German composition

Section 185 Rebecca Describes the Siege of Torquilstone to the Wounded Ivanhoe. — III

“Who is down?” cried Ivanhoe; “for⁠1 our dear Lady’s sake, tell me who has fallen?”

“The Black Knight,” answered Rebecca faintly⁠2; then instantly again shouted with joyful eagerness⁠3: “But⁠4 no—but no!—the name of the Lord of hosts be blessed⁠5!—he is on foot⁠6 again, and fights as if there were twenty men’s strength in his single arm⁠7.—His sword is broken—he snatches⁠8 an axe from a yeoman—he presses⁠9 Front-de-Bœuf with blow on blow.—The giant stoops and totters like an oak under the steel of the woodman⁠10—he falls—he falls!”

“Front-de-Bœuf?” exclaimed Ivanhoe.

“Front-de-Bœuf!” answered the Jewess; “his men⁠11 rush to the rescue⁠12, headed (S. 102, N. 3) by (von) the haughty Templar⁠13—their united force compels the champion⁠14 to pause.—They drag Front-de-Bœuf within the walls⁠15.”

“The assailants have won⁠16 the barriers, have they not?” said Ivanhoe.

“They have—they have⁠17!” exclaimed Rebecca—“and they press⁠18 the besieged hard upon the outer wall; some plant ladders⁠19, some swarm like bees (S. 3, N. 2) and endeavour to ascend upon the shoulders of each other⁠20—down go⁠21 stones, beams, and trunks of trees upon their heads, and as fast as they bear the wounded to the rear⁠22, fresh men⁠23 supply their places in the assault.—Great God, hast thou given men thine own image⁠24, that (S. 183, N. 6) it should be thus cruelly defaced⁠25 by⁠26 the hands of their brethren?”

Notes

1 = for the sake of (um... willen) the holy Virgin.

2 mit schwacher Stimme.

3 then — eagerness = but cried immediately (gleich darauf) with joyful surprise.

4 Doch.

5 gepriesen.

6 to be on foot, auf den Beinen sein.

7 as — arm = as if (als ob) his arm possessed (Impf. Subj. App. § 33) the strength of 20 men.

8 to snatch a thing from a person, einem etwas entrei´ßen, insep. comp. str. v. tr.; a yeoman, ein Freisasse, m. Comp. App. § 5; ‘axe’, here = battle-axe, Streitaxt, f.

9 ‘to press’, here weiter zurück´drängen, sep. comp. w. v. tr.; with blow on blow, mit jedem Schlage.

10 = wood-cutter.

11 Leute.

12 He rushed to my rescue, er eilte mir zu Hülfe.

13 Der Tempelherr war Brian de Bois-Guilbert. Comp. S. 183, N. 1.

14 = hero; to pause = to stop fighting, mit dem Fechten in´nezuhalten.

15 ‘within the walls’ may be briefly rendered by hinein.

16 = taken, ein´nehmen, sep. comp. irreg. v. tr.; turn ‘barriers’ by Verschanzungen; have they not? nicht wahr?

17 Ja—ja!

18 here bedrängen; hard, heftig; upon, auf, with Dat.

19 to plant ladders, Leitern an die Mauer stellen.

20 = of the others.

21 down go, es werden... herniedergeworfen. Comp. S. 104, N. 19.

22 and — rear = and as soon as (so wie) the wounded are carried away (hinweg´tragen). Comp. S. 2, N. 1.

23 = other combatants (Streiter). He supplied my place in the assault of the castle, er nahm meine Stelle bei der Erstürmung des Schlosses wieder ein.

24 Say ‘hast thou created men (S. 134, N. 9) after thy own image (Bild, n.)’.

25 entstellen, insep. comp. w. v.; Use the Pres. Subj. of the Passive voice, and comp. App. §§ 29 and 35.

26 by = through, durch; the hands = the hand.