Sunday, October 02, 2016
Political Unrest
Thomas Mann (1875-1955), Buddenbrooks, IV.2 (tr. John E. Woods):
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The fact was that there had been unrest in the streets all day. That same morning, the display window of Benthien Clothiers had been shattered by a stone, although God only knew what Herr Benthien's window had to do with politics.The translation omits "In der Breiten Straße." H.T. Lowe-Porter's translation includes these words but is unsatisfactory in another respect:
Die Sache war die, daß während des ganzen Tages bereits Unruhen in der Stadt geherrscht hatten. In der Breiten Straße war am Morgen die Schaufensterscheibe des Tuchhändlers Benthien vermittelt Steinwurfes zertrümmert worden, wobei Gott allein wußte, was das Fenster des Herrn Benthien mit der hohen Politik zu schaffen hatte.
The truth was that the town had been the whole day in a state of unrest. In the morning the windows of Benthien the draper's shop in Broad Street had been broken by stones—although God knew what the owner had to do with politics!It's not a question of what Benthien had to do with politics, but what his shop window had to do with politics. Similar questions could be asked here and now.
