War and Peace — Page 7
Do you know I am dissatisfied with your younger son?
Wissen Sie, ich bin mit Ihrem jüngeren Sohn unzufrieden?
Between ourselves" (and her face assumed its melancholy expression), "he was mentioned at Her Majesty's and you were pitied...."
Unter uns gesagt" (und ihr Gesicht nahm seinen melancholischen Ausdruck an), "er wurde bei Ihrer Majestät erwähnt, und man hat Sie bedauert...."
The prince answered nothing, but she looked at him significantly, awaiting a reply.
Der Fürst antwortete nichts, aber sie sah ihn bedeutungsvoll an und wartete auf eine Antwort.
He frowned.
Er runzelte die Stirn.
"What would you have me do?" he said at last.
„Was soll ich denn tun?" sagte er schließlich.
"You know I did all a father could for their education, and they have both turned out fools.
„Sie wissen, ich habe alles getan, was ein Vater für ihre Erziehung tun konnte, und beide sind Narren geworden.
Hippolyte is at least a quiet fool, but Anatole is an active one.
Hippolyte ist wenigstens ein stiller Narr, aber Anatole ist ein tätiger.
That is the only difference between them."
Das ist der einzige Unterschied zwischen ihnen."
He said this smiling in a way more natural and animated than usual, so that the wrinkles round his mouth very clearly revealed something unexpectedly coarse and unpleasant.
Er sagte dies mit einem Lächeln, das natürlicher und lebhafter war als gewöhnlich, sodass die Falten um seinen Mund etwas unerwartet Grobes und Unangenehmes deutlich erkennen ließen.
"And why are children born to such men as you?
„Und warum werden solchen Männern wie Ihnen Kinder geboren?
If you were not a father there would be nothing I could reproach you with," said Anna Pávlovna, looking up pensively.
Wenn Sie kein Vater wären, gäbe es nichts, was ich Ihnen vorwerfen könnte," sagte Anna Pawlowna und blickte nachdenklich auf.
"I am your faithful slave and to you alone I can confess that my children are the bane of my life.
„Ich bin Ihr treuer Sklave, und nur Ihnen allein kann ich gestehen, dass meine Kinder der Fluch meines Lebens sind.
It is the cross I have to bear.
Es ist das Kreuz, das ich zu tragen habe.
That is how I explain it to myself.
So erkläre ich es mir selbst.
It can't be helped!"
Es lässt sich nicht ändern!"
He said no more, but expressed his resignation to cruel fate by a gesture.
Er sagte nichts mehr, drückte jedoch durch eine Geste seine Ergebenheit in das grausame Schicksal aus.
Anna Pávlovna meditated.
Anna Pawlowna sann nach.
"Have you never thought of marrying your prodigal son Anatole?" she asked.
„Haben Sie nie daran gedacht, Ihren verlorenen Sohn Anatole zu verheiraten?" fragte sie.
Vocabulary
- Wissen
- Knowledge; to know something
- Sie
- Formal 'you'; also third-person plural 'they'
- ich
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- bin
- First-person singular form of 'to be'
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- Ihrem
- Formal possessive pronoun 'your' (dative)
- jüngeren
- Comparative adjective meaning 'younger'
- Sohn
- Noun meaning 'son'
- unzufrieden
- Adjective meaning 'dissatisfied' or 'unhappy'
- Unter
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'between'
- uns
- First-person plural pronoun 'us'
- gesagt
- Past participle of 'sagen'; meaning 'said'
- und
- Coordinating conjunction meaning 'and'
- ihr
- Possessive pronoun 'her'; also informal plural 'you'
- Gesicht
- Noun meaning 'face'
- nahm
- Simple past of 'nehmen'; meaning 'took'
- seinen
- Possessive pronoun 'his' in accusative case
- melancholischen
- Adjective meaning 'melancholic' or 'gloomy'
- Ausdruck
- Noun meaning 'expression' or 'term'
- an
- Preposition or separable prefix meaning 'at' or 'on'
- er
- Third-person singular masculine pronoun 'he'
- wurde
- Simple past of 'werden'; used to form passive voice
- bei
- Preposition meaning 'at', 'near', or 'with'
- Ihrer
- Formal possessive pronoun 'your' (genitive/dative)
- Majestät
- Noun meaning 'Majesty', a royal title
- erwähnt
- Past participle of 'erwähnen'; meaning 'mentioned'
- man
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one' or 'people'
- hat
- Third-person singular of 'haben'; meaning 'has'
- bedauert
- Past participle of 'bedauern'; meaning 'regretted'
- Der
- Definite article 'the' (masculine nominative)
- Fürst
- Noun meaning 'prince' or 'sovereign nobleman'
- antwortete
- Simple past of 'antworten'; meaning 'answered'
- nichts
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nothing'
- aber
- Coordinating conjunction meaning 'but'
- sie
- Third-person pronoun 'she', 'they', or formal 'you'
- sah
- Simple past of 'sehen'; meaning 'saw'
- ihn
- Accusative form of 'er'; meaning 'him'
- bedeutungsvoll
- Adjective meaning 'meaningful' or 'significant'
- wartete
- Simple past of 'warten'; meaning 'waited'
- auf
- Preposition meaning 'on' or 'for' (waiting for)
- eine
- Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- Antwort
- Noun meaning 'answer' or 'response'
- Er
- Third-person singular masculine pronoun 'he'
- runzelte
- Simple past of 'runzeln'; meaning 'wrinkled' or 'furrowed'
- die
- Definite article 'the' (feminine/plural nominative)
- Stirn
- Noun meaning 'forehead'
- Was
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'
- soll
- Modal verb meaning 'should' or 'is supposed to'
- denn
- Particle adding emphasis; meaning 'then' or 'anyway'
- tun
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to do'
- sagte
- Simple past of 'sagen'; meaning 'said'
- schließlich
- Adverb meaning 'finally' or 'after all'
- wissen
- Verb meaning 'to know' (a fact)
- habe
- First-person singular of 'haben'; meaning 'have'
- alles
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'everything'
- getan
- Past participle of 'tun'; meaning 'done'
- was
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'
- ein
- Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (masculine/neuter)
- Vater
- Noun meaning 'father'
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for'
- ihre
- Possessive pronoun 'their' or 'her'
- Erziehung
- Noun meaning 'upbringing' or 'education'
- konnte
- Simple past of 'können'; meaning 'could'
- beide
- Pronoun/adjective meaning 'both'
- sind
- Third-person plural of 'sein'; meaning 'are'
- Narren
- Plural of 'Narr'; meaning 'fools' or 'jesters'
- geworden
- Past participle of 'werden'; meaning 'become'
- ist
- Third-person singular of 'sein'; meaning 'is'
- wenigstens
- Adverb meaning 'at least'
- stiller
- Comparative of 'still'; meaning 'quieter'
- Narr
- Noun meaning 'fool' or 'jester'
- tätiger
- Comparative of 'tätig'; meaning 'more active'
- Das
- Definite article or pronoun 'that' or 'the' (neuter)
- der
- Definite article 'the' (masculine/genitive)
- einzige
- Adjective meaning 'only' or 'sole'
- Unterschied
- Noun meaning 'difference' or 'distinction'
- zwischen
- Preposition meaning 'between'
- ihnen
- Dative pronoun meaning 'them' or formal 'you'
- dies
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this'
- einem
- Indefinite article 'a' in dative case
- Lächeln
- Noun or verb meaning 'smile' or 'to smile'
- das
- Definite article or relative pronoun 'that/which'
- natürlicher
- Comparative of 'natürlich'; meaning 'more natural'
- lebhafter
- Comparative of 'lebhaft'; meaning 'more lively'
- war
- Simple past of 'sein'; meaning 'was'
- als
- Conjunction meaning 'than' or 'as' (comparisons)
- gewöhnlich
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'usual' or 'ordinary'
- sodass
- Conjunction meaning 'so that'
- Falten
- Plural of 'Falte'; meaning 'wrinkles' or 'folds'
- um
- Preposition meaning 'around' or 'at' (time)
- Mund
- Noun meaning 'mouth'
- etwas
- Pronoun/adverb meaning 'something' or 'somewhat'
- unerwartet
- Adjective meaning 'unexpected'
- Grobes
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'something coarse/rude'
- Unangenehmes
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'something unpleasant'
- deutlich
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'clearly' or 'distinct'
- erkennen
- Verb meaning 'to recognize' or 'to discern'
- ließen
- Simple past of 'lassen'; meaning 'let' or 'allowed'
- Und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- warum
- Interrogative adverb meaning 'why'
- werden
- Verb meaning 'to become'; auxiliary for future/passive
- solchen
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' (dative plural)
- Männern
- Dative plural of 'Mann'; meaning 'men'
- wie
- Conjunction/adverb meaning 'like' or 'how'
- Ihnen
- Formal dative pronoun meaning 'to you'
- Kinder
- Plural of 'Kind'; meaning 'children'
- geboren
- Past participle of 'gebären'; meaning 'born'
- Wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'when' (conditional)
- kein
- Negative article meaning 'no' or 'not a'
- wären
- Subjunctive II of 'sein'; meaning 'were' (hypothetical)
- gäbe
- Subjunctive II of 'geben'; meaning 'there would be'
- es
- Third-person neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- vorwerfen
- Verb meaning 'to reproach' or 'to accuse someone of'
- könnte
- Subjunctive II of 'können'; meaning 'could' (hypothetical)
- blickte
- Simple past of 'blicken'; meaning 'looked' or 'glanced'
- nachdenklich
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'thoughtfully' or 'pensive'
- Ich
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- Ihr
- Formal possessive pronoun 'your' (nominative)
- treuer
- Adjective meaning 'faithful' or 'loyal'
- Sklave
- Noun meaning 'slave'
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'
- allein
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'alone' or 'only'
- kann
- First/third-person singular of 'können'; meaning 'can'
- gestehen
- Verb meaning 'to confess' or 'to admit'
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'that'
- meine
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'my' (feminine/plural)
- Fluch
- Noun meaning 'curse'
- meines
- Possessive pronoun 'my' in genitive case
- Lebens
- Genitive of 'Leben'; meaning 'of life'
- Es
- Third-person neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- Kreuz
- Noun meaning 'cross' or 'burden'
- zu
- Preposition or infinitive particle meaning 'to'
- tragen
- Verb meaning 'to carry' or 'to bear'
- So
- Adverb/conjunction meaning 'so' or 'thus'
- erkläre
- First-person singular of 'erklären'; meaning 'explain'
- mir
- Dative of 'ich'; meaning 'to me' or 'myself'
- selbst
- Pronoun/adverb meaning 'oneself' or 'even'
- lässt
- Third-person singular of 'lassen'; meaning 'lets'
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'
- nicht
- Negation adverb meaning 'not'
- ändern
- Verb meaning 'to change' or 'to alter'
- mehr
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'anymore'
- drückte
- Simple past of 'drücken'; meaning 'pressed' or 'expressed'
- jedoch
- Adverb/conjunction meaning 'however' or 'yet'
- durch
- Preposition meaning 'through' or 'by means of'
- Geste
- Noun meaning 'gesture'
- seine
- Possessive pronoun 'his' (feminine/plural accusative)
- Ergebenheit
- Noun meaning 'devotion' or 'submission'
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
- grausame
- Adjective meaning 'cruel' or 'brutal'
- Schicksal
- Noun meaning 'fate' or 'destiny'
- aus
- Preposition meaning 'out of' or 'from'
- sann
- Simple past of 'sinnen'; meaning 'pondered' or 'mused'
- nach
- Preposition meaning 'after', 'to', or 'according to'
- Haben
- Infinitive of 'haben'; meaning 'to have'
- nie
- Adverb meaning 'never'
- daran
- Prepositional adverb meaning 'about it' or 'at it'
- gedacht
- Past participle of 'denken'; meaning 'thought'
- Ihren
- Formal possessive pronoun 'your' (accusative plural)
- verlorenen
- Adjective from 'verloren'; meaning 'lost' (adjectival form)
- verheiraten
- Verb meaning 'to marry off' or 'to get married'
- fragte
- Simple past of 'fragen'; meaning 'asked'
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