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Notes from the Underground | Gradually Hardening Danish A1

Notes from the Underground | Gradually Hardening Danish A1

This progressive translation technique brings multiple benefits to language learners. It lets you choose the difficulty level that matches your abilities, making sure the material is challenging but not too difficult. By focusing on understanding words in context, this method boosts your comprehension skills. While direct translations are slightly hidden to promote guessing from context, you can always check unfamiliar words. This approach makes learning a new language both engaging and accessible, offering the right mix of difficulty and encouragement. Embark on a journey through translated classics and enjoy the process of learning through reading.

I
Iama
syg
sickman....
Iamaspiteful
mand
man.
Iamanunattractive
mand
man.
Ibelievemyliverisdiseased.
However,Iknow
noget
nothingatallaboutmydisease,
og
anddonotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsult
en
adoctorforit,and
aldrig
neverhave,thoughIhave
en
arespectformedicineanddoctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,
hvert fald
anyway(Iamwell-educatedenoughnottobesuperstitious,
men
butIamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
en
adoctorfromspite.
Thatyou
sandsynligvis
probablywillnotunderstand.
Well,I
forstår
understandit,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplain
hvem
whoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
dette
thiscasebymyspite:
Iamperfectlywellaware
at
thatIcannot“payout”thedoctorsbynotconsulting
dem
them;
Iknowbetterthan
nogen
anyonethatbyallthisIam
kun
onlyinjuringmyselfandnooneelse.
Men
Butstill,ifIdon’tconsult
en
adoctoritisfromspite.
Myliveris
dårlig
bad,well—letitgetworse!
I
har
havebeengoingonlikethatforalongtime—twentyyears.
Nu
NowIamforty.
I
plejede
usedtobeinthegovernmentservice,
men
butamnolonger.
Iwas
en
aspitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
og
andtookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnot
tog
takebribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
finde
findarecompenseinthat,atleast.
(A
dårlig
poorjest,butIwillnotscratchit
ud
out.
Iwroteitthinkingit
ville
wouldsoundverywitty;
but
nu
nowthatIhaveseenmyselfthatI
kun
onlywantedtoshowoffin
en
adespicableway,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Når
Whenpetitionersusedtocomeforinformationto
det
thetableatwhichI
sad
sat,Iusedtogrindmyteethat
dem
them,andfeltintenseenjoyment
når
whenIsucceededinmaking
nogen
anybodyunhappy.
Ialmostdidsucceed.
Forthe
det meste
mostparttheywerealltimidpeople—of
selvfølgelig
course,theywerepetitioners.
Butof
de
theuppishonestherewas
en
oneofficerinparticularI
kunne
couldnotendure.
Hesimply
ville
wouldnotbehumble,andclankedhisswordin
en
adisgustingway.
Icarriedon
en
afeudwithhimforeighteenmonths
over
overthatsword.
AtlastI
fik
gotthebetterofhim.
Heleftoffclankingit.
Thathappenedinmyyouth,though.
Men
Butdoyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
det
thechiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,the
hele
wholepoint,therealstingofit
lå
layinthefactthatcontinually,eveninthe
øjeblik
momentoftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconscious
med
withshamethatIwasnot
kun
onlynotaspitefulbutnotevenanembittered
mand
man,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
og
andamusingmyselfbyit.
I
kan
mightfoamatthemouth,
men
butbringmeadollto
lege
playwith,givemeacupoftea
med
withsugarinit,andmaybeI
burde
shouldbeappeased.
Imightevenbegenuinelytouched,though
sandsynligvis
probablyIshouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
og
andlieawakeatnight
med
withshameformonthsafter.
Thatwasmy
måde
way.
IwaslyingwhenI
sagde
saidjustnowthatIwas
en
aspitefulofficial.
Iwas
løj
lyingfromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyself
med
withthepetitionersandwiththeofficer,
og
andinrealityInever
kunne
couldbecomespiteful.
Iwasconscious
hvert
everymomentinmyselfof
mange
many,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositetothat.
I
følte
feltthempositivelyswarmingin
mig
me,theseoppositeelements.
I
vidste
knewthattheyhadbeenswarminginmeallmy
liv
lifeandcravingsomeoutletfromme,
men
butIwouldnotlet
dem
them,wouldnotletthem,purposely
ville
wouldnotletthemcome
ud
out.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
they
drev
drovemetoconvulsionsand—sickened
mig
me,atlast,howtheysickened
mig
me!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,
at
thatIamexpressingremorsefor
noget
somethingnow,thatIam
beder
askingyourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
sikker
sureyouarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonotcareifyouare....
Itwasnot
kun
onlythatIcouldnot
blive
becomespiteful,Ididnot
vidste
knowhowtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnorkind,neitherarascalnoranhonest
mand
man,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Nu
Now,Iamlivingoutmy
liv
lifeinmycorner,tauntingmyself
med
withthespitefulanduselessconsolationthat
en
anintelligentmancannotbecome
noget
anythingseriously,anditis
kun
onlythefoolwhobecomes
noget
anything.
Yes,amanin
det
thenineteenthcenturymustandmorallyoughttobepre-eminently
en
acharacterlesscreature;
amanofcharacter,anactive
mand
manispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyears
gammel
oldnow,andyouknowfortyyearsis
et
awholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
leve
livelongerthanfortyyearsis
dårlig
badmanners,isvulgar,immoral.
Hvem
Whodoeslivebeyondforty?
Svar
Answerthat,sincerelyandhonestlyI
vil
willtellyouwhodo:
fools
og
andworthlessfellows.
Itell
alle
alloldmenthattotheir
ansigt
face,allthesevenerableoldmen,
alle
allthesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
siger
tellthewholeworldthattoitsface!
I
har
havearighttosayso,forIshallgoon
leve
livingtosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Stay,
lad
letmetakebreath...
Youimaginenodoubt,gentlemen,thatI
vil
wanttoamuseyou.
Youaremistakeninthat,
også
too.
Iambynomeanssuch
en
amirthfulpersonasyouimagine,
eller
orasyoumayimagine;
however,irritatedby
alt
allthisbabble(andI
føler
feelthatyouareirritated)you
synes
thinkfittoaskme
hvem
whoIam—thenmyansweris,Iam
en
acollegiateassessor.
Iwasin
den
theservicethatImight
have
havesomethingtoeat(andsolelyforthatreason),
og
andwhenlastyearadistantrelation
efterlod
leftmesixthousandroublesinhiswillIimmediatelyretiredfrom
den
theserviceandsettleddowninmycorner.
I
plejede
usedtoliveinthiscorner
før
before,butnowIhavesettleddownin
det
it.
Myroomisawretched,horridoneintheoutskirtsofthe
byen
town.
Myservantisan
gammel
oldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
og
and,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
om
abouther.
IamtoldthatthePetersburgclimateisbadforme,
og
andthatwithmysmallmeansitis
meget
veryexpensivetoliveinPetersburg.
I
ved
knowallthatbetterthan
alle
allthesesageandexperiencedcounsellors
og
andmonitors....
ButIamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnotgoing
væk
awayfromPetersburg!
Iamnotgoingaway
fordi
because...
ech!
Why,itisabsolutelynomatterwhetherIamgoingaway
eller
ornotgoingaway.
Butwhat
kan
canadecentmanspeakof
med
withmostpleasure?
Answer:
Ofhimself.
II
Iwant
nu
nowtotellyou,gentlemen,whetheryoucareto
høre
hearitornot,whyI
kunne
couldnotevenbecomeaninsect.
I
siger
tellyousolemnly,thatI
har
havemanytimestriedto
blive
becomeaninsect.
ButIwasnotequaleventothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,thattobe
for
tooconsciousisanillness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,itwouldhavebeenquite
nok
enoughtohavetheordinary
menneskelige
humanconsciousness,thatis,half
eller
oraquarteroftheamountwhich
falder
fallstothelotofacultivated
mand
manofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especiallyonewhohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
mest
mosttheoreticalandintentionaltownonthewholeterrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentional
og
andunintentionaltowns.)
Itwould
have
havebeenquiteenough,forinstance,to
have
havetheconsciousnessbywhich
alle
allso-calleddirectpersonsandmenofaction
lever
live.
IbetyouthinkIam
skriver
writingallthisfromaffectation,tobewittyattheexpenseofmenofaction;
og
andwhatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
et
aswordlikemyofficer.
Men
But,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseases
og
andevenswaggeroverthem?
Selv
Though,afterall,everyonedoes
gør
dothat;
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
og
andIdo,maybe,
mere
morethananyone.
Wewillnotdispute
det
it;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
ButyetIamfirmlypersuaded
at
thatagreatdealofconsciousness,every
form
sortofconsciousness,infact,is
en
adisease.
Isticktothat.
Letusleavethat,
også
too,foraminute.
Tellmethis:
hvorfor
whydoesithappenthatatthevery,
ja
yes,attheverymomentswhenIam
mest
mostcapableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
alt
allthatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”asthey
plejede
usedtosayatone
tidspunkt
time,itwould,asthoughofdesign,happentomenot
kun
onlytofeelbutto
gøre
dosuchuglythings,suchthat...
Well,inshort,actionsthat
alle
all,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,asthoughpurposely,occurredtomeatthevery
tidspunkt
timewhenIwasmostconsciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
The
mere
moreconsciousIwasofgoodness
og
andofallthatwas“sublime
og
andbeautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
og
andthemorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
Men
Butthechiefpointwasthat
alt
allthiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
mig
me,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasasthoughitweremy
mest
mostnormalcondition,andnotintheleastdisease
eller
ordepravity,sothatat
var
lastalldesireinmetostruggle
mod
againstthisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
næsten
almostbelieving(perhapsactuallybelieving)
at
thatthiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Men
Butatfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredinthatstruggle!
Ididnot
troede
believeitwasthesame
med
withotherpeople,andallmy
liv
lifeIhidthisfact
om
aboutmyselfasasecret.
Iwasashamed(even
nu
now,perhaps,Iamashamed):
Igottothe
punkt
pointoffeelingasortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentinreturning
hjem
hometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
nat
night,acutelyconsciousthatthat
dag
dayIhadcommittedaloathsomeaction
igen
again,thatwhatwasdone
kunne
couldneverbeundone,andsecretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
og
andconsumingmyselftillat
var
lastthebitternessturnedinto
en
asortofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
og
andatlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Ja
Yes,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistuponthat.
I
har
havespokenofthisbecauseIkeep
ønsker
wantingtoknowforafactwhether
andre
otherpeoplefeelsuchenjoyment?
I
vil
willexplain;
theenjoymentwas
bare
justfromthetoointenseconsciousnessofone’s
egen
owndegradation;
itwasfrom
føle
feelingoneselfthatonehadreachedthe
sidste
lastbarrier,thatitwashorrible,
men
butthatitcouldnotbeotherwise;
thattherewas
ikke
noescapeforyou;
thatyou
aldrig
nevercouldbecomeadifferent
mand
man;
thateveniftime
og
andfaithwerestillleftyouto
ændre
changeintosomethingdifferentyou
ville
wouldmostlikelynotwishto
ændre
change;
orifyoudid
ønskede
wishto,eventhenyou
ville
woulddonothing;
becauseperhapsinreality
der
therewasnothingforyoutochangeinto.
Og
Andtheworstofitwas,
og
andtherootofitall,thatitwasallinaccord
med
withthenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
og
andwiththeinertiathatwasthedirectresultofthoselaws,
og
andthatconsequentlyonewasnot
kun
onlyunabletochangebutcould
gøre
doabsolutelynothing.
Thusit
ville
wouldfollow,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,thatoneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
asthoughthatwere
nogen
anyconsolationtothescoundrel
når
oncehehascometorealisethathe
faktisk
actuallyisascoundrel.
But
nok
enough....
Ech,Ihavetalked
en
alotofnonsense,butwhat
har
haveIexplained?
Howisenjoymentin
dette
thistobeexplained?
ButI
vil
willexplainit.
Iwill
komme
gettothebottomofit!
Thatis
derfor
whyIhavetakenupmypen....
Jeg
I,forinstance,haveagreatdealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
og
andpronetotakeoffenceas
en
ahumpbackoradwarf.
Men
ButuponmywordI
nogle gange
sometimeshavehadmomentswhen
hvis
ifIhadhappenedtobeslappedinthefaceIshould,
måske
perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladofit.
I
siger
say,inearnest,thatIshould
sandsynligvis
probablyhavebeenabletodiscover
selv
eveninthatapeculiar
form
sortofenjoyment—theenjoyment,of
selvfølgelig
course,ofdespair;
butindespair
der
therearethemostintenseenjoyments,especially
når
whenoneisveryacutelyconsciousof
de
thehopelessnessofone’sposition.
Og
Andwhenoneisslappedintheface—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulp
ville
wouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
Theworstofit
er
is,lookatitwhichwayonewill,itstillturnsoutthatIwas
altid
alwaysthemosttoblamein
alt
everything.
Andwhatismosthumiliatingof
alt
all,toblamefornofaultofmy
egen
ownbut,sotosay,
gennem
throughthelawsofnature.
In
de
thefirstplace,toblamebecauseIamcleverer
end
thananyofthepeoplesurrounding
mig
me.
(Ihavealwaysconsideredmyselfcleverer
end
thananyofthepeoplesurrounding
mig
me,andsometimes,wouldyou
tro
believeit,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
Atanyrate,I
har
haveallmylife,asitwere,turnedmyeyes
væk
awayandnevercouldlook
folk
peoplestraightintheface.)
Toblame,finally,
fordi
becauseevenifIhadhadmagnanimity,Ishould
kun
onlyhavehadmoresufferingfromthesenseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainly
have
haveneverbeenableto
gøre
doanythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailant
ville
wouldperhapshaveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
og
andonecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
norto
glemme
forget,forevenifitwereowingtothelawsofnature,itisinsultingallthesame.
Finally,
selv
evenifIhadwantedtobe
noget
anythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredonthecontrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,I
kunne
couldnothaverevengedmyselfon
nogen
anyoneforanythingbecauseIshouldcertainly
aldrig
neverhavemadeupmymindto
gøre
doanything,evenifIhadbeenableto.
Hvorfor
WhyshouldInothavemadeupmymind?
III
Med
Withpeoplewhoknowhowtorevengethemselves
og
andtostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
hvordan
howisitdone?
Why,
når
whentheyarepossessed,letussuppose,bythefeelingofrevenge,thenforthe
tiden
timethereisnothingelsebutthatfeelingleftintheir
hele
wholebeing.
Suchagentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
som
likeaninfuriatedbullwithitshorns
ned
down,andnothingbutawall
vil
willstophim.
(Bytheway:
facingthewall,suchgentlemen—that
er
is,the“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforus
mennesker
peoplewhothinkandconsequently
gør
donothing;
itisnotan
undskyldning
excuseforturningaside,an
undskyldning
excuseforwhichweare
altid
alwaysveryglad,thoughwescarcely
tror
believeinitourselves,asarule.
Nej
No,theyarenonplussedin
al
allsincerity.
Thewallhasforthem
noget
somethingtranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybe
endda
evensomethingmysterious...
butofthewalllater.)
Well,
sådan
suchadirectpersonIregardas
den
therealnormalman,ashistender
moder
mothernaturewishedtoseehim
da
whenshegraciouslybroughthimintobeingon
den
theearth.
Ienvysuch
en
amantillIamgreenintheface.
Heis
dum
stupid.
Iamnotdisputingthat,
men
butperhapsthenormalman
burde
shouldbestupid,howdoyou
ved
know?
Perhapsitisvery
smuk
beautiful,infact.
AndIamthe
mere
morepersuadedofthatsuspicion,
hvis
ifonecancallitso,bythe
faktum
factthatifyoutake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormalman,
at
thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,whohascome,of
selvfølgelig
course,notoutofthelapofnature
men
butoutofaretort
Denne
(thisisalmostmysticism,gentlemen,
men
butIsuspectthis,too),
denne
thisretort-mademanissometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesis
at
thatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinelythinksofhimselfasamouse
og
andnotaman.
It
kan
maybeanacutelyconsciousmouse,
men
yetitisamouse,
mens
whiletheotherisaman,
og
andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
Og
Andtheworstofit
er
is,hehimself,hisvery
eget
ownself,looksonhimselfas
en
amouse;
nooneaskshimtodoso;
og
andthatisanimportant
punkt
point.
Nowletuslookat
denne
thismouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,thatit
føler
feelsinsulted,too(andit
næsten
almostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
og
andwantstorevengeitself,too.
Der
Theremayevenbeagreateraccumulationofspiteinit
end
thaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Thebase
og
andnastydesiretoventthatspiteonitsassailantrankles
måske
perhapsevenmorenastilyinit
end
thaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
gennem
throughhisinnatestupiditythelatter
ser
looksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
og
andsimple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousnessthemousedoesnot
tror
believeinthejusticeofit.
To
komme
comeatlasttothedeeditself,totheveryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreatingarounditso
mange
manyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
og
andquestions,addstotheone
spørgsmål
questionsomanyunsettledquestionsthatthereinevitably
arbejder
worksuparounditasortoffatalbrew,astinkingmess,
lavet
madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
og
andofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
står
standsolemnlyaboutitasjudges
og
andarbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Of
selvfølgelig
coursetheonlythingleftforitistodismiss
alt
allthatwithawaveofitspaw,
og
and,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnotevenitself
tror
believe,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Der
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
hjem
homeourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptly
bliver
becomesabsorbedincold,malignant
og
and,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
sammen
togetheritwillrememberitsinjury
ned
downtothesmallest,mostignominiousdetails,
og
andeverytimewilladd,ofitself,detailsstill
mere
moreignominious,spitefullyteasingandtormentingitself
med
withitsownimagination.
It
vil
willitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,butyetit
vil
willrecallitall,it
vil
willgooverandover
hver
everydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
mod
againstitself,pretendingthatthosethings
kan
mighthappen,andwillforgive
noget
nothing.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,
også
too,but,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,from
bag
behindthestove,incognito,withoutbelievingeitherinits
egen
ownrighttovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,knowingthatfrom
alle
allitseffortsatrevengeit
vil
willsufferahundredtimes
mere
morethanheonwhomitrevengesitself,
mens
whilehe,Idaresay,willnotevenscratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbedit
vil
willrecallitallover
igen
again,withinterestaccumulatedover
alle
alltheyearsand...
Butitis
netop
justinthatcold,abominable
halv
halfdespair,halfbelief,in
at
thatconsciousburyingoneselfaliveforgriefintheunderworldforfortyyears,in
at
thatacutelyrecognisedandyetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,in
at
thathellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,in
at
thatfeverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
og
andrepentedofagaina
minut
minutelater—thatthesavourof
at
thatstrangeenjoymentofwhichI
har
havespokenlies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
personer
personswhoarealittlelimited,
eller
orevensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,
vil
willnotunderstandasingleatomof
det
it.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyour
egen
ownaccountwithagrin,“people
vil
willnotunderstanditeitherwho
har
haveneverreceivedaslapintheface,”
og
andinthatwayyou
vil
willpolitelyhinttomethat
Jeg
I,too,perhaps,havehadtheexperienceofaslapinthefaceinmy
liv
life,andsoIspeakasonewho
ved
knows.
Ibetthatyouare
tænker
thinkingthat.
Butsetyourmindsatrest,gentlemen,I
har
havenotreceivedaslapintheface,
selv
thoughitisabsolutelyamatterofindifferencetomewhatyoumay
synes
thinkaboutit.
Possibly,I
selv
evenregret,myself,thatIhavegivensofewslapsinthefaceduringmy
liv
life.
Butenough...
notanother
ord
wordonthatsubjectof
sådan
suchextremeinteresttoyou.
I
vil
willcontinuecalmlyconcerningpersons
med
withstrongnerveswhodonot
forstår
understandacertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Selv
Thoughincertaincircumstancesthesegentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,
selv
thoughthis,letussuppose,
gør
doesthemthegreatestcredit,
men
yet,asIhavesaid
allerede
already,confrontedwiththeimpossibletheysubsideatonce.
Det
Theimpossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Why,of
selvfølgelig
course,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.