from the other, one is the consequence of the other. Bekanntschaft mit einem machen, to get acquainted with a person; das ist eine alte Bekanntschaft, that is an old acquaintance of mine. Bekanntschaft mit einem haben, always denotes to be familiarly acquainted with a person. All the words in schaft are fem. except der Schaft, masc. the shaft. 509. Ich ging hinüber, imperf. of the sep. irr. comp. hinübergehn, to cross over in the direction from the speaker, made of gehen, to go, and hinüber, over, across, the opposite of herüber, which denotes motion across or over towards the speaker; ich gehe hinüber, ich ging hinüber, ich bin hinüber gegangen. 510. Tadeln, to blame, to find fault, to criticise, is generally a reg. act. verb: but the poet employs it here as a neuter verb, or he allows himself to omit the word etwas, something. In common life we should say, sie tadelten stets etwas an mir. 511. Gestutzt und gekräuselt, cropped and curled. Stutzen, reg. act. and neut. verb, to cut, to curtail, to lessen, to lop, to top, to clip, according to the object upon which the action of the verb is performed. As a neuter verb, it means to start, to be startled, to be greatly surprized, sec. 298. Kräuseln, verb act. and verb neut. to curl, to crisp, and, speaking of water, to ruffle; sich kräuseln, refl. to curl, to get curled. 512. Ertragen, irr. insep. comp. to bear, to endure. The insep. particle er has merely the strengthening power here, and makes the act of bearing to apply only morally, not physically. Er hat so grosse Lasten zu tragen dass er es nicht länger ertragen kunn, he has such heavy burdens to bear that he cannot bear (endure) it any longer; ich ertrage, ich ertrug, ich habe ertragen. 513. Im Sinne haben, to have in the mind, to intend, to purpose, to resolve, to design: it is the same with Willens seyn, to have a mind to do a thing. Sich putzen, reg. refl. verb, to deck, to ornament one's-self, to dress one's-self with care, handsomely, to set one's-self off. Putzen always conveys the idea of embellishing, setting off; but schmücken, to adorn, and zieren, to decorate, express the same in a higher degree. 514. Handelsbübchen, commercial striplings, young merchants' clerks, is a compound word. Der Handel, es, masc. pl. Händel, affair, business in general; trade, commerce, traffic. Der Handel im grossen, or im ganzen, the wholesale trade; der Handel im kleinen, the retail trade; thätiger Handel, active trade; leidentlicher Handel, passive trade. Im Handel und Wandel, in trading and dealing, is again one of those chiming expressions which the Germans are so fond of. Handel treiben, to carry on trade. Er treibt einen grossen Handel mit Korn, he deals largely in corn. Der Weinhandel, the wine trade. Ein Bübchen, neut. a young lad, a stripling, the diminutive of Bube, masc. a boy, a lad, which word, employed alone, is frequently used, in a bad sense, and means a wicked boy, a knave; but it never is the English "booby," though this appears derived from the German Bube, as it does not insinuate any thing clownish. 515. Und um die halbseiden das Läppchen herumhängt, and round which hangs the half silk little rag. This is a strong poetical expression to mark the short thin summer coats which young German clerks wore about the close of the last century. Das Läppchen, n. the little rag, is the dim. of der Lappen, s, masc. the rag, tatter, shred, patch, any little piece of cloth or stuff. Herumhangen, irr. sep. neut. comp. to hang, to flow about; ich hange herum, ich hing herum, ich habe herumgehangen: it takes the diphthong only in the second and third person singular of the present of the indicative, as here, and must be carefully distinguished from herumhängen, which is active and regular, as in the last line but three. Herum is the English round about. It denotes steady yet incessant motion round an object on all sides, in the direction towards the speaker. Whenever the motion is unsteady, correct writers prefer umher. When herum means "round about," and the object is mentioned round which the action denoted by the verb is performed, the preposition um is prefixed to that object, as here, um die, round whom, viz. the young clerks. Thus we say, wir sind zweimal um die Stadt herumgeritten, we rode twice round the town. 516. Merkt'ich sie hatten mich immer zum Besten, I remarked they were always laughing at me. Observe that whenever the conjunction dass, " that," is simply connective, and represents the French " que," as here, it may fre quently be omitted, as done in English. Ich glaube er ist zu Hause, I think he is at home; and here, in the last line, ich höre noch heiss ich, I hear that I am still called. You will find a list of the principal verbs after which dass may be omitted in the "Nature and Genius of the German Language," page 392. 516. Einen zum Besten haben, to have one for the best, is a singular idiomatic expression, which means, to make a fool of one, to banter, to laugh at a person. 517. Die übrigen Bursche, the other lads. This word Bursche has of late years acquired notoriety in Germany from the general alliance entered into by the students of the German universities, by the name of der Burschen Verein, which gave great offence to the Holy Alliance. Der Bursche, des Burschen, pl. die Burschen, a fellow, a companion in the same trade or profession, and figuratively any youth, particularly an apprentice, ein Lehrbursche. Among students, the expression is probably derived from the Latin word Bursales, which was the name given to students in the middle ages, on account of their living in colleges, as they do still at Oxford and Cambridge; these buildings or colleges being called "Bursa. " 518. Kickern, reg. neut. verb, to giggle. In some parts of Germany they say, Kickern, Kicheln, and even Kittern. 519. Das Clavier, es, e, pl. e, (is more generally spelt with a K, though the C is more correct, according to its etymology, from the Latin Clavis, the key,) a harpsichord. Das Clavier spielen, to play on the harpsichord. 520. Der Text, es, e, pl. die Texte, mas. the words of an author, in opposition to their explanation or commentary; and more particularly any passage in the Bible which is the subject of a sermon. But it is also used for the words of any literary composition, as here. 521. Nicht wahr, not true, is always used as an interrogation, is it not true? like the French, n'est-ce pas ? is it not so? 522. Sich halten, to contain one's-self. 523. Laut auflachten die Mädchen, is a poetical license for die Mädchen lachten laut auf; auflachen being a reg. sep. comp. (ich lache auf, ich lachte auf, ich habe aufge L lacht,) to burst out a-laughing. Klopstock, Schiller, A. W. Schlegel, and others, have indulged in the same deviation from a rule which is hardly ever infringed in prose. 524. Sich den Bauch halten, to hold one's belly, is an idiomatic expression for to hold one's sides for laughing. 525. Pamina and Tamino are the names of two dramatis persona in Mozart's "Magic Flute." 526. Bürger's Ballad, entitled "Die Entführung, oder Ritter Karl von Eichenhorst und Fräulein Gertrude von Hochburg," the Elopement, or Sir Charles of Eichenhorst and Lady Gertrude of Hochburg,- will afford us some important remarks :— "Knapp', sattle mir mein Dänenross Es wird mir hier zu eng' im Schloss; So rief der Ritter Karl in Hast, Voll Angst und Ahndung, sonder Rast, Er sprengte, dass es Funken stob, Und als er kaum den Blick erhob, Zusammen schrack der Rittersmann ; "Gott grüss euch, edler junger Herr! Zum letztenmahl beschieden. Verloren ist euch Trudchen's Hand! Dem Junker Plump von Pommerland Hat sie vor Aller Öhren, Ihr Vater zugeschworen. Mord! flucht er laut, bei Schwert und Spiess Wo Karl dir noch gelüstet, So sollst du tief ins Burgverlies Wo Molch und Unke nistet. Nicht rasten will ich Tag und Nacht Bis dass ich nieder ihn gemacht, Das Herz ihm ausgerissen Und das dir nachgeschmissen.' Jetzt in der Kammer zagt die Braut Und zuckt vor Herzenswehen, Ach! Gott der Herr muss ihrer Pein So wisst ihr's auszudeuten. "Geh, meld'ihm, dass ich sterben muss!- Geh, bring' ihm, ach! den letzten Gruss Geh, unter Gottes Schutz, und bring Wobei er mein gedenke!' Zu Ohren braust'ihm, wie ein Meer, Gottslohn Gottslohn! du treue Magd, Bisz wohlgemuth und tummle dich! Flugs tummle dich zurück und sprich : Bisz wohlgemuth und tummle dich! Sprich mitternachts bei Sternenschein Wohl, oder ewig wehe. Squire saddle my Danish horse, that I may obtain some solace by riding! I feel oppressed here in the castle! I will and must get into the open country. Thus exclaimed, in haste, Sir Charles, full of anxiety and forebodings, and restless. He felt nearly as distressed as if he had killed some one. He gallopped down from the court-yard |