The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse — Page 6
Tittlemouse ventured to come out--everybody had gone away.
Tittlemouse wagte sich heraus – alle waren fortgegangen.
She gathered up the moss and the remains of the beeswax.
Sie sammelte das Moos und die Reste des Bienenwachses auf.
Then she went out and fetched some twigs, to partly close up the front door.
Dann ging sie hinaus und holte einige Zweige, um die Eingangstür teilweise zu verschließen.
[Illustration: Closing up the front door]
[Illustration: Die Eingangstür verschließen]
[Illustration: Too tired]
[Illustration: Zu müde]
She fetched soft soap, and flannel, and a new scrubbing brush from the storeroom.
Sie holte Schmierseife, Flanell und eine neue Scheuerbürste aus der Vorratskammer.
But she was too tired to do any more.
Aber sie war zu müde, um noch mehr zu tun.
First she fell asleep in her chair, and then she went to bed.
Zuerst schlief sie in ihrem Sessel ein, und dann ging sie ins Bett.
Next morning she got up very early and began a spring cleaning which lasted a fortnight.
Am nächsten Morgen stand sie sehr früh auf und begann einen Frühjahrsputz, der zwei Wochen dauerte.
She swept, and scrubbed, and dusted; and she rubbed up the furniture with beeswax, and polished her little tin spoons.
Sie fegte, schrubbte und staubte ab; sie rieb die Möbel mit Bienenwachs ein und polierte ihre kleinen Zinnlöffel.
[Illustration: Polishing]
[Illustration: Polieren]
When it was all beautifully neat and clean, she gave a party to five other little mice, without Mr. Jackson.
Als alles wunderschön ordentlich und sauber war, gab sie für fünf andere kleine Mäuse eine Party, ohne Mr. Jackson.
He smelt the party and came up the bank, but he could not squeeze in at the door.
Er roch die Party und kam den Hang herauf, aber er konnte sich nicht durch die Tür zwängen.
[Illustration: The party]
[Illustration: Die Party]
[Illustration: Honey-dew through the window]
[Illustration: Honigtau durchs Fenster]
So they handed him out acorn-cupfuls of honey-dew through the window, and he was not at all offended.
Also reichten sie ihm durch das Fenster eichelnapfweise Honigtau heraus, und er war überhaupt nicht beleidigt.
Vocabulary
- wagte
- Dared or ventured to do something
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning oneself or themselves
- heraus
- Out or outward, indicating movement away
- alle
- All or everyone, referring to a whole group
- waren
- Were, past tense of sein (to be)
- fortgegangen
- Had gone away or departed from a place
- Sie
- She, her, or formal you (pronoun)
- sammelte
- Collected or gathered items together
- das
- The (neuter definite article) or that
- Moos
- Moss, a soft green plant growing on surfaces
- und
- And, a coordinating conjunction joining elements
- die
- The (feminine/plural definite article)
- Reste
- Remnants or leftovers remaining after use
- des
- Of the (genitive masculine/neuter article)
- Bienenwachses
- Beeswax, waxy substance produced by bees
- auf
- On, up, or open depending on context
- Dann
- Then, indicating what happens next in sequence
- ging
- Went, simple past tense of gehen (to go)
- sie
- She or they (third person pronoun)
- hinaus
- Out, indicating movement toward the outside
- holte
- Fetched or retrieved something from somewhere
- einige
- Some or a few, indicating a small quantity
- Zweige
- Branches or twigs from a tree or shrub
- um
- In order to, around, or at (preposition)
- Eingangstür
- Front door or entrance door of a building
- teilweise
- Partially or in part, not completely done
- zu
- To, too, or closed depending on context
- verschließen
- To close, seal, or lock something shut
- Die
- The (feminine/plural definite article)
- Zu
- Too or to, used before adjectives or verbs
- müde
- Tired or weary, needing rest or sleep
- Schmierseife
- Soft soap or liquid soap used for cleaning
- Flanell
- Flannel, a soft woven cloth for cleaning
- eine
- A or an (feminine indefinite article)
- neue
- New, recently made or not used before
- Scheuerbürste
- Scrubbing brush used for vigorous cleaning tasks
- aus
- From, out of, or made of (preposition)
- der
- The (masculine/genitive definite article)
- Vorratskammer
- Pantry or storeroom for keeping food supplies
- Aber
- But, however, introducing a contrasting statement
- war
- Was, past tense of sein (to be)
- noch
- Still, yet, or even more to do
- mehr
- More, a greater amount or degree of something
- tun
- To do, to perform an action or task
- Zuerst
- First or at first, before anything else
- schlief
- Slept, past tense of schlafen (to sleep)
- in
- In or into, indicating location or direction
- ihrem
- Her (dative possessive pronoun for her)
- Sessel
- Armchair, a comfortable upholstered chair with arms
- ein
- A/an (indefinite article) or one (number)
- dann
- Then, afterward in a sequence of events
- ins
- Into the, contraction of in das
- Bett
- Bed, furniture used for sleeping or resting
- Am
- On the, contraction of an dem
- nächsten
- Next, the one immediately following in sequence
- Morgen
- Morning, the early part of the day
- stand
- Stood, past tense of stehen (to stand)
- sehr
- Very, to a high degree or extent
- früh
- Early, before the usual or expected time
- begann
- Began, past tense of beginnen (to begin)
- einen
- A/an (masculine accusative indefinite article)
- Frühjahrsputz
- Spring cleaning, thorough seasonal cleaning of home
- zwei
- Two, the number 2
- Wochen
- Weeks, periods of seven consecutive days
- dauerte
- Lasted, continued for a specific period of time
- fegte
- Swept, past tense of fegen (to sweep)
- schrubbte
- Scrubbed, past tense of schrubben (to scrub)
- staubte
- Dusted, past tense of abstauben (to dust)
- ab
- Off or down, separable prefix indicating completion
- rieb
- Rubbed, past tense of reiben (to rub)
- Möbel
- Furniture, movable objects used to furnish rooms
- mit
- With, using, or together with something
- Bienenwachs
- Beeswax, natural wax made by honeybees
- polierte
- Polished, made something shiny by rubbing it
- ihre
- Her or their (possessive pronoun, feminine)
- kleinen
- Small or little (declined adjective form)
- Zinnlöffel
- Pewter spoons, small utensils made from tin alloy
- Polieren
- Polishing, the act of making something shine
- Als
- When or as, introducing a past time clause
- alles
- Everything, all things without exception
- wunderschön
- Wonderfully beautiful or splendidly attractive
- ordentlich
- Tidy, neat, or orderly in appearance
- sauber
- Clean, free from dirt or mess
- gab
- Gave, past tense of geben (to give)
- für
- For, on behalf of or intended for someone
- fünf
- Five, the number 5
- andere
- Other or different people or things
- kleine
- Small or little (adjective, plural/feminine form)
- Mäuse
- Mice, plural of Maus (mouse)
- ohne
- Without, lacking or not including something
- Er
- He, third person masculine singular pronoun
- roch
- Smelled, past tense of riechen (to smell)
- kam
- Came, past tense of kommen (to come)
- den
- The (masculine accusative or dative plural article)
- Hang
- Slope or hillside, an inclined stretch of ground
- herauf
- Up here, indicating upward movement toward speaker
- aber
- But or however, introducing a contrast
- er
- He, third person masculine singular pronoun
- konnte
- Could, past tense of können (to be able)
- nicht
- Not, used to negate verbs or adjectives
- durch
- Through, passing from one side to another
- Tür
- Door, an opening barrier into a room
- zwängen
- To squeeze or force through a tight space
- Honigtau
- Honeydew, sweet liquid secreted by insects
- durchs
- Through the, contraction of durch das
- Fenster
- Window, an opening in a wall for light
- Also
- So or thus, indicating a logical conclusion
- reichten
- Passed or handed over something to someone
- ihm
- Him or it, dative third person masculine pronoun
- eichelnapfweise
- By the acorn-cup measure, in small acorn portions
- überhaupt
- At all, generally, or altogether in any case
- beleidigt
- Offended or insulted, feeling hurt by someone
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