White nights, and other stories — Page 9
But the moment passes, and next day you meet, maybe, the same pensive and preoccupied look as before, the same pale face, the same meek and timid movements, and even signs of remorse, traces of a mortal anguish and regret for the fleeting distraction....
Aber der Augenblick vergeht, und am nächsten Tag begegnet man vielleicht demselben nachdenklichen und zerstreuten Blick wie zuvor, demselben blassen Gesicht, denselben sanften und scheuen Bewegungen, und sogar Zeichen von Reue, Spuren einer tödlichen Qual und Trauer über die flüchtige Zerstreuung....
And you grieve that the momentary beauty has faded so soon never to return, that it flashed upon you so treacherously, so vainly, grieve because you had not even time to love her....
Und man trauert darüber, dass die vergängliche Schönheit so bald verblasst ist, um nie zurückzukehren, dass sie einen so verräterisch, so vergeblich angestrahlt hat, trauert, weil man nicht einmal Zeit hatte, sie zu lieben....
And yet my night was better than my day! This was how it happened.
Und dennoch war meine Nacht besser als mein Tag! So kam es dazu.
I came back to the town very late, and it had struck ten as I was going towards my lodgings.
Ich kam sehr spät in die Stadt zurück, und es hatte zehn Uhr geschlagen, als ich mich auf den Weg zu meiner Unterkunft machte.
My way lay along the canal embankment, where at that hour you never meet a soul.
Mein Weg führte entlang des Kanaldamms, wo man zu dieser Stunde nie eine Menschenseele trifft.
It is true that I live in a very remote part of the town.
Es stimmt, dass ich in einem sehr abgelegenen Teil der Stadt wohne.
I walked along singing, for when I am happy I am always humming to myself like every happy man who has no friend or acquaintance with whom to share his joy.
Ich ging singend dahin, denn wenn ich glücklich bin, summe ich immer vor mich hin wie jeder glückliche Mensch, der keinen Freund oder Bekannten hat, mit dem er seine Freude teilen kann.
Suddenly I had a most unexpected adventure.
Plötzlich erlebte ich ein höchst unerwartetes Abenteuer.
Leaning on the canal railing stood a woman with her elbows on the rail, she was apparently looking with great attention at the muddy water of the canal.
Am Geländer des Kanals lehnte eine Frau mit den Ellbogen auf dem Geländer, sie schaute offenbar mit großer Aufmerksamkeit auf das trübe Wasser des Kanals.
She was wearing a very charming yellow hat and a jaunty little black mantle.
Sie trug einen sehr reizenden gelben Hut und einen flotten kleinen schwarzen Umhang.
Vocabulary
- Augenblick
- A moment or instant in time.
- vergeht
- Third-person singular of 'vergehen'; passes or elapses.
- nächsten
- Adjective meaning 'next' or 'nearest'.
- begegnet
- To encounter or meet someone unexpectedly.
- vielleicht
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
- demselben
- Dative form of 'derselbe'; the same (one).
- nachdenklichen
- Adjective meaning 'thoughtful' or 'pensive'.
- zerstreuten
- Adjective meaning 'distracted' or 'absent-minded'.
- Blick
- A look, gaze, or glance at something.
- zuvor
- Adverb meaning 'before' or 'previously'.
- blassen
- Adjective meaning 'pale' or 'wan'.
- Gesicht
- Noun meaning 'face'.
- denselben
- Accusative form of 'derselbe'; the same (one).
- sanften
- Adjective meaning 'gentle' or 'soft'.
- scheuen
- Adjective meaning 'shy' or 'timid'.
- Bewegungen
- Noun meaning 'movements' or 'motions'.
- sogar
- Adverb meaning 'even' or 'in fact'.
- Zeichen
- Noun meaning 'signs' or 'symbols'.
- Reue
- Noun meaning 'remorse' or 'regret'.
- Spuren
- Noun meaning 'traces' or 'tracks'.
- tödlichen
- Adjective meaning 'deadly' or 'fatal'.
- Qual
- Noun meaning 'agony' or 'torment'.
- Trauer
- Noun meaning 'grief' or 'mourning'.
- flüchtige
- Adjective meaning 'fleeting' or 'transient'.
- Zerstreuung
- Noun meaning 'distraction' or 'diversion'.
- trauert
- Third-person singular of 'trauern'; mourns or grieves.
- darüber
- Adverb meaning 'about it' or 'over it'.
- vergängliche
- Adjective meaning 'transient' or 'ephemeral'.
- Schönheit
- Noun meaning 'beauty'.
- bald
- Adverb meaning 'soon'.
- verblasst
- Verb meaning 'fades' or 'grows pale'.
- nie
- Adverb meaning 'never'.
- zurückzukehren
- Infinitive meaning 'to return' or 'to come back'.
- verräterisch
- Adjective meaning 'treacherous' or 'betraying'.
- vergeblich
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'in vain' or 'futile'.
- angestrahlt
- Past participle of 'anstrahlen'; shone upon or illuminated.
- einmal
- Adverb meaning 'once' or 'not even'.
- lieben
- Infinitive meaning 'to love'.
- dennoch
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless' or 'yet'.
- Nacht
- Noun meaning 'night'.
- besser
- Comparative adjective meaning 'better'.
- dazu
- Adverb meaning 'to that' or 'in addition'.
- spät
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'late'.
- Stadt
- Noun meaning 'city' or 'town'.
- zurück
- Adverb meaning 'back' or 'backwards'.
- Uhr
- Noun meaning 'clock' or 'o'clock'.
- geschlagen
- Past participle of 'schlagen'; struck or beaten.
- Weg
- Noun meaning 'way', 'path', or 'road'.
- Unterkunft
- Noun meaning 'accommodation' or 'lodging'.
- führte
- Past tense of 'führen'; led or guided.
- entlang
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'along'.
- Kanaldamms
- Genitive of 'Kanaldamm'; canal embankment or towpath.
- Stunde
- Noun meaning 'hour'.
- Menschenseele
- Noun meaning 'a single soul' or 'not a soul'.
- trifft
- Third-person singular of 'treffen'; meets or encounters.
- stimmt
- Third-person singular of 'stimmen'; is correct or true.
- abgelegenen
- Adjective meaning 'remote' or 'secluded'.
- Teil
- Noun meaning 'part' or 'section'.
- wohne
- First-person singular of 'wohnen'; live or reside.
- singend
- Present participle of 'singen'; singing.
- dahin
- Adverb meaning 'along' or 'onward' in that direction.
- denn
- Conjunction meaning 'for', 'because', or 'then'.
- glücklich
- Adjective meaning 'happy' or 'fortunate'.
- summe
- First-person singular of 'summen'; hum a tune.
- immer
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'ever'.
- hin
- Directional adverb meaning 'there' or 'toward'.
- jeder
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'every' or 'each'.
- glückliche
- Adjective meaning 'happy' (inflected form).
- Mensch
- Noun meaning 'person' or 'human being'.
- Freund
- Noun meaning 'friend'.
- Bekannten
- Noun meaning 'acquaintance' (inflected form).
- Freude
- Noun meaning 'joy' or 'delight'.
- teilen
- Infinitive meaning 'to share' or 'to divide'.
- Plötzlich
- Adverb meaning 'suddenly' or 'all of a sudden'.
- erlebte
- Past tense of 'erleben'; experienced or witnessed.
- höchst
- Superlative adverb meaning 'most' or 'extremely'.
- unerwartetes
- Adjective meaning 'unexpected' or 'unanticipated'.
- Abenteuer
- Noun meaning 'adventure'.
- Geländer
- Noun meaning 'railing' or 'banister'.
- Kanals
- Genitive of 'Kanal'; of the canal.
- lehnte
- Past tense of 'lehnen'; leaned or rested against.
- Frau
- Noun meaning 'woman' or 'Mrs.'
- Ellbogen
- Noun meaning 'elbows'.
- schaute
- Past tense of 'schauen'; looked or gazed at.
- offenbar
- Adverb meaning 'apparently' or 'obviously'.
- Aufmerksamkeit
- Noun meaning 'attention' or 'attentiveness'.
- trübe
- Adjective meaning 'murky', 'cloudy', or 'gloomy'.
- trug
- Past tense of 'tragen'; wore or carried.
- reizenden
- Adjective meaning 'charming' or 'delightful' (inflected).
- gelben
- Adjective meaning 'yellow' (inflected form).
- Hut
- Noun meaning 'hat'.
- flotten
- Adjective meaning 'smart', 'stylish', or 'jaunty'.
- schwarzen
- Adjective meaning 'black' (inflected form).
- Umhang
- Noun meaning 'cape' or 'cloak'.
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