German composition

Section 45 The Indian Chief. V.

He pronounced⁠1 these words with the utmost vehemence. His⁠2 body shook with a universal tremour. He⁠3 was almost stifled with sighs, which⁠4 he would not suffer to escape him. There⁠5 was a keen restlessness in the eye, but no tears flowed to⁠6 his relief. At⁠7 length he became calm by degrees: and, turning towards the east, where the sun had just risen, “Dost thou see,” said he to the young officer, “the beauty of that sky, which sparkles with prevailing day? and hast thou pleasure in the sight?” “Yes,” replied the⁠8 young officer, “I have pleasure in the beauty of⁠9 so fine a sky.” “I have none!” said the Indian, and⁠10 his tears then found their way.

A few minutes after, he showed the young man a⁠11 magnolia, in full bloom. “Dost thou see that beautiful tree?” said he, “and dost thou look⁠12 upon it with pleasure?” “Yes,” replied the officer, “I⁠13 look with pleasure upon that beautiful tree.” “I have no longer any pleasure in⁠14 looking upon it!” said the Indian hastily⁠15, and⁠16 immediately added: “Go, return to thy father, that⁠17 he may still have pleasure, when (S. 18, N. 6) he sees the sun rise in⁠18 the morning, and the trees blossom in the spring!”—Washington Irving.

Notes

1 spoke. Begin the clause with ‘These words’ (S. 7, N. 2).

2 Say ‘A universal tremour shook (erschüttern) his body’.

3 Er erstickte fast unter den Seufzern.

4 Say ‘which he endeavoured (bemüht sein) to suppress’.

5 His eyes (sing.) looked restlessly about.

6 zur Linderung seines Schmerzes.

7 Say ‘Gradually he became calmer’. The following passage requires altogether a different structure in German. Say ‘He turned towards the east (sich gen Osten wenden), where the sun had just risen. “Dost thou see the beauty of the sky, which sparkles (erglänzen) with (von) the breaking (an´brechen) day (Tageslicht, n.)? and hast thou pleasure (Freude, f.) in (an) the sight (Anblick, m.)?” he asked the young officer’.

8 the — officer, dieser, to avoid a useless repetition.

9 of such a (S. 28, N. 9) sky.

10 ‘and his’, say ‘whose’; found their way, hervor´brachen.

11 eine in voller Blüte stehende Magnolie.

12 ‘to look upon’, here betrachten.

13 Say ‘I rejoice in its splendour’, to avoid monotony. To rejoice in a thing, sich einer Sache freuen.

14 ‘in — it’, may be briefly rendered by ‘in the sight’.

15 rasch.

16 ‘and — Go’. Begin a new clause here, and say: ‘“Go,” he added (fügte er dann hinzu)’.

17 auf daß (followed by the Pres. Subj. of haben).

18 des Morgens, App. § 9. The verb ‘sees’, being the governing verb in both clauses, takes the last place. See App. § 19.