Saturday, March 14, 2020

Month 60: Pages 84-85

This Month's Installment

As always, the italicized parts are what I'm unsure about.
     It really went quick as a flash.  He had just taken a newspaper and sat down in one of the comfortable wicker chairs that stood immediately in front of the building when a loud, shrill whistle from the veranda startled him.
     "Oh, there you are, I expected you to be much further in the garden and wanted to make myself audible."
     "Where did you get a whistle all of a sudden?"
     She laughed.  "It's not a whistle, I do that with my mouth... look, like this..."  She set her red lips at a little of an angle and whistled even more loudly and piercingly than the first time, so that he put his hands over his ears.
     "For God's sake, stop!"
     "It's not such a despicable skill, it is perhaps the best that I have learned in my life.  We used to call it the 'family whistle.'  All of my siblings have learned it; so we could make ourselves heard everywhere.  Even later, it has served me well."
     Again her old manner that had caught his attention so many times.  She said something, broke off in the middle of a word, and then for a few seconds lookt half frightened, half forgotten to herself.
     Going through the garden, they reached the south promenade, which led them to the landing in a few minutes.  A quick glance that he let examine and wander over her figure showed him that she had appropriately and not without taste dressed herself for the purpose of their trip.  A dark green wool dress, closed at the top, and a cap, similar to his, which was fastened in her frizzy hair with a pin.  He could let himself be seen with her.
---84---
    It was still quiet everywhere, Zoppot was taking its afternoon rest.  Like a thick curtain the sky lay over the sea.  At first, the two appeared to be one, then the curtain slowly rose; now they began to separate, a lighter blue shone through the dark gray, no wind stirred.  And yet the sea was not very calm and let small foam-crowned waves break against the beach.  As if its agitation lived in the deepest depth and rose to the surface only in furtive vibrations.  For a brief moment, the sky opened like a wide, tall gate that showed the way to eternity.  Very noticeably, almost within reach, the warships lay before them, and the peninsula Hela stood out from the horizon so clearly and in sharp outline that one could recognize its lighthouse with a naked eye.  That was not a good sign, for it indicated a storm and bad weather.
     The pinnace was already waiting.  It was a small, pretty thing, and Hans enjoyed the sparkle of pride and joy that rose in Nuscha's face while the fresh, lively blue boys stood at attention before her and saluted her.  Now she sat on the soft back-seat, her two arms stretcht out on the upholstered [Gewandung] leaned, on her pretty features, on her whole supple figure [were] cosy happiness and contentment.

Grammatical Minutiae

I translated "die frischen, flotten blauen Jungen" fairly literally as "the fresh, lively blue boys."  I imagined the "blue" part has to do with the color of their naval uniforms.  Blau can also mean drunk, but that doesn't seem to fit the context.

I had some trouble with the last sentence from this month's installment:  "Rücksitz" means back seat, but - again - that doesn't seem to fit this context; I couldn't find a translation for "Gewandung" (at least not one that made any sense here); and "ausgestreckt" ("stretcht out") and "gelehnt" ("leaned") both seem to modify Nuscha's arms, but - as actions - they're at odds with each other.