ÀҾ˹éÒ˹ѧÊ×Í
PDF
ePub

85. fernen Gram nicht scheun, distant harm not fear, no fear any distant misfortune. fernen, acc. m. of the adj. fern, distant, to agree with der Gram, es, harm, grief, sorrow, misfortune, which, like all the words in am, is m.: Der Gram hat seine Stirn gefurcht, grief has wrinkled his brow. Hence the reflected verb sich grämen, to grieve: Worüber grämen sie Sich? what are you grieving for? Scheun, contracted for scheuen, r. v. a to shun, to avoid, to fear. The adj. is scheu, shy, afraid; Mein Pferd ist scheu, my horse is shy.

86. und soll ich ein Glück besitzen, and shall I a luck possess, and if I am to have a good fortune. Sollen here is "to be to:" Ich soll mit meiner Mutter ausgehen, I am to go out with my mother.

87. meines Glücks mich freun, of my luck myself rejoice; rejoice in my luck, in my good fortune. The verb will ich refers to the three infinitives, nützen, scheun, and freun; the latter is a contraction of freuen, to rejoice, the primitive of erfreuen, to gladden. As a reflected regular verb, sich freuen, it is like the French, se réjouir, "to rejoice one's-self," and construed in the genitive, " se réjouir d'une chose," sich einer Sache freuen, whilst in English it is "to rejoice in.' But we also say, Sich über etwas freuen, to rejoice over something. Freuen sie sich, is the polite imperative in the third person plural, "rejoice!” But when we address an aggregate number of persons, we speak in the real second person plural, Freut euch. The well-known song, "Life let us cherish," begins in the original German, Freut euch des Lebens.

88. The following German tale is again one of C. F. Weisse's :

DER REISENDE UND SEIN WEGWEISER.

Ein Reisender kam einst an einen Flusz

Den, wollt'er nicht der Reise Zweck verlieren,
Muszt'er durchaus mit seinem Rosz passiren;

Doch dazu fehlt' es ihm am muthigen Entschlusz.

Wer, rief er, kann dem Wasser trauen

Das keine Balken hat? Kann man nicht Brücken bauen?

O dasz ich niemand hier zu Rathe ziehen kann

Ob nichts zu fürchten ist! Zum Glücke kam ein Mann.
Freund, rief er ihm, würd' Er Bedenken tragen

Sich hier in diesen Strom zu wagen?
"Kein's, hätt'ich vollends so ein Thier
Als wie der Herr, noch unter mir
So ritt ich, glaub'ich, durch die Hölle."
Es scheint mir gleichwohl manche Stelle
Nicht sogar flach und seicht.

"Es könnte seyn," antwortete der Schalk, "vielleicht,
Vielleicht auch nicht." Nun wohl denn, eine Bitte
Und Trinkgeld, wenn Er erst vor mir hinüber ritte,
Und zeigte mir den sichern Pfad.

Sehr gern,

mein Herr, dazu wird Rath."

Der Reisende steigt schnell von seinem Gaul herab, Der andere hinauf, setzt dann in vollem Trab

Denn Strom hindurch and weiter.

Was Teufel! Herr! wohin? ruft ihm der erste Reuter
Voll Schrecken nach: Gemach, mein Freund, gemach!
Allein es hilft kein Schreien, Drohn und Ach;

Und ohne sich an sein Geschrei zu kehren,

lagt er noch mehr, hört oder will nicht hören.

Doch nein, itzt lenkt er um, und kömmt, o welches Glück!
Ganz langsam an den Strand zurück.

Er Schalk! ruft jener: mir so viele Angst zu machen!
Nun her mein Pferd! Dann will ich seinen Spasz belachen.
"Ein Spasz?" versetzt der Dieb: "Nein! mir behagt diesz Pferd;
Doch scheint es mir zum Dank noch einer Lehre werth:
"Bei einem wichtigen Geschäfte

Versuch 'Er künftig fein erst seine eignen Kräfte,
Bevor Er fremde borgt, and trau 'Er dem ja nicht
Der zu gefällig dient, und was man will verspricht.
Hab'ich ein eignes Pferd, und will ein Ziel erjagen
Warum soll seinen Hals für mich ein Andrer wagen?"

THE TRAVELLER AND HIS GUIDE.

A Traveller once came to a river, which, if he would not lose the object of his journey, he must absolutely cross with his horse but he wanted a courageous resolution for it. Who, exclaimed he, can trust the water which has no rafters? Can they not build bridges? Oh! that I cannot consult any one here whether there be any danger! (any thing to fear.) Fortunately there came a man. My friend, called he to him, would you feel any hesitation to venture into this stream?" None; particularly if I had an animal such as you have, Sir, under me, I would, I think, ride through hell." Yet there is many a place which does not appear so very flat and shallow to me."That may be, (answered the wag,) and may be not." Well, then, I beg you, and I'll give you drink money, to ride first across, and show me a safe road.-" Very willingly, Sir, that may be accomplished." The Traveller quickly dismounts from his horse, the other gets upon it, and then rides full trot through the river, and farther on. "What the deuce, Sir! where are you for?" calls the terrified first horseman after him: "gently, my friend, gently!" But neither cries, nor threatenings, nor sighs, would avail; and without mind

ing his vociferations he gallops still faster, hears not, or will not hear. But now he turns about, and how fortunate! he slowly returns to the strand. "What a wag you are!" exclaimed the other," to cause me so much uneasiness! give me my horse, afterwards I will laugh at your joke."-"A joke ?" replies the Thief: "no, this horse suits me; yet out of gratitude I think it entitles you to an additional lesson. Whenever you are engaged in an important business, try first, in future, your own powers before you borrow those of others, and do not, by any means, trust him who is too complacently servile, and promises whatever you wish. When I have a horse of my own, and wish to reach a certain goal, why is another to venture his neck for me?"

89. Der Reisende und sein Wegweiser, the traveller and his guide; the regular verb reisen, to travel, participle active reisend, with the definite der Reisende, with the indefinite article, ein Reisender, a traveller. You recollect why the r is added with the indefinite ein. der Wegweiser is one of those compound words to which we have already directed your attention. It is made of der weg, the way, the road, and der Weiser, the indicator, from weisen, to show. there be any word more expressive for a guide?

Can

90. Ein Reisender kam einst an einen Flusz, a traveller came once to a river; kam, imp. of kommen; an, at, to; der Flusz, m. the river; des Flusses, dem Flusse, in the pl. with the diphthong, die Flüsse. Most words in usz are m. except die Nusz, the nut, and Musz, n. in the sense of necessity es ist ein Musz, it must be done.

:

91. Den, acc. masc. sing. of the article definite, der, used here as a pronoun demonstrative, this, or relative which; wollt'er nicht der Reise Zweck verlieren, the nom. after the verb, to mark a contingent idea; in prose it would be, wenn er nicht den Zweck der Reise verlieren wollte, if he would not lose the object of his journey; der Reise Zweck, the journey's object. Verlieren, to lose, is an irregular active verb; it has ich verliere, ich verlor, ich habe verloren; hence the military term, "the forlorn hope," die verlorne Schildwache.

92. Muszt er durchaus mit sienem Rosz passiren, must he absolutely with his horse pass; er muszte, he must, he was obliged, from the auxiliary, müssen, to be obliged, which ought to be learnt in the Grammar; durchaus, adv. entirely, throughout, absolutely; er soll durchaus nichs hingehen, he is absolutely not to go thither; das Rosz,

4

es, e, the horse, is a more poetical expression than the common word das Pferd. As a sign of an Inn, we say im weissen Rosse, at the White Horse. Passiren is one of those words taken from the French which are so often met with in the writers who preceded the present brilliant period of German literature: it means to pass over.

93. Doch dazu fehlt'es ihm am muthigen Entschlusz, yet thereto (for this) it failed to him in courageous resolve; yet he wanted the courage necessary for it; fehlen, reg. verb neut. to fail, to be wanting, deficient, imperf. es fehlt mir an allem, I am in want of every thing; muthig, adj. and adv. brave, courageous, from der Muth, courage; der Entschlusz, masc. the resolution, determination to act, from the insep. comp. refl, irr. sich entschliessen, to resolve.

94. Wer, rief er, kann dem Wasser trauen, who, called he, can to the water trust? das Wasser. Observe that several English words spelt with a t in the middle have a double s in German, as "Water," Wasser ; "to hate," hossen; 66 to bite," beissen. trauen, verb neut. to trust, to confide: ich kann, ihm nicht trauen, I cannot trust him; actively to join in wedlock. Der Prediger hat sie heute früh getraut, the Parson has married them early this morning.

95. Das keine Balken hat? which no rafters has, that has no rafters; Das, art. neut. used as pron. relative; ein Balken, masc. a rafter, a piece of house timber. The words in en are masculine when they are not verbal words; in the latter case, neuter; Kann man nicht Brücken bauen? Can one not bridges build? might they not build bridges? eine Brücke, fem. a bridge, fig. a passage; der Tod ist die Brücke zum ewigen Leben, death is the passage to life everlasting; eine Zugbrücke, a drawbridge. bauen, reg. act. to build, to cultivate. We say, as in English, Schlösser in die Luft bauen, to build castles in the air; what the French call des châteaux en Espagne.

96. O daz ich niemand hier zu Rathe ziehen kann, O that I no one here to counsel draw can; O that I have no one to consult here! jemand, somebody; niemand, nobody. zu Rathe ziehen, is an idiomatic expression, to consult; der Rath, masc. the advice. ziehen, to draw, to pull, to move, sec. 61.

97. Ob nichts zu fürchten ist, whether nothing to fear is; whether there is any danger, any thing to be apprehended.

Fürchten, to fear, is a regular active and neuter verb; was fürchten sie? what do you fear? ich fürchte dasz er mich tadeln wird, I fear he will blame me; reflective, sich fürchten, to be afraid; Fürchten sie sich vor dem Gewitter? Are you afraid of a thunder-storm? zum Glücke kam ein Mann, by luck came a man: fortunately a man came up.

98. Freund, rief er ihm, würd' Er Bedenken tragen; Friend, called he to him, would you hesitation carry, would you hesitate? der Freund, es, e, plural die Freunde, the friend; würd Er, literally would he; because the Germans used to address an individual whom they supposed their inferior in the third person singular, whilst in polite intercourse we constantly use the third person plural. Modern Sovereign Princes employ this language of courtesy now to all persons of rank and education who approach them. But in the times of the Empress Maria Theresa, of Queen Charlotte in England, and of the Great Frederick of Prussia, this was not the case. The latter has been heard calling out in a loud voice to one of his best Generals (Governor Saldern, of Magdeburgh), after a long manoeuvre of the troops under his command, Saldern, höre Er auf, (instead of Hören Sic auf) give over; das ist alles, und übertrift alles was man mit der Tactick thun kann! This is all, and surpasses all that can be done with tactics. Indeed it was this distinction to be observed according to the rank of the person you speak to, which rendered German conversation rather difficult. However, the third person plural is now generally used, and it is always the safest way for a foreigner to err on the side of politeness.

99. Bedenken tragen; das Bedenken, neut. consideration; tragen, to carry, to consider. Here it approaches more the idea, would you hesitate? would you be long considering about it?

100. Sich hier in diesen Strom zu wagen? himself here into this stream to venture? to venture to enter this river? der Strom, es, e, plural, die Ströme, the stream, the current. But it also denotes any large river that runs into the sea, such as the Rhine, the Danube, the Oder, the Elbe, &c., and figuratively we say, er wird vom Strome fortgerissen, he is hurried away by the stream; er will gegen den Strom schwimmen, he wants to swim against the current. wagen, reg. act. verb, to venture: wagen Sie nicht zu viel, do not

« ¡è͹˹éÒ´Óà¹Ô¹¡ÒõèÍ
 »