THE MYSTERIOUS SKETCH, by Erckmann-Chatrian
mysterious - geheimnisvoll; mysteriös; rätselhaft
sketch - skizzieren; entwerfen; Skizze; Sketch
Opposite the chapel of saint Sebalt in Nuremberg, at the corner of Trabaus Street, there stands a little tavern, tall and narrow, with a toothed gable and dusty windows, whose roof is surmounted by a plaster Virgin. It was there that I spent the unhappiest days of my life. I had gone to Nuremberg to study the old German masters; but in default of ready money, I had to paint portraits-and such portraits!
chapel - Kapelle
saint - St. Sankt ...;Heilige {m,f}
corner - Ecke, Winkel, in die Enge treiben
tavern - Gasthaus, Schankwirtschaft, Taverne
narrow - eng, schmal, knapp
gable - Giebel, Gabel
dusty - staubig
whose - wessen; dessen, deren, wem gehört/gehören?
roof - überdachen; Autodach, Dach
surmounted - Überwunden; überwinden
plaster - Gips; Salbe, Creme, Putz, Verputz, Stuck
Virgin - Jungfrau; jungfräulich; nativ
unhappiest - am unglücklichsten; unglücklich
German - Deutscher, Deutsche, Germane, Germanin, Achtelcicero, Deutsch
masters - Haupt.., Grund, Meister, führend, leitend; bewältigen, meistern
default - Standard; Fristversäumnis, Säumnis, Zahlungseinstellung
portraits - Porträts; Portrait
such - solch, derartig, so ein
Fat old women with their cats on their laps, big-wigged aldermen, burgomasters in three-cornered hats-all horribly bright with ochre and vermilion. From portraits I descended to sketches, and from sketches to silhouettes.
laps - Runden; (lap) Runden
wigged - durchgedreht; Perücke
aldermen - Schöffen; Stadtrat
burgomasters - Bürgermeistern; Bürgermeister
cornered - in die Enge getrieben; Ecke, Winkel, Ecke, Ecke, Ecke
horribly - furchtbar; fürchterlich
bright - fröhlich, aufgeweckt, leuchtend, klar, hell
ochre - ocker
vermilion - Zinnoberrot; Zinnober
descended - abstammen; absteigen, niedergehen, herunterkommen, herabsteigen
sketches - Skizzen; skizzieren, entwerfen, Skizze, Sketch
silhouettes - Silhouetten; Silhouette, Schattenriss
Nothing is more annoying than to have your landlord come to you every day with pinched lips, shrill voice, and impudent manner to say: "Well, sir, how soon are you going to pay me? Do you know how much your bill is? No; that doesn't worry you! You eat, drink, and sleep calmly enough. God feeds the sparrows. Your bill now amounts to two hundred florins and ten kreutzers-it is not worth talking about."
annoying - stören, ärgern, belästigen, nerven, verägern, verdrießen
landlord - Vermieter, Hauswirt
pinched - eingeklemmt; kneifen
lips - Lippen; Lippe, Auslauf, Überlauf, Schnaupe, Ansatz
shrill - schrill; scharf
voice - Stimme; äußern
impudent - unverschämt
manner - Art und Weise; Weise, Manier
worry - besorgt sein, sich Sorgen machen, besorgen, Sorge
calmly - ruhig
God - Gott
feeds - Zuführung, Papierzuführung, Zufuhr; verpflegen, hegen, zuführen
sparrows - Spatzen; Sperling, Spatz
amounts - Beträge; Anzahl, Menge, Betrag, Menge, beträgt
worth - wert
Those who have not heard any one talk in this way can form no idea of it; love of art, imagination, and the sacred enthusiasm for the beautiful are blasted by the breath of such an attack. You become awkward and timid; all your energy evaporates, as well as your feeling of personal dignity, and you bow respectfully at a distance to the burgomaster Schneegans.
those - die; jene
imagination - Phantasie; Vorstellungskraft, Imagination, Einbildungskraft
sacred - heilig
enthusiasm - Begeisterung, Enthusiasmus, Schwärmerei
blasted - gesprengt; schlagen, vernichten
breath - Atmen, Atmung, Atemzug, Atem, Atempause
attack - Attacke, Angriff, Anfall, angreifen, attackieren
awkward - peinlich; ungeschickt, unbeholfen, umständlich, tollpatschig
timid - furchtsam, zaghaft, zögerlich, schüchtern
energy - Energie
evaporates - verdunstet; verdampfen, verdunsten, evaporieren, dörren
dignity - Würde; Förmlichkeit; Amt
bow - verbeugen; Verneigung (vor), Verbeugung; Bogen, Bug (Schiff)
respectfully - respektvoll
distance - Distanz, Entfernung, Abstand, Ferne, Weite, entfernen
Burgomaster - Burgermeister; Bürgermeister
One night, not having a sou, as usual, and threatened with imprisonment by this worthy Mister Rap, I determined to make him a bankrupt by cutting my throat. Seated on my narrow bed, opposite the window, in this agreeable mood, I gave myself up to a thousand philosophical reflections, more or less comforting.
usual - gewöhnlich, üblich
threatened - bedroht; drohen, bedrohen, bedrohen, androhen
imprisonment - Freiheitsentzug; Gefangenschaft
worthy - würdig
mister - Hr. Herr(n); Herr
rap - pochen, schlagen; Geplapper
determined - bestimmt; bestimmen, eingrenzen, festlegen
bankrupt - bankrott; in
throat - Kehle, Rachen, Hals, Flaschenhals
seated - sitzend; Sitz, Sitzplatz, Sitzgelegenheit, Stuhl, Sitzmöbel
agreeable - angenehm; verträglich, liebenswürdig, gefällig
mood - Anwandlung, Stimmung, launisch
myself - mich selbst; mich
philosophical - philosophisch
reflections - Überlegungen; Reflexion, Abbild
comforting - tröstlich; Behaglichkeit, Bequemlichkeit, Komfort, Trost
"What is man?" I asked myself. "An omnivorous animal; his jaws, provided with canines, incisors, and molars, prove it. The canines are made to tear meat; the incisors to bite fruits; and the molars to masticate, grind, and triturate animal and vegetable substances that are pleasant to smell and to taste. But when he has nothing to masticate, this being is an absurdity in Nature, a superfluity, a fifth wheel to the coach."
omnivorous - Allesfresser
jaws - Kiefer, Maul
provided with - versehen mit
canines - Eckzähne; Hund
incisors - Schneidezähne; Schneidezahn
molars - Backenzähne; Backenzahn
Prove - er/sie hat/hatte bewiesen, beweisen, erhärten
tear - zerreißen, ich/er/sie/es riss, riß
bite - beißen; Biss; Stich; Bissen
masticate - mastizieren; kauen
grind - schleifen; radieren (Reifen), ich/er/sie schliff ab; Plackerei
triturate - verreiben; zerreiben, pulverisieren
substances - Stoffe; Substanz, Stoff, Substanz, Substanz, Substanz
pleasant - angenehm
smell - Geruch; Geruchssinn, Riechen, stinken
taste - Geschmack, Schmecken, kosten, probieren
absurdity - Absurdität
nature - Natur, Art
superfluity - Überflüssig; Ăśberfluss
fifth wheel - fünftes Rad
coach - Kutsche; Wagen; Trainer, Trainerin, Coach, Coachin, Reisebus
Such were my reflections. I dared not open my razor for fear that the invincible force of my logic would inspire me with the courage to make an end of it all. After having argued so finely, I blew out my candle, postponing the sequel till the morrow.
dared - gewagt; sich getrauen, wagen, jemanden herausfordern
razor - Rasiermesser, Rasierapparat, Rasierer
fear - fürchten, befürchten, Angst haben; Furcht, Schreck, Befürchtung
invincible - unbesiegbar
force - Kraft; zwingen, forcieren, erzwingen; Stärke, Macht, Einfluss
logic - Logik, logische
inspire - inspirieren; beatmen, einhauchen, einflößen, checkbegeistern
courage - Courage, Herz, Mut, Tapferkeit
argued - argumentiert; diskutieren, erörtern, streiten, argumentieren
finely - fein
blew out - (blow out) ausblasen, auslöschen
candle - Kerze
postponing - verschieben, aufschieben, zurückstellen
sequel - Fortsetzung, Folge
morrow - morgen; Morgen
That abominable Rap had completely stupefied me. I could do nothing but silhouettes, and my sole desire was to have some money to rid myself of his odious presence. But on this night a singular change came over my mind.
abominable - verabscheuungswürdig, verhasst, abscheulich, riesig, monströs
completely - vollständig, völlig, ganz, vollumfänglich
stupefied - verblüfft; betäuben
sole - Seezunge, Sohle, einzig
desire - begehren; Begehren, Wunsch
rid - loswerden; befreien
odious - abscheulich, scheußlich, abstoßend, widerlich
presence - Anwesenheit
singular - einzeln; einzigartig; ungewöhnlich; singularisch; singulär; Einzahl
mind - Verstand, Geist, Sinn, Bewusstsein, Gedächtnis, Gedanken
I awoke about one o'clock-I lit my lamp, and, enveloping myself in my grey gabardine, I drew upon the paper a rapid sketch after the Dutch school-something strange and bizarre, which had not the slightest resemblance to my ordinary conceptions.
awoke - erwacht; munter, wach; erwachen, aufwachen
enveloping - einhüllend; einhüllen, umhüllen
gabardine - Gabardine
upon - auf; mit
rapid - schnell; Stromschnelle
Dutch - niederländisch, holländisch, Niederländisch, Holländisch
strange - seltsam, sonderbar, komisch, verwunderlich, fremd, ausländisch
bizarre - bizarr, komisch, seltsam
slightest - das Geringste; geringfügig, leicht, gering, unbedeutend, wenig
resemblance - Ähnlichkeit
ordinary - Heroldsbild; gewöhnlich, normal
conceptions - Konzeptionen; Empfängnis, Vorstellung, Konzeption
Imagine a dreary courtyard enclosed by high dilapidated walls. These walls are furnished with hooks, seven or eight feet from the ground. You see, at a glance, that it is a butchery.
dreary - öde, trostlos, trüb, freudlos
courtyard - Innenhof; Hof
enclosed - eingeschlossen; beifügen, einschliessen
dilapidated - baufällig; ruinieren
furnished - eingerichtet; möblieren, einrichten, ausrüsten
hooks - Haken, Hookline, Haken, haken, haken, einhaken, haken
ground - Masse (elektrisch); Erdboden, Grund, Boden
glance - blicken; Blick, Streifblick, Glanz, Steinkohle
butchery - Abschlachten; Fleischerhandwerk
On the left, there extends a lattice structure; you perceive through it a quartered beef suspended from the roof by enormous pulleys. Great pools of blood run over the flagstones and unite in a ditch full of refuse.
extends - verlängert; erweitern, ausdehnen, erweitern, ausdehnen
lattice - Gitterzaun, Gitterwerk, Gitter, Gatter
structure - Struktur, Datenstruktur, strukturieren
perceive - wahrnehmen
beef - Rindfleisch, Ochsenfleisch, Groll, heftige Verärgerung, Rochus
suspended - ausgesetzt; suspendieren, aufhängen, suspendieren, aufheben
enormous - enorm, riesig
pulleys - Umlenkrollen; Rolle
blood - anbluten
run over - herüberfahren, überfließen
flagstones - Gehwegplatten; Fliese, Platte, Gehwegplatte, Steinplatte
unite - vereinen
ditch - Straßengraben, Wassergraben, Bach; auf dem Wasser notlanden
refuse - Müll; abweisen, verweigern, abschlagen, ablehnen
The light falls from above, between the chimneys where the weathercocks stand out from a bit of the sky the size of your hand, and the roofs of the neighbouring houses throw bold shadows from story to story.
chimneys - Schornsteine; Kamin, Esse, Schlot, Schornstein, Kamin, Schlot
weathercocks - Wetterhähne; Wetterfahne
bit - Häppchen, Gebiss, Bit
sky - Himmel; (am) Firmament
size - Konfektionsgröße, Körpergröße, Format; ausmessen
roofs - Dächer; überdachen; Autodach, Dach
throw - Wurf; werfen (du wirfst, er wirft), ich/er/sie würfe
bold - kräftig, kühn, klar, keck, heftig, deutlich, fett
shadows - Schatten, beschatten, beschatten
At the back of this place is a shed, beneath the shed a pile of wood, and upon the pile of wood some ladders, a few bundles of straw, some coils of rope, a chicken-coop, and an old dilapidated rabbit-hutch.
shed - Schuppen; (to shed) vergießen, abstoßen, lsowerden
beneath - unter
pile - Haufen, Pfahl, Pulk
wood - Holz
ladders - Leitern; Leiter, Laufmasche
bundles - Bündel
straw - Halm, Strohhalm, Stroh, strohfarben, strohgelb, Stroh-
Coils - Spulen; Wendel, Spule, Wicklung; aufwickeln
rope - Tau, Seil, Strang
coop - Konsumverein
rabbit-hutch - (rabbit-hutch) Kaninchenstall
How did these heterogeneous details suggest themselves to my imagination? I don't know; I had no reminiscences, and yet every stroke of the pencil seemed the result of observation, and strange because it was all so true. Nothing was lacking.
heterogeneous - heterogen
suggest - vorschlagen
themselves - selbst; sich; sich selber
reminiscences - Reminiszenzen; Erinnern
stroke - Schlaganfall; streicheln; Stoß, Schlag, Streich, Hub
seemed - schien; scheinen, dünken
observation - Beobachtung; Bemerkung
lacking - Mangelhaft; ermangeln, fehlen
But on the right, one corner of the sketch remained a blank. I did not know what to put there.... Something suddenly seemed to writhe there, to move! Then I saw a foot, the sole of a foot. Notwithstanding this improbable position, I followed my inspiration without reference to my own criticism. This foot was joined to a leg-over this leg, stretched out with effort, there soon floated the skirt of a dress.
remained - geblieben; Überrest (2), de
blank - ausdruckslos; unbeschrieben, unausgefüllt, Lücke, Leerzeichen
suddenly - plötzlich, urplötzlich
writhe - sich winden; winden, krümmen
notwithstanding - ungeachtet dessen
improbable - unwahrscheinlich
position - Stellung, Position, Arbeitsplatz, Stelle, positionieren
inspiration - Einatmung, Einatmen, Einschnaufen, göttliche Eingebung
reference - Referenz; Quelle; referenzieren; sich beziehen
criticism - Kritik, Tadel
stretched - gestreckt; strecken, dehnen, langziehen, dehnen
effort - Anstrengung, Aufwand
floated - getrieben; treiben, schwimmen, schweben, schwimmen, treiben
In short, there appeared by degrees an old woman, pale, dishevelled, and wasted, thrown down at the side of a well, and struggling to free herself from a hand that clutched her throat.
appeared - erschienen; erscheinen, auftauchen, erscheinen, auftauchen
by degrees - nach und nach
pale - Pfahl, blass; bleich (vor), blass (vor)
dishevelled - zerzaust; in Unordnung bringen, herumschmeißen, verwirren
wasted - verschwendet; verschwenden
thrown down - hingeworfen
side - Seite; Flanke, Rand, Mannschaft, Team
struggling - sich abmühen; kämpfend, ringend; (struggle); Kampf, Gefecht
clutched - umklammert; Vogelgelege; Kupplung (Auto), Gelege
It was a murder scene that I was drawing. The pencil fell from my hand.
murder - Mord, mörderisch, ermorden, massakrieren, umbringen
scene - Szene
This woman, in the boldest attitude, with her thighs bent on the curb of the well, her face contracted by terror, and her two hands grasping the murderer's arm, frightened me. I could not look at her. But the man-he, the person to whom that arm belonged-I could not see him. It was impossible for me to finish the sketch.
boldest - am kühnsten; kräftig, kühn, klar, keck, heftig, deutlich, fett
attitude - Haltung; Einstellung, Attitüde, Orientierung, Ausrichtung
thighs - Oberschenkel
bent on - versessen sein
curb - Kandare; Beschränkung, Zurückhaltung, Zwang, Einschränkung
contracted - unter Vertrag genommen; Vertrag
terror - Schrecken, Grauen, schreckliche Furcht, Terror
grasping - greifen, erfassen, begreifen, verstehen, erfassen, Griff
murderer - Mörder, Mörderin
frightened - verängstigt; Angst machen, erschrecken, schrecken, beängstigen
whom - wen; wem; dem, der, den, die
belonged - gehörte; zugehören; gehören (zu)
impossible - unmöglich
"I am tired," I said, my forehead dripping with perspiration; "there is only this figure to do; I will finish it tomorrow. It will be easy then."
forehead - Stirn
dripping - tropft; Bratenfett; (drip) tropft; Bratenfett
perspiration - Schwitzen
figure - Abbildung; Figur; Gestalt; Ziffer; Form
And again I went to bed, thoroughly frightened by my vision.
thoroughly - gründlich, vollkommen, total, durch und durch
vision - Sicht, Sehvermögen, Sehkraft, Augenlicht, Trugbild
The next morning, I got up very early. I was dressing in order to resume my interrupted work, when two little knocks were heard on my door.
resume - weiter; Lebenslauf; fortsetzen, wiedererlangen, wiederaufnehmen
interrupted - unterbrochen; unterbrechen
knocks - klopft; Klopfen
"Come in!"
The door opened. An old man, tall, thin, and dressed in black, appeared on the threshold. This man's face, his eyes set close together and his large nose like the beak of an eagle, surmounted by a high bony forehead, had something severe about it. He bowed to me gravely.
threshold - Schwelle, Türschwelle
set - gesetzt; Seth
beak - Schnabel, Zinken
eagle - Adler, Eagle
bony - knöchern; grätig; knochig
severe - schwerwiegend; streng
bowed - gebeugt; Verneigung (vor), Verbeugung; Bogen, Bug (Schiff)
gravely - ernsthaft; ernst, ernstlich, schwerlich
"Mister Christian Vénius, the painter?" said he.
Christian - Christ, Christin, Christian, christlich
painter - Lackierer, Kunstmaler, Maler
"That is my name, sir."
He bowed again, adding:
"The Baron Frederick Van Spreckdal."
Baron - Baron, Freiherr
van - Lieferwagen; Van
The appearance of the rich amateur, Van Spreckdal, judge of the criminal court, in my poor lodging, greatly disturbed me. I could not help throwing a stealthy glance at my old worm-eaten furniture, my damp hangings and my dusty floor. I felt humiliated by such dilapidation; but Van Spreckdal did not seem to take any account of these details; and sitting down at my little table:
appearance - Erscheinen, Auftritt, Aussehen
amateur - Amateur, Amateurin, Laie, Laiin
judge - urteilen (nach), richten; Richter, Jurist
criminal - kriminell; Krimineller, Kriminelle, Verbrecher, Verbrecherin
Court - Hof, Hofstaat, Gericht, Gerichtshof, Platz, werben
lodging - Unterbringung; Unterkunft; (lodge); Lodge; Loge; Biberburg; feststecken
greatly - sehr; außerordentlich, großartig
disturbed - beunruhigt; stören
throwing - Werfen; (to throw) schmeißen; (throw) Werfen; (to throw) schmeißen
stealthy - geheim, heimlich, verstohlen
worm - Wurm; elender Wurm
furniture - Möbel
damp - feucht; Feuchtigkeit; ersticken, dämpfen
hangings - Erhängen; (to hang) hängen, schweben
humiliated - gedemütigt; demütigen, beschämen, erniedrigen
dilapidation - Verfall, Baufälligkeit, Verwahrlosung, Zerstörung
Seem - scheinen, dünken
account - Rechnung, Bericht, Rechnung, Konto
sitting down - hinsetzend
"Mister Vénius," he resumed, "I come--" But at this instant his glance fell upon the unfinished sketch-he did not finish his phrase.
resumed - wiederaufgenommen; weiter; Lebenslauf; fortsetzen
instant - sofort; augenblicklich, tafelfertig, Moment
unfinished - unvollendet
I was sitting on the edge of my little bed; and the sudden attention that this personage bestowed upon one of my productions made my heart beat with an indefinable apprehension.
edge - Rand; Seite, Kante, Vorsprung, Klinge, Schneide, schieben
sudden - plötzlich, jäh
attention - Aufmerksamkeit, Beachtung, Wachsamkeit, Achtung, Habachtstellung
personage - Persönlichkeit
bestowed - verliehen; verstauen, einlagern, unterbringen, schenken
productions - Produktionen; Produktion, Herstellung, Produktion, Produktion
heart - Herz, Herzstück
beat - Schlag ;jdn. bezwingen
indefinable - undefinierbar
apprehension - Befürchtungen; Greifen, Ergreifen, Fassen, Anfassen
At the end of a minute, Van Spreckdal lifted his head:
lifted - angehoben; Lüften (Bremse), Lift, Aufzug; fördern
"Are you the author of that sketch?" he asked me with an intent look.
author - Autor, Autorin, Verfasser, Verfasserin
intent - Absicht
"Yes, sir."
"What is the price of it?"
"I never sell my sketches. It is the plan for a picture."
"Ah!" said he, picking up the paper with the tips of his long yellow fingers.
picking - Kommissionierung; pflücken; (pic) Kommissionierung; pflücken
tips - Tipps; Tip
fingers - fingern
He took a lens from his waistcoat pocket and began to study the design in silence.
lens - Linse
waistcoat - Weste
Pocket - Tasche
silence - Stille, Schweigen, zum Schweigen bringen, Ruhe
The sun was now shining obliquely into the garret. Van Spreckdal never said a word; the hook of his immense nose increased, his heavy eyebrows contracted, and his long pointed chin took a turn upward, making a thousand little wrinkles in his long, thin cheeks. The silence was so profound that I could distinctly hear the plaintive buzzing of a fly that had been caught in a spider's web.
shining - glänzen; schimmern, wienern; Schein; putzen (Schuhe)
obliquely - schräg
garret - Dachboden; Mansarde, Dachwohnung
Hook - Haken; Hookline; einhaken
immense - immens
increased - erhöht; zunehmen, steigen, ansteigen, wachsen, anwachsen
heavy - heftig, schwer, stark (Regen)
eyebrows - Augenbrauen; Braue, Augenbraue
chin - Kinn
upward - nach oben; ansteigend, aufwärts
wrinkles - Falten; sich runzeln, runzlig (runzelig) werden, knittern
cheeks - Wangen; Backe, qualifierormal, Backe, Stirn, Mick, Pumpenmick
profound - tiefgründig; tiefgehend, profund
distinctly - deutlich
plaintive - traurig, wehleidig, klagend, Klage
buzzing - Brummen; surrend; (buzz); Summen, Brummen, Gemurmel, Raunen
caught - erwischt; Fang, Fang, Haken, Fang, fangen, fangen, einfangen
spider - Spinne
web - Netz; Web
"And the dimensions of this picture, Mister Vénius?" he said without looking at me.
dimensions - Abmessungen; Dimension, Dimension, Dimension, Dimension
"Three feet by four."
"The price?"
"Fifty ducats."
ducats - Dukaten; Dukat
Van Spreckdal laid the sketch on the table, and drew from his pocket a large purse of green silk shaped like a pear; he drew the rings of it--
laid - gelegt; richten (Tisch)
purse - Handtasche; Geldbörse, Geldbeutel
silk - Seide
shaped - geformt; Zustand, Form, Form, Form, Gestalt, Form
pear - Birne; Birnbaum, Birnenholz, Birnbaumholz, Birnholz
rings - Ringe; Ring, Kreis
"Fifty ducats," said he, "here they are."
I was simply dazzled.
Simply - einfach
dazzled - geblendet; blenden, verblüffen, faszinieren, bezaubern, betören
The Baron rose and bowed to me, and I heard his big ivory-headed cane resounding on each step until he reached the bottom of the stairs. Then recovering from my stupour, I suddenly remembered that I had not thanked him, and I flew down the five flights like lightning; but when I reached the bottom, I looked to the right and left; the street was deserted.
rose - Rosa; (rise); Rosa
ivory - Elfenbein, Elfenbeinfarbe, elfenbeinern, Elfenbein-
cane - Schilfrohr; Rohr; Rohrstock; Blindenstock, weisser Langstock
resounding - durchschlagend; widerhallen
step - treten, treten (du trittst
reached - erreicht; erzielen, greifen (nach), sich erstrecken; eintreffen
bottom - unten; Boden, Grund, Unterseite, passiv
stairs - Stufe, Treppenstufe, Treppe
recovering from - abjagend
stupour - Stumpfsinn
lightning - Blitzschlag; Blitz; Entladung
deserted - Wüste, wüst, Ă–de; verlassen, desertieren, im Stich lassen
"Well," I said, "this is strange."
And I went upstairs again all out of breath.
The surprising way in which Van Spreckdal had appeared to me threw me into deep wonderment. "Yesterday," I said to myself, as I contemplated the pile of ducats glittering in the sun, "yesterday I formed the wicked intention of cutting my throat, all for the want of a few miserable florins, and now today Fortune has showered them from the clouds. Indeed it was fortunate that I did not open my razor; and, if the same temptation ever comes to me again, I will take care to wait until the morrow.
surprising - überraschend, verwunderlich
threw - geworfen; Wurf; werfen (du wirfst, er wirft), ich/er/sie würfe
deep - tief, tiefgründig, dunkel, Tiefe
wonderment - Verwunderung
contemplated - in Erwägung gezogen; nachsinnen
glittering - glitzernd, funkelnd; (glitter); Glitter; glitzern
wicked - verrucht; böse; (wick) verrucht; böse
intention - Absicht
miserable - unglücklich; elend, erbärmlich, jämmerlich, miserabel
Fortune - Fortuna; Schicksal, Glück, Vermögen
clouds - Wolken; verschleiern
indeed - tatsächlich; in der Tat, genau, allerdings, checkgewiss
fortunate - glücklich; günstig, verheißungsvoll
temptation - Versuchung, Verführung
care - kümmern; Sorgfalt, Aufbewahrung, Behandlung
After making these judicious reflections, I sat down to finish the sketch; four strokes of the pencil and it would be finished. But here an incomprehensible difficulty awaited me. It was impossible for me to take those four sweeps of the pencil; I had lost the thread of my inspiration, and the mysterious personage no longer stood out in my brain.
judicious - vernünftig
strokes - Schlaganfälle; streicheln; Stoß, Schlag, Streich, Hub
incomprehensible - unverständlich
difficulty - Schwierigkeiten; Schwierigkeit
awaited - erwartet; erwarten, harren, warten
sweeps - fegen, kehren, fegen, rauschen, auf den Kopf stellen, fegen
thread - Thema; Faden, Garn, Zwirn, Nähgarn
brain - Gehirn, Superhirn, Intelligenzbestie, Kopf, Verstand, Köpfchen
I tried in vain to evoke him, to sketch him, and to recover him; he no more accorded with the surroundings than with a figure by Raphael in a Teniers inn-kitchen. I broke out into a profuse perspiration.
in vain - vergebens
evoke - evozieren; hervorrufen
recover - wiederfinden, sich erholen, beikommen
accorded - zugestanden; Übereinstimmung, Einvernehmen
surroundings - Umgebung, umliegend
Inn - Gasthaus; Herberge
broke out - (break out) ausbrechen
profuse - übermäßig, enorm, reichlich, üppig
At this moment, Rap opened the door without knocking, according to his praiseworthy custom. His eyes fell upon my pile of ducats and in a shrill voice he cried:
knocking - Nageln (Dieselmotor)
according - nach; Übereinstimmung, Einvernehmen
praiseworthy - lobenswert, rühmenswert, preiswürdig
custom - Brauch, Gewohnheit, Sitte, Usus, Zoll, maßgeschneidert
cried - geweint hat; weinen, schreien, schreien, rufen, Weinen
"Eh! eh! so I catch you. Will you still persist in telling me, Mr. Painter, that you have no money?"
eh - oder
catch - Fang; Haken; fangen; einfangen; verstehen, begreifen, bekommen
persist - fortbestehen; beharren
Mr - Herr
And his hooked fingers advanced with that nervous trembling that the sight of gold always produces in a miser.
hooked - süchtig; Haken, Hookline, Haken, haken, haken, einhaken, haken
advanced - fortgeschritten; erhöhen, erheben, befördern, vorrücken
nervous - nervös
trembling - Zittern, Beben; (tremble); zittern; Zittern
sight - Sehenswürdigkeit, Gesicht, Visier, erblicken, anvisieren
gold - Gold
produces - produziert; produzieren, herstellen, vorlegen, produzieren
miser - Geizhals, Geizkragen, Geiziger, Geizige
For a few seconds I was stupefied.
The memory of all the indignities that this individual had inflicted upon me, his covetous look, and his impudent smile exasperated me. With a single bound, I caught hold of him, and pushed him out of the room, slamming the door in his face.
memory - Gedächtnis; Erinnerung; Speicher
indignities - Demütigungen; Entwürdigung
individual - Individuum; einzeln, individuell, Einzel-
inflicted - auferlegt; zufügen, de
covetous - begehrlich
smile - Lächeln
exasperated - verärgert; verärgern, aufbringen, auf die Palme bringen
single - einzeln, einzig, allein, einheitlich
bound - gebunden; Sprung; (bind); binden; verbinden, konnektieren
hold - halten; innehaben
pushed - geschoben; schieben, drängen, stoßen
slamming - zuknallend, zuschlagend; (slam) zuknallend, zuschlagend
This was done with the crack and rapidity of a spring snuff-box.
crack - Riss, Knall, Aufbruch, Bresche; aufbrechen, knallen, platzen
rapidity - Schnelligkeit
snuff - schnüffeln, schnuppern; Butzen, schnupfen, Schnupftabak
But from outside the old usurer screamed like an eagle:
usurer - Wucherer, Wucherin, Kredithai, Zinswucherer
screamed - geschrien; Schrei, schreien
"My money, you thief, my money!"
thief - Dieb, Diebin
The lodgers came out of their rooms, asking:
lodgers - Untermieter, Mieter
"What is the matter? What has happened?"
matter - Materie; Masse, Substanz, Stoff, Angelegenheit, Anlass
I opened the door suddenly and quickly gave Mister Rap a kick in the spine that sent him rolling down more than twenty steps.
kick - treten, (Pferd) ausschlagen; Stoß
spine - Rückgrat, Wirbelsäule, Rücken, Stachel, Dorn
rolling - rollend, Walzen; (roll) rollend, Walzen
steps - Schritte; treten, treten (du trittst
"That's what's the matter!" I cried, quite beside myself. Then I shut the door and bolted it, while bursts of laughter from the neighbours greeted Mister Rap in the passage.
beside - daneben; neben
shut - geschlossen; (to shut) schließen, zumachen
bolted - verriegelt; Riegel, Ballen, Blitz, Bolzen; durchgehen (Pferd)
bursts - Ausbrüche; platzen, zerplatzen, bersten, sprengen, Bersten
laughter - Gelächter, Lachen
greeted - gegrüßt; grüßen, begrüßen
passage - Durchfahrt, Ăśbergang, Gang
I was satisfied with myself; I rubbed my hands together. This adventure had put new life into me; I resumed my work, and was about to finish the sketch when I heard an unusual noise.
satisfied - befriedigen, zufriedenstellen
rubbed - gerieben; reiben, reiben, abreiben, sich abreiben
adventure - Abenteuer
unusual - ungewöhnlich, unüblich, ungebräuchlich
noise - Lärm, Geräusch, Krach, Rauschen, Störung
Butts of muskets were grounded on the pavement. I looked out of my window and saw three soldiers in full uniform with grounded arms in front of my door.
Butts - Hintern; stoßen; Kippe, Po
muskets - Musketen; Muskete
grounded - Hausarrest; Masse (elektrisch); Erdboden, Grund, Boden
pavement - Bürgersteig; Asphalt, Pflaster
soldiers - Soldaten; Soldat, Soldatin, Kämpfer
uniform - gleichförmig, gleichmäßig, einheitlich, Uniform, Dienstkleidung
I said to myself in my terror: "Can it be that that scoundrel of a Rap has had any bones broken?"
scoundrel - Schurke, Gauner, Gaunerin, Halunke
bones - Knochen
And here is the strange peculiarity of the human mind: I, who the night before had wanted to cut my own throat, shook from head to foot, thinking that I might well be hanged if Rap were dead.
peculiarity - Singularität, Einzigartigkeit, Besonderheit
human - menschlich
shook - geschüttelt; (to shake) erschüttern, schütteln
hanged - aufgehängt
dead - tot, gestorben, leblos, bewegungslos, regungslos, erstarrt
The stairway was filled with confused noises. It was an ascending flood of heavy footsteps, clanking arms, and short syllables.
stairway - Treppe
confused - verwirrt; verwirren, konfundieren, verwechseln, vermischen
noises - Geräusche; Lärm, Geräusch
ascending - aufsteigend; steigen, aufsteigen
flood - Hochwasser; Flut; überschwemmen, überfluten, überfüllen
Footsteps - Fußstapfen; Fußabdruck, Schritt
clanking - klirrend; (clank); klirren, kläppern, aneinanderschlagen
syllables - Silben; Silbe
Suddenly somebody tried to open my door. It was shut.
Then there was a general clamour.
general - allgemein, generell, General
clamour - zetern; Geschrei, Aufschrei, Lärm
"In the name of the law-open!"
law - Gesetz, Jura, Rechtswissenschaft
I arose, trembling and weak in the knees.
arose - entstanden ist; sich erheben, aufstehen, entstehen, auftreten
weak - schwach; out, unschön, häßlich, uninteressant
"Open!" the same voice repeated.
I thought to escape over the roofs; but I had hardly put my head out of the little snuff-box window, when I drew back, seized with vertigo. I saw in a flash all the windows below with their shining panes, their fLower-pots, their bird-cages, and their gratings. Lower, the balcony; still lower, the street-lamp; still lower again, the sign of the "Red Cask" framed in iron-work; and, finally, three glittering bayonets, only awaiting my fall to run me through the body from the sole of my foot to the crown of my head.
escape - entgehen, ausweichen, davonkommen, Flucht
hardly - hart, rau, kaum
seized with - befallen
vertigo - Schwindel
flash - Blitzlicht; aufleuchten, blitzen, aufflammen
shining - glänzen; Schienbein; hinaufklettern
panes - Scheiben; Scheibe, Fensterscheibe
lower - niedriger, niedrigerer, ausfahren (Fahrgestell); abdämpfen
pots - Töpfe; Blumentopf
cages - Käfige; Käfig
gratings - Gitterroste; Gitter
balcony - Balkon
sign - Wert, Zeichen, Hinweistafel, Indiz; unterschreiben, signieren
cask - Fass, Tonne
framed - gerahmt; ausarbeiten, entwerfen, einfassen, einrahmen, rahmen
iron - eisern; bügeln; in Eisen legen
finally - schließlich; endlich; definitiv, checkletztendlich
bayonets - Bajonette; Bajonett
awaiting - erwarten, harren, warten
fall to - zufallen
crown - Zenit; krönen; Bombage (ballige Fläche), Zahnkrone; Baumkrone
On the roof of the opposite house a tortoise-shell cat was crouching behind a chimney, watching a band of sparrows fighting and scolding in the gutter.
tortoise-shell - (tortoise-shell) Schildpatt
crouching - hockend; sich ducken (vor), kriechen; kauern, hocken
chimney - Kamin, Esse, Schlot, Schornstein, Spalte
fighting - (fight) kämpfen, sich streiten; (fight) (fight) kämpfen
scolding - ausschimpfend, zankend, scheltend; (scold); Beißzange
gutter - Regenrinne, Rinnstein, Gosse
One cannot imagine to what clearness, intensity, and rapidity the human eye acquires when stimulated by fear.
clearness - Klarheit; Ăśbersichtlichkeit, Deutlichkeit
intensity - Intensität
acquires - erwirbt; erwerben, erwerben, akquirieren
stimulated - stimuliert; stimulieren, stimulieren
At the third summons I heard:
third - dritte; Dritter, Dritte, Drittel, Drittel, Terz, dreiteilen
summons - Vorladungen; Vorladung; (summon) Vorladungen; Vorladung
"Open, or we shall force it!"
shall - sollen
Seeing that flight was impossible, I staggered to the door and drew the bolt.
staggered - gestaffelt; Staffelung; abstufen, staffeln, wanken
bolt - Riegel, Ballen, Blitz, Bolzen; durchgehen (Pferd), sausen
Two hands immediately fell upon my collar. A dumpy, little man, smelling of wine, said:
immediately - sofort, alsbald, unverzüglich, auf der Stelle
collar - Kragen; Halskette; Halsband; Ring
dumpy - plump
little man - Männchen
smelling - riechend; (smell); Geruch; Geruchssinn, Riechen, stinken
"I arrest you!"
arrest - Verhaftung, Festnahme, Arrest, arretieren, festnehmen
He wore a bottle-green redingote, buttoned to the chin, and a stovepipe hat. He had large brown whiskers, rings on every finger, and was named Passauf.
buttoned - zugeknöpft; Schaltfläche, Taster, Knopf, Taste
stovepipe - Ofenrohr
whiskers - Schnurrhaare; Barthaar
finger - fingern
He was the chief of police.
chief - Häuptling, Oberhaupt, Chef
Five bull-dogs with flat caps, noses like pistols, and lower jaws turning upward, observed me from outside.
Bull - Bulle, Stier
flat caps - Tellermützen
pistols - Pistolen; Pistole, Faustfeuerwaffe, Zündpistole
observed - beobachtet; beobachten, beachten, halten, bemerken
"What do you want?" I asked Passauf.
"Come downstairs," he cried roughly, as he gave a sign to one of his men to seize me.
roughly - ungefähr; grob; uneben
seize - ergreifen, fassen, packen, beschlagnahmen, erfassen
This man took hold of me, more dead than alive, while several other men turned my room upside down.
alive - lebendig
several - mehrere, einige, verschiedene, checkeinige
upside - Vorteile; Oberseite; Vorteil, positive Seite, Schokoladenseite
I went downstairs supported by the arms like a person in the last stages of consumption-with hair dishevelled and stumbling at every step.
went downstairs - (go downstairs) Treppe hinabgehen
supported - unterstützt; Rückendeckung, Auflage, Unterstützung; abstützen
Last - letzte, zuletzt, letzter, vorig; dauern, andauern
stages - Stufen; Stufe, Etappe, Bühne, qualifier
consumption - Konsum, Verzehr, Verbrauch, Aufnahme
stumbling - Stolpern
They thrust me into a cab between two strong fellows, who charitably let me see the ends of their clubs, held to their wrists by a leather string-and then the carriage started off.
thrust - Stoß, Stich, Vorstoß, Schub, Schubkraft
cab - Taxi, Fiaker
fellows - Kameraden; Stipendiat, Typ, Kerl, Bursche; Gefährte, Kerl
charitably - karitativ
held - gehalten; innehaben
wrists - Handgelenke; Handgelenk
leather - Leder; ledern
string - Schnur; Zeichenkette, String, Saite, auffädeln, einfädeln
carriage - Kutsche; Gang, Haltung, Wagen, Frachtgeld, Fracht, Fuhrlohn
I heard behind us the feet of all the urchins of the town.
urchins - Seeigel; Bengel, Lümmel, Lausbube, Racker, Schlingel, Göre
"What have I done?" I asked one of my keepers.
keepers - Hüter, Wächter, Hüter, Torwart, Tormann
He looked at the other with a strange smile and said:
"Hans-he asks what he has done!"
Hans - Bauer; (Han) Bauer
That smile froze my blood.
froze - eingefroren; frieren
Soon a deep shadow enveloped the carriage; the horses'hoofs resounded under an archway. We were entering the Raspelhaus. Of this place one might say:
shadow - Schatten; beschatten
enveloped - umhüllt; einhüllen, umhüllen
hoofs - Hufe; Huf
resounded - ertönte; widerhallen
archway - Torbogen, Arkade, Bogengang
entering - eintreten; eingegeben; (enter); reingehen, hineingehen
"Dans cet antre,
dans - Dan
Je vois fort bien comme l'on entre,
fort - Festung, Fort, Stützpunkt
Et ne vois point comme on en sort."
et - und
ne - NO Nordost(en)
sort - Sortierung, Gattung, Art, Sorte; sortieren, ordnen
All is not rose-coloured in this world; from the claws of Rap I fell into a dungeon, from which very few poor devils have a chance to escape.
claws - Krallen; zerkratzen; Kralle, Fang (Vogelkralle), Klaue
dungeon - Verlies, Kerker, Donjon
devils - Teufeln; Teufel, Satan, Teufel, Teufel, Teufel, Teufelin
chance - riskieren, zufällig geschehen; Chance, Zufall, Gelegenheit
Large dark courtyards and rows of windows like a hospital, and furnished with gratings; not a sprig of verdure, not a festoon of ivy, not even a weathercock in perspective-such was my new lodging. It was enough to make one tear his hair out by the roots.
courtyards - Höfe; Hof
rows - Reihen; Reihe, Zeile
sprig - Zweiglein, Büschchen, Büschel, junger Hüpfer
verdure - Grünzeug; Grün, Wuchs, Pflanzenwuchs, Kraft
festoon - Feston, Girlande, Lichterkette
ivy - Efeu
weathercock - Wetterhahn; Wetterfahne
perspective - Aussicht; Perspektive
roots - wurzeln; Haupt, Wurzel, Nullstelle [math.]
The police officers, accompanied by the jailer, took me temporarily to a lock-up.
officers - Offiziere; Funktionär, Funktionärin, Beamter, Beamtin, Offizier
accompanied - begleitet; begleiten, begleiten, begleiten, begleiten, geleiten
jailer - Gefängniswärter, Gefängniswärterin, Gefängnisaufseher
temporarily - vorübergehend
lock-up - (lock-up) einsperren, einlochen (einsperren), versperren
The jailer, if I remember rightly, was named Kasper Schlüssel; with his grey woollen cap, his pipe between his teeth, and his bunch of keys at his belt, he reminded me of the Owl-God of the Caribs. He had the same golden yellow eyes, that see in the dark, a nose like a comma, and a neck that was sunk between the shoulders.
rightly - zurecht, zu Recht, richtig
woollen - Wolle
cap - Ventilkappe; Mütze, Haube, Kappe, Deckel; Laufflächenkrone
pipe - Flöte; Orgelpfeife; Rohr; senkrechter Strich
bunch of keys - Schlüsselbund
belt - Gürtel; Gurt; Riemen, Zone, schmettern
reminded - Erinnert; erinnern, in Erinnerung bringen
Owl - Eule, Uhu, Eulenvogel
Golden - golden, goldgelb
comma - Beistrich, Komma, C-Falter
neck - knutschen; Genick, Zapfen (Wellenhals), Nacken
sunk - versenkt; nachlassen, untergehen, abgesackt
shoulders - schultern
Schlüssel shut me up as calmly as one locks up his socks in a cupboard, while thinking of something else. As for me, I stood for more than ten minutes with my hands behind my back and my head bowed. At the end of that time I made the following reflection: "When falling, Rap cried out, 'I am assassinated,'but he did not say by whom. I will say it was my neighbour, the old merchant with the spectacles: he will be hanged in my place."
locks up - versperrt
socks - Socken, Socke, Faustschlag
cupboard - Schrank; Küchenschrank
stood for - (stand for) bedeuten
reflection - Reflexion, Abbild, Reflektion, Abwägung
assassinated - ermordet; ermorden, meucheln, Meuchelmord begehen
merchant - Kaufmann, Kauffrau
spectacles - Brillen; Spektakel
This idea comforted my heart, and I drew a long breath. Then I looked about my prison. It seemed to have been newly whitewashed, and the walls were bare of designs, except in one corner, where a gallows had been crudely sketched by my predecessor. The light was admitted through a bull's-eye about nine or ten feet from the floor; the furniture consisted of a bundle of straw and a tub.
comforted - getröstet; Behaglichkeit, Bequemlichkeit, Komfort, Trost
prison - Gefängnis, Knast, Haft, Gefangenschaft
newly - neu
whitewashed - getüncht; Tünche, Zu-null-Sieg, reinwaschen, schönfärben, etwas
bare - knapp, kahl, nackt, bloß; entblößen, abnehmen, freimachen
Except - ausnehmen, ausklammern, ausschließen, widersprechen, außer
gallows - Galgen; (gallow) Galgen
crudely - grobschlächtig; ungehobelt
sketched - skizziert; skizzieren, entwerfen, Skizze, Sketch
predecessor - Vorgänger, Vorgängerin, Vorläufer
admitted - zugelassen; einlassen, zulassen, zugeben, eingestehen, erlauben
consisted - bestand; zusammensetzend, besteht aus; bestehen (aus)
bundle - Bündel
tub - Wanne; Dose; q
I sat down upon the straw with my hands around my knees in deep despondency. It was with great difficulty that I could think clearly; but suddenly imagining that Rap, before dying, had denounced me, my legs began to tingle, and I jumped up coughing, as if the hempen cord were already tightening around my neck.
despondency - Verzagtheit, Mutlosigkeit, Niedergeschlagenheit
Clearly - Eindeutig; klar, deutlich
dying - (to die) sterben, umkommen; (dye) (to die) sterben, umkommen
denounced - denunziert; verurteilen, kündigen, aufkündigen
tingle - kribbeln, prickeln, Prickeln
jumped up - aufgesprungen, arrogant, emporgekommen
coughing - hustend; (cough); husten; Husten
hempen - hanfen
cord - Schnur, Kordel, Strick, Kabel, Litze
tightening - Verschärfung; anziehen
At the same moment, I heard Schlüssel walking down the corridor; he opened the lock-up, and told me to follow him. He was still accompanied by the two officers, so I fell into step resolutely.
corridor - Korridor, Gang, Durchgang, Flur
lock - sperren; Schloss
resolutely - Entschlossenheit
We walked down long galleries, lighted at intervals by small windows from within. Behind a grating I saw the famous Jic-Jack, who was going to be executed on the morrow. He had on a strait-jacket and sang out in a raucous voice:
galleries - Galerien; Galerie, Galerie, Galerie, Galerie
intervals - Intervalle; Abstand, Zwischenraum, Intervall
within - in, innerhalb
grating - knirschend; Gitter; (grate) knirschend; Gitter
Jack - Hans, Hanns, Hannes, Hänsel
executed - ausgeführt; hinrichten, ausführen, durchführen, ausführen
Strait - Meerenge, Straße
raucous - rau; krakeelig, lärmend
"Je suis le roi de ces montagnes."
suis - Sie sind
ces - n. Chr. (''nach Christus, nach Christo''), n. Chr. Geb
Seeing me, he called out:
"Eh! comrade! I'll keep a place for you at my right."
comrade - Kamerad; Genosse, Genossin
The two police officers and the Owl-God looked at each other and smiled, while I felt the goose-flesh creep down the whole length of my back.
smiled - gelächelt; Lächeln
goose - Gans
flesh - Fleisch; Haut, Leib, Fruchtfleisch, Fleischfarbe, zunehmen
creep - Fiesling; kriechen; schleichen; Knilch, Widerling
Length - Länge, Längenmaß, Pferdelänge
Schlüssel shoved me into a large and very dreary hall, with benches arranged in a semicircle. The appearance of this deserted hall, with its two high grated windows, and its Christ carved in old brown oak with His arms extended and His head sorrowfully inclined upon His shoulder, inspired me with I do not know what kind of religious fear that accorded with my actual situation.
shoved - geschoben; schieben
hall - Flur, Korridor, Diele, Halle, Saal
benches - Bänke; Bank, Sitzbank, Richter
arranged - vereinbart; arrangieren, systematisieren, aufstellen, ordnen
semicircle - Halbkreis
grated - gerieben; Gitter, Feuerrost, Rost; (Käse) reiben, rastern
Christ - Christus, Herrgott
carved - geschnitzt; schneiden, tranchieren, zerlegen, schnitzen
oak - Eiche, Eichenholz, Eichen-
extended - erweitert; erweitern, ausdehnen, erweitern, ausdehnen, ausweiten
sorrowfully - bedauernd
inclined - geneigt; neigen, neigen, neigen, Neigung, Anstieg, Gefälle
inspired - inspiriert; inspirieren, inspirieren, beatmen, einhauchen
religious - religiös, gläubig, Ordensmitglied, Ordensleute
actual - tatsächlich, konkret, gegenwärtig, aktuell
All my ideas of false accusation disappeared, and my lips tremblingly murmured a prayer.
accusation - Anschuldigung; Anklage, Beschuldigung
disappeared - verschwunden; verschwinden, entschwinden
tremblingly - zitternd
murmured - gemurmelt; Rauschen
prayer - Gebet; (the Lord's Prayer) Paternoster
I had not prayed for a long time; but misfortune always brings us to thoughts of submission. Man is so little in himself!
prayed - gebetet; Bitte bedenken Sie doch!; beten
misfortune - Pech, Ungemach, Unglück, Unfall, Unheil
thoughts - Gedanken; Gedanke
submission - Unterbreitung, Unterwerfung
Opposite me, on an elevated seat, two men were sitting with their backs to the light, and consequently their faces were in shadow. However, I recognized Van Spreckdal by his aquiline profile, illuminated by an oblique reflection from the window. The other person was fat, he had round, chubby cheeks and short hands, and he wore a robe, like Van Spreckdal.
elevated - erhöht; gehoben; (elevate); erhöhen, anheben
seat - Sitz, Sitzplatz, Sitzgelegenheit, Stuhl, Sitzmöbel
consequently - folglich
recognized - ich/er/sie erkannte, anerkennen, erkennen
profile - Profil, Benutzerprofil
illuminated - beleuchtet; beleuchten, erhellen, illuminieren
oblique - schräg, schief, oblique
round - runden; Kontrollgang, Runde, Rundgang, rund
Chubby - mollig; Dickerchen
robe - Gewand; Robe
Below was the clerk of the court, Conrad; he was writing at a low table and was tickling the tip of his ear with the feather-end of his pen. When I entered, he stopped to look at me curiously.
low - tief, niedrig, nieder, leise (Stimme); muhen, blöken (Rind)
clerk - Angestellter; Büroangestellte, Buchhalter, Bürokaufmann
tickling - kitzelnd; (tickle); Kitzeln
tip - Tipp; Tip
feather - eine Feder; Feder, Vogelfeder, befiedern
entered - eingegeben; reingehen, hineingehen, hereingehen, eintreten
curiously - neugierige
They made me sit down, and Van Spreckdal, raising his voice, said to me:
raising - Erhöhung; Erhebung; Großziehen, Aufziehen
"Christian Vénius, where did you get this sketch?"
He showed me the nocturnal sketch which was then in his possession. It was handed to me. After having examined it, I replied:
nocturnal - nachtaktiv; nächtlich
possession - Gut; Besessenheit; Ballbesitz
examined - untersucht; untersuchen, untersuchen, untersuchen, prüfen
replied - geantwortet; antworten, erwidern, Antwort, Entgegnung, Antwort
"I am the author of it."
A long silence followed; the clerk of the court, Conrad, wrote down my reply. I heard his pen scratch over the paper, and I thought: "Why did they ask me that question? That has nothing to do with the kick I gave Rap in the back."
reply - antworten, erwidern, Antwort, Entgegnung
scratch - kratzen; zerkratzen, verkratzen, Kratzer
"You are the author of it?" asked Van Spreckdal. "What is the subject?"
"It is a subject of pure fancy."
pure - bloß, rein
fancy - schick; extravagant, originell
"You have not copied the details from some spot?"
copied - kopiert; Kopie, Exemplar
spot - Fleck, Punkt, Pickel, Pustel, Bisschen, Stelle, Ort, Werbespot
"No, sir; I imagined it all."
"Accused Christian," said the judge in a severe tone, "I ask you to reflect. Do not lie."
accused - beschuldigt; beschuldigen, anklagen
tone - Farbton, Klang, Umgangston, Ton
reflect - nachdenken; reflektieren, zurückspiegeln, sich spiegeln
lie - lügen; (lie down) sich hinlegen
"I have spoken the truth."
truth - Wahrheit, Treue
"Write that down, clerk," said Van Spreckdal.
The pen scratched again.
scratched - zerkratzt; kratzen, kratzen, zerkratzen, verkratzen, Kratzer
"And this woman," continued the judge-"this woman who is being murdered at the side of the well-did you imagine her also?"
continued - fortgesetzt; fortsetzen, weiterhin
murdered - ermordet; Mord, Mord, Mord, mörderisch, ermorden, massakrieren
"Certainly."
Certainly - sicherlich, zweifellos, gewiss, freilich
"You have never seen her?"
"Never."
Van Spreckdal rose indignantly; then, sitting down again, he seemed to consult his companion in a low voice.
indignantly - entrüstet
consult - Rat halten; beraten, beratschlagen, um Rat fragen
companion - Begleiter, Freund, Liebhaber, Kamerad
These two dark profiles silhouetted against the brightness of the window, and the three men standing behind me, the silence in the hall-everything made me shiver.
profiles - Profile; Profil
silhouetted - silhouettiert; Silhouette, Schattenriss
against - gegen, mit, wider
brightness - Funkeln, Glanz, Helligkeit, Aufgewecktheit
shiver - Schauder, Schauer, zittern, frösteln
"What do you want with me? What have I done?" I murmured.
Suddenly Van Spreckdal said to my guardians:
guardians - Wächter, Wache, Vormund, Erziehungsberechtigter
"You can take the prisoner back to the carriage; we will go to Metzerstrasse."
prisoner - Gefangener, Gefangene, Häftling, Strafgefangener
Then, addressing me:
"Christian Vénius," he cried, "you are in a deplorable situation. Collect your thoughts and remember that if the law of man is inflexible, there still remains for you the mercy of God. This you can merit by confessing your crime."
deplorable - bedauernswert
collect - eintreiben (Schulden), sammeln, einsammeln
inflexible - unflexibel
remains - bleibt; Überrest (2), de
mercy - Barmherzigkeit, Erbarmen, Gnade, Mitleid
merit - Verdienst
confessing - gestehen, bekennen, verraten, beichten
crime - Straftat; Verbrechen; Kriminalität
These words stunned me like a blow from a hammer. I fell back with extended arms, crying:
stunned - fassungslos; betäuben, verblüffen
blow - (to blow) blasen, wehen, pusten
hammer - Hammer; Schlagstück, Hahn, Schlaghebel, tMalleus
crying - Weinen; (cry); weinen; schreien; rufen; Weinen; Schrei
"Ah! what a terrible dream!"
dream - Traum, Wunsch, träumen, wünschen
And I fainted.
fainted - in Ohnmacht gefallen; leise, schwach, undeutlich
When I regained consciousness, the carriage was rolling slowly down the street; another one preceded us. The two officers were always with me. One of them on the way offered a pinch of snuff to his companion; mechanically I reached out my hand toward the snuff-box, but he withdrew it quickly.
regained - wiedergewonnen; wiedergewinnen
consciousness - Bewusstsein, Gewahrsein, Erkenntnis, Bewusstheit
slowly - langsam
preceded - vorausgegangen; vorangehen, vorausgehen
offered - angeboten; offerieren, anbieten, bieten, zeigen; Antrag
pinch - kneifen, zwicken, schnappen, erwischen, Messerspitze, Prise
mechanically - mechanisch
toward - zu, in Richtung, nach, auf
withdrew - zurückgezogen; annullieren, entziehen, abziehen, ausscheiden
My cheeks reddened with shame, and I turned away my head to conceal my emotion.
reddened - gerötet; erröten, röten
shame - Schamgefühl; Scham, Schande
conceal - verbergen, verheimlichen, verschleiern, verschweigen
emotion - Emotionen; Gefühl, Empfindung
"If you look outside," said the man with the snuff-box, "we shall be obliged to put handcuffs on you."
be obliged - müssen
handcuffs - Handschellen; Handschelle, fesseln
"May the devil strangle you, you infernal scoundrel!" I said to myself. And as the carriage now stopped, one of them got out, while the other held me by the collar; then, seeing that his comrade was ready to receive me, he pushed me rudely to him.
devil - dem Teufel; Teufel, Satan, Teufelin, reizen, ärgern
strangle - strangulieren, erwürgen
infernal - höllisch, infernalisch, Höllen-, checkinfernalisch
receive - bekommen, erhalten, empfangen, kriegen
rudely - unhöflich; grob, unanständig
These infinite precautions to hold possession of my person boded no good; but I was far from predicting the seriousness of the accusation that hung over my head until an alarming circumstance opened my eyes and threw me into despair.
infinite - unendlich, endlos, unzählige
precautions - Vorsichtsmaßnahmen; Vorsorge, Vorsichtsmaßnahme
boded - prophezeien
predicting - vorhersagen, prophezeien
seriousness - Ernsthaftigkeit
hung over - überhängte
alarming - beunruhigend; Alarm, Alarm, Alarmsignal
circumstance - Umstand
despair - verzweifeln; Verzweiflung
They pushed me along a low alley, the pavement of which was unequal and broken; along the wall there ran a yellowish ooze, exhaling a fetid odour. I walked down this dark place with the two men behind me. A little further there appeared the chiaroscuro of an interior courtyard.
along - entlang, längs, weiter
alley - Allee, Bahn, Weg, Gasse, Pfad
unequal - ungleich
yellowish - gelblich
ooze - sickern, strotzen vor/von; Schlamm
exhaling - ausatmen
fetid - stinkend
odour - Geruch
place with - vergeben
further - fördern; weiter, ferner, des Weiteren
chiaroscuro - Chiaroscuro, Helldunkelmalerei, Clair-obscur
interior - inner; Interieur, Inneres, Innenraum, offener Kern
I grew more and more terror-sticken as I advanced. It was no natural feeling: it was a poignant anxiety, outside of nature-like a nightmare. I recoiled instinctively at each step.
sticken - krank sein
poignant - spitz, zugespitzt, treffend, zutreffend, relevant, ergreifend
anxiety - Ängste; Besorgnis, Angst, Sorge
nightmare - Albtraum, Alptraum
recoiled - zurückgeworfen; Rückstoß, zurückschrecken, zurückschlagen
instinctively - instinktiv; unwillkürlich
"Go on!" cried one of the policemen, laying his hand on my shoulder; "go on!"
laying - Auflegen, legend; (lay) Auflegen, legend
But what was my astonishment when, at the end of the passage, I saw the courtyard that I had drawn the night before, with its walls furnished with hooks, its rubbish-heap of old iron, its chicken-coops, and its rabbit-hutch. Not a dormer window, high or low, not a broken pane, not the slightest detail had been omitted.
astonishment - Staunen, Erstaunen, Verwunderung
rubbish-heap - (rubbish-heap) Kehrichthaufen
coops - Koops; Konsumverein
rabbit - Kaninchen, Hase
hutch - Kiste, Kasten, Box, Stall, Hasenstall
dormer window - Dachfenster
pane - Scheibe, Fensterscheibe
omitted - ausgelassen; weglassen, auslassen
I was thunderstruck by this strange revelation.
revelation - Enthüllung, Offenbarung, Erkenntnis
Near the well were the two judges, Van Spreckdal and Richter. At their feet lay the old woman extended on her back, her long, thin, grey hair, her blue face, her eyes wide open, and her tongue between her teeth.
judges - urteilen (nach), richten; Richter, Jurist
lay - legen; richten (Tisch)
wide - breit, weit
tongue - Zunge, Lasche
It was a horrible spectacle!
horrible - schrecklich, abscheulich, fies, makaber
spectacle - Spektakel, Schauspiel
"Well," said Van Spreckdal, with solemn accents, "what have you to say?"
solemn - feierlich; ernst
accents - Akzente; Dialekt, Akzent, Betonung; betonen, akzentuieren
I did not reply.
"Do you remember having thrown this woman, Theresa Becker, into this well, after having strangled her to rob her of her money?"
thrown - geworfen; Wurf; werfen (du wirfst, er wirft), ich/er/sie würfe
strangled - erdrosselt; strangulieren, erwürgen
rob - rauben, berauben, Raubbau treiben, ausrauben
"No," I cried, "no! I do not know this woman; I never saw her before. May God help me!"
"That will do," he replied in a dry voice. And without saying another word he went out with his companion.
dry - trocken; trocknen, abtrocknen
The officers now believed that they had best put handcuffs on me. They took me back to the Raspelhaus, in a state of profound stupidity. I did not know what to think; my conscience itself troubled me; I even asked myself if I really had murdered the old woman!
state - Umstände ;Status , Zustand , Stand , Staat ;staatlich;darlegen, festlegen, konstatieren, festsetzen;Bundesland
stupidity - Dummheit
conscience - Gewissen
itself - von selbst, von allein, sich selbst
troubled - beunruhigt; Ärger, Schwierigkeit, Anstrengung, Bemühung, Mühe
In the eyes of the officers I was condemned.
condemned - Verurteilt; verurteilen, verurteilen, verdammen, verurteilen
I will not tell you of my emotions that night in the Raspelhaus, when, seated on my straw bed with the window opposite me and the gallows in perspective, I heard the watchmen cry in the silence of the night: "Sleep, people of Nuremberg; the Lord watches over you. One o'clock! Two o'clock! Three o'clock!"
emotions - Emotionen; Gefühl
watchmen - Wächter
cry - weinen; schreien; rufen; Weinen; Schrei
Lord - Gebieter; Herr; herrschen
Every one may form his own idea of such a night. There is a fine saying that it is better to be hanged innocent than guilty. For the soul, yes; but for the body, it makes no difference; on the contrary, it kicks, it curses its lot, it tries to escape, knowing well enough that its role ends with the rope. Add to this, that it repents not having sufficiently enjoyed life and at having listened to the soul when it preached abstinence.
innocent - rein; unschuldig
guilty - schuldig
soul - Inbrunst, Seele, Gefühl, Herz
contrary - entgegengesetzt, gegenläufig, entgegenstehend, ungünstig
kicks - treten, (Pferd) ausschlagen; Stoß
curses - Verfluchungen; (cur) Hundesohn, Köter
role - Rolle (Theater, Film), Funktion, Rolle
repents - bereut; bereuen
sufficiently - ausreichend; hinreichend, genügend, zureichende
preached - gepredigt; predigen, predigen, verkündigen, predigen
abstinence - Enthaltsamkeit, Abstinenz, Keuschheit
"Ah! if I had only known!" it cried, "you would not have led me around by a string with your big words, your beautiful phrases, and your magnificent sentences! You would not have allured me with your fine promises. I should have had many happy moments that are now lost forever.
led - geführt; LED; (lead) führen, anführen
magnificent - großartig; prächtig; ausgezeichnet
allured - gelockt; verlocken
promises - Versprechen
forever - für immer, ewig, unaufhörlich, auf immer
Everything is over! You said to me: 'Control your passions.'Very well! I did control them. Here I am now. They are going to hang me, and you-later they will speak of you as a sublime soul, a stoical soul, a martyr to the errors of justice. They will never think about me!"
control - steuern, kontrollieren, regeln, Kontrolle, Kontrollen, Regelung
passions - Leidenschaften; Leidenschaft, Passion, Leidenschaft, Passion
hang - hängen
sublime - sublimierens, erhaben
stoical - stoische
martyr - Märtyrer, Märtyrerin
errors of justice - Justizirrtümer
Such were the sad reflections of my poor body.
Day broke; at first, dull and undecided, it threw an uncertain light on my bull's-eye window with its cross-bars; then it blazed against the wall at the back. Outside the street became lively. This was a market-day; it was Friday. I heard the vegetable wagons pass and also the country people with their baskets.
dull - stumpf; fad, langweilig, matt, blöd, blöde
undecided - unbestimmt, unbeantwortet, unschlüssig, unentschieden
uncertain - unsicher
Cross - Kreuz; Kreuzzeichen; Kreuzung; Cross; Flanke; quer; entgegengesetzt
bars - Takt; Schankstube; Latte (Sport); Balken, Leiste, Stange, Strich
blazed - gebrannt; Lohe, Brand, Großbrand, brenne, Glut
lively - lebendig, munter (lebhaft), lebhaft, quirlig
wagons - Waggons; Wagen, Bollerwagen
pass - passen; (to pass) durchgehen, passieren, durchlaufen
baskets - Körbe; Korb
Some chickens cackled in their coops in passing and some butter sellers chattered together. The market opposite opened, and they began to arrange the stalls.
cackled - geschnattert; Gackern
passing - vorübergehend, verrinnend ''(poetic)'', hervorragend
sellers - Verkäufern; Verkäufer; Anbieter
chattered - geplappert; klappern, schnattern, schwatzen
arrange - sich einigen (über);etwas in die Wege leiten;anordnen, einrichten, sortieren, übereinkommen
stalls - Stände; Strömungsabriss
Finally it was broad daylight and the vast murmur of the increasing crowd, housekeepers who assembled with baskets on their arms, coming and going, discussing and marketing, told me that it was eight o'clock.
broad - breit, deutliche, großräumig
daylight - Tageslicht; Tag
vast - riesig; beträchtlich, weit, ausgedehnt, enorm
murmur - Rauschen, Murmeln, Gemurmel, Raunen, Herzgeräusch
increasing - zunehmen; steigernd, anwachsend, ansteigend
crowd - Menschenmenge, Masse
housekeepers - Haushälterinnen; Haushälterin, Hausfrau, (hired) Haushälterin
assembled - montiert; zusammensetzen, versammeln, versammeln
With the light, my heart gained a little courage. Some of my black thoughts disappeared. I desired to see what was going on outside.
Gained - Gewonnen; Gewinn, Zunahme, Verstärkung; erwerben, gewinnen
desired - gewünscht; begehren, begehren, Begehren
Other prisoners before me had managed to climb up to the bull's-eye; they had dug some holes in the wall to mount more easily. I climbed in my turn, and, when seated in the oval edge of the window, with my legs bent and my head bowed, I could see the crowd, and all the life and movement. Tears ran freely down my cheeks. I thought no longer of suicide-I experienced a need to live and breathe, which was really extraordinary.
prisoners - Gefangener, Gefangene, Häftling, Strafgefangener, Gefangener
managed - verwaltet; verwalten, leiten, hinbekommen, schaffen, schaffen
climb up - hinaufklettern, hinaufsteigen, aufsteigen
dug - gegraben; (dig) gegraben
holes - Löcher; Bohrung, Markierung, Höhle, Loch
mount - Reittier, Berg, Lafette (Waffe); einbauen, aufsteigen
easily - leicht
oval - Oval
bent - verbogen; (to bend) sich niederbeugen, verbiegen
movement - Bewegung; Satz
Tears - Tränen; zerreißen, ich/er/sie/es riss, riß
freely - frei
suicide - Selbstmord; Suizid, Freitod, Selbstmörder, Selbstmörderin
experienced - Erlebnis
breathe - atmen; einatmen; hauchen
extraordinary - außerordentlich, außergewöhnlich
"Ah!" I said, "to live what happiness! Let them harness me to a wheelbarrow-let them put a ball and chain around my leg-nothing matters if I may only live!"
Happiness - Glücklich sein; Glück, Glücklichkeit, Fröhlichkeit
harness - Gurtzeug; Geschirr, Pferdegeschirr, Gurt, Anschnallgurt
wheelbarrow - Schubkarre; q
chain - Kette; anketten
matters - zählt; Materie, Materie, Masse, Substanz, Stoff, Angelegenheit
Now, while I looked about in this manner, a man-a butcher-passed, inclining forward and carrying an enormous quarter of beef on his shoulders; his arms were bare, his elbows were raised upward and his head was bent under them. His long hair, like that of Salvator's Sicambrian, hid his face from me; and yet, at the first glance, I trembled.
butcher - niedermetzeln, niedermachen; Metzger, Schlächter
passed - bestanden; (to pass) durchgehen, passieren, durchlaufen
inclining - geneigt; sich neigend, neigend; (incline); neigen; Neigung
forward - nachsenden, fördern, befördern, versenden, senden; dreist
elbows - Ellbogen, Rohrbogen, Ellbogenstoß, ellbögeln
raised - angehoben; Gehaltszulage; aufsteigen, anheben, erhöhen
hid - versteckt; (hide) verstecken
trembled - gezittert; zittern, Zittern
"It is he!" I said.
All the blood in my body rushed to my heart. I got down from the window trembling to the ends of my fingers, feeling my cheeks quiver, and the pallor spread over my face, stammering in a choked voice:
rushed - überstürzt; stürzen, drängen, hetzen, rasen; Eile, Andrang
quiver - Köcher; zittern
pallor - Blässe
spread - verteilen; spreizen; ausstreuen, verbreiten, auftragen
stammering - Stottern; Gestotter; (stammer); stammeln, stottern, Stottern
choked - gewürgt; erwürgen, erdrosseln, ersticken, überwältigen
"It is he! he is there-there-and I, I have to die to expiate his crime. Oh, God! what shall I do? What shall I do?"
expiate - sühnen; gutmachen, wiedergutmachen
A sudden idea, an inspiration from Heaven, flashed across my mind. I put my hand in the pocket of my coat-my box of crayons was there!
Heaven - Der Himmel; Himmel, Firmament, Paradies
flashed - geflasht; aufleuchten, blitzen, aufflammen
crayons - Buntstifte; Wachsmalstift
Then rushing to the wall, I began to trace the scene of the murder with superhuman energy. No uncertainty, no hesitation! I knew the man! I had seen him! He was there before me!
rushing - hetzend, sausend; (rush) hetzend, sausend
trace - verfolgen; Zeichen, Spur
superhuman - übermenschlich
uncertainty - Unsicherheit, Ungewissheit
hesitation - Zögern
At ten o'clock the jailer came to my cell. His owl-like impassibility gave place to admiration.
cell - Zelle, Speicherzelle
impassibility - Gefühllosigkeit; Unwegsamkeit
admiration - Bewunderung
"Is it possible?" he cried, standing at the threshold.
"Go, bring me my judges," I said to him, pursuing my work with an increasing exultation.
pursuing - verfolgend; (pursue); verfolgen, beschreiten, nachjagen
exultation - Jubel
Schlüssel answered:
"They are waiting for you in the trial-room."
trial - Erprobung, Prozess, Versuch, Probe
"I wish to make a revelation," I cried, as I put the finishing touches to the mysterious personage.
wish - Wunsch; wünschen
touches - berührt; anfassen, berühren, rühren, Berührung, Berührung
He lived; he was frightful to see. His full-faced figure, foreshortened upon the wall, stood out from the white background with an astonishing vitality.
frightful - schrecklich
foreshortened - verkürzt; perspektivisch zeichnen
background - Hintergrund
astonishing - Erstaunlich; erstaunen
vitality - Vitalität, Lebenskraft
The jailer went away.
went away - (go away) fortgehen, weichen, verreisen
A few minutes afterward the two judges appeared. They were stupefied. I, trembling, with extended hand, said to them:
afterward - nachher
"There is the murderer!"
After a few minutes of silence, Van Spreckdal asked me:
"What is his name?"
"I don't know; but he is at this moment in the market; he is cutting up meat in the third stall to the left as you enter from Trabaus Street."
cutting up - zerschneidend
stall - hinhalten; Strömungsabriss
enter - reingehen, hineingehen, hereingehen, eintreten
"What do you think?" said he, leaning toward his colleague.
leaning - (to lean) sich an etwas lehnen
colleague - Kollege, Kollegin, Mitarbeiter, Mitarbeiterin
"send for the man," he replied in a grave tone.
send for - kommen lassen, herbeirufen, holen lassen
grave - Grab; feierlich, Gruft, massiv, würdig, ernst
Several officers retained in the corridor obeyed this order. The judges stood, examining the sketch. As for me, I had dropped on my bed of straw, my head between my knees, perfectly exhausted.
retained - zurückgehalten; behalten, festhalten
obeyed - gehorcht; gehorchen, befolgen
examining - die Prüfung; untersuchen, untersuchen, untersuchen, prüfen
dropped - fallen gelassen; fallen lassen, senken, weglassen, aufgeben
perfectly - perfekt, einwandfrei, vollkommen, durchaus
exhausted - erschöpft; erschöpfen, dezimieren, erschöpfen, Auspuff, Abgas
Soon steps were heard echoing under the archway. Those who have never awaited the hour of deliverance and counted the minutes, which seem like centuries-those who have never experienced the sharp emotions of outrage, terror, hope, and doubt-can have no conception of the inward chills that I experienced at that moment. I should have distinguished the step of the murderer, walking between the guards, among a thousand others.
echoing - Echo
deliverance - Auslieferung, Abgabe, Erlösung, Befreiung
counted - gezählt; rechnen, abzählen, zählen
sharp - scharf; scharfsinning; spitz, -is, hoch, stechend
outrage - Empörung; Untat, Gräueltat, (empörendes) Verbrechen
doubt - bezweifeln, Zweifel
no conception of - keine Ahnung von ...
inward - innere; innen
chills - Schüttelfrost; Mutlosigkeit, Frostgefühl
distinguished - ausgezeichnet; unterscheiden, erkennen, auszeichnen
guards - Wächter, Parierstange, Schutz, schützen, bewachen
among - unter, zwischen, untereinander
They approached. The judges themselves seemed moved. I raised up my head, my heart feeling as if an iron hand had clutched it, and I fixed my eyes upon the closed door. It opened. The man entered. His cheeks were red and swollen, the muscles in his large contracted jaws twitched as far as his ears, and his little restless eyes, yellow like a wolf's, gleamed beneath his heavy yellowish red eyebrows.
approached - angesprochen; sich nähern, nahekommen, ähnlich sein
fixed - repariert; reparieren, flicken, fixieren, befestigen
swollen - geschwollen; Schwellen
muscles - Muskeln; Muskel
twitched - gezuckt; zupfen
restless - unruhig; ruhelos, rastlos, checkunruhig
wolf - Wolf, Meister Graubein, herunterschlingen
gleamed - schimmerte; Schimmer; durchschimmern, glänzen
Van Spreckdal showed him the sketch in silence.
sketch in - einzeichnen
Then that murderous man, with the large shoulders, having looked, grew pale-then, giving a roar which thrilled us all with terror, he waved his enormous arms, and jumped backward to overthrow the guards. There was a terrible struggle in the corridor; you could hear nothing but the panting breath of the butcher, his muttered imprecations, and the short words and the shuffling feet of the guard, upon the flagstones.
murderous - mörderisch
roar - brüllen; Tosen; Brüllen; Aufheulen
thrilled - aufgeregt; Nervenkitzel; erregen, erschauern, durchdringen
waved - winkte; wehen, winken mit, flattern
jumped - gesprungen; (to jump) springen, hüpfen
backward - zurück, nach hinten, rückwärts, zögerlich, gehemmt, rückständig
overthrow - umstürzen (Politik)
Struggle - Kämpfen; Kampf, Gefecht, sich durchbeißen, sich schwer tun
the panting - das Keuchen, das Hecheln
muttered - gemurmelt; murmeln
imprecations - Verwünschungen; Verwünschung, Fluch
shuffling - schlurfend, schiebend; (shuffle); Mischen, Mischeln, Schlurfen
guard - Wächter; Parierstange; Schutz; schützen, bewachen
This lasted only about a minute.
lasted - gedauert; letzte, zuletzt, letzter, vorig; dauern, andauern
Finally the assassin re-entered, with his head hanging down, his eyes bloodshot, and his hands fastened behind his back. He looked again at the picture of the murderer; he seemed to reflect, and then, in a low voice, as if talking to himself:
assassin - Assassine; Attentäter, Attentäterin, Mörder, Mörderin
hanging - (to hang) hängen, schweben; (hang) (to hang) hängen, schweben
bloodshot - blutunterlaufen
fastened - befestigen, festmachen
"Who could have seen me," he said, "at midnight?"
I was saved!
saved - gerettet; retten, erretten, sichern, speichern, sparen
Many years have passed since that terrible adventure. Thank Heaven! I make silhouettes no longer, nor portraits of burgomasters. Through hard work and perseverance, I have conquered my place in the world, and I earn my living honourably by painting works of art-the sole end, in my opinion, to which a true artist should aspire.
Since - Seit wann; seitdem, seither, weil, da
nor - weder noch, auch nicht
perseverance - Beharrlichkeit, Ausdauer, Durchhaltevermögen
conquered - erobert; erobern
earn - verdienen, sich einhandeln
honourably - ehrenhaft
aspire - anstreben; streben, hoffen
But the memory of that nocturnal sketch has always remained in my mind. Sometimes, in the midst of work, the thought of it recurs. Then I lay down my palette and dream for hours.
midst - mittendrin; Mitten, Mitte, inmitten
recurs - wiederkehrt; wiederkehren
palette - Farbpalette
How could a crime committed by a man that I did not know-at a place that I had never seen-have been reproduced by my pencil, in all its smallest details?
committed - verpflichtet; einweisen, einliefern, begehen, verbrechen
reproduced - reproduziert; reproduzieren, sich vermehren, sich reproduzieren
Was it chance? No! And moreover, what is chance but the effect of a cause of which we are ignorant?
Moreover - außerdem, überdies, des Weiteren, obendrein
effect - Auswirkung, Eindruck, Effekt, Kraft
cause - Ursache, Anlass, Grund, verursachen, auslösen, lassen
ignorant - unwissend; ignorant
Was Schiller right when he said: "The immortal soul does not participate in the weaknesses of matter; during the sleep of the body, it spreads its radiant wings and travels, God knows where! What it then does, no one can say, but inspiration sometimes betrays the secret of its nocturnal wanderings."
Schiller - Schiller
immortal - unsterblich; unvergesslich
participate - teilnehmen (an)
weaknesses - Schwächen; Schwäche, Schwäche, Faible
spreads - verteilen, spreizen, ausstreuen, verbreiten, auftragen
radiant - strahlend; Radiant
wings - Flügel, t+Schwinge, Flügel, Flügel, t+Gebäudeflügel, Flügel
Betrays - verraten, im Stich lassen, verraten, verraten, verraten
secret - Geheimnis
wanderings - Wanderungen; (wander) irren, wandern, umherschweifen
Who knows? Nature is more audacious in her realities than man in his most fantastic imagining.
audacious - kühn
realities - Realitäten; Wirklichkeit, Realität, Realität, Realität
most fantastic - phantastischste