← The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 1

English → De THE PURLOINED LETTER Level 8/10

Nil sapientiæ odiosius acumine nimio.—_Seneca_.

Nil sapientiæ odiosius acumine nimio.—_Seneca_.

At Paris, just after dark one gusty evening in the autumn of 18-, I was enjoying the twofold luxury of meditation and a meerschaum, in company with my friend C. Auguste Dupin, in his little back library, or book-closet, _au troisième_, No. 33, _Rue Dunôt, Faubourg St. Germain_.

In Paris, kurz nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit an einem stürmischen Abend im Herbst des Jahres 18-, genoss ich den zwiefachen Luxus der Meditation und einer Meerschaumpfeife in Gesellschaft meines Freundes C. Auguste Dupin, in seiner kleinen hinteren Bibliothek, oder Bücherkammer, _au troisième_, Nr. 33, _Rue Dunôt, Faubourg St. Germain_.

For one hour at least we had maintained a profound silence; while each, to any casual observer, might have seemed intently and exclusively occupied with the curling eddies of smoke that oppressed the atmosphere of the chamber.

Seit mindestens einer Stunde hatten wir tiefes Schweigen bewahrt; während jeder von uns einem zufälligen Beobachter den Anschein erweckt haben mochte, als wäre er aufmerksam und ausschließlich mit den sich ringelnden Rauchwirbeln beschäftigt, die die Atmosphäre des Zimmers beschwerten.

For myself, however, I was mentally discussing certain topics which had formed matter for conversation between us at an earlier period of the evening; I mean the affair of the Rue Morgue, and the mystery attending the murder of Marie Rogêt.

Für mich jedoch erörterte ich in Gedanken gewisse Themen, die zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt des Abends Gesprächsstoff zwischen uns gebildet hatten; ich meine die Affäre der Rue Morgue und das Geheimnis um den Mord an Marie Rogêt.

I looked upon it, therefore, as something of a coincidence, when the door of our apartment was thrown open and admitted our old acquaintance, Monsieur G——, the Prefect of the Parisian police.

Ich betrachtete es daher als eine Art Zufall, als die Tür unserer Wohnung aufgestoßen wurde und unseren alten Bekannten, Monsieur G——, den Präfekten der Pariser Polizei, einließ.

We gave him a hearty welcome; for there was nearly half as much of the entertaining as of the contemptible about the man, and we had not seen him for several years.

Wir begrüßten ihn herzlich; denn an dem Mann war beinahe halb so viel Unterhaltsames wie Verächtliches, und wir hatten ihn seit mehreren Jahren nicht gesehen.

We had been sitting in the dark, and Dupin now arose for the purpose of lighting a lamp, but sat down again, without doing so, upon G.

Wir hatten im Dunkeln gesessen, und Dupin erhob sich nun, um eine Lampe anzuzünden, setzte sich jedoch wieder hin, ohne dies getan zu haben, auf G.'s Worte hin.

Vocabulary

kurz
Short in duration or distance; brief.
nach
After, following; towards a direction.
Einbruch
Break-in, burglary; onset or arrival of darkness.
der
Definite article; the (masculine singular).
Dunkelheit
Darkness; the state of being dark.
an
On, at, to; preposition indicating position or time.
einem
One, a; indefinite article (dative singular).
stürmischen
Stormy, turbulent; characterized by strong wind.
Abend
Evening; the time of day after sunset.
im
In the; contraction of in + dem.
Herbst
Autumn, fall; season between summer and winter.
des
Of the; genitive article (masculine/neuter singular).
Jahres
Year; period of twelve months.
genoss
Enjoyed; past tense of genießen.
ich
I; first person singular pronoun.
den
The; definite article (accusative masculine singular).
Luxus
Luxury; expensive and comfortable living conditions.
Meditation
Meditation; deep thought or reflection.
und
And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
einer
A, one; indefinite article (dative feminine singular).
in
In, inside; preposition indicating location or time.
Gesellschaft
Company, society; group of people together.
meines
My, mine; possessive pronoun (genitive masculine).
Freundes
Friend; person with whom one is close.
seiner
His; possessive pronoun (genitive/dative).
kleinen
Small, little; of limited size or extent.
hinteren
Back, rear; located at the back.
Bibliothek
Library; collection of books or place storing them.
oder
Or; conjunction presenting alternative options.
Seit
Since, for; preposition indicating time duration.
mindestens
At least; minimum amount or number.
Stunde
Hour; unit of time equal to sixty minutes.
hatten
Had; past tense of haben.
wir
We; first person plural pronoun.
tiefes
Deep, profound; extending far down or inward.
Schweigen
Silence; state of being silent or quiet.
bewahrt
Preserved, maintained; kept in certain condition.
während
During, while; throughout a period of time.
jeder
Each, every; referring to all individually.
von
From, of; preposition indicating origin or possession.
uns
Us; first person plural objective pronoun.
zufälligen
Random, accidental; occurring by chance.
Beobachter
Observer; person who watches or observes.
Anschein
Appearance, semblance; impression or outward look.
erweckt
Aroused, awakened; caused to wake up.
haben
Have; to possess or own something.
mochte
Might, could; past tense of mögen.
als
As, when; conjunction expressing time or comparison.
wäre
Would be; subjunctive past of sein.
er
He; third person singular masculine pronoun.
aufmerksam
Attentive, alert; paying close attention.
ausschließlich
Exclusively, solely; only, not including others.
mit
With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
sich
Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun.
beschäftigt
Occupied, busy; engaged in activity.
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