War and Peace — Page 4
This stout young man was an illegitimate son of Count Bezúkhov, a well-known grandee of Catherine's time who now lay dying in Moscow.
Dieser stämmige junge Mann war ein unehelicher Sohn des Grafen Besuchow, eines bekannten Großwürdenträgers aus der Zeit Katharinas, der nun in Moskau im Sterben lag.
The young man had not yet entered either the military or civil service, as he had only just returned from abroad where he had been educated, and this was his first appearance in society.
Der junge Mann hatte weder in den Militär- noch in den Zivildienst eingetreten, da er erst kürzlich aus dem Ausland zurückgekehrt war, wo er erzogen worden war, und dies war sein erster Auftritt in der Gesellschaft.
Anna Pávlovna greeted him with the nod she accorded to the lowest hierarchy in her drawing room.
Anna Pawlowna begrüßte ihn mit dem Nicken, das sie den Angehörigen der untersten Rangklasse in ihrem Salon zuteilwerden ließ.
But in spite of this lowest-grade greeting, a look of anxiety and fear, as at the sight of something too large and unsuited to the place, came over her face when she saw Pierre enter.
Doch trotz dieses Grußes von niedrigstem Rang legte sich ein Ausdruck von Unruhe und Angst über ihr Gesicht, als sähe sie etwas, das zu groß und für diesen Ort unpassend war, als sie Pierre eintreten sah.
Though he was certainly rather bigger than the other men in the room, her anxiety could only have reference to the clever though shy, but observant and natural, expression which distinguished him from everyone else in that drawing room.
Obwohl er zweifellos etwas größer war als die anderen Männer im Zimmer, konnte ihre Unruhe sich nur auf den klugen, wenn auch scheuen, dabei aufmerksamen und natürlichen Ausdruck beziehen, der ihn von allen anderen in diesem Salon unterschied.
Pierre murmured something unintelligible, and continued to look round as if in search of something.
Pierre murmelte etwas Unverständliches und schaute weiterhin umher, als suche er etwas.
On his way to the aunt he bowed to the little princess with a pleased smile, as to an intimate acquaintance.
Auf seinem Weg zur Tante verneigte er sich vor der kleinen Prinzessin mit einem freudigen Lächeln, wie vor einer vertrauten Bekannten.
Anna Pávlovna's alarm was justified, for Pierre turned away from the aunt without waiting to hear her speech about Her Majesty's health.
Anna Pawlownas Besorgnis war berechtigt, denn Pierre wandte sich von der Tante ab, ohne ihre Ausführungen über die Gesundheit Ihrer Majestät abzuwarten.
Vocabulary
- stämmige
- Stocky, sturdy, strongly built in physique
- unehelicher
- Illegitimate, born outside of marriage
- Grafen
- Count, European noble title below duke
- Großwürdenträgers
- High dignitary, person holding important official rank
- Sterben
- Dying, the process of approaching death
- lag
- Lay, was lying (past tense of 'liegen')
- weder
- Neither, used in 'weder...noch' construction
- Militärdienst
- Military service, serving in the armed forces
- Zivildienst
- Civil service, non-military government employment
- eingetreten
- Entered, joined (past participle of 'eintreten')
- kürzlich
- Recently, a short time ago
- Ausland
- Foreign country, abroad, outside one's homeland
- zurückgekehrt
- Returned, came back (past participle of 'zurückkehren')
- erzogen
- Raised, educated, brought up (past participle)
- Auftritt
- Appearance, entrance, public debut in society
- Gesellschaft
- Society, social gathering, company of people
- begrüßte
- Greeted, welcomed (simple past of 'begrüßen')
- Nicken
- Nodding, a gesture of acknowledgment or agreement
- Angehörigen
- Members, those belonging to a group or class
- untersten
- Lowest, at the very bottom of a hierarchy
- Rangklasse
- Rank class, category of social or official standing
- Salon
- Salon, fashionable gathering room for society meetings
- zuteilwerden
- To be granted, allotted to someone as share
- trotz
- Despite, in spite of (preposition with genitive)
- Grußes
- Greeting's, genitive of 'Gruß' (greeting, salutation)
- niedrigstem
- Lowest, of minimal rank or status (dative form)
- Rang
- Rank, social or official standing, status level
- Ausdruck
- Expression, look on one's face or in words
- Unruhe
- Unease, restlessness, anxiety, lack of calm
- Angst
- Fear, anxiety, dread, apprehension
- Gesicht
- Face, the front part of a person's head
- sähe
- Were seeing, subjunctive of 'sehen' (to see)
- unpassend
- Inappropriate, unsuitable, out of place
- eintreten
- To enter, step into a room or space
- Obwohl
- Although, even though, despite the fact that
- zweifellos
- Undoubtedly, without doubt, certainly true
- klugen
- Clever, intelligent, smart (inflected adjective form)
- scheuen
- Shy, timid, avoiding attention (inflected adjective)
- dabei
- At the same time, in doing so, thereby
- aufmerksamen
- Attentive, alert, paying close careful attention
- natürlichen
- Natural, unaffected, genuine (inflected adjective form)
- beziehen
- To refer to, relate to, pertain to something
- unterschied
- Differed, distinguished (past tense of 'unterscheiden')
- murmelte
- Mumbled, muttered softly (past tense of 'murmeln')
- Unverständliches
- Something incomprehensible, unintelligible utterances
- schaute
- Looked, gazed (simple past of 'schauen')
- weiterhin
- Still, continuously, continuing as before
- umher
- Around, about, in various directions (adverb)
- Tante
- Aunt, female relative, sister of parent
- verneigte
- Bowed, inclined respectfully (past tense of 'verneigen')
- Prinzessin
- Princess, female member of royal or noble family
- freudigen
- Joyful, happy, cheerful (inflected adjective form)
- Lächeln
- Smile, a pleasant facial expression of joy
- vertrauten
- Familiar, trusted, intimate (inflected adjective form)
- Bekannten
- Acquaintance, someone known but not close friend
- Besorgnis
- Concern, worry, anxiety about a situation
- berechtigt
- Justified, warranted, having valid grounds or reason
- denn
- For, because (causal conjunction); intensifying particle
- wandte
- Turned (simple past of 'wenden', to turn away)
- Ausführungen
- Remarks, elaborations, detailed spoken explanations
- Gesundheit
- Health, state of physical or mental well-being
- Majestät
- Majesty, honorific title for a monarch or sovereign
- abzuwarten
- To wait for, to await the outcome patiently
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