448. die Gegend, fem. the country round a particular spot, a tract of land, a region: but it never denotes a whole country. Die ganze Gegend umher, the whole country about. 449. Freudig rief und erstaunt der edle bescheidene Walter. This is a poetical construction; in prose it must be, freudig und erstaunt rief der edle, or der edle rief freudig und erstaunt. 450. es erhebet der Reiche sich künstlicher Gärten: the es, at the head of this sentence, is a mere expletive, which enables the poet to throw the nominative, der Reiche, behind the verb erhebet; without it the construction would be der Reiche erhebet sich, as sections 105 and 164; erheben, reg. act. verb, to lift up, to raise, to set off, to extol; sich erheben, refl. to get up from one's seat or couch, to lift one's self up, to rise; and with the genitive, to boast of, to take advantage of, to extol: the rich man prides himself in, or extols, his artificial gardens. 451. rinsen, act. and neut. to bear, and to pay interest, to yield. 452. jeglicher and jedweder are pronouns, which are sometimes used instead of jeder, every one, each. 453. fröhnen, neut. to be in bondage; act. to put in bondage. 454. ohne sein Thun, without his doing any thing for it, without his bestowing any labour upon it. Hence we say in common life, ohne sein Zuthun, without his co-operation. 455. sammeln, reg. act. verb, to collect, to bring together. einsammeln, reg. sep. comp. to gather; ich sammelte ein, ich habe eingesammelt. ein here is the English in or into ; to gather in. 456. treu, adj. true, faithful: but here it means, carefully, bounteously. walten, reg. neut. to rule, to administer, to govern; poets often construe it with the genitive, as here, and then it means to take care of, to provide for. Luther translates Psalm ciii. 11, Gott lasst seine Gnade walten über die so ihn fürchten, "Great is his mercy toward them that fear him." 457. The following Ballad was written by G. A. Bürger, the most popular of German poets, who died at Göt tingen in 1794, in his 46th year. His Leonora, which has often been translated into English, would alone insure him immortality. Percy's Relicks was his favourite book. SCHOEN SUSCHEN. Schön Suschen kannt'ich lange Zeit, Ich kam und ging, ich ging und kam, Ganz wohl mir that es, wann ich kam Und es geschah, dass nach der Zeit Da that's mir wann ich schied, so leid, Da hatt'ich keinen Zeitvertreib Und kein Geschäft, als sie ; Da fühlt ich ganz an Seel und Leib, Da war ich dumm, und stumm und taub; Vernahm nichts, ausser ihr; Sah nirgends blühen Blum' und Laub; Nur Suschen blühte mir. Nicht Sonne, Mond, und Sternenschein Mir glänzte nur ein Kind; Ich sah, wie in die Sonn' hinein Und sah mein Auge blind. Und wieder kam gar andre Zeit Gar anders ward es mir; Und Schönheit blieb an ihr. Ich kam und ging, ich gin und kam Ganz wohl mir that es, wann ich kam Ihr Weisen hoch und tief gelahrt, Ergrübelt mir, wo, wie und wann, Ich selber sann oft Nacht und Tag, So wundersamen Dingen nach; Doch hab'ich nichts erdacht. Drum Lieb' ist wohl, wie Wind im Meer, Sein Sausen ihr wohl hört, Allein ihr wisset nicht, woher, Wisst nicht, wohin er fährt? FAIR SUSAN. I was long acquainted with fair Susan; fair Susan indeed was handsome, virtuous, and modest; that I could clearly see: I came and went, I went and came, like ebb and flood at sea. I was quite pleased when I came, yet when I went not sorry. And it happened that after a time I felt very differently; when I parted I was so sorry, and when I came I was so happy; I then had no pastime, no occupation, but her. My soul and body was all feeling, and felt for nought but her. I then was silly, dumb, and deaf; I knew nothing but her; I perceived neither tree nor flower blooming; Susan alone bloomed for me. Neither sun, nor moon, nor stars, shone any longer bright for me; nothing shone in my eyes but a child; I stared at her as at the sun, and grew blind with staring. And then there came a very different time, when I felt very differently; yet virtue, modesty, and beauty, remained with her. I came and went, I went and came, like ebb and flood at sea; I felt quite pleased when I came, yet when I went not sorry. Ye sages, much and deeply learned! who found it out and know how, where, and when, all go by pairs, why they love and embrace; ye learned sages! tell me, discover what passed within me; find out where, how, and when, it thus happened with me. I often thought all night and day, and again all day and night of these wonderful things, yet I could not make it out. Love, therefore, probably, is like the wind at sea; you hear it whistling, but you do not know whence it comes, and you do not know whither it goes. 458. Suschen is the diminutive of Susanna, Susan. The particle chen, sections 120 and 263, is particularly adapted to form the diminutives of Christian names, and has a very endearing effect. We say, Hannchen, Hänschen, Fritzchen, Röschen, Lottchen, Jettchen, Julchen, Fieckchen, Gretchen, Fräntzchen, &c. Suschen war wohl fein. Wohl here is a mere strengthening expletive; she was indeed, she was really, handsome. Fein, adj. though it generally is fine, in opposition to coarse, is also the English fine, in the sense of pleasing, beautiful, agreeable, and sometimes the English refined, highly cultivated; ein feiner Mensch, a well-bred man. die feine Welt, the great world, the higher circles. War's contr. for war-es, and the pronoun es with reference to Suschen; all diminutives in chen and lein being neuter. 459. die Tugend, pl. die Tugenden, fem. virtue. All the words in end are fem. except das Elend, misery, which is neuter. 460. die Sittsamkeit, fem. modesty, morality. "Wir fodern von einem jungen Menschen Sittsamkeit in der Gesellschaft alter und ehrwürdiger Männer, als einen Beweis seiner Urtheilskraft, seiner Ueberlegung, seiner Selbstbeherrschung, und seiner Achtung gegen Alter und Erfahrung; er soll mehr hören als reden, und, wenn er redet, nicht entscheidend und hofmeisternd." 461. Das sah ich klärlich ein, that I clearly perceived. Einsehen, irr. sep. comp. ich sehe ein, ich sahe ein, ich habe eingesehen, to perceive, from the sep. part. ein, into, and sehen, to see, to look, as it were, into a matter thoroughly, so as to understand it. Je mehr wir von einem Dinge wissen und geübter wir sind im richtigen Schliessen desto mehr sehen wir davon ein. 462. zur See, contr. for zu der See, at sea. Die See, fem. the sea, a large collection of water; die Nord See, the North sea; der See, masc. the lake, a comparatively small collection of water; der Genfer See, the lake of Geneva. 463. Ganz wohl mir that es, is a poetical license: in prose it would be, es that mir ganz wohl, or ganz wohl that es mir, it did me quite well, I was very happy, quite delighted. es thut mir wohl, it gladdens me, it delights me. es thut mir weh, it pains me ; es thut mir Leid, it gives me pain, it grieves me, sec. 267. es geschah, impf. of the impers. es geschieht, sec. 276. gar anders, quite otherwise, very different. gar is a strengthening expletive particle placed before adj. and adv. gar nicht, not at all; gar sehr, very much; es ist gar sehr geschickt, he is very clever. ganz und gar, completely; ganz und gar nicht, not at all, by no means. 464. vernehmen, irr. insep. comp. verb, to learn, to hear, to distinguish, to be informed, to understand, to feel. ich vernehme, ich vernahm, ich habe vernommen. Von den Lauten (sounds) der menschlichen Sprache sagen wir dass wir sie vernehmen, wann wir sie so deutlich hören dass wir den Sinn der Rede auffassen, sobald wir nur die Sprache gelernt haben, worin der Redende spricht. Luther translates Genesis, xi. 7, dass keiner vernahm des andern Sprache, that they may not understand one another's speech: but anciently, vernehmen also meant, to perceive, to mark, to observe, to know; hence he translates, Genesis, viii. 11, Noah vernahm dass das Wasser gefallen war, Noah knew that the waters had abated. As a law term, vernehmen is to examine. 465. Scheiden, irr. neut. verb to part, to separate, sec. 321. ich scheide, ich schied, ich bin geschieden, but when active it is generally regular, at least it is conjugated with haben. It is also a refl. verb. Luther translates Genesis, i. 14, Lichter an der Feste des Himmels die da scheiden Tag und Nacht, lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night. 466. der Zeitvertreib, sub. masc. pastime, diversion. All the words in eib are masc. except das Weib, the woman, which is neuter. etwas zum zeitvertreibe thun, to do something by way of diversion, as a pastime. 467. das Geschäft, es, e, pl. die Geschäfte, neut. occupation, business, affair. We say of a merchant who has extensive dealings, er macht grosse Geschäfte. Seinen Geschäften nachgehen, or vorstehen, to attend to one's business. It is the opposite of leisure, and always undertaken for the sake of profit, or to be useful. 468. Stumm, adj. mute, that gives no sound, dumb; hence it is also applied to animals, and even inanimate objects, whilst sprachlos, speechless, dumb, applies to human beings only. A. W. Schlegel says:— "Und stumm und einsam bin ich wie ein Grab." and Klopstock "Stumm entflogen die Vögel des Himmels in tiefere Haine." die whilst Luther translates Gospel of St. Mark, vii. 37, Tauben macht er hörend und die Sprachlosen redend, he makes both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. Taub, adj. deaf. Hagedorn says: "So lud vor einem tauben Richter Ein tauber einen tauben vor." |
