Section 129 Goethe’s Daily Life at Weimar. I.
Passing through an ante-chamber, where, in cupboards, stand his mineralogical collections, we enter (App. § 14) the study, a low-roofed, narrow room (Gemach, n.), somewhat dark (S. 128, N. 11), for it is (S. 2, N. 1) lighted only through two tiny windows, and1 furnished with a simplicity quite touching to behold.
In the centre2 stands a plain oval table of unpolished oak3. No arm-chair is to be seen, no sofa, nothing which (S. 3, N. 7) speaks4 of comfort. A plain hard chair has5 beside it the basket in which he used6 to place his handkerchief. Against7 the wall, on the right, is a8 long pear-tree table, with book-shelves, on which stand lexicons and manuals. Here hangs a pincushion, venerable in9 dust, with the visiting-cards, and other trifles which10 death had made sacred. Here11 also a medallion of Napoleon, with this12 circumscription: “Scilicet13 immenso superest ex nomine multum.” On the side-wall again, a book-case, with some works of poets. On the wall to the left is a long desk of soft wood, at14 which he was wont6 to write. A sheet of paper with notes of15 contemporary history is fastened near16 the door, and behind17 this door tables18 of music and geology.
Notes
1 and — behold = and is (ist) furnished with an almost (fast) touching simplicity.
2 middle.
3 Eichenholz, n.; the oak = oak-tree, is rendered by Eiche, f., or Eichbaum, m.
4 speaks = points to; to point to a thing, auf etwas deuten.
5 has beside it = stands beside.
6 used to place, zu legen pflegte. ‘To use’, when employed transitively, is generally rendered by brauchen, gebrauchen, benutzen, an´wenden, and verbrauchen, whilst intransitively it is rendered by pflegen or gewohnt sein, in the sense of ‘to be accustomed to’, ‘to be in the habit of’, ‘to be wont to do’.
7 Against = on; on (or to) the right, rechts; on (or to) the left, links.
8 ein langer Tisch von Birnbaumholz.
9 in dust = through its age.
10 which — sacred, die durch den Tod geheiligt sind.
11 Insert ‘is’ or ‘hangs’.
12 this = the.
13 Scilicet — multum, Little honour is derived from a great name.
14 at, an.
15 über die (or aus der) Tagesgeschichte.
16 in der Nähe der Thür; to fasten, an´heften.
17 an; supply ‘hang’ after ‘door’.
18 musikalische und geologische Tabellen.