The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 4
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The Prefect was fond of the cant of diplomacy.
Der Präfekt liebte das Kauderwelsch der Diplomatie.
The method of the theft was not less ingenious than bold.
Die Methode des Diebstahls war nicht weniger geistreich als kühn.
The document in question—a letter, to be frank—had been received by the personage robbed while alone in the royal boudoir.
Das fragliche Dokument—ein Brief, um offen zu sein—war von der bestohlenen Persönlichkeit empfangen worden, während sie allein im königlichen Boudoir war.
During its perusal she was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the other exalted personage from whom especially it was her wish to conceal it.
Während sie ihn las, wurde sie plötzlich durch das Eintreten der anderen erlauchten Persönlichkeit unterbrochen, vor der sie ihn besonders verbergen wollte.
After a hurried and vain endeavor to thrust it in a drawer, she was forced to place it, open as it was, upon a table.
Nach einem hastigen und vergeblichen Versuch, ihn in eine Schublade zu schieben, war sie gezwungen, ihn, so offen wie er war, auf einem Tisch zu legen.
The address, however, was uppermost, and, the contents thus unexposed, the letter escaped notice.
Die Anschrift jedoch lag oben, und da der Inhalt so nicht sichtbar war, entging der Brief der Aufmerksamkeit.
At this juncture enters the Minister D——.
In diesem Augenblick betritt der Minister D—— den Raum.
Vocabulary
- Präfekt
- Prefect; a high-ranking administrative or police official
- liebte
- Loved; past tense of 'lieben'
- Kauderwelsch
- Gibberish; unintelligible or confusing speech or jargon
- Diplomatie
- Diplomacy; the art of conducting international negotiations
- Methode
- Method; a systematic way of doing something
- Diebstahls
- Theft; the act of stealing something from someone
- war
- Was; past tense of 'sein' (to be)
- weniger
- Less; comparative form of 'wenig' (little/few)
- geistreich
- Witty; clever and intellectually brilliant or ingenious
- kühn
- Bold; daring, audacious, or courageous in action
- fragliche
- In question; relating to the matter being discussed
- Dokument
- Document; a written or official paper with information
- Brief
- Letter; a written message sent to another person
- offen
- Open; frank, candid, or not closed
- bestohlenen
- Robbed; adjective from 'bestehlen', describing a theft victim
- Persönlichkeit
- Personality; also refers to a notable or prominent person
- empfangen
- Received; past participle of 'empfangen', to receive
- während
- While/during; conjunction or preposition indicating simultaneous action
- allein
- Alone; by oneself, without others present
- königlichen
- Royal; adjective describing something belonging to royalty
- Boudoir
- Boudoir; a woman's private dressing room or sitting room
- Während
- While; conjunction introducing a subordinate temporal clause
- las
- Read; simple past tense of 'lesen' (to read)
- plötzlich
- Suddenly; happening without warning or unexpectedly
- Eintreten
- Entry; the act of entering or stepping into a place
- erlauchten
- Illustrious; of high noble rank or great distinction
- unterbrochen
- Interrupted; past participle of 'unterbrechen', to interrupt
- besonders
- Especially; particularly, above all others
- verbergen
- To hide; to conceal something from someone's view
- wollte
- Wanted; simple past of 'wollen' (to want/intend)
- hastigen
- Hasty; rushed, done quickly without care or thought
- vergeblichen
- Futile; unsuccessful, done in vain without result
- Versuch
- Attempt; an effort to do or achieve something
- Schublade
- Drawer; a sliding storage compartment in a desk or chest
- schieben
- To push/slide; to move something by pushing steadily
- gezwungen
- Forced; past participle of 'zwingen', compelled to act
- Tisch
- Table; a piece of furniture with a flat surface
- legen
- To lay/place; to put something down on a surface
- Anschrift
- Address; the written recipient information on a letter
- jedoch
- However; conjunction expressing contrast or contradiction
- lag
- Lay; simple past of 'liegen', to lie in a position
- oben
- Above/on top; adverb indicating an upper position
- Inhalt
- Content; the material or information inside something
- sichtbar
- Visible; able to be seen or perceived by the eye
- entging
- Escaped; past tense of 'entgehen', to escape notice
- Aufmerksamkeit
- Attention; the focused notice or awareness of something
- Augenblick
- Moment; an instant or very brief period of time
- betritt
- Enters; third-person singular present of 'betreten'
- Minister
- Minister; a senior government official or cabinet member
- Raum
- Room/space; an enclosed area or open expanse
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