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Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 15

English → De Preface Level 9/10

" My brother was very much discouraged by the feebleness of the response he was given, and as he was striving just then to give up the practice of taking hydrate of chloral—a drug he had begun to take while ill with influenza,—the following spring, spent in Rome, was a somewhat gloomy one for him.

Mein Bruder war sehr entmutigt durch die Schwäche der Antwort, die ihm gegeben wurde, und da er gerade damals bemüht war, die Gewohnheit aufzugeben, Chloralhydrat zu nehmen – ein Mittel, das er während einer Erkrankung an Influenza zu nehmen begonnen hatte –, war der folgende Frühling, den er in Rom verbrachte, ein ziemlich trüber für ihn.

He writes about it as follows:—"I spent a melancholy spring in Rome, where I only just managed to live,—and this was no easy matter.

Er schreibt darüber wie folgt: „Ich verbrachte einen schwermütigen Frühling in Rom, wo ich es gerade noch schaffte zu leben – und das war keine leichte Sache.

This city, which is absolutely unsuited to the poet-author of 'Zarathustra', and for the choice of which I was not responsible, made me inordinately miserable.

Diese Stadt, die dem Dichter und Verfasser des ‚Zarathustra' absolut nicht geeignet ist und für deren Wahl ich nicht verantwortlich war, machte mich maßlos unglücklich.

I tried to leave it.

Ich versuchte, sie zu verlassen.

I wanted to go to Aquila—the opposite of Rome in every respect, and actually founded in a spirit of enmity towards that city (just as I also shall found a city some day), as a memento of an atheist and genuine enemy of the Church—a person very closely related to me,—the great Hohenstaufen, the Emperor Frederick II.

Ich wollte nach Aquila gehen – das Gegenteil von Rom in jeder Hinsicht, und tatsächlich im Geiste der Feindschaft gegenüber jener Stadt gegründet (so wie auch ich eines Tages eine Stadt gründen werde), als Andenken an einen Atheisten und echten Feind der Kirche – eine mir sehr nahestehende Person –, den großen Hohenstaufen, Kaiser Friedrich II.

But Fate lay behind it all: I had to return again to Rome.

Aber das Schicksal steckte hinter allem: Ich musste wieder nach Rom zurückkehren.

In the end I was obliged to be satisfied with the Piazza Barberini, after I had exerted myself in vain to find an anti-Christian quarter.

Am Ende musste ich mich mit der Piazza Barberini begnügen, nachdem ich mich vergeblich bemüht hatte, ein antichristliches Viertel zu finden.

I fear that on one occasion, to avoid bad smells as much as possible, I actually inquired at the Palazzo del Quirinale whether they could not provide a quiet room for a philosopher.

Ich fürchte, dass ich bei einer Gelegenheit, um schlechte Gerüche so weit wie möglich zu vermeiden, tatsächlich im Palazzo del Quirinale anfragte, ob man nicht ein ruhiges Zimmer für einen Philosophen bereitstellen könnte.

Vocabulary

Mein
My; possessive pronoun indicating ownership.
Bruder
Brother; male sibling or member of brotherhood.
war
Was; past tense of sein (to be).
sehr
Very; adverb indicating high degree or intensity.
entmutigt
Discouraged; disheartened or lacking confidence.
durch
Through; preposition indicating passage or agency.
die
The; definite article (feminine singular or plural).
Schwäche
Weakness; lack of strength or vigor.
der
The; definite article (masculine singular or genitive).
Antwort
Answer; response to question or problem.
ihm
Him; dative pronoun for masculine singular.
gegeben
Given; past participle of geben (to give).
wurde
Was; past tense of werden (to become).
und
And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
da
There; adverb of place or causal conjunction.
er
He; third person singular masculine pronoun.
gerade
Just; adverb meaning recently or precisely.
damals
Then; at that time or in those days.
bemüht
Endeavored; tried or made effort to achieve.
Gewohnheit
Habit; regular pattern of behavior or practice.
aufzugeben
To give up; to abandon or quit.
zu
To; preposition or infinitive marker.
nehmen
To take; to accept or consume.
ein
A; indefinite article (masculine singular or neuter).
Mittel
Means; method, remedy, or medium.
das
The; definite article (neuter singular or accusative).
während
During; preposition indicating time period.
einer
A; indefinite article (feminine or genitive).
Erkrankung
Illness; disease or state of being sick.
an
On; preposition indicating position or attachment.
Influenza
Influenza; viral respiratory illness or flu.
begonnen
Begun; past participle of beginnen (to begin).
hatte
Had; past tense of haben (to have).
folgende
Following; subsequent or next in sequence.
Frühling
Spring; season between winter and summer.
den
The; definite article (masculine accusative or dative).
in
In; preposition indicating location or time.
Rom
Rome; capital city of Italy.
verbrachte
Spent; past tense of verbringen (to spend time).
ziemlich
Rather; quite or fairly in degree.
trüber
Gloomy; sad, dark, or melancholic.
für
For; preposition indicating purpose or direction.
ihn
Him; accusative pronoun for masculine singular.
Er
He; third person singular masculine pronoun.
schreibt
Writes; present tense of schreiben (to write).
darüber
About it; concerning that matter or subject.
wie
How; interrogative or comparative conjunction.
folgt
Follows; as follows or in this manner.
Ich
I; first person singular personal pronoun.
einen
A; indefinite article (masculine accusative).
schwermütigen
Melancholic; sad, gloomy, or despondent state.
wo
Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place.
ich
I; first person singular personal pronoun.
es
It; third person singular neuter pronoun.
noch
Still; yet or continuing at present.
schaffte
Managed; past tense of schaffen (to manage).
leben
To live; to exist or reside.
keine
No; negation or absence of something.
leichte
Easy; not difficult or requiring effort.
Sache
Thing; matter, affair, or object.
Diese
This; demonstrative pronoun (feminine or plural).
Stadt
City; urban settlement or municipality.
dem
The; definite article (dative masculine or neuter).
Dichter
Poet; one who writes poetry or verse.
Verfasser
Author; writer or composer of written work.
des
The; definite article (genitive masculine or neuter).
absolut
Absolutely; completely or in every respect.
nicht
Not; negation particle or adverb.
geeignet
Suitable; appropriate or fitting for purpose.
ist
Is; present tense of sein (to be).
deren
Whose; possessive relative pronoun.
Wahl
Choice; selection from available options.
verantwortlich
Responsible; answerable or accountable for something.
machte
Made; past tense of machen (to make).
mich
Me; accusative pronoun for first person.
maßlos
Immensely; excessively or extremely.
unglücklich
Unhappy; sad, unfortunate, or luckless.
versuchte
Attempted; past tense of versuchen (to try).
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