This Month's Installment
What's italicized is what I'm unsure about
The old condition of the sudden tiredness and the concern for his well being arose again; he got up with the help of his brother, offered his hand to Hans, and proceeded to his room.As Hans went homewards from Rodenburger Court, the strong anxiety and movement that raged in the streets struck him. He askt an old woman who received aid from his association of the poor and whom he met on the way."G--, Pastor, what bad luck, what bad luck!" she wailed to herself. "No, I don't even want to complain anymore. People like us at least still have our little rooms and our beds, in which we can lie in the evening. But those there..." with that she turned and pointed backwards with her thin hand, "There they come, Pastor!"And now he noticed a long, long train of wagons that sluggishly moved through the large main street: handcarts mostly, with quickly gathered, most necessary possessions, coach wagons in their tow rope. And on this as on those, bowed down figures. Motionless they sat there, the large, gray blankets often pulled up over their heads so that nothing remained but the pale, despondent faces. They lookt neither to the right nor to the left, not even now, as they went through the large street of the city; apathetic---188---and indifferent, they let the thick crowd of people stream by. They appeared to be busy with only themselves and their fate. Whither the tired horses, drifting off course, would pull them, whether they would find a place here in the city, whether they would be sent further and also have to spend the next night on the country road again... everything appeared provisional and listless to them.
Grammatical Minutia/Commentary
This is the end of chapter thirty-four and the beginning of chapter thirty-five.
I couldn't think of a good way to match this in my translation, but in the sentence "Nur mit sich und ihrem Schicksal schienen sie beschäftigt" in the original text, the objects of the refugees' concern come first ("sich und ihrem Schicksal"), illustrating their importance. My translation has the more prosaic "They appeared to be busy with only themselves and their fate."
