MATERIALS

FOR

TRANSLATING FROM ENGLISH INTO GERMAN.

PART II.

TRANSLATION OF CONNECTED PIECES.

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THE Khaleefeh3 Abd El-Melik, was, in the beginning of his reign, an unjust monarch. Being one night unable to sleep, he called for a person to tell him a story for his amusement. "O Prince of the faithful," said the man thus bidden12, "there was 13 an owl in El-Mósil, and an owl in El-Basrah; and the owl of El-Mósil demanded in marriage15, for her son, the daughter of the owl of El-Basrah; but the owl of

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1 Verwüstung. 2 Tyrannei. Kalif. 4 Anfang, which must be masculine, because it is derived from a Verb, fangen, without addition to the root. 5 Regierung. 6 in imitation of eines Tages, eines Morgens, eines Abends, it is also said, cines Nachts, although Nacht is feminine. 7 rufen lassen. 8 jemand. 9 say, who was to tell, and express I am to by follen. 10 zu. 11 gläubig. 12to bid is heißen or befehlen, but both are construed with the Dative of the person; therefore, a man is bidden is einem Manne wird geheißen or befohlen; and bidden geheißen or befohlen can be an Adjective to a thing, but not to a person: you must then translate the man to whom such (solches) was bidden. 13 there is is es giebt, when implying there is always existing, but when meaning is living, it is es ist. 14 Gule, f. 15 zur Ehe verlangen.

El-Basrah said, 'I will not, unless 16 thou give me, as her dowry, a hundred desolate 18 farms. 19" "That I cannot do,' said the owl of El-Mósil, ‘at present; but if our sovereign20 (may God, whose name be exalted2', preserve him!) live one year, I will give thee what thou desirest.'" This simple fable sufficed 25 to rouse 26 the prince from his apathy27, and he thenceforward 2 8 applied himself to fulfil30 the duties of his station. 3 Lane, notes to Arabian Nights. (From C. Knight's Half Hours with the Best Authors.)

II. PERFECTION.1

A friend called on Michael Angelo, who was finishing a statue: some time afterwards he called again; the sculptors was still at his work. His friend, looking at the figure11, exclaimed, "You have been idle13 since I saw11 you last.15" "By no means1¤ ̧”

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16 denn, which must be placed after me, and give must stand in the Subjunctive. 17 Mitgift, which is fem., because derived from a Verb geben, with the addition of t. 18 verwüstet. 19 Pachthof, m., the plural is Pachthöfe, because monosyllables masc. have in plural the termination c, and a modification of the vowel. 20 Fürst, declined as an Adjective, the first. 21 verherrlichen. 22 erhalten. 23 take Indicative. 24 begehren. 25 hinreichen. 26 erwecken aus. 27 Gefühllosigkeit. 28 von jezt an. 29 sich befleißen. 3o erfüllen. 31 Stellung.

1 Vollkommenheit. 2 besuchen, with Acc., or einen Besuch abstatten with the Dat. 3 die lezte Feile geben, with the Dat. 4 Bildsäule, f. * einig. 6 nachher, namely, in reference to the visit, but afterwards in reference to the present time is hernach; as jezt wollen wir lesen, und hernach plaudern now we will read, and afterwards talk. 7 den Besuch wiederholen. 8 Bildhauer. bei or an. 1o to look at betrachten. 11Figur, the gender of which can be ascertained from the Latin or French. 12ausmüßig. 14 take the Perfect Tense. 15 zulcht. 16 keinesweges.

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replied the sculptor; "I have retouched this part, and polished that: I have softened this feature 2o, and brought out this muscle22; I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy 23 to this limb.24" "Well, well," said his friend, "but all these 5 are trifles. 26, "It may be so,” replied Angelo, "but recollect27 that trifles make perfection, and that perfection is no trifle." Colton's Lacon. (From the Half Hours.)

III. VICAR OF WAKEFIELD.

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Johnson had now become one of Goldsmith's best friends and advisers. He knew all the weak points5 of his character, but he knew also his merits'; and while he would rebuke him like a child, and rail11

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at his errors 13 and follies 14, he would15 suffer16

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no

one else to undervalue1? him. Goldsmith knew the soundness of his judgment and his practical ence, and often sought his counsel and aid

benevolamid 23

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• Zug.

17 mit dem Meißel wieder berühren. 18 glätten. 19 mildern. 21 hervorheben. 22 Muskel, m. 23 Kraftfülle, which is fem., because formed from an Adjective with the addition of e, and implying the ab

stract quality of the Adjective. 24 Glied, n. 25 take the sing. neuter,

because this subject refers only in general to the fore-mentioned things; however, the Verb are must stand in the plural. Kleinigkeit. 27 be

denken.

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28 ausmachen.

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1 Mark, one is here used Substantively, and not as an Adjective. of after number is von. 3Rathgeber. 4the after all is not translated. 5 Seite, f. Character, m. 7 Vorzug. während. 9 would meaning as much as was accustomed is expressed by pflegen. 1oausschelten. 11 schmähen. 12 über. 13 Fehler, m. 14 Thorheit. 15 would, when adequate to wished, is rendered by wollen. 16 gestatten, with Dat. 17 gering denken von. 18Tüchtigkeit. 19 Urtheil, n. 20thätig. 21 Wehl= wollen, which is neuter, because the second compound wollen, as an Infinitive, is neuter.

22 Beistand.

23 in.

с

d

24. Whence could we know if a dangerous inflammation was forming inside us, unless pain revealed it to us?

25. He will not guess it unless he be more shrewd than all other men.

с

26. Since we must associate with human beings, it is our duty not to give them, knowinglyd, even the slighteste ground for forming a bad opinions concerningh us. 27. Humility elevates us by humbling us, and pride humbles us by elevating us.

a

b

с

28. New enjoyments a with which the barbarian gets acquainted, created in him new wants, which he can only satisfy by abandoning his manner of living.j

a

b

29. The kindness of the proud man towards the humble one is a sure proof that humility must be something excellent, since it is even sought afters by its own enemy; and that pride must be something unnatural", since its owner can bear in others anything but his own self.j 30. I once read a remarka which contains the reasonb why most men are proud and the fewest humble.

24. a woher. b say, know it.

e

csay, in our interior das Innere. a Entzündung. entstehen, take the Subjunctive. fwofern nicht, and place pain between them. & offenbaren.

b

25. errathen. say, he be then; and be express by the Subjunctive of must, with the Infinitive. flug.

b

с

26. the moral and logical reason can be expressed either by weil esollen. dwissentlich. e entfernt. Gelegenheit. h pon.

or da. sschlecht denken.

umgehen.

с

a

31. We are perfectly content with the feeling that we love humility in others, as if we, in consequence of this, were possessed of this virtue ourselves; and because we hate pride in others, we behaved as if we hated it in ourselves too.

32. He was silent, althougha he ought to have spoken. 33. The iron a must be struck while it is hot.d

a

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34. Although the art of printing books cannot renderb literary productions imperishable, still the destruction of a whole work is no longer easily imaginable.f

a

35. Although our future is as gloomy as the dark night, still our just cause is brightly shining.

36. Although the old books are not at hand, yet they are inscribed in our hearts.

с

37. That this wholesome a invention has also had injurious, nay, terrible consequences, whom could this escaped, and who would conceal it?

e

31. aals. deßhalb. to be possessed of besigen. d sich gehaben. 32. ada doch, and the Nominative must be placed between them. 33. Eisen, n. bschmieden. während, or weil, which latter is used only in proverbial and antiquated phrases. glühend.

d

34. although is either a) wenn gleich, b) wenn auch, c) wenn schon, d) wie wohl, or e) obwohl, f) obgleich, g) obschon, k) obzwar, i) ob auch; and mark, those not compounded with wohl can be separated in the sentence by a Pronoun, or some other small phrase, on which a stress lies: it is to be observed, besides, that wenn and ob can be altogether omitted, but then the Verb must lead. b to render imperishable Unvergänglichkeit geben. Schrift. d the chief sentence preceded by the adverbial sentence, must be headed by a Verb. e Untergang. denkbar.

35. adüfter.

с

to shine brightly scheinen.

36. azur Hand. beinschreiben.

a

37. heilsam. verderblich. schrecklich. dentgehen, Dat. verschweigen