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Read Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing in German, with the English beside it

by Eichendorff, Joseph, Freiherr von · 1788–1857

"Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts: Novelle" by Freiherr von Joseph Eichendorff is a novella completed in 1822/23 and first published in 1826. A miller's son, dismissed as a good-for-nothing, sets out into the world with only his violin. He falls in love with a beautiful lady at a Viennese castle, becomes a toll collector, then abandons everything when she seems unattainable. His wandering journey takes him through Italy to Rome, following mysterious letters and glimpses of his beloved through gardens, palaces, and moonlit streets.

Read time
144 min
Words
31,584
Chapters
10
Paragraphs
260
Price
Free
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  • Bildungsromans
  • Fathers and sons -- Fiction
  • German fiction
  • Young men -- Fiction
Memoirs of a Good-for-NothingZweites Kapitel

Da tanzt =sie= nun, dacht ich in dem Baume droben bei mir selber, und hat gewiß lange dich und deine Blumen wieder vergessen.

So =she= is dancing now, I thought to myself up in the tree, and has certainly long forgotten you and your Blumen again.

Alles ist so fröhlich, um dich kümmert sich kein Mensch. -- Und so geht es mir überall und immer.

Everything is so joyful, no one cares about you. -- And so it is with me everywhere and always.

Jeder hat sein Plätzchen auf der Erde ausgesteckt, hat seinen warmen Ofen, seine Tasse Kaffee, seine Frau, sein Glas Wein zu Abend und ist so recht zufrieden;

Everyone has staked out their little spot on earth, has their warm stove, their cup of coffee, their Frau, their glass of wine in the evening and is quite content;

selbst dem Portier ist ganz wohl in seiner langen Haut. -- Mir ists nirgends recht.

even the Portier is quite comfortable in his long skin. -- Nowhere is it right for Mir.

Es ist, als wäre ich überall eben zu spät gekommen, als hätte die ganze Welt gar nicht auf mich gerechnet. --

It is as if I had arrived everywhere just too late, as if the whole Welt had not counted on me at all. --

Wie ich eben so philosophiere, höre ich auf einmal unten im Grase etwas einherrascheln.

As I was philosophizing, I suddenly heard something rustling in the grass below.

Zwei feine Stimmen sprachen ganz nahe und leise miteinander.

Two delicate voices spoke very close and softly to each other.

Bald darauf bogen sich die Zweige in dem Gesträuche auseinander, und die Kammerjungfer steckte ihr kleines Gesichtchen, sich nach allen Seiten umsehend, zwischen der Laube hindurch.

Soon after, the branches in the bushes parted, and the Kammerjungfer poked her small Gesichtchen through the arbor, looking around in all directions.

Der Mondschein funkelte recht auf ihren pfiffigen Augen, wie sie hervorguckten.

The Mondschein sparkled brightly in her cunning Augen as they peered out.

Ich hielt den Atem an mich und blickte unverwandt hinunter.

I held my breath and looked down intently.

Es dauerte auch nicht lange, so trat wirklich die Gärtnerin, ganz so wie mir sie die Kammerjungfer gestern beschrieben hatte, zwischen den Bäumen heraus.

It wasn't long before the gardener, exactly as the Kammerjungfer had described her to me yesterday, actually stepped out from among the trees.

Mein Herz klopfte mir zum Zerspringen.

My Herz pounded as if it would burst.

Sie aber hatte eine Larve vor und sah sich, wie mir schien, verwundert auf dem Platze um. -- Da wollts mir vorkommen,

But she wore a mask and, it seemed to Mir, looked around the place in surprise. -- Then it occurred to Mir that

als wäre sie gar nicht recht schlank und niedlich. -- Endlich trat sie ganz nahe an den Baum und nahm die Larve ab. -- Es war wahrhaftig die andere ältere gnädige Frau!

she wasn't really slender and delicate at all. -- Finally, she came quite close to the tree and took off her mask. -- It was truly the other, older gracious Frau!

Chapters

  1. 1Erstes Kapitel
  2. 2Zweites KapitelExcerpt
  3. 3Drittes Kapitel
  4. 4Viertes Kapitel
  5. 5Fünftes Kapitel
  6. 6Sechstes Kapitel
  7. 7Siebentes Kapitel
  8. 8Achtes Kapitel
  9. 9Neuntes Kapitel
  10. 10Zehntes Kapitel

Book details

Original language
German
Translation
English
Source text
Project Gutenberg #35312
Licence
Public domain worldwide

Questions

What level do I need to read Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing here?

Lower than you would need alone. Both languages are on screen and aligned phrase by phrase, so you read at your own level and lean on the translation exactly as much as you need.

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Yes. The text is in the public domain, and the translation and alignment are ours to give. A free account opens the whole book; the paid tier is for unlimited explanations and personal imports.

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How long does Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing take to read?

About 2 hours at a normal pace, longer if you stop to look at the alignment, which is rather the point.

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