ÀҾ˹éÒ˹ѧÊ×Í
PDF
ePub

to swear ich beschwore, ich beschwor, ich habe beschwören. The insep. particle be, has, in this particular instance, the power of the Latin "ad." Sometimes beschwören only means to swear, and the be then has the mere strengthening power; as when we say, die Zugen haben ihre Aussage beschworen, the witnesses have confirmed their deposition by their oath.

601. Bevor's dein Herz gereuet, contraction for bevor es, before thy heart rues it. Bevor, conj. before. We also say ehe, and frequently both expressions are combined, particularly in law-writings: ehe und bevor er stirbt, before he dies. Gereuet is the third person singular of the present of the indicative of the reg. neut. insep. comp. gereuen, used impersonally: es gereuet mich, I rue it, I am sorry for it. Es gereuet dein Herz, thy heart rues it. Es gereuet mich differs from es dauert mich, I am sorry, and from es verdriesst mich, it vexes me, I am vexed, by referring always to something done amiss through our own fault.

602. In Ehr' und Züchten, for in Ehre und Zucht, in honour and modesty, honourably and modestly. The common expression is, in allen Züchten und Ehren, in all modesty and honour. It is the pl. of die Zucht, fem. the rearing of cattle or poultry; the education of children chiefly with regard to manners. All German words in ucht are

feminine.

603. Hab'ich mich dem Fräulein stets geweihet, I have constantly devoted myself to the young lady. Das Fräulein, the young noble lady, is neut. because it is a diminutive, sec. 263. The termination lein prevails in the south of Germany, and has a graver and more solemn colouring than chen, which prevails in the north of Germany: this renders it nobler, and hence the word Fräulein has been adopted all over Germany, to denote the daughter of a nobleman. Latterly, however, it has also been extended to the daughters of commoners of education and fortune. There is an important chapter on German diminutives in the "Nature and Genius of the German Language."

604. Stets, adj. continually, constantly, assiduously, incessantly.

605. Er liegt stets über den Büchern, he is always over his books, he is continually at his studies.

:

606. Geweihet, part. past of the reg. act. verb, weihen, to devote, to consecrate, sec. 339. We say, eine geweihte Kirche eine geweihte Hostie, is, with Roman Catholics, a consecrated host (wafer), what they call the "Venerabile;" and with them geweihte Mönche, or Nonnen, are professed monks or nuns, such as have made their vow.

607. Gottlob! praise be to the Lord! is an elliptical expression, instead of Gott sty lob! to God be praise; just as we say, Gott sey Dank! to God be thanks! It is re markable that the English language has the ellipsis here— thank God; whilst in German we cannot say Gottdank! Again we say, wollte Gott! whilst the English say, would to God!

608. Trotzt jedem Tadel, bids defiance to every reproof, is above reproof. Trotzen, reg. neut. act. to defy to brave, to dare, to outdare. "Ein Kind trotzt seinen Aeltern wenn es den Muth hat und das Recht zu haben glaubt, ihnen seinen Gehorsam zu verweigern und sich ihrem Willen zu widersetzen." Trotzen is derived from the old Saxon Trotten, to command, to rule, of which there is a vestige in the Swedish Drottning, a queen, and in the English threaten, and the German drohen, to menace. Der Tadel, masc. reproof, blemish. See tadeln, verb, sec. 510. 609. Vor Zorn, for anger, in English red with anger, heated with passion. We had vor, sec. 131, as pointing at an obstacle. Whenever it denotes the cause, as here, it seems to be a corruption of für, for, on account of. We say in the same way, vor Hunger sterben, to die with hunger; vor Durst verschmachten, to languish with thirst; vor Freude weinen, to weep for joy; where it is again clearly für, "for," and not vor, "before."

610. Sie rang die schönen Hände wund, she rung her beautiful hands wound, she wounded her beautiful hands by wringing them violently. Exactly as we say, sich müde laufen, to run one's self tired; sich die Fusse wund laufen, to run one's feet wound, sec. 365. These are elliptical expressions, in which the verb machen must be supplied, or understood by the reader or hearer as referring to the adjective. Sie machte durch ringen die schönen Hände wund. Thus Klopstock says:—

"Die Zeisige haben das Ohr mir taub gezwitschert." "The greenfinches made my ear deaf with their chirping."

N

611. Voss-" Das Mädchen das die rosige Wange nass geweint hat," the girl who made her rosy cheek wet with weeping. And Geszner-“ Und sie warfen mit der gefallenen Frucht des Baumes ihn wach," and they (made him awake) awakened him, by throwing the fruit that had fallen from the tree at him.

612. Bass is an obsolete adj. and adv. the positive of the comparative besser, better. Poets still employ it sometimes for "very much:" Sie hat mir bass gefallen, she pleased me very much.

613. Habt Barmherzigkeit, have pity. Die Barmherzigkeit, fem. pity, compassion, mercy, from the adj. barmherzig, merciful, compassionate, which originally may have been warmherzig, warm-hearted, though Adelung derives it from the Latin misericors, which was originally translated armherzig (who has a heart for the poor), to which the Alemanni, a German tribe, prefixed their favourite particle be.

614. Verzeihen, to forgive, to pardon, is irr.: ich verzeihe, ich verzieh, ich habe vesziehen. It is formed of the insep. part. ver, and the verb zeihen, to accuse, to impeach; and strictly denotes only that the right to punish is waived. Verzeihen, therefore, is more complimentary than vergeben, to forgive. It supposes a right to punish in the person whose pardon we implore. Hence vergeben is used towards the Creator, who grants a free pardon, and does not merely waive his right to pardon. Luther translates Gospel of St. Matthew, vi. 12. Vergieb uns unsere Schulden, wie wir unsern Schuldigern vergeben, "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

615. Ich hätte nimmer sie versucht, I never had attempted, I never should have attempted it. We often use the imperfect of the conjunctive instead of the conditional past or plusquamperfect of the conjunctive, to avoid the dragging auxiliaries, würde haben. Ich würde sie nimmer versucht haben.

616. Ekeln, to nauseate, as a reg. neut. verb, is construed with the dative of the person. Diese Speise ekelt mir, this food is nauseous to me, I nauseate this food. But as an impersonal, with the accusative, es ekelt mich, either with the genitive mich ekelt ihrer Thorheit, I am disgusted with their folly, or with the prepos. vor, and the

dative, as here, wenn vor des Junkers Bette mich nicht geekelt hätte.

617. Herzenskind, child of my heart, sec. 570.

618. Die dunkelrauhen Backen, the dark rough cheeks, in allusion to their being hairy with age. We have two words for the cheek, die Backe and die Wange, both fem. The latter is the most elegant, because it denotes only the exterior part of the cheek, whilst Backe signifies the total mass of flesh which coustitutes the cheek inside and outside. Hence we say, ein Backenzahn, a molar tooth, a grinder, and not Wangenzaln; but we may say indifferently, Backengrubchen, or Wangengrübchen, a dimple on the cheek, because dimples are also seen on the outside.

619. Schier, adv. which formerly signified quickly, suddenly, is now used only in the sense of almost, well nigh. But in some parts of Germany it is used as an adj. bright, shining, white, pure, unmixed; exactly the English "sheer."

620. Weider gut machen, to make it good again; to repair the mischief that has been done; to make amends for it. Seinen Fehler wieder gut machen, to repair one's fault.

We select again one of Gellert's Fables, entitled Der Baur und sein Sohn (the Peasant and his Son). It runs thus:

[ocr errors]

Ein guter dummer Bauerknabe,

Den Junker Hans einst mit auf Reisen nahm,

Und der Trotz seinem Herrn, mit einer Guten Gabe
Recht dreist zu lügen, wieder kam,

Ging, kurtz nach der vollbrachten Reise,

Mit seinem Vater über Land.

Fritz, der im Gehn recht Zeit zum Lügen fand,

Log auf die unverschämste Weise.

Zu seinem Unglück kam ein grosser Hund gerannt.
Ja, Vater, rief der unverschämte Knabe,

Ihr mögt mirs glauben, oder nicht,

So sag'ich euchs und jedem ins Gesicht,

Dass ich einst einen Hund bey Haag gesehen habe,
Hart an dem Weg wo man nach Frankreich fährt,
Der, ja ich bin nicht ehrenwerth.

Wenn er nicht grösser war, als euer grösstes Pferd.

Das, sprach der Vater, nimmt mich Wunder;
Wiewohl ein jeder Ort läst Wunderdinge sehn,
Wir, zum Exempel, gehn jetzunder

Und werden keine Stunde gehn,

So wirst du eine Brücke sehn.
(Wir mussen selbst darüber gehn)
Die hat dir manchen schon betrogen;

(Denn überhaupt solls dort nicht gar zu richtig seyn,)
Auf dieser Brücke liegt ein Stein,

An den stösst man wenn man denselben Tag gelogen,
Und fällt, und bricht sogleich das Bein.

Der Bub'erschrack, so bald er diess vernommen.
Ach! sprach er, lauft doch nicht so sehr!
Doch wieder auf den Hund zu kommen,

Wie gross sagt'ich dass er gewesen war?

Wie euer grosses Pferd? Dazu will viel gehören.
Der Hund jetzt fällt mirs ein, war erst ein halbes Jahr ;
Allein das wollt'ich wohl beschwören

Dass er so gross als mancher Ochse war.

Sie gingen noch ein gutes Stucke;

Doch Fritzen schlug das Hertz.

Wie konnt'es anders

Denn niemand bricht doch gern ein Bein.
Er sah nunmehr die richterische Brücke
Und fühlte schon den Beinbruch halb.

Ia, Vater, fing er an, der Hund von dem ich redte,

[blocks in formation]

War gross, und wenn ich ihn auch was vergrössert hätte,
So war er doch viel grosser als ein Kalb.

Die Brücke kömmt. Fritz! Fritz! wie wird dirs gehn!
Der Vater geht voran; doch Fritz hält ihn geschwind.

Ach Vater! spricht er, seyd kein Kind,

Und glaubt dass ich dergleichen Hund gesehn.

Denn kurz und gut, eh wir darüber gehen.

Der Hund war nur so gross wie alle Hunde sind.

[ocr errors]

A silly peasant's boy, whom Lord Jack once took with him on his travels, and who returned home with the talent of boldly telling untruths, as well as his master, went, shortly after this journey, with his father in the country. Frederick, who on the way found plenty of time for relating untruths, told them in the most impudent manner. For his misfortune a large dog came running up to them. "Yes, father," cried the impudent boy, you may believe me or not, but I tell you, and will tell any one to his face, that I once saw, near the Hague, close to the road to France, a dog, which I'll forfeit my honour if he was not bigger than your tallest horse." That surprises me," said the father; "but every place has its wonders; we, for instance, shall not have gone one hour farther on our road, when you will see a bridge, and we have to cross it, by which many a man has been taken in, for in general it is said to be haunted. On this bridge there is a stone against which one stumbles, if one has told a lie on the same day, and one falls and instantly breaks one's leg." The boy was frightened when he heard this. "Ah!" said he, "don't walk so

66

« ¡è͹˹éÒ´Óà¹Ô¹¡ÒõèÍ
 »