Mensch
- A human being or person.
- verdammter
- Damned or cursed; used as a strong insult.
- Ich
- First-person singular nominative pronoun 'I'.
- rief
- Past tense of rufen; called or shouted.
- paarmal
- A few times or several times.
- laut
- Loud or loudly; at high volume.
- nahm
- Past tense of nehmen; took.
- Beine
- Legs; plural of Bein.
- Hand
- Hand; the end part of an arm.
- packte
- Grabbed or seized someone firmly.
- meinen
- My; accusative masculine possessive pronoun.
- Herrn
- Mister or gentleman in accusative case.
- am
- Contraction of an dem; at the.
- Kragen
- Collar of a shirt or jacket.
- brachte
- Past tense of bringen; brought someone somewhere.
- ihn
- Him; accusative third-person masculine pronoun.
- dorthin
- There; to that specific place.
- zurück
- Back or in return to a place.
- wo
- Where; a relative or interrogative adverb.
- bereits
- Already; at this or that time.
- ganze
- Whole or entire; complete without exception.
- Gruppe
- A group of people gathered together.
- schreiende
- Screaming; adjective form modifying a noun.
- Kind
- A child or young person.
- versammelt
- Gathered or assembled together in a place.
- hatte
- Past tense of haben; had.
- Er
- He; third-person masculine singular pronoun.
- vollkommen
- Completely or perfectly; totally without exception.
- kaltblütig
- Cold-blooded or calmly ruthless in behavior.
- leistete
- Past tense of leisten; offered or provided.
- keinen
- No or not any; accusative masculine negation.
- Widerstand
- Resistance or opposition to force or control.
- er
- He; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
- warf
- Past tense of werfen; threw or cast.
- mir
- Me; dative first-person singular pronoun.
- Blick
- A look or glance directed at someone.
- hässlich
- Ugly or nasty; unpleasant in appearance.
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause.
- Schweiß
- Sweat or perspiration from physical exertion.
- austrieb
- Past tense of austreiben; drove out or expelled.
- als
- As or when; used in comparisons or clauses.
- hätte
- Subjunctive of haben; would have had.
- gerannt
- Past participle of rennen; having run fast.
- Die
- Those; definite article or demonstrative pronoun.
- hinausgekommen
- Come out or emerged from inside somewhere.
- waren
- Past tense of sein; were.
- gehörten
- Past tense of gehören; belonged or were part of.
- zur
- Contraction of zu der; to the.
- eigenen
- Own; one's own belonging or family.
- Familie
- Family; a group of related persons.
- Mädchens
- Girl's; genitive of Mädchen.
- ziemlich
- Quite or fairly; to a considerable degree.
- bald
- Soon or before long in time.
- erschien
- Past tense of erscheinen; appeared or showed up.
- auch
- Also or too; additionally.
- Arzt
- A doctor or physician treating patients.
- geholt
- Past participle of holen; fetched or brought.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →