Part 21
[3] +~Charles Dickens~, geboren den 7. Febr. 1812 zu Portsmouth, gestorben den 9. Juni 1870 auf seinem Landsitze bei London, begann seine schriftstellerische Thätigkeit unter dem angenommenen Namen Boz, welcher ihn schnell berühmt machte. Er begründete seinen Ruf als englischer Humorist durch die+ ‘Sketches of London’ (1836), +und namentlich durch die+ ‘Pickwick Papers’ (1837), +welches unstreitig das beliebteste, aber auch vielleicht das beste seiner zahlreichen Werke ist. Er gründete 1845 die Zeitung+ ‘Daily News’, +sowie 1850 die Zeitschrift+ ‘Household Words’, +welche seit 1860 den Titel+ ‘All the year round’ +führt. Er besuchte zweimal, im Jahre 1842 und 1868, die Vereinigten Staaten von Nord Amerika, von wo er das zweite Mal durch seine vielbesuchten Vorlesungen aus seinen eigenen Werken eine reiche Ernte heimführte. Von seinen späteren Werken sind+ ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘Nicholas Nickleby’, ‘David Copperfield’, ‘Dombey and Son’, ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’, +und+ ‘A Christmas Carol’ +die bekanntesten und besten. Es mag interessant sein, hier zu bemerken, daß seit dem Tode des berühmten und höchst beliebten Verfassers (d. h. in 16 Jahren) von seinen Werken 4,539,000 Bände verkauft worden sind.+
[4] = I remember still, that, etc. Place the advl. circumstance of time ‘for — years’ before ‘a — Dickens’.
[5] Supply ‘the school’ here; before me = earlier than I; I think = and as I think.
[6] to take down (of buildings), +nie´derreißen+.
[7] +damals+; I consider this a very superior sort of school, +ich halte dies für eine ganz vorzügliche Schule.+
[8] one — indeed = and was indeed (+auch wirklich+) one of the best.
[9] This institution is most shamefully mismanaged, +diese Anstalt wird ganz außerordentlich schlecht verwaltet+.
[10] boys = school-boys or pupils, +Schüler+; to make little progress, +geringe Fortschritte machen+.
[11] +Waliser.+
[12] most = highly, +höchst+; ‘fellow’, here = man; ‘mere’, here = real, +wahr+.
[13] +darin bestand+ (comp. S. 87, N. 6); to scourge = to chastise, +züchtigen+.
[14] Insert ‘to us’ after the auxiliary; of, +über+; place = institution; ‘paper’, here +Schrift+, f. Place ‘in — School’ after ‘to us’.
[15] +und zwar besonders in Bezug auf die Schmeicheleien, die er sich selbst darin zollt.+
[16] in any way = ever, +je+; to carry off prizes, +Schulpreise erhalten+. Use the verbs in the Pluperfect Subjunctive, accord. to App. § 33; the auxiliary, however, must be used but once, and this at the very end.
[17] = I believe; not ... or = neither ... nor.
[18] = and you know. Is there no allusion to the classics? +bezieht er sich nie auf die klassische Litteratur?+
[19] = He was a handsome boy with curly hair. Full — spirits = +voller Leben und Lebenskraft+.
[20] = who; to be connected with an action, +bei einer Handlung beteiligt sein+; a mischievous prank, +ein mutwilliger Possenstreich+.
_Section 180._
A LETTER FROM DR. HENRY DANSON TO MR. JOHN FORSTER, ON CHARLES DICKENS’S SCHOOL-LIFE.
II.
I do not think (S. 64, N. 11) he[1] came in for any of Mr. Jones’s scourging propensity; in fact, together with myself, he was only a day-pupil, and[2] with these there was a wholesome fear of tales being carried home to the parents. His personal appearance at that time[3] is vividly brought home to me in the portrait of him taken a few years later by Mr. Lawrence. He resided (S. 116, N. 17) with[4] his friends, in a very small house in a street leading out of Seymour Street, north of Mr. Judkin’s chapel.
Depend on it, he was _quite_ a self-made man, and his wonderful knowledge and command (+Beherrschung+, f.) of the English language must[5] have been acquired by long and patient study after leaving his last school.
I have no recollection of the boy you name[6]. Dickens’s chief[7] associates were, I think[8], Tobin, Mr. Thomas, Bray, and myself. The first named[9] was his chief ally, and his acquaintance with him appears to have continued many[10] years _afterwards_. About that time[11] the Penny and Saturday magazines (S. 71, N. 2) were published weekly, and _were_ greedily read by (S. 106, N. 23) us. We kept bees, white mice, and other living things, clandestinely[12], in our desks, and the mechanical arts were a good deal cultivated, in[13] the shape of coach-building, and making pumps and boats, the motive power of which was the white mice.
I think at that time Dickens took to writing[14] small tales, and we had a sort _of_ club for[15] lending and circulating them. Dickens was also very strong[16] in using a sort of lingo, which made us[17] quite unintelligible to bystanders.
[1] = that he had to suffer from the scourging propensity (+Prügelmanie+, f.) of his teacher, for, like myself, etc.
[2] +und diesen gegenüber war stets zu befürchten, daß sie bei den Eltern zu Hause aus der Schule plaudern würden.+
[3] +Sein damaliges Aussehen+; is vividly brought home to me = is again vividly brought (+führen+) before my (S. 43, N. 9, _A_ and _B_) eyes; in — Lawrence (Liter.) = ‘through the some years later by (+von+) Mr. L. painted picture of him’, which place immediately after the copula (+wird+) and the dative of the personal pronoun indicating the possessor.
[4] +bei+; in — Street = in a side-street (comp. n. S. 76, N. 22, _B_ [+n+]), not far from Seymour Street.
[5] must — acquired = he must have acquired. To acquire, +sich erwerben+, insep. comp. str. v. refl.; by, +durch+; ‘long’, here +langjährig+; after — school = after his school-time.
[6] = I cannot remember (+sich einer Sache erinnern+) the boy whose name you mention (+an´führen+).
[7] +hauptsächlich+, adj.
[8] Inverted constr.
[9] +Ersterer+; render ‘chief ally’ by a comp. n., and turn ‘chief’ by +Haupt+.
[10] Insert the adv. +noch+ before ‘many’; to continue, +fort´dauern+.
[11] +Um diese Zeit.+
[12] to keep clandestinely, +versteckt halten+; things = creatures; a — cultivated, +eifrig geübt+.
[13] in — mice = for we made coaches, pumps and boats, which then were set in motion by the white mice.
[14] took to writing = began to write.
[15] for — them, Liter. = among (+unter+) the members of which the same (to agree with ‘tales’) circulated (+zirkulieren+).
[16] = great; in — lingo, +im Gebrauch einer gewissen kauderwälschen Geheimsprache+.
[17] made us = was; to bystanders = to the uninitiated, +den Uneingeweihten+.
_Section 181._
A LETTER FROM DR. HENRY DANSON TO MR. JOHN FORSTER, ON CHARLES DICKENS’S SCHOOL-LIFE.
III.
We were very strong, too, in theatricals[1]. We mounted[2] small theatres, and got up very gorgeous scenery to[3] illustrate “The Miller and his Men,” and other pieces. I remember the[4] present _Mr._ Beverley, the scene painter, assisted us in this (S. 4, N. 5). Dickens was always the leader[5] at these plays, which were occasionally presented with much solemnity before an audience[6] of boys, and in _the_ presence of the ushers. My brother, assisted by Dickens, got up[7] “The Miller and his Men” in a very gorgeous form. Master[8] Beverley constructed the mill for us, in such a way[9] that it could tumble to pieces with the assistance of crackers. At one representation, the fireworks in the last scene, ending with the destruction of the mill, were so _very_ real[10] that the police interfered, and knocked violently at the door. Dickens’s after-taste for theatricals might have had[11] its origin in these small affairs.
I quite[12] remember Dickens[13] one day heading us in Drummond Street in pretending to be poor boys, and asking the passers-by for charity, especially old ladies, one of whom told[14] us she had no money for beggar-boys.
On these adventures, and especially when the old ladies were quite staggered[15] by the impudence of the demand, Dickens would explode with laughter and then take to his heels.
I met him one Sunday morning shortly after he had left the school, and[16] we very piously attended the morning service at Seymour Street chapel. I am sorry to say[17] Master[18] Dickens did not attend in the slightest degree to the service, but (S. 6, N. 10) incited me to laughter by declaring (S. 111, N. 6) his dinner was ready, and the potatoes would be spoiled[19]. In fact, he behaved in such a manner[20] that it was lucky for us we were not ejected from the chapel.—FROM J. FORSTER’S “LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS.”
[1] +in theatralischen Aufführungen.+
[2] = made; to get up, +verfertigen+.
[3] Say ‘to illustrate (+in Scene setzen+) the piece’, etc. Men, +Leute+.
[4] = that the; scene painter, +Dekorationsmaler+, which is best placed before the name.
[5] +der Tonangeber+; at, +bei+.
[6] = assembly; boys = pupils; ushers = assistant masters, +Unterlehrer+.
[7] to get up, +in Scene setzen+, of which the part ‘+in Scene+’ is to be treated like the separable particle of a comp. sep. verb. Place the verb immediately after ‘brother’, and supply ‘the piece’ before ‘The — Men’; In — form = very (+ganz+) gorgeously.
[8] = The young.
[9] +auf solche Weise+; with the assistance, +mit Hülfe+.
[10] +realistisch+; to interfere, +sich hineinmischen+.
[11] might have had = perhaps had. Commence the sentence with ‘Perhaps’. ‘After-taste’, +Vorliebe+, f.; affairs = performances, +Vorstellungen+.
[12] +noch ganz deutlich.+
[13] = that Dickens led (+an´leiten+) us one day in Drummond Street to pretend to be (+sich gebärden ... als+) poor boys and to ask the passers-by for (+um+) alms (+milde Gaben+).
[14] = observed (+bemerken+).
[15] ‘to be quite staggered’, here +ganz verblüfft da´stehen+; by — demand = through the impudent demand; to explode with laughter, +vor Lachen fast bersten+; to take to one’s heels, +schnell davon laufen+; and — heels = and ran then quickly away.
[16] = and we went very (+ganz+) piously to church in Seymour St., to attend the morning service (+um dem Morgengottesdienste beizuwohnen+).
[17] +Ich muß leider bekennen.+
[18] = that the young D. not paid the least attention to the service. To pay attention to a thing, +einer Sache Aufmerksamkeit widmen+.
[19] = would get cold.
[20] = He behaved really so. That — us = that we must (Impf.) esteem (+schätzen+) ourselves lucky, not to be ejected from church.—He was ejected from church, +er wurde aus der Kirche geworfen+.
_Section 182._
SIR JOSEPH PAXTON[1].
Sir Joseph Paxton was acting as gardener to[2] the Duke of Devonshire when the Committee of the Exhibition of 1851 advertised for plans of a building. The architects and engineers seem to have been very much at fault[3] when Paxton submitted his design, and its novelty and remarkable suitability for the purposes intended, at once secured its adoption[4]. The first sketch was made upon a piece of blotting-paper in the rooms of the Midland Railway Company[5] at Derby; and the first rough[6] sketch indicated[7] the principal features of the building as accurately as the most finished drawings which were afterwards prepared. The great[8] idea of the Crystal Palace was as palpable[9] on the blotting-paper as if it had been set forth in all the glory of water-colour and gold-framing[10].
Was it a sudden idea,—an inspiration of genius[11],—flashing upon the mind of one[12] who, though no architect, must at least[13] have been something like a poet?—Not at all[14]. The architect of the Crystal Palace was simply a man who cultivated opportunities[15],—a laborious, painstaking[16] man, whose life had been a life of labour, of diligent self-improvement, of assiduous cultivation of knowledge[17]. As[18] Sir Joseph Paxton himself has shown, in a lecture before the Society of Arts, the idea was slowly and patiently elaborated by experiments extending over many years[19]. The Exhibition of 1851 merely afforded him _the_ opportunity of putting forward his idea[20]—the right thing at the right time—and the result was what we have seen.—S. SMILES, “SELF-HELP.”
[1] +~Joseph Paxton~, geb. den 3. Aug. 1803, gest. den 8. Juni 1865, wurde zunächst Kunstgärtner beim Herzog von Devonshire, zeichnete sich jedoch bald durch seine genialen Schöpfungen so sehr aus, daß der Herzog ihn zum Gartendirektor und Verwalter seiner großartigen Besitzung in Chatsworth ernannte. Die wundervollen Gartenanlagen und Gewächshäuser daselbst legen noch heute Zeugnis ab von seiner Genialität. Das große Gewächshaus, welches aus Eisen und Glas erbaut und 300 Fuß lang und 140 Fuß breit ist, diente ihm später als Grundlage des von ihm eingereichten Entwurfes für das Ausstellungsgebäude von 1851 im Hyde Park zu London und des später von ihm in Sydenham errichteten Krystalpalastes. Seine Verdienste um die große Weltindustrieausstellung von 1851 wurden von der Königin dadurch anerkannt, daß sie ihm die Ritterwürde verlieh. Sir Joseph Paxton wurde im Jahre 1854 zum Parlamentsmitgliede für Coventry gewählt und hat sich um die Baukunst und das Eisenbahnwesen manche Verdienste erworben. Er ist auch der Verfasser vieler Zeitschriften und Werke über die Gartenkunst.+
[2] to act as gardener to a person, +bei einem als Kunstgärtner angestellt sein+; advertised — building, +öffentlich zur Einsendung von Plänen für ein Ausstellungsgebäude aufforderte+. I propose to commence the period with the subordinate clause ‘when — building’.
[3] to be very much at fault, +in großer Verlegenheit sein+; to submit a design (of a building), +einen Entwurf ein´reichen+.
[4] and — adoption = and as the same (agreeing with +Entwurf+) was quite new and remarkably suitable to its purpose (+zweckentsprechend+), it was at once accepted.
[5] in — company = in the waiting-rooms of the railway station.
[6] = hasty, +flüchtig+.
[7] +an´deuten.+
[8] = grand, +großartig+.
[9] +klar dargestellt+, p. p.
[10] as — framing = as if one had embellished (+aus´schmücken+) it with beautiful water-colours and gold framing.
[11] an — genius = the inspiration of a genius (+Genie+, n., pronounced as in French).
[12] flashing — one = which suddenly (+auf einmal+) filled the mind of a man.
[13] Insert the adv. +doch+ before ‘at least’ (+mindestens+); something like = more or less.
[14] +Ganz und gar nicht!+
[15] to cultivate opportunities, +Gelegenheiten zu benutzen wissen+.
[16] +strebsam+; of = full of, +voller+.
[17] of — knowledge, +und unverdrossenen Strebens nach Kenntnissen+.
[18] = Like, +wie+; has shown = declared; in — Arts, +in einem vor dem Kunstvereine gehaltenen Vortrage+, which place immediately after the subject.
[19] ‘by — years’ may be briefly rendered by +durch langjährige Versuche+ or +Experimente+, which place after ‘idea’; slowly = gradually; patiently, +beharrlich+; to elaborate, +aus´arbeiten+.
[20] of — idea = to bring his idea before (+vor+) the public (+Öffentlichkeit+, f.); the right thing, +das Rechte+; at, +zu+, contracted with the def. art.
_Section 183._
REBECCA DESCRIBES THE SIEGE OF TORQUILSTONE (App. § 5) TO THE WOUNDED IVANHOE[1].
I.
“And I must lie here like a bed-ridden[2] monk,” exclaimed Ivanhoe, “while the game[3] that gives me[4] freedom or death is played out by _the hands of_ others! Look from the window[5] once again, kind maiden, but beware that you are not marked by the archers[6]. Look out once more, and tell me if[7] they yet advance[8] to the storm.”
With patient[9] courage, strengthened by the interval which she had employed in mental devotion[10], Rebecca again took post[11] at the lattice, sheltering herself[12], however, by means of a large _and_ ancient shield so as not to be visible from beneath[13].
“What dost thou see, Rebecca?” again demanded the wounded knight.
“Nothing but the[14] cloud of arrows flying so thick as to dazzle mine eyes[15], and to hide the bowmen who shoot them.”
“That cannot endure[16],” said Ivanhoe; “if they press not right on[17] to carry the castle by pure force of arms (S. 27, N. 8), the archery may[18] avail but little against stone walls and bulwarks. Look for[19] the Black Knight, fair Rebecca, and see how he bears himself[20]; for as the leader _is_, so will his followers be[21].”
“I see him not,” said Rebecca.
“Foul craven[22]!” exclaimed Ivanhoe; “does he blench[23] from the helm when the wind blows highest[24]?”
[1] =Ivanhoe=, a novel by Sir Walter Scott, is the most brilliant and splendid of romances in the English language. Rebecca, the Jewess, was Scott’s favourite character. The Scene is laid in England in the reign of Richard I., who assumes the name of the ‘Black Knight’ in this story, and we are introduced to Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, banquets in Saxon halls, tournaments, and all the pomp of ancient chivalry. Sir Wilfred Ivanhoe is the favourite of Richard I. and disinherited son of the Saxon Cedric of Rotherwood. Having distinguished himself as a crusader, he returns to England and, disguised as a palmer, goes to Rotherwood, where he meets Rowéna, his father’s ward, with whom he is in love; but, through his separation from his true love, we see him more as the friend of Rebecca and her father, Isaac of York, to both of whom he shows repeated acts of kindness, and completely wins the affections of the beautiful Jewess, who, by her gentle, meek, yet noble and high-toned disposition, quite throws into the shade her more successful rival Rowéna. In the grand tournament at Ashby Ivanhoe appears as the ‘Disinherited Knight’, and overthrows all comers. He is, however, wounded, and carried from the crowded lists by Rebecca’s servants. After having attended to his wounds, Rebecca and her father are about to transport their friend in a litter to Doncaster, when they are surprised by a number of armed men, headed by the Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who take them prisoners and bring them, along with Cedric and Rowéna, who likewise have been made captives, to Torquilstone, the Castle of Front-de-Bœuf, Ivanhoe’s enemy. During their imprisonment the castle is besieged by the Black Knight, who, in his adventurous spirit, having joined a band of yeomen and outlaws, demands the deliverance of the prisoners. The castle falls into the hands of the besiegers, Front-de-Bœuf perishing in the flames of the burning castle; Ring Richard pleads for Ivanhoe to Cedric, reconciles the father to his son, and the young knight marries Rowéna.
[2] +bettlägerig.+
[3] = combat.
[4] Insert ‘either’ here; gives = brings; played out = is fought out; by, +von+.
[5] to look from the window, +zum Fenster hinaus´sehen+. Use the 2nd pers. sing. when Ivanhoe addresses Rebecca.
[6] that — archers = =that= (= =in order that, +damit+=) the archers _may_ not notice thee.
[7] +ob.+
[8] +heran´rücken.+
[9] +unverdrossen.+
[10] +und durch die von ihr zur stillen Andacht benutzte Pause gestärkt.+
[11] took post = placed herself; at, +an+.
[12] +sich verbergen+, insep. comp. str. v. refl.; say ‘sheltered herself however;’ by means of = behind.
[13] as — beneath = that she could not be seen from beneath (+unten+).
[14] = a; flying so thick = which fly in such masses (use the Sing.) through the air; ‘to fly through’, here +durchflie´gen+, insep. comp. str. v.
[15] as — eyes = that they dazzle my eyes; and to hide = and conceal from my eyes (+Blick+, m.); ‘to shoot’, here +ab´schießen+.
[16] +lange so fortdauern.+
[17] to press right on, +schne-ll vor´dringen+; to = and; to carry a fortress by pure force of arms, +eine Festung durch Waffengewalt ein´nehmen+.
[18] = will; avail, +nützen+; but = only; bulwarks, +Befestigungen+.
[19] +suchen.+
[20] ‘to bear oneself’, here +sich halten+, str. v. refl.
[21] +so die Geführten.+
[22] +Verruchter Feigling!+
[23] = to give way, +zurückweichen+, sep. comp. str. v.; helm = rudder, +Steuerruder+, n.
[24] highest = strongest. =The relative superlative of adverbs= is formed by placing +=am=+ before the superlative of the adjective, and giving it the dative termination +=en=+, like the predicative form of adjectives. Comp. S. 120, N. 14.
_Section 184._
REBECCA DESCRIBES THE SIEGE OF TORQUILSTONE TO THE WOUNDED IVANHOE.
II.
“He blenches not! he blenches not!” said Rebecca, “I see him now; he leads a body of men[1] close under the outer barrier[2] of the barbican. They pull down the piles and palisades; they hew down the barriers with axes.—His high black plume floats abroad over the throng[3], like a raven over the field of the slain[4].—They have made a breach in the barriers—they rush in—they are thrust back! Front-de-Bœuf heads the defenders; I see his gigantic form above the press[5]. They throng[6] again to (S. 72, N. 4) the breach, and the pass is disputed hand to hand and man to man[7]. God of Jacob! it is the meeting of two fierce tides—the conflict of two oceans moved by adverse winds[8]!”
She turned her head from the lattice, as if (S. 27, N. 7) unable longer to endure a sight so terrible (S. 128, N. 11).
“Look forth again, Rebecca,” said Ivanhoe, mistaking[9] the cause of her retiring; “the archery must in some degree[10] have ceased, since they are now fighting hand to hand.—Look again, there is[11] now less danger.”
Rebecca again looked forth, and almost immediately exclaimed: “Help, O prophets of the law! Front-de-Bœuf and the Black Knight fight hand to hand on[12] the breach, amid[13] the roar of their followers[14], who watch[15] the progress of the strife.—Heaven strike[16] (App. § 34) _with_ the cause (+Sache+, f.) of the oppressed and the captive!”
She then[17] uttered a loud shriek, and exclaimed: “He is down[18]!—He is down!”
[1] +eine Schar Kämpfer.+
[2] ‘barrier’ may here be rendered by +Befestigungen+, +Schanzpfähle+, or +Verschanzungen+. Every Gothic castle and city had, beyond the outer walls, a fortification composed of palisades, called the barriers, which were often the scene of severe skirmishes, as these had necessarily to be carried before the walls themselves could be approached. The ‘barbacan’ or ‘_barbican_’ was the outer wall of an ancient castle or town, and may be rendered by ‘+Zwingmauer+, f.’
[3] +flattert hoch über der Menge in der Luft umher.+
[4] = battle-field.
[5] +Gedränge+, n.
[6] to throng = to press forward, +sich vorwärts drängen+, sep. comp. w. v. refl.
[7] and — man = they fight for (+um+) the pass (+Durchgang+, m.) and struggle (+kämpfen+) man against man.
[8] it — winds = it is like the meeting (+Aneinanderstoßen+) of two fierce tides (+Sturmflut+, f.), like the conflict (+Zusammenfließen+, n.) of two oceans (+Weltmeer+, n.) which are moved (+fort´treiben+, sep. comp. str. v.) by adverse (+entgegengesetzt+) winds.
[9] +unrichtig deuten+. Construe accord. to S. 16, N. 4; of her retiring = of this movement.
[10] in some degree = almost.
[11] there is, +es ist ... vorhanden+. Comp. S. 104, N. 19.
[12] +vor+.
[13] +während+, with Gen.
[14] +Anhänger.+
[15] +mit Aufmerksamkeit verfolgen.+
[16] = defend, v. tr.
[17] = hereupon, which place first. To utter a shriek, +einen Schrei ausstoßen+.
[18] = fallen.
_Section 185._
REBECCA DESCRIBES THE SIEGE OF TORQUILSTONE TO THE WOUNDED IVANHOE.
III.
“Who is down?” cried Ivanhoe; “for[1] our dear Lady’s sake, tell me who has fallen?”
“The Black Knight,” answered Rebecca faintly[2]; then instantly again shouted with joyful eagerness[3]: “But[4] no—but no!—the name of the Lord of hosts be blessed[5]!—he is on foot[6] again, and fights as if there were twenty men’s strength in his single arm[7].—His sword is broken—he snatches[8] an axe from a yeoman—he presses[9] Front-de-Bœuf with blow on blow.—The giant stoops and totters like an oak under the steel of the woodman[10]—he falls—he falls!”
“Front-de-Bœuf?” exclaimed Ivanhoe.
“Front-de-Bœuf!” answered the Jewess; “his men[11] rush to the rescue[12], headed (S. 102, N. 3) by (+von+) the haughty Templar[13]—their united force compels the champion[14] to pause.—They drag Front-de-Bœuf within the walls[15].”
“The assailants have won[16] the barriers, have they not?” said Ivanhoe.