War and Peace — Page 6
She added that Her Majesty had deigned to show Baron Funke beaucoup d'estime, and again her face clouded over with sadness.
Sie fügte hinzu, dass Ihre Majestät geruht hatte, Baron Funke beaucoup d'estime zu zeigen, und wieder verdüsterte sich ihr Gesicht vor Traurigkeit.
The prince was silent and looked indifferent.
Der Fürst schwieg und wirkte gleichgültig.
But, with the womanly and courtierlike quickness and tact habitual to her, Anna Pávlovna wished both to rebuke him (for daring to speak as he had done of a man recommended to the Empress) and at the same time to console him, so she said:
Doch mit der ihr eigenen weiblichen und höfischen Schnelligkeit und Taktgefühl wollte Anna Pawlowna ihn sowohl tadeln (weil er es gewagt hatte, so über einen der Kaiserin empfohlenen Mann zu sprechen) als ihn gleichzeitig trösten, und so sagte sie:
"Now about your family. Do you know that since your daughter came out everyone has been enraptured by her? They say she is amazingly beautiful."
„Nun zu Ihrer Familie. Wissen Sie, dass seit dem Debüt Ihrer Tochter alle von ihr entzückt sind? Man sagt, sie ist erstaunlich schön."
The prince bowed to signify his respect and gratitude.
Der Fürst verbeugte sich, um seinen Respekt und seine Dankbarkeit auszudrücken.
"I often think," she continued after a short pause, drawing nearer to the prince and smiling amiably at him as if to show that political and social topics were ended and the time had come for intimate conversation—"I often think how unfairly sometimes the joys of life are distributed.
„Ich denke oft," fuhr sie nach einer kurzen Pause fort, trat näher an den Fürsten heran und lächelte ihn freundlich an, als wollte sie zeigen, dass politische und gesellschaftliche Themen beendet waren und die Zeit für ein vertrauliches Gespräch gekommen sei – „ich denke oft, wie ungerecht manchmal die Freuden des Lebens verteilt sind.
Why has fate given you two such splendid children?
Warum hat das Schicksal Ihnen zwei so wunderbare Kinder gegeben?
I don't speak of Anatole, your youngest.
Ich spreche nicht von Anatole, Ihrem Jüngsten.
I don't like him," she added in a tone admitting of no rejoinder and raising her eyebrows.
Ich mag ihn nicht," fügte sie in einem Ton hinzu, der keinen Widerspruch duldete, und hob dabei die Augenbrauen.
"Two such charming children. And really you appreciate them less than anyone, and so you don't deserve to have them."
„Zwei so reizende Kinder. Und wirklich schätzen Sie sie weniger als irgendjemand sonst, und deshalb verdienen Sie es nicht, sie zu haben."
And she smiled her ecstatic smile.
Und sie lächelte ihr verzücktes Lächeln.
"I can't help it," said the prince. "Lavater would have said I lack the bump of paternity."
„Ich kann nichts dafür," sagte der Fürst. „Lavater hätte gesagt, mir fehlt der Höcker der Vaterschaft."
"Don't joke; I mean to have a serious talk with you.
„Scherzen Sie nicht; ich habe vor, ein ernstes Gespräch mit Ihnen zu führen.
Vocabulary
- Sie
- formal 'you' or third person plural pronoun
- fügte
- past tense of fügen; added or joined
- hinzu
- added (as part of hinzufügen, to add)
- dass
- conjunction meaning 'that' introducing subordinate clause
- Ihre
- formal possessive pronoun meaning 'your'
- Majestät
- title meaning 'Majesty' for royalty
- geruht
- past participle of geruhen; condescended or deigned
- hatte
- past tense of haben; had
- Baron
- noble title ranking below viscount
- Funke
- spark; also a German surname
- zu
- preposition or particle meaning 'to' or 'too'
- zeigen
- to show or demonstrate something
- und
- conjunction meaning 'and'
- wieder
- adverb meaning 'again' or 'once more'
- verdüsterte
- past tense of verdüstern; darkened or clouded over
- sich
- reflexive pronoun meaning 'itself' or 'oneself'
- ihr
- pronoun or possessive meaning 'her' or 'their'
- Gesicht
- noun meaning 'face' of a person
- vor
- preposition meaning 'before' or 'in front of'
- Traurigkeit
- noun meaning 'sadness' or 'sorrow'
- Der
- definite article 'the' for masculine nouns
- Fürst
- noble title meaning 'prince' or 'ruler'
- schwieg
- past tense of schweigen; remained silent
- wirkte
- past tense of wirken; appeared or seemed
- gleichgültig
- adjective meaning 'indifferent' or 'unconcerned'
- Doch
- conjunction or adverb meaning 'but' or 'yet'
- mit
- preposition meaning 'with'
- der
- definite article or relative pronoun 'the' or 'who'
- eigenen
- adjective meaning 'own' or 'one's own'
- weiblichen
- adjective meaning 'feminine' or 'female'
- höfischen
- adjective meaning 'courtly' relating to a royal court
- Schnelligkeit
- noun meaning 'speed' or 'quickness'
- Taktgefühl
- noun meaning 'tact' or 'sense of diplomacy'
- wollte
- past tense of wollen; wanted or intended
- ihn
- accusative pronoun meaning 'him'
- sowohl
- conjunction used in 'sowohl...als auch' meaning 'both...and'
- tadeln
- to rebuke or criticize someone
- weil
- subordinating conjunction meaning 'because'
- er
- personal pronoun meaning 'he'
- es
- personal pronoun meaning 'it'
- gewagt
- past participle of wagen; dared or ventured
- so
- adverb meaning 'so' or 'thus'
- über
- preposition meaning 'over,' 'above,' or 'about'
- einen
- indefinite article 'a' in accusative masculine form
- Kaiserin
- noun meaning 'empress' female ruler of an empire
- empfohlenen
- past participle of empfehlen; recommended or endorsed
- Mann
- noun meaning 'man' or 'husband'
- sprechen
- to speak or talk
- als
- conjunction meaning 'as,' 'than,' or 'when'
- gleichzeitig
- adverb meaning 'simultaneously' or 'at the same time'
- trösten
- to comfort or console someone in distress
- sagte
- past tense of sagen; said or stated
- sie
- pronoun meaning 'she,' 'they,' or formal 'you'
- Nun
- adverb meaning 'now' or 'well' as interjection
- Ihrer
- formal genitive possessive meaning 'your'
- Familie
- noun meaning 'family'
- Wissen
- noun or verb meaning 'knowledge' or 'to know'
- seit
- preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a duration
- dem
- dative definite article meaning 'the'
- Debüt
- noun meaning 'debut' or first public appearance
- Tochter
- noun meaning 'daughter'
- alle
- pronoun or adjective meaning 'all' or 'everyone'
- von
- preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'by'
- entzückt
- adjective meaning 'delighted' or 'enchanted'
- sind
- plural present of sein; are
- Man
- indefinite pronoun meaning 'one' or 'people in general'
- sagt
- third person singular of sagen; says or they say
- ist
- third person singular of sein; is
- erstaunlich
- adjective meaning 'astonishing' or 'amazingly beautiful'
- schön
- adjective meaning 'beautiful' or 'nice'
- verbeugte
- past tense of verbeugen; bowed as a gesture
- um
- preposition meaning 'around' or 'in order to'
- seinen
- accusative possessive meaning 'his'
- Respekt
- noun meaning 'respect' or 'regard'
- seine
- possessive pronoun meaning 'his'
- Dankbarkeit
- noun meaning 'gratitude' or 'thankfulness'
- auszudrücken
- infinitive meaning 'to express' or 'to convey'
- Ich
- first person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- denke
- first person of denken; think or believe
- oft
- adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'
- fuhr
- past tense of fahren; drove or continued (fort)
- nach
- preposition meaning 'after,' 'to,' or 'according to'
- einer
- indefinite article in dative meaning 'a' or 'one'
- kurzen
- adjective in inflected form meaning 'short' or 'brief'
- Pause
- noun meaning 'pause' or 'break'
- fort
- adverb meaning 'away' or 'forth' (fortfahren: to continue)
- trat
- past tense of treten; stepped or moved forward
- näher
- comparative of nah; closer or nearer
- an
- preposition meaning 'at,' 'on,' or 'to'
- den
- accusative definite article meaning 'the'
- Fürsten
- dative or accusative form of Fürst; prince
- heran
- directional particle meaning 'up to' or 'toward'
- lächelte
- past tense of lächeln; smiled
- freundlich
- adjective meaning 'friendly' or 'kindly'
- politische
- adjective meaning 'political'
- gesellschaftliche
- adjective meaning 'social' relating to society
- Themen
- plural of Thema; topics or themes
- beendet
- past participle of beenden; finished or concluded
- waren
- past tense plural of sein; were
- die
- definite article 'the' for feminine or plural nouns
- Zeit
- noun meaning 'time'
- für
- preposition meaning 'for'
- ein
- indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- vertrauliches
- adjective meaning 'confidential' or 'intimate'
- Gespräch
- noun meaning 'conversation' or 'discussion'
- gekommen
- past participle of kommen; come or arrived
- sei
- subjunctive of sein; be (expressing reported speech)
- ich
- first person pronoun meaning 'I'
- wie
- adverb or conjunction meaning 'how' or 'as'
- ungerecht
- adjective meaning 'unjust' or 'unfair'
- manchmal
- adverb meaning 'sometimes'
- Freuden
- plural of Freude; joys or pleasures
- des
- genitive definite article meaning 'of the'
- Lebens
- genitive of Leben; of life
- verteilt
- past participle of verteilen; distributed or divided
- Warum
- interrogative adverb meaning 'why'
- hat
- third person singular of haben; has
- das
- definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'that'
- Schicksal
- noun meaning 'fate' or 'destiny'
- Ihnen
- formal dative pronoun meaning 'to you'
- zwei
- numeral meaning 'two'
- wunderbare
- adjective meaning 'wonderful' or 'marvelous'
- Kinder
- plural of Kind; children
- gegeben
- past participle of geben; given
- spreche
- first person of sprechen; I speak or I mean
- nicht
- negation adverb meaning 'not'
- Ihrem
- formal dative possessive meaning 'your'
- Jüngsten
- superlative of jung in dative; youngest (child)
- mag
- first or third person of mögen; may or like
- in
- preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
- einem
- indefinite article in dative meaning 'a' or 'one'
- Ton
- noun meaning 'tone' or 'sound'
- keinen
- negative article in accusative meaning 'no' or 'none'
- Widerspruch
- noun meaning 'contradiction' or 'objection'
- duldete
- past tense of dulden; tolerated or permitted
- hob
- past tense of heben; raised or lifted
- dabei
- adverb meaning 'in doing so' or 'at the same time'
- Augenbrauen
- plural of Augenbraue; eyebrows
- Zwei
- numeral meaning 'two'
- reizende
- adjective meaning 'charming' or 'delightful'
- Und
- conjunction meaning 'and'
- wirklich
- adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly'
- schätzen
- to appreciate or value something or someone
- weniger
- comparative of wenig; less or fewer
- irgendjemand
- indefinite pronoun meaning 'someone' or 'anybody'
- sonst
- adverb meaning 'otherwise' or 'else'
- deshalb
- adverb meaning 'therefore' or 'that is why'
- verdienen
- to deserve or to earn something
- haben
- to have; auxiliary verb
- verzücktes
- adjective meaning 'rapturous' or 'enraptured'
- Lächeln
- noun or verb meaning 'smile' or 'to smile'
- kann
- first or third person of können; can or is able
- nichts
- pronoun meaning 'nothing'
- dafür
- adverb meaning 'for it' or 'in favor of it'
- hätte
- subjunctive past of haben; would have
- gesagt
- past participle of sagen; said
- mir
- dative first person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'
- fehlt
- third person of fehlen; is missing or lacking
- Höcker
- noun meaning 'hump' or 'protuberance'
- Vaterschaft
- noun meaning 'fatherhood' or 'paternity'
- Scherzen
- plural or infinitive of Scherz; jokes or to joke
- habe
- first person of haben; have
- ernstes
- adjective meaning 'serious' or 'grave'
- führen
- to lead, conduct, or carry on a conversation
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