German composition

Section 47 The White Ship. (A.D. 1120.) I.

King Henry I went⁠1 over to Normandy with his son Prince (S. 10, N. 2) William and a great retinue, to have the prince acknowledged⁠2 as his successor by the Norman nobles, and to contract⁠3 the promised marriage between him and the daughter of the count of Anjou. When both⁠4 these things had been done with great show⁠5 and rejoicing, the whole retinue prepared⁠6 to embark for the voyage home.

When⁠7 all was ready, there came to the king Fitz-Stephen⁠8, a sea-captain, and said: “My⁠9 liege, my father served your father all his life, upon the sea. He steered⁠10 the ship⁠11 with the gold boy upon the prow, in⁠12 which your father sailed⁠13 to conquer England. I beseech you to grant⁠14 me the same office. I⁠15 have a fair vessel in the harbour here, called the White Ship, manned by fifty sailors of renown. I pray you, Sire⁠16, to⁠17 let your servant have the honour of steering⁠18 you in the White Ship to England.”

Notes

1 to go over, sich begeben. The words ‘to Normandy’ (S. 19, N. 4) must be placed after ‘retinue’.

2 to have acknowledged, huldigen lassen. See S. 19, N. 7. The words ‘by (von) the Norman nobles’ must be placed after ‘prince’. The nobles, der Adel.

3 to contract a promised marriage, einen verabredeten Heiratsvertrag ab´schließen. The pron. ‘him’ should be turned by ‘the prince’, to avoid ambiguity.

4 both — things = this.

5 Pomp, m.; rejoicing, viele Freudenbezeigungen; to be done, geschehen.

6 sich zur Heimreise an´schicken.

7 Supply the adverb ‘nun’ after ‘when’.

8 The subject and apposition must be placed immediately after the predicate. Comp. App. § 15.

9 Say ‘My father, O prince (Fürst), served yours (use the second pers. sing. of the posses. pron., and continue the address in the same person) his whole life long at (zur) sea’.

10 lenken.

11 das am Vorderteile mit einem goldenen Knaben verzierte Schiff.

12 auf.

13 sailed — England = sailed (sich ein´schiffen) for (zu) the conquest of England.

14 verleihen.

15 Say ‘I possess in this (hiesig) harbour a fair with fifty renowned (bewährt) sailors (Seeleute) manned vessel (Fahrzeug), called (App. § 1) the White Ship’. Comp. S. 7, N. 3.

16 o Herr.

17 to let... have = to grant; use the Supine.

18 ‘to steer’, here = to conduct, geleiten. See S. 1, N. 3.