This Week's Installment
“Quite right. He wrote his work about East Prussia,” he retorted with sharp emphasis and carried on: “It was far from him as theologian and is in the opinion of all experts the best that was ever written about our province. No, you don’t know him, Edith. He locked himself up - it was once his arrangement. But in him is the same blood and the same longing as in us. No one loves his home as he.”
His serious words made perhaps a certain impression on her, but they did not convince. “You said once that he was supposed to become a full professor in Königsberg. How has it really turned out with that?”
“He failed at the last minute because of some direct question that, of course, in theology always plays a role. He has never gotten over it. I believe - “ He wanted to add something else though, broke off and said: “Now we’ve spoken still only of me and of us. But of your father you have told me nothing yet. How does it stand for him?”
A shadow flew over her face. “He wants to let nothing arise, certainly not! That’s why he pulls himself together, often well over his strength, especially when company is there. But I know best that since the death of the mother, he is not the boss anymore. That summer I did not get him out of here. He cannot separate himself from the economy and still sits on the same horse everyday. He wants to stay in practice, like he says. But in winter we must go to Rodenburg; privy councillor Raber wants to carry out a regular treatment with him. Hopefully it helps.”
---13---
Through the quiet park echoed clear calls. Only now they noticed that their long absence was conspicuous, that the night had advanced. They got ready to go back in the house. But before they stept on the veranda, Edith said, “Do tell me that about Hans quickly!
Interesting Words I Ran Across
- das Fürwort - pronoun [I love how the constituent parts of this sort of explain what a pronoun is. Für and Wort are clearly visible, and a pronoun is something that stands for something else, a for-word.]
- die Pferdeäpfel - horse droppings [literally: horse apples]
Grammatical Minutiae/Commentary
I feel I should make a note of the sentence "Niemand liebt seine Heimat wie er" (No one loves his home as he), which is very close to the title of the book - Wer die Heimat liebt wie du (Who loves the home as you [do]).
I feel that "[er] sitzt jeden Tag noch zu Pferde" ("[he] still sits on the same horse everyday") is an idiom that I'm not completely understanding. I looked under "Pferd" in my German-English dictionary, but I didn't find anything enlightening there (although that's how I found Pferdeäpfel, so it wasn't a complete waste). I tried Google Translate too, but that wasn't helpful either. It seems to have the same meaning as the phrase "stuck in a rut," but even looking that up in the English section didn't lead me to anything.
I feel that "[er] sitzt jeden Tag noch zu Pferde" ("[he] still sits on the same horse everyday") is an idiom that I'm not completely understanding. I looked under "Pferd" in my German-English dictionary, but I didn't find anything enlightening there (although that's how I found Pferdeäpfel, so it wasn't a complete waste). I tried Google Translate too, but that wasn't helpful either. It seems to have the same meaning as the phrase "stuck in a rut," but even looking that up in the English section didn't lead me to anything.
