Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. TITELBLATT

2. IMPRESSUM

3. CHAPTER I

4. CHAPTER II

5. CHAPTER III

6. CHAPTER IV

7. CHAPTER V

8. CHAPTER VI

9. CHAPTER VII

10. CHAPTER VIII

11. CHAPTER IX

12. CHAPTER X

13. CHAPTER XI

14. CHAPTER XII

15. CHAPTER XIII

16. CHAPTER XIV

17. CHAPTER XV

18. CHAPTER XVI

19. CHAPTER XVII

20. CHAPTER XVIII

21. CHAPTER XIX

22. CHAPTER XX

23. CHAPTER XXI

24. CHAPTER XXII

25. CHAPTER XXIII

26. CHAPTER XXIV

27. CHAPTER XXV

28. CHAPTER XXVI

29. CHAPTER XXVII

30. CHAPTER XXVIII

31. CHAPTER XXIX

32. CHAPTER XXX

33. CHAPTER XXXI

34. CHAPTER XXXII

35. CHAPTER XXXIII

36. CHAPTER XXXIV

37. CHAPTER XXXV

38. CHAPTER XXXVI

39. CHAPTER XXXVII

40. CHAPTER XXXVIII

41. CHAPTER XXXIX

42. CHAPTER XL

43. CHAPTER XLI

44. CHAPTER XLII

45. CHAPTER XLIII

46. CHAPTER XLIV

47. CHAPTER XLV

48. CHAPTER XLVI

49. CHAPTER XLVII

50. CHAPTER XLVIII

51. CHAPTER XLIX

52. CHAPTER L

53. CHAPTER LI

54. CHAPTER LII

55. CHAPTER LIII

56. OLIVER TWIST (ENGLISCH)

Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist
Zweisprachige Ausgabe
Übersetzt von Christine Hoeppener

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CHAPTER I

1. KAPITEL

TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH

Handelt von dem Ort, wo Oliver Twist geboren wurde, und von den Umständen, die seine Geburt begleiteten

AMONG other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning,

Außer anderen öffentlichen Gebäuden in einer gewissen Stadt, die aus mancherlei Gründen klugerweise nicht genannt werden soll

and to which I will assign no fictitious name, there is one anciently common to most towns, great or small:

und der ich keinen Namen andichten will, gibt es eines, das ehedem in den meisten Städten, ob groß oder klein, anzutreffen war:

to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born; on a day and date which I need not trouble myself to repeat,

das Armenhaus, und in diesem Armenhaus wurde zu einem Zeitpunkt, den ich nicht zu erwähnen brauche,

inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events;

da er für den Leser zumindest in diesem Stadium der Geschichte unmöglich von Bedeutung sein kann,

the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter.

jener Gegenstand der Sterblichkeit geboren, dessen Name in der Überschrift dieses Kapitels enthalten ist.

For a long time after it was ushered into this world of sorrow and trouble, by the parish surgeon,

Noch lange nachdem es durch den Gemeindearzt in diese Welt der Sorge und Mühsal eingeführt worden war,

it remained a matter of considerable doubt whether the child would survive to bear any name at all;

blieb es mehr als zweifelhaft, ob das Kind es erleben werde, überhaupt einen Namen zu tragen,

in which case it is somewhat more than probable that these memoirs would never have appeared;

und in diesem Fall wären die hier aufgezeichneten Denkwürdigkeiten höchstwahrscheinlich nie erschienen,

or, if they had, that being comprised within a couple of pages, they would have possessed the inestimable merit

oder wenn, dann hätten sie, auf zwei Seiten zusammengedrängt, den unschätzbaren Vorzug besessen,

of being the most concise and faithful specimen of biography, extant in the literature of any age or country.

das bündigste und glaubwürdigste Muster von Biographie darzustellen, das die Literatur irgendeines Zeitalters oder Landes jemals hervorbrachte.

Although I am not disposed to maintain that the being born in a workhouse,

Wenn ich auch keineswegs behaupten will, in einem Armenhaus geboren zu werden

is in itself the most fortunate and enviable circumstance that can possibly befall a human being,

sei an sich die glücklichste und beneidenswerteste Lage, in die ein Menschengeschöpf geraten kann,

I do mean to say that in this particular instance, it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could by possibility have occurred.

so möchte ich doch sagen, daß es in diesem besonderen Fall für Oliver Twist vermutlich das Beste war, was ihm widerfahren konnte.

The fact is, that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon himself the office of respiration,

Denn immerhin hielt es bemerkenswert schwer, Oliver zu veranlassen, daß er die Pflicht der Atmung auf sich nähme

— a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence;

– ein mühevolles Verfahren, das die Gewohnheit jedoch für unser sorgenfreies Dasein unerläßlich gemacht hat;

and for some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress,

und geraume Zeit lag er japsend auf einer kleinen, mit Wollflocken gefüllten Matratze

rather unequally poised between this world and the next: the balance being decidedly in favour of the latter.

ziemlich ungleich in der Schwebe zwischen dieser Welt und der nächsten, da sich die Waagschale entschieden zugunsten der letztgenannten neigte.

Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom,

Wäre nun Oliver in diesem kurzen Zeitabschnitt von bangen Großmüttern, besorgten Tanten, erfahrenen Krankenpflegerinnen und hochgelehrten Doktoren umringt gewesen,

he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time.

so hätte ihn das unvermeidlich und ohne jeden Zweifel im Handumdrehen getötet.

There being nobody by, however, but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer;

Doch da niemand zugegen war als eine alte Armenhäuslerin, die eine ungewohnte Vergütung an Bier etwas benebelt hatte,

and a parish surgeon who did such matters by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them.

und ein Gemeindearzt, welcher dergleichen laut Vertrag besorgte, kämpften Oliver und die Natur die Sache unter sich aus.

The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed,

Das Ergebnis war, daß Oliver nach einigem Sträuben atmete, nieste

and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish, by setting up as loud a cry

und sich anschickte, den Bewohnern des Armenhauses die Tatsache, daß der Gemeinde eine neue Last aufgebürdet war, mit einem so lauten Geschrei zu verkünden,

as could reasonably have been expected from a male infant who had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space of time than three minutes and a quarter.

wie man es von einem Neugeborenen männlichen Geschlechts, der über die sehr brauchbare Beigabe einer Stimme erst seit dreieinviertel Minuten verfügte, billigerweise erwarten konnte.

As Oliver gave this first proof of the free and proper action of his lungs,

Als Oliver diesen ersten Beweis der ungehemmten und angemessenen Tätigkeit seiner Lungen gab,

the patchwork coverlet which was carelessly flung over the iron bedstead, rustled; the pale face of a young woman was raised feebly from the pillow;

raschelte die Flickendecke, die achtlos über das eiserne Bettgestell geworfen war, das bleiche Gesicht einer jungen Frau hob sich matt von dem Kissen,

and a faint voice imperfectly articulated the words, ‘Let me see the child, and die.’

und eine schwache Stimme formte kaum verständlich die Worte: »Laßt mich das Kind sehen und sterben.«

The surgeon had been sitting with his face turned towards the fire: giving the palms of his hands a warm and a rub alternately.

Der Wundarzt hatte mit dem Gesicht zum Feuer gesessen und sich die Hände abwechselnd gewärmt und gerieben.

As the young woman spoke, he rose, and advancing to the bed’s head, said, with more kindness than might have been expected of him:

Als die junge Frau sprach, stand er auf, ging zum Kopfende des Bettes und sagte gütiger, als man von ihm hätte erwarten können:

‘Oh, you must not talk about dying yet.’

»Oh, Sie dürfen noch nicht vom Sterben reden.«

‘Lor bless her dear heart, no!’ interposed the nurse, hastily depositing in her pocket a green glass bottle,

»Gott segne ihr liebes Herz, nein!« warf die Wärterin ein, während sie hastig eine grüne Glasflasche in die Tasche steckte,

the contents of which she had been tasting in a corner with evident satisfaction.

deren Inhalt sie mit offensichtlicher Befriedigung in einem Winkel genossen hatte.

‘Lor bless her dear heart, when she has lived as long as I have, sir, and had thirteen children of her own,

»Gott segne ihr liebes Herz, wenn sie so lange gelebt hat als wie ich, Sir, und ihre dreizehn Kinder hat geboren,

and all on ’em dead except two, and them in the wurkus with me, she’ll know better than to take on in that way, bless her dear heart!

und alle sind tot, außer zweien, wo mit mir im Armenhaus sind, denn wird ihr was Beßres einfallen, als sich so zu grämen, Gott segne ihr liebes Herz!

Think what it is to be a mother, there’s a dear young lamb do.’

Denken Sie doch bloß dran, was es heißt. Mutter zu sein, und seien Sie ein liebes Lämmchen.«

Apparently this consolatory perspective of a mother’s prospects failed in producing its due effect.

Offenbar verfehlte diese tröstliche Aussicht auf die Erwartungen einer Mutter ihre gebührende Wirkung.

The patient shook her head, and stretched out her hand towards the child.

Die Leidende schüttelte den Kopf und streckte die Hand nach dem Kind aus.

The surgeon deposited it in her arms. She imprinted her cold white lips passionately on its forehead;

Der Wundarzt legte es ihr in die Arme. Leidenschaftlich drückte sie ihre kalten, weißen Lippen auf die Stirn des Kindes,

passed her hands over her face; gazed wildly round; shuddered; fell back — and died.

fuhr sich mit den Händen übers Gesicht, starrte wild um sich, schauderte, fiel zurück – und starb.

They chafed her breast, hands, and temples; but the blood had stopped forever.

Sie rieben ihr Brust, Hände und Schläfen, aber das Blut hatte für immer aufgehört zu fließen.

They talked of hope and comfort. They had been strangers too long.

Sie sprachen von Hoffnung und Trost. Die waren ihr allzu lange fremd gewesen.

‘It’s all over, Mrs. Thingummy!’ said the surgeon at last.

»Es ist aus und vorbei, Mrs. Thingummy!« sagte der Wundarzt schließlich.

‘Ah, poor dear, so it is!’ said the nurse, picking up the cork of the green bottle,

»Ach, das arme Herzblatt, so is es!« sagte die Wärterin und hob den Korken der grünen Flasche auf,

which had fallen out on the pillow, as she stooped to take up the child. ‘Poor dear!’

der auf das Kissen gefallen war, als sie sich bückte, um das Kind hochzunehmen. »Das arme Herzblatt!«

‘You needn’t mind sending up to me, if the child cries, nurse,’ said the surgeon, putting on his gloves with great deliberation.

»Sie brauchen nicht nach mir zu schicken, wenn das Kind schreit, Frau«, sagte der Wundarzt und zog sich ungemein bedächtig die Handschuhe an.

‘It’s very likely it will be troublesome. Give it a little gruel if it is.’

»Höchstwahrscheinlich wird es geräuschvoll sein. Geben Sie ihm dann etwas Haferschleim.«

He put on his hat, and, pausing by the bed-side on his way to the door, added,

Er setzte den Hut auf und fügte, während er auf dem Weg zur Tür am Bett stehenblieb, hinzu:

‘She was a good-looking girl, too; where did she come from?’

»Sie war überdies ein hübsches Mädchen, woher kam sie?«

‘She was brought here last night,’ replied the old woman, ‘by the overseer’s order. She was found lying in the street.

»Sie wurde letzte Nacht hergebracht«, antwortete die Alte, »auf Anweisung des Armenpflegers. Sie wurde auf der Straße liegend gefunden.

She had walked some distance, for her shoes were worn to pieces; but where she came from, or where she was going to, nobody knows.’

Sie muß ’ne ganze Strecke gewandert sein, denn ihre Schuhe waren völlig durchgelaufen; aber woher sie kam oder wohin sie ging, weiß keiner.«

The surgeon leaned over the body, and raised the left hand.

Der Wundarzt beugte sich über die Leiche und hob deren linke Hand auf.

‘The old story,’ he said, shaking his head: ‘no wedding-ring, I see. Ah! Good-night!’

»Die alte Geschichte«, sagte er kopfschüttelnd, »kein Ehering, wie ich sehe. Ach ja! Gute Nacht!«

The medical gentleman walked away to dinner;

Der heilkundige Herr entfernte sich zum Essen,

and the nurse, having once more applied herself to the green bottle, sat down on a low chair before the fire, and proceeded to dress the infant.

und die Wärterin setzte sich, nachdem sie sich abermals der grünen Flasche gewidmet hatte, auf einen niedrigen Stuhl am Feuer und begann das Kind anzuziehen.

What an excellent example of the power of dress, young Oliver Twist was!

Welch vortreffliches Beispiel für die Macht der Kleidung bot der junge Oliver Twist!

Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar;

In die Flanellwindel gewickelt, die bislang seine einzige Hülle gewesen war, hätte er das Kind eines Adligen oder eines Bettlers sein können;

it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society.

dem hochmütigsten Fremden wäre es schwergefallen, Olivers eigentliche Stellung in der Gesellschaft zu bestimmen.

But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed,

Doch nun, in das durch stets den gleichen Gebrauch vergilbte Kattunzeug gehüllt, war er gekennzeichnet und etikettiert

and fell into his place at once — a parish child — the orphan of a workhouse — the humble, half-starved drudge

und rückte sofort an seinen Platz – als ein auf Kosten der Gemeinde aufgezogenes Kind – Waise aus dem Armenhaus – niedriger, halb verhungerter Packesel

— to be cuffed and buffeted through the world — despised by all, and pitied by none.

– bestimmt, durch die Welt geknufft und gepufft zu werden – von allen verachtet und von niemandem bemitleidet.

Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens and overseers,

Oliver schrie aus Leibeskräften. Hätte er gewußt, daß er eine Waise und der gütigen Barmherzigkeit von Kirchenvorstehern und Armenpflegern anheimgegeben war,

perhaps he would have cried the louder.

dann hätte er vielleicht noch lauter geschrien.

CHAPTER I
TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH

AMONG other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name, there is one anciently common to most towns, great or small: to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born; on a day and date which I need not trouble myself to repeat, inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events; the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter.

For a long time after it was ushered into this world of sorrow and trouble, by the parish surgeon, it remained a matter of considerable doubt whether the child would survive to bear any name at all; in which case it is somewhat more than probable that these memoirs would never have appeared; or, if they had, that being comprised within a couple of pages, they would have possessed the inestimable merit of being the most concise and faithful specimen of biography, extant in the literature of any age or country.

Although I am not disposed to maintain that the being born in a workhouse, is in itself the most fortunate and enviable circumstance that can possibly befall a human being, I do mean to say that in this particular instance, it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could by possibility have occurred. The fact is, that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon himself the office of respiration, — a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence; and for some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress, rather unequally poised between this world and the next: the balance being decidedly in favour of the latter. Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however, but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer; and a parish surgeon who did such matters by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them. The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish, by setting up as loud a cry as could reasonably have been expected from a male infant who had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space of time than three minutes and a quarter.

As Oliver gave this first proof of the free and proper action of his lungs, the patchwork coverlet which was carelessly flung over the iron bedstead, rustled; the pale face of a young woman was raised feebly from the pillow; and a faint voice imperfectly articulated the words, ‘Let me see the child, and die.’

The surgeon had been sitting with his face turned towards the fire: giving the palms of his hands a warm and a rub alternately. As the young woman spoke, he rose, and advancing to the bed’s head, said, with more kindness than might have been expected of him:

‘Oh, you must not talk about dying yet.’

‘Lor bless her dear heart, no!’ interposed the nurse, hastily depositing in her pocket a green glass bottle, the contents of which she had been tasting in a corner with evident satisfaction.

‘Lor bless her dear heart, when she has lived as long as I have, sir, and had thirteen children of her own, and all on ’em dead except two, and them in the wurkus with me, she’ll know better than to take on in that way, bless her dear heart! Think what it is to be a mother, there’s a dear young lamb do.’

Apparently this consolatory perspective of a mother’s prospects failed in producing its due effect. The patient shook her head, and stretched out her hand towards the child.

The surgeon deposited it in her arms. She imprinted her cold white lips passionately on its forehead; passed her hands over her face; gazed wildly round; shuddered; fell back — and died. They chafed her breast, hands, and temples; but the blood had stopped forever. They talked of hope and comfort. They had been strangers too long.

‘It’s all over, Mrs. Thingummy!’ said the surgeon at last.

‘Ah, poor dear, so it is!’ said the nurse, picking up the cork of the green bottle, which had fallen out on the pillow, as she stooped to take up the child. ‘Poor dear!’

‘You needn’t mind sending up to me, if the child cries, nurse,’ said the surgeon, putting on his gloves with great deliberation. ‘It’s very likely it will be troublesome. Give it a little gruel if it is.’ He put on his hat, and, pausing by the bed-side on his way to the door, added, ‘She was a good-looking girl, too; where did she come from?’

‘She was brought here last night,’ replied the old woman, ‘by the overseer’s order. She was found lying in the street. She had walked some distance, for her shoes were worn to pieces; but where she came from, or where she was going to, nobody knows.’

The surgeon leaned over the body, and raised the left hand. ‘The old story,’ he said, shaking his head: ‘no wedding-ring, I see. Ah! Good-night!’

The medical gentleman walked away to dinner; and the nurse, having once more applied herself to the green bottle, sat down on a low chair before the fire, and proceeded to dress the infant.

What an excellent example of the power of dress, young Oliver Twist was! Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society. But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once — a parish child — the orphan of a workhouse — the humble, half-starved drudge — to be cuffed and buffeted through the world — despised by all, and pitied by none.

Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder.