German composition

Section 102. THE DRAMA OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION OF 1848. II.

Reading edition

What is to be done? The king is thunderstruck⁠[1], hesitates for a moment, and⁠[2] then, urged⁠[3] by the queen, instantly leaves the room. The⁠[4] queen follows⁠[5] her husband with her (S. 43, N. 9, A) eyes from the palace window. She sees⁠[6] him on horseback⁠[7] reviewing⁠[8] the National Guards⁠[9]. She has no fear, neither⁠[10] has he. What⁠[11] more? He returns, accompanied⁠[3] by⁠[12] the man whom⁠[13], yesterday, to satisfy public clamour, he created Prime Minister. Has the Minister power to save his master? You (S. 92, N. 5) observe at⁠[14] a glance that⁠[15] he is far more anxious to save himself. He craves⁠[16] permission to resign. Permission⁠[17] is granted, when (S. 4, N. 2) a volley⁠[18] is (S. 4, N. 4) heard close⁠[19] to their ears. What does it mean? This⁠[20] man will tell you who now enters. The King has a pen in his hand, with which he is about (S. 6, N. 4) to appoint his new Prime Minister. “Sign⁠[21] not,” shouts the⁠[22] last comer, a⁠[23] man of the press, with the face⁠[24] of a student, and the spirit⁠[25] of a soldier. “Sign rather⁠[26] your own abdication.” The situation is fine⁠[27]. The pen drops⁠[28] from the King’s fingers; the speaker⁠[29] takes it up, and quietly⁠[30] replaces⁠[31] it in the Monarch’s hand (see S. 43, N. 9).

Urged by his father, he instantly left the room. Von seinem Vater gedrängt, verließ er eiligst das Zimmer.

Beginning with to-morrow (From to-morrow forwards) you must take a walk every day. Von morgen an müssen Sie jeden Tag spazieren gehen.

The King appointed Prince Bismarck Prime Minister. Der König ernannte den Fürsten Bismarck zum Premierminister.

S. 27, N. 4 will show the construction in connection with the passive voice.

Notes in this chapter

Note 2 · ‘When’, referring to definite time of the Past, must always be rendered by ‘als’.Note 4 · When the agent from which the action proceeds is not mentioned, the English Passive Voice is often rendered by a reflective verb, or by the Note 4 · ‘to be about’, im Begriff sein. ‘To be about’ may also be rendered by the auxiliary verb of mood wollen and the infinitive of another verb; Note 4 · When he was appointed (see N. 7). The verbs machen (to make), ernennen (to appoint), and erwählen (to choose, to elect), and other verbs den Note 9 · A. The definite article is often used instead of the possessive adjective pronoun in cases where the possessor is clearly seen from the cont Note 5 · The pron. ‘you’, used in a general sense, is mostly rendered by the indef. pron. man.Note 1 · wie vom Donner gerührt.Note 2 · Here place the verb ‘leaves’.Note 3 · The Past (Perfect) Participle is often used elliptically to denote an existing state or condition; as—Note 4 · Construe this period by beginning with the adverbial clause ‘from the palace window’, von den Fenstern des Palastes aus. The verb must then Note 5 · folgen requires the dative.Note 6 · see S. 78, N. 14.Note 7 · zu Pferde.Note 8 · mustern.Note 9 · the National Guards, die Nationalgarde.Note 10 · neither has he = and he also not.Note 11 · Was giebt’s weiter?Note 12 · by the man, von einem Manne.Note 13 · ‘whom — Minister’, construe ‘whom he only (erst) yesterday appointed Prime Minister, to satisfy (genügen, with the dat.) the impetuous (unge Note 14 · at a glance, augenblicklich.Note 15 · that — anxious, daß es ihm viel mehr darum zu thun ist.Note 16 · to crave permission to resign, um Erlaubnis bitten, sein Amt nie´derlegen zu dürfen.Note 17 · Use the def. art. with this noun, and supply the dat. of the pers. pron. er after the auxiliary; the verb is in the passive voice.Note 18 · Musketensalve, f.Note 19 · close to their ears = in the immediate neighbourhood.Note 20 · ‘This — enters’ may be briefly rendered: Der soeben Eintretende wird es uns zu erkennen geben.Note 21 · unterschrei´ben, insep. comp. str. v., which use in the 3rd pers. pl. of the Imperative mood. As a mark of respect, the word ‘Sire’ may be i Note 22 · the — comer, der Hereingetretene.Note 23 · ein Journalist.Note 24 · ‘face’, here = impudence or boldness.Note 25 · spirit = courage.Note 26 · lieber.Note 27 · fine = critical.Note 28 · to drop from, entfallen, with the dat.Note 29 · Form a noun of the present participle of the verb sprechen. The noun Sprecher applies, as a rule, to the Speaker in the English House of Com Note 30 · In German, when the subject stands before the verb, the adverb must never precede the latter or, in compound forms, the copula (auxiliary ve Note 31 · wieder geben.