German composition : $b A theoretical and practical guide to the art of translating English prose into German · Hermann Lange

Chapter 3

Chapter 113 of 173 · 2 min read

Finding him extremely tractable, I made it my custom to carry him always after breakfast into the garden, where he hid himself generally under the leaves of a vine, sleeping or chewing the cud till evening; in the leaves also of that vine he found a favourite repast. I had not long habituated him to this taste of liberty, before he began to be impatient for the return of the time when he might enjoy it. He would invite me to the garden by drumming (S. 111, N. 6) upon my knee, and by (S. 185, N. 26) a look of such expression as it was not possible to misinterpret. If the rhetoric did not immediately succeed, he would take the skirt of my coat (S. 36, N. 7, A) between his teeth, and pull it with all his force. Thus Puss might be said to be perfectly tamed; the shyness of his nature was done away, and, on the whole, it was visible by many symptoms, which I have not room to enumerate, that he was happier in human society than when (S. 27, N. 7) shut up with his natural companions.

Not so Tiny; upon him the kindest treatment had not the least effect. He too was sick, and in his sickness had an equal share of my attention; but when, after his recovery, I took the liberty to stroke him, he would grunt, strike with his fore feet, spring forward, and bite. He was, however, entertaining in his way; even his surliness was matter of mirth, and in his play he preserved such an air of gravity, and performed his feats with such solemnity of manner, that in (+an+) him too I had an agreeable companion.

+zur.+

Use this and the following verb in the Imperfect, preceded by ‘and’; to chew the cud, +sein Futter wiederkäuen+.

in — repast, +auch aß er die Blätter des Weinstocks besonders gern+.

= when; insert the adv. +schon+ after ‘he’.

to — time = to long impatiently for the time.

when — it = when (S. 131, N. 4) he could again enjoy this liberty.

= to come into the garden with him.

Render ‘of such expression’ by the adj. ‘expressive’; as = that, followed by +man+ and the active form of the verb.

= his; and construe according to the following example: He will never succeed, +er wird nie seinen Zweck erreichen+.

Supply the adv. ‘forward’ after this noun.

Say ‘And so (+somit+) I may (+dürfen+) perhaps (+wohl+) say of “Puss” that he was quite tamed’.

= his natural shyness was conquered.