# Max Havelaar, Chapter 16

Max Havelaar · Multatuli · The Novel

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-16. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-16.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/havelaar/<line id>.m4a.


ZESTIENDE HOOFDSTUK  
SIXTEENTH CHAPTER

Havelaar ontving een brief van den Regent van Tjanjor, waarin deze hem meedeelde dat hy een bezoek wenschte te brengen aan zyn oom, den Adhipatti van Lebak.  
Havelaar received a letter from the Regent of Tjanjor, in which the latter informed him that he wished to pay a visit to his uncle, the Adhipatti of Lebak.
> Relative waarin + te-infinitive: waarin ('in which') relativises 'in + die'; wenschte te brengen ('wished to pay') is a te-infinitive governed by wensen, deze meaning 'the latter.'

Deze tyding was hem zeer onaangenaam.  
This news was very unwelcome to him.
> Demonstrative deze + dative pronoun hem: Deze ('this') is the near demonstrative for the de-word tyding; hem here is a dative 'to him' ('was unwelcome to him').

Hy wist hoe de Hoofden in de Preanger Regentschappen gewoon waren een groote weelde ten-toon te spreiden, en hoe de Tjanjorsche Tommongong zulk een reis niet zou doen zonder een gevolg van vele honderden die allen met hun paarden moesten geherbergd en gevoed worden.  
He knew how accustomed the Chiefs in the Preanger Regencies were to displaying great pomp, and how the Tjanjor Tommongong would not undertake such a journey without a retinue of many hundreds, all of whom, with their horses, would have to be lodged and fed.
> Adjective gewoon + te-infinitive (separable ten-toon spreiden): gewoon … te spreiden ('accustomed to display'); ten toon spreiden ('to display') is an idiom whose ten-toon stays before te spreiden.
> Modal + worden-passive: moesten … geherbergd en gevoed worden ('had to be lodged and fed') stacks moeten over a worden-passive with two coordinated participles.

Gaarne alzoo had hy dit bezoek verhinderd, doch hy peinsde vruchteloos op middelen die 't konden voorkomen zonder den Regent van Rangkas-Betoeng te kwetsen, daar deze zeer trotsch was en zich diep beleedigd zou gevoeld hebben wanneer men zyn betrekkelyke armoede had opgegeven als beweegreden om hem niet te bezoeken.  
Gladly, therefore, would he have prevented this visit, yet he pondered in vain over the means that might forestall it without giving offence to the Regent of Rangkas-Betoeng, since the latter was very proud and would have felt himself deeply insulted had his relative poverty been cited as the reason for not visiting him.
> Pluperfect + coordinating doch: had … verhinderd is the pluperfect ('had prevented'); doch ('yet, but') is the archaic coordinator that, like maar, does NOT send the verb to the end.
> Conditional perfect + reflexive in an unreal condition: zich beleedigd gevoelen is reflexive; zou gevoeld hebben (conditional perfect) pairs with the pluperfect had opgegeven in the wanneer-condition — a counterfactual.

En wanneer dit bezoek niet te ontwyken was, zou 't onmisbaar aanleiding geven tot verzwaring van den druk waaronder de bevolking gebukt ging. Het is te betwyfelen of Havelaars toespraak een blyvenden indruk op de Hoofden gemaakt had.  
And if this visit could not be avoided, it would inevitably give rise to a worsening of the burden under which the population already bent. It is to be doubted whether Havelaar's address had left any lasting impression on the Chiefs.
> Relative waaronder + idiom gebukt gaan: waaronder ('under which') relativises 'onder + die'; gebukt gaan onder ('to bend/groan under') is an idiom for suffering a burden.
> Impersonal het + te-infinitive of doubt: Het is te betwyfelen ('it is to be doubted') uses dummy het with a passive-flavoured te-infinitive; of opens the indirect yes/no question.

By velen was dit zeker niet het geval, waarop hyzelf dan ook niet gerekend had. Doch even zeker is 't, dat er een roep was opgegaan in de dorpen, dat de toewan die gezag had te Rangkas-Betoeng, recht wilde doen, en al hadden dus zyn woorden de kracht gemist om terugtehouden van misdaad, ze hadden toch aan de slachtoffers daarvan den moed gegeven zich te beklagen, al geschiedde dit dan ook slechts schoorvoetend en in 't geheim.  
With many this was surely not the case, on which he himself had not in fact counted. But it is just as certain that a report had gone round in the villages that the toewan who held authority at Rangkas-Betoeng meant to do justice; and so, even though his words had lacked the power to hold them back from wrongdoing, they had nonetheless given its victims the courage to complain, however hesitantly and in secret they did so.
> Existential er + pluperfect of opgaan: er … was opgegaan ('a report had gone up/around') pairs existential er with the pluperfect of the separable motion verb opgaan (zijn-auxiliary).
> Concessive al + main-clause inversion: al hadden … gemist ('though his words had lacked…') is concessive with verb-first; the resumptive main clause keeps ze hadden … gegeven.
> toewan — the master/sir: toewan (Malay) is a respectful 'sir, master', here the title the villagers give Havelaar as the European who 'meant to do justice.'

Ze kropen 's avends door den ravyn, en als Tine in haar kamer zat, werd ze meermalen opgeschrikt door onverwacht geruisch, en ze zag door 't open venster donkere gedaanten die voorby slopen met schuwen tred.  
Of an evening they crept through the ravine, and when Tine sat in her room she was many a time startled by an unexpected rustling, and through the open window she saw dark figures slipping past with timid tread.
> Worden-passive (imperfect werd): werd … opgeschrikt ('was startled') is the process passive in the past: worden's imperfect werd plus the participle of separable opschrikken, with door marking the agent.
> Separable voorbijsluipen + strong imperfect slopen: voorby slopen is voorbijsluipen ('to slip past', separable); slopen is the strong past plural of sluipen (ui→o); schuwen tred shows the old accusative -en.

Weldra schrikte ze niet meer, want ze wist wat het beduidde als die gestalten zoo spookachtig om 't huis waarden en bescherming zochten by haren Max!  
Before long she ceased to be frightened, for she knew what it meant when those shapes haunted the house so ghost-like and sought protection from her Max!
> Coordinating want + nested clauses: want ('for') is a coordinator (verb stays in place: ze wist); inside, the indirect question wat het beduidde and the als-clause are both verb-final.
> Possessive haren with case ending: haren ('her', accusative -en form) modifies Max; the period keeps inflected possessives where modern Dutch writes haar.

Dan wenkte zy dezen, en hy stond op om de klagers tot zich te roepen.  
Then she would beckon to him, and he would rise to call the complainers to himself.
> Demonstrative dezen + separable opstaan: dezen ('to this one', dative -en) refers to Max; stond … op is the separable opstaan ('rose'), prefix op landing at the clause end.

De meesten kwamen uit het distrikt Parang-Koedjang, waar des Regents schoonzoon Hoofd was, en hoewel dat Hoofd gewis niet verzuimde zyn aandeel van 't afgeperste te nemen, was het toch voor niemand een geheim dat hy meestal roofde uit naam en ten-behoeve van den Regent.  
Most of them came from the district of Parang-Koedjang, where the Regent's son-in-law was Chief; and although that Chief assuredly did not neglect to take his own share of what was extorted, it was no secret to anyone that he plundered chiefly in the name and for the benefit of the Regent.
> Genitive des Regents (fronted): des Regents ('the Regent's') is the old genitive singular, here preposed before the head noun schoonzoon — a literary, archaic possessive order.
> Weak imperfect roofde: roofde is the weak past of roven ('plundered', dental -de); uit naam van and ten-behoeve van are fixed prepositional phrases ('in the name of', 'for the benefit of').

Het was aandoenlyk hoe die arme lieden op Havelaars ridderlykheid vertrouwden en overtuigd waren dat hy hen niet roepen zou om den volgenden dag in 't openbaar te herhalen wat ze des nachts of den vorigen avend in zyn kamer gezegd hadden.  
It was touching how those poor folk trusted in Havelaar's chivalry and were convinced that he would not summon them to repeat in public, the following day, what they had said in his room by night or the previous evening.
> Conditional zou + negation niet: roepen zou ('would summon') is the conditional, clause-final after dat; niet negates it ('would not summon'); hen is the object 'them.'
> Genitive-of-time and accusative-of-time: des nachts ('by night') is a frozen genitive; den vorigen avend ('the previous evening') carries the old accusative -en for time expressions.

Dit toch ware mishandeling geweest voor allen, en voor velen de dood!  
For this would truly have been a torment for all of them, and for many of them, death!
> Pluperfect subjunctive ware geweest: ware … geweest is the pluperfect subjunctive of zijn ('would have been'), an unreal-past flourish; toch ('indeed, after all') reinforces the emphasis.

Havelaar teekende aan wat ze zeiden, en daarna gelastte hy de klagers naar hun dorp terugtekeeren.  
Havelaar noted down what they said, and afterwards bade the complainers return to their village.
> Separable aantekenen + inversion after daarna: teekende … aan is the separable aantekenen ('noted down'); fronting daarna ('afterwards') inverts to gelastte hy ('he ordered').
> Causative gelasten + joined infinitive: gelasten ('to order') governs the infinitive terugtekeeren = terug te keeren ('to return'); the separable terugkeeren is glued with te in 1860 style.

Hy beloofde dat er recht zou geschieden, mits zy zich niet verzetten, en niet uitweken zooals 't voornemen was van de meesten.  
He promised that justice would be done, provided they did not resist and did not flee the country, as most of them had intended.
> Subordinator mits + reflexive verzetten: mits ('provided that') opens a verb-final condition; zich verzetten ('to resist') is reflexive, and uitweken is the strong past of uitwijken ('to flee/emigrate').

Meestal was hy kort daarna op de plaats waar 't onrecht geschiedde, ja, vaak was hy reeds daar geweest en had--gewoonlyk des-nachts--de zaak onderzocht, voor nog de klager zelf in zyn woonstede was teruggekeerd.  
Usually he was, soon after, at the very place where the injustice had occurred; indeed, often he had already been there and had—commonly by night—investigated the matter before the complainant himself had even returned to his dwelling.
> Pluperfect with zijn vs hebben: was … geweest (zijn-auxiliary, the state of having been) and had … onderzocht (hebben-auxiliary) are both pluperfects — the choice depends on the verb.
> Subordinator voor + pluperfect of teruggekeeren: voor (= voordat, 'before') subordinates and the verb cluster was teruggekeerd moves to the clause end; teruggekeeren takes zijn as a motion verb.

Zoo bezocht hy in die uitgestrekte afdeeling, dorpen die twintig uren verwyderd waren van Rangkas-Betoeng, zonder dat noch de Regent noch zelfs de kontroleur Verbrugge wisten dat hy afwezig was van de hoofdplaats.  
Thus he visited, in that far-flung division, villages that lay twenty hours distant from Rangkas-Betoeng, without either the Regent or even the controller Verbrugge knowing that he was absent from the chief town.
> zonder dat + noch … noch: zonder dat ('without … -ing') opens a verb-final clause; noch … noch ('neither … nor') keeps a single negation, and wisten (strong past of weten) closes it.
> 'uren' as a measure of distance: Here uren ('hours') measures distance — how far one could walk — not time: 'villages twenty hours distant', a common pre-metric idiom.

Zyn bedoeling hiermede was, 't gevaar der wraak van de klagers aftewenden en tevens den Regent de schaamte te besparen van een openlyk onderzoek dat gewis onder hèm niet als vroeger met een intrekking van de klacht zou afgeloopen zyn.  
His purpose in this was to avert from the complainers the danger of revenge, and at the same time to spare the Regent the shame of an open inquiry which, under him, would assuredly not, as before, have ended with a withdrawal of the complaint.
> Conditional perfect of separable aflopen: zou afgeloopen zyn is the conditional perfect ('would not have ended'); aflopen is separable and takes zijn, so the cluster is af-ge-loopen zyn at the clause end.
> Pronominal adverb hiermede: hiermede ('with this', = met dit) is the archaic, fuller form of hiermee; the -mede ending is the literary 19th-century variant.

Zoo hoopte hy nog altyd dat de Hoofden zouden terugkeeren van den gevaarlyken weg dien zy reeds zoolang betraden, en hy zou in dat geval zich vergenoegd hebben met het vorderen van schadeloosstelling aan de beroofden ... voor-zoo-ver 't vergoeden der geleden schade mogelyk wezen zou.  
So he still hoped, always, that the Chiefs would turn back from the dangerous road they had already trodden so long; and in that case he would have contented himself with demanding restitution for the despoiled ... in so far as it was possible to make good the damage they had suffered.
> Accusative relative dien: dien ('which', masculine accusative) is the case-marked relative agreeing with den … weg; betraden is the strong past of betreden ('trod').
> Genitive der + conditional wezen zou: der geleden schade ('of the suffered damage') is the old feminine genitive; wezen zou ('would be') is the conditional with the archaic infinitive of zijn.

Maar telkens nadat hy op-nieuw met den Regent had gesproken, deed hy de overtuiging op dat de beloften van beterschap ydel waren, en hy was bitter bedroefd over 't mislukken van zyn pogingen.  
But every time, after he had once more spoken with the Regent, he was brought to the conviction that the promises of improvement were idle, and he was bitterly grieved at the failure of his efforts.
> Subordinator nadat + separable opdoen with inversion: nadat ('after') opens a pluperfect clause (had gesproken, verb-final); the main clause inverts to deed hy … op, the separable opdoen split apart.
> beterschap — improvement/amendment: beterschap means 'improvement, mending one's ways' (also 'recovery' from illness); here the Regent's empty promises of reform.

We zullen hem nu eenigen tyd aan die droefheid en zyn moeielyken arbeid overlaten, om den lezer de geschiedenis te verhalen van den Javaan Saïdjah in de dessah Badoer.  
We shall now leave him for a while to that sorrow and his arduous labour, in order to tell the reader the story of the Javanese Saïdjah in the village of Badoer.
> Future zullen + om … te purpose: zullen … overlaten is the future ('we shall leave'); om … te verhalen ('in order to tell') frames the purpose with a te-infinitive.

Ik kies de namen van dat dorp en dien Javaan uit de aanteekeningen van Havelaar.  
I take the names of that village and of that Javanese from Havelaar's notes.
> Demonstrative dat / accusative dien: dat dorp uses dat (near/that for a het-word); dien Javaan keeps the old masculine accusative dien before a de-word.

Er zal daarin spraak zyn van afspersing en roof, en wanneer men--wat de hoofdstrekking aangaat --bewyskracht mocht willen ontzeggen aan een verdichtsel, geef ik de verzekering dat ik in-staat ben de namen optegeven van twee-en-dertig personen in het distrikt Parang-Koedjang alleen, aan welke in één maand tyds zes-en-dertig buffels zyn afgenomen ten-behoeve van den Regent. Of, juister nog, dat ik de namen kan noemen van de twee-en-dertig personen uit dat distrikt, die zich in één maand hebben durven beklagen, en wier klacht door Havelaar onderzocht en gegrond bevonden is.  
It will be a matter of extortion and theft; and should anyone—as far as the main thrust of it goes—wish to deny the evidential force of a piece of fiction, I give the assurance that I am able to supply the names of thirty-two persons in the district of Parang-Koedjang alone from whom, in the space of a single month, thirty-six buffaloes were taken for the benefit of the Regent. Or, more exactly still, that I can name the thirty-two persons from that district who in one month dared to complain, and whose complaint Havelaar investigated and found to be well-founded.
> Existential er + future zullen: Er zal … spraak zyn van ('there will be mention of') uses existential er with the future and the idiom sprake zijn van; wezen/zyn is the predicate.
> Formal relative welke + worden/zijn-passive: welke ('from whom') is the heavier formal relative; zyn afgenomen is a passive of separable afnemen with zijn ('were taken from'), here a perfect passive.

Er zyn vyf zoodanige distrikten in de afdeeling Lebak ...  
There are five such districts in the division of Lebak ...
> afdeeling — administrative division: An afdeeling was a colonial administrative 'division' (here Lebak), subdivided into distrikten; the term grounds the bureaucratic geography of the abuse.

Wanneer men nu verkiest aantenemen dat het getal geroofde buffels minder hoog was in de streken die niet de eer hadden bestuurd te worden door een schoonzoon van den Adhipatti, wil ik dit wel toegeven, hoezeer het de vraag blyft of niet de onbeschaamdheid van andere Hoofden op even vaste gronden rustte als hooge verwantschap?  
If one now chooses to assume that the number of buffaloes stolen was lower in the regions that had not the honour of being governed by a son-in-law of the Adhipatti, I am quite willing to grant it—though it remains a question whether the brazenness of other Chiefs did not rest on grounds just as firm as exalted kinship?
> verkiezen + joined te-infinitive; comparative: aantenemen = aan te nemen ('to assume'), separable glued with te; minder hoog ('lower', lit. 'less high') is an analytic comparative.
> Comparative correlative even … als: even vaste … als ('just as firm … as') is the equality comparison; rustte is the weak past of rusten ('rested').

Het distriktshoofd, by-voorbeeld, van Tjilang-kahan aan de Zuidkust kon, by-gebreke van een gevreesden schoonvader, steunen op de moeielykheid van 't inbrengen eener klacht, voor arme lieden die veertig tot zestig palen hadden afteleggen voor zy 's avends zich konden verbergen in den ravyn naast Havelaars huis.  
The district chief of Tjilang-kahan on the South Coast, for instance, could, lacking a dreaded father-in-law, count upon the difficulty of lodging a complaint, for poor folk who had forty to sixty miles to travel before they could, of an evening, hide themselves in the ravine beside Havelaar's house.
> Modal kon + genitive eener klacht: kon … steunen ('could rely') is the modal kunnen with a bare infinitive; eener klacht ('of a complaint') is the old feminine genitive of een.
> Reflexive zich verbergen in a voor-clause: zich verbergen ('to hide oneself') is reflexive; voor (= voordat) subordinates and pushes konden verbergen to the end.

En als men hierby acht geeft op de velen die op weg gingen om nooit dat huis te bereiken ... op de velen die niet eenmaal vertrokken uit hun dorp, afgeschrikt als ze waren door eigen ondervinding of door 't aanschouwen van het lot dat anderen klagers te beurt viel, dan geloof ik dat men onrecht hebben zou in de meening dat de vermenigvuldiging met vyf van 't getal gestolen buffels uit één distrikt, een te hoogen maatstaf opleverde voor wie naar de statistiek vraagt van 't getal runderen dat elke maand geroofd werd in vyf distrikten, om te voorzien in de behoeften der hofhouding des Regents van Lebak.  
And if one bears in mind, besides, the many who set out on the road never to reach that house ... the many who did not even leave their village, deterred as they were by their own experience or by witnessing the fate that befell other complainers, then I believe one would do an injustice in supposing that multiplying by five the number of buffaloes stolen from a single district yielded too high a figure for anyone who asks after the statistics of the number of cattle stolen each month in five districts to provide for the needs of the household of the Regent of Lebak.
> om … te with negative nooit: om … te bereiken frames an (ironic) purpose; nooit ('never') is the negative word inside it — 'set out … never to reach.'
> Past participle + door (agent): afgeschrikt ('deterred') is a past participle in a reduced passive clause; door marks the cause/agent, as it does in worden/zijn-passives.
> Stacked genitives der … des: der hofhouding ('of the household') and des Regents ('of the Regent') chain two old genitives — a dense, deliberately archaic period possessive.

En 't waren niet buffels alleen die gestolen werden, noch zelfs was buffelroof 't voornaamste.  
And it was not buffaloes alone that were stolen, nor was buffalo-theft even the chief thing.
> Cleft 't waren + worden-passive: 't waren … die … ('it was … that') is a cleft for emphasis; gestolen werden is the process passive in the past ('were stolen').
> Compound: buffalo-theft: buffel ('buffalo') + roof ('robbery') = 'buffalo-theft', a tidy right-headed compound naming the specific crime.

Er is--in Indie vooral, waar nog altyd heeredienst wettelyk bestaat--een geringer maat van onbeschaamdheid noodig om de bevolking onwettig opteroepen tot onbetaald werk, dan er vereischt wordt tot het wegnemen van eigendom.  
There is needed—in the Indies above all, where forced labour still lawfully exists—a lesser measure of effrontery to call up the population unlawfully for unpaid work than is required for the taking of property.
> Comparative geringer … dan + worden-passive: geringer … dan ('a lesser … than') is comparative; opteroepen = op te roepen (joined separable + te); er vereischt wordt is a process passive ('is required').

Het is gemakkelyker de bevolking diets te maken dat de Regeering behoefte heeft aan haren arbeid zonder dien te willen betalen, dan dat ze haar buffels eischen zou om-niet. En al durfde de vreesachtige Javaan nasporen of de zoogenaamde heeredienst dien men van hem vordert, overeenstemt met de bepalingen daaromtrent, dan nog zou hem dit onmogelyk wezen daar de een niet weet van den ander, en hy dus niet berekenen kan of 't vastgesteld getal personen tien-ja vyftigvoud overschreden is?  
It is easier to make the population believe that the Government has need of their labour without meaning to pay for it than that it would demand their buffaloes for nothing. And even if the timorous Javanese dared to inquire whether the so-called forced labour exacted of him agreed with the regulations on the matter, this would still be impossible for him, since the one knows nothing of the other, and he therefore cannot reckon whether the appointed number of persons has been exceeded tenfold—nay, fiftyfold?
> Comparative gemakkelyker … dan dat: gemakkelyker … dan ('easier … than') with a dan dat clause; eischen zou ('would demand') is conditional, clause-final.
> Causal daar + niet negation: daar ('since') subordinates with verb-final weet; de een … den ander ('the one … the other') keeps the old accusative -en on ander.
> Idiom: iemand iets diets maken: diets maken means to make someone believe something, often deceptively ('to make the population believe…') — a fixed expression with no literal modern sense of diets.

Waar dus 't meer gevaarlyke, het lichter te ontdekken feit wordt uitgevoerd met zulke stoutheid, wat is er dan te denken van de misbruiken die gemakkelyker zyn aantewenden en minder gevaar loopen van ontdekking?  
Where, then, the more dangerous deed, the one more easily detected, is carried out with such boldness, what is one to think of the abuses that are easier to commit and run less risk of discovery?
> Worden-passive + er te-infinitive: wordt uitgevoerd ('is carried out') is the process passive; wat is er … te denken ('what is one to think') uses er with a te-infinitive of obligation.
> Adjective + joined te-infinitive (passive sense): gemakkelyker zyn aantewenden (= aan te wenden) means 'are easier to apply/commit', an adjective + te-infinitive with passive force.

Ik zeide, te zullen overgaan tot de geschiedenis van den Javaan Saïdjah. Vooraf echter ben ik genoodzaakt tot een der afwykingen die zoo moeielyk kunnen vermeden worden by 't beschryven van toestanden welke den lezer geheel vreemd zyn.  
I said I would pass on to the story of the Javanese Saïdjah. First, however, I am compelled to one of those digressions that can so hardly be avoided in describing conditions wholly strange to the reader.
> Modal + worden-passive infinitive: kunnen vermeden worden ('can be avoided') stacks the modal kunnen over a worden-passive infinitive; een der afwykingen uses the genitive plural der ('one of the digressions').

Ik zal tevens daaruit aanleiding nemen tot het wyzen op een der beletselen die 't juist beoordeelen van indische zaken aan niet-indische personen zoo byzonder moeielyk maken.  
I shall at the same time take occasion from it to point to one of the obstacles that make the right judging of Indian affairs so peculiarly difficult for non-Indian persons.
> Nominalised infinitive het wyzen: het wyzen op ('the pointing to') is an infinitive used as a noun with the article het; een der beletselen again shows the partitive genitive der.

Herhaaldelyk heb ik van Javanen gesproken, en hoe natuurlyk dit den europeschen lezer moge toeschynen, toch zal deze benaming als een fout hebben geklonken in de ooren van wien op Java bekend is.  
Repeatedly I have spoken of Javanese, and however natural this may seem to the European reader, the term will nonetheless have rung as a mistake in the ears of anyone acquainted with Java.
> Concessive hoe … moge + dative den lezer: hoe natuurlyk … moge ('however natural … may') is concessive with the subjunctive moge; den europeschen lezer is a dative with old -en endings.
> Dative headless relative wien: wien ('of whoever', dative) is the case-marked headless relative — 'in the ears of anyone who is acquainted with Java.'

De westelyke residentien Bantam, Batavia, Preanger, Krawang, en een gedeelte van Cheribon--tezamen genomen: Soendahlanden genaamd--worden geacht niet tot eigenlyk Java te behooren, en om nu niet van de over zee gekomen vreemdelingen in die gewesten te spreken, de oorspronkelyke bevolking is inderdaad een geheel andere dan op midden-Java en in den zoogenaamden Oosthoek.  
The western residencies of Bantam, Batavia, Preanger, Krawang, and a part of Cheribon—taken together, called the Soenda Lands—are held not to belong to Java proper; and, leaving aside now the foreigners who have come over the sea into those regions, the original population is indeed an altogether different one from that of central Java and of the so-called Oosthoek.
> Worden-passive + te-infinitive: worden geacht … te behooren ('are held … to belong') is a process passive of achten governing a te-infinitive complement.

Kleeding, volksaard en taal zyn zoo geheel anders dan meer oostwaarts, dat de Soendanees of Orang Goenoeng van den eigenlyk gezegden Javaan meer verschilt dan een Engelschman van den Hollander.  
Dress, national character, and language are so wholly different from those further east that the Soendanese, or Orang Goenoeng, differs more from the Javanese properly so called than an Englishman from a Hollander.
> Comparative meer … dan: meer … dan ('more … than') with verschillen van ('to differ from'); the prepositional van governs the compared term.

Dusdanige verschillen geven dikwyls aanleiding tot oneenigheid in 't oordeel over indische zaken.  
Such differences often give occasion for disagreement in judging Indian affairs.

Immers wanneer men nagaat dat Java alleen reeds zoo scherp is afgedeeld in twee ongelyksoortige deelen, zonder nog te letten op de vele onderdeelen van die splitsing, kan men berekenen hoe groot het onderscheid moet wezen tusschen volkstammen die verder van elkander wonen en zelfs door de zee gescheiden zyn.  
Indeed, when one considers that Java alone is already so sharply divided into two dissimilar parts—without even reckoning the many subdivisions of that split—one can calculate how great the difference must be between races that live further apart and are even separated by the sea.
> zijn-passive (state) of afdeelen: is afgedeeld ('is divided') is the resulting-state passive with zijn; the separable afdeelen yields the participle af-ge-deeld.
> Reciprocal elkander + zijn-passive: elkander ('each other') is the archaic reciprocal (modern elkaar); gescheiden zyn ('are separated') is a state passive with zijn.

Wie nederlandsch Indie alleen kent van Java, kan zich evenmin een juist denkbeeld vormen van den Maleier, den Amboinees, den Battah, den Alfoer, den Timorees, den Dajak, den Boegie, of den Makassaar, alsof hy nooit Europa verlaten had, en 't is voor iemand die in de gelegenheid was 't onderscheid tusschen deze volkeren waartenemen, dikwyls vermakelyk om de gesprekken aantehooren--grappig en bedroevend tevens, de redevoeringen te lezen!--van personen die hun kennis der indische zaken opdeden te Batavia of te Buitenzorg.  
Whoever knows Netherlands India only from Java can form just as little a correct conception of the Malay, the Amboinese, the Battah, the Alfoer, the Timorese, the Dayak, the Boegie, or the Makassar as if he had never left Europe; and for someone who has had the chance to observe the difference among these peoples it is often amusing—comical and saddening at once—to listen to the conversations and read the speeches of persons who picked up their knowledge of Indian affairs at Batavia or Buitenzorg.
> Reflexive zich vormen + alsof + pluperfect: zich een denkbeeld vormen ('to form for oneself a notion') is reflexive; alsof ('as if') opens a verb-final clause with the pluperfect verlaten had.

Meermalen heb ik me verwonderd over den moed waarmee, by-voorbeeld een gewezen Gouverneur-generaal, in de Kamer der Volksvertegenwoordiging, gewicht tracht bytezetten aan zyn woorden door voorgewende aanspraak op plaatselyke kennis en ondervinding.  
Many a time I have marvelled at the boldness with which, for instance, a former Governor-General, in the Chamber of the People's Representatives, tries to lend weight to his words by a pretended claim to local knowledge and experience.
> Pronominal adverb waarmee + joined te-infinitive: waarmee ('with which') relativises 'met + die'; bytezetten = by te zetten, the separable bijzetten glued with te in period spelling.

Ik stel hoogen prys op wetenschap die door ernstige studie in 't boekvertrek verkregen is, en vaak stond ik verbaasd over de uitgebreidheid der kennis van indische zaken, die sommigen toonen te bezitten zonder ooit indischen grond betreden te hebben. Zoodra nu een gewezen Gouverneur-generaal blyken geeft zich zulke kennis te hebben eigen gemaakt op die wyze, behoort men voor hem den eerbied te gevoelen die 't rechtmatig loon is van veeljarigen nauwgezetten vruchtbaren arbeid.  
I set a high value on knowledge gained by earnest study in the closet, and I have often stood amazed at the breadth of the knowledge of Indian affairs that some show themselves to possess without ever having set foot on Indian soil. So, as soon as a former Governor-General gives proof of having made such knowledge his own in that way, one ought to feel for him the reverence that is the rightful reward of many years of careful, fruitful labour.
> zonder … te + perfect infinitive: zonder … betreden te hebben ('without ever having set foot on') is the 'without -ing' construction with a perfect te-infinitive.
> behoren te + infinitive (ought): behoort … te gevoelen ('one ought to feel') uses behoren te for moral obligation; den eerbied keeps the old accusative -en.

Grooter nog zy die eerbied voor hem dan voor den geleerde die minder moeielykheden te overwinnen had omdat hy, op verren afstand zonder aanschouwing, minder gevaar liep te vervallen in de dwalingen die 't gevolg zyn eener gebrekkige aanschouwing zooals onmisbaar ten-deel viel aan den gewezen Gouverneur-generaal.  
Greater still let that reverence be for him than for the scholar who had fewer difficulties to overcome because, at a great distance and without direct observation, he ran less risk of falling into the errors that are the consequence of a defective observation, such as inevitably fell to the lot of the former Governor-General.
> Comparative grooter + subjunctive zy: Grooter … dan ('greater … than') is comparative; zy is the archaic subjunctive of zijn ('let … be'), with fronted comparative forcing inversion.
> Genitive eener gebrekkige aanschouwing: eener … aanschouwing ('of a defective observation') is the old feminine genitive of een; the relative die opens a verb-final clause.

Ik zeide dat ik verwonderd was over den moed dien sommigen by de behandeling van indische zaken ten-toon spreiden.  
I said that I was amazed at the boldness which some display in the handling of Indian affairs.

Zy weten immers dat hun woorden ook door anderen worden gehoord, dan wie meenen mochten dat het genoeg is een paar jaren te Buitenzorg te hebben doorgebracht om Indie te kennen. Het moet hun toch bekend zyn dat die woorden ook gelezen worden door de personen die in Indie zelf getuigen waren van hun onbedrevenheid, en die evenzeer als ik verbaasd staan over de stoutheid waarmee iemand die nog zoo kort geleden vergeefs trachtte zyn onbekwaamheid wegtesteken onder den hoogen rang dien hem de Koning gaf, nu zoo op-eenmaal spreekt alsof hy werkelyk kennis droeg van de zaken die hy behandelt.  
They surely know that their words are also heard by others than those who might suppose it enough to have spent a couple of years at Buitenzorg in order to know the Indies. It must after all be known to them that those words are also read by the persons who were themselves, in the Indies, witnesses of their incompetence, and who, just as I do, stand amazed at the boldness with which a man who, so short a time ago, vainly tried to hide his unfitness beneath the high rank the King gave him now all at once speaks as if he really had knowledge of the matters he is treating.
> Worden-passive + door (agent): worden gehoord ('are heard') is the process passive; door anderen marks the agent — the standard way Dutch expresses 'by whom.'
> Joined te-infinitive + accusative relative dien: wegtesteken = weg te steken ('to hide away'); dien is the masculine accusative relative agreeing with den hoogen rang ('which the King gave him').

Telkens hoort men dan ook klachten over onbevoegde inmenging. Telkens wordt deze of gene richting in de koloniale staatkunde bestreden door 't loochenen der bevoegdheid van hem die zulke richting vertegenwoordigt, en misschien ware het niet onbelangryk een gezet onderzoek intestellen naar de eigenschappen die iemand bevoegd maken om ... bevoegdheid te beoordeelen.  
Time and again, therefore, one hears complaints of unqualified meddling. Time and again this or that tendency in colonial policy is opposed by denying the competence of the man who represents such a tendency; and it might perhaps not be without interest to set up a settled inquiry into the qualities that make someone competent to ... judge competence.
> Worden-passive + nominalised infinitive: wordt … bestreden ('is opposed') is the process passive; 't loochenen ('the denying') is an infinitive nominalised with het, governing the genitive der bevoegdheid.
> Subjunctive ware + joined infinitive: ware het ('it would be') is the conditional subjunctive of zijn; intestellen = in te stellen, the separable instellen ('to set up') glued with te.

Meestal wordt een belangryke vraag getoetst, niet aan de zaak waarover ze handelt, maar aan de waarde welke men toekent aan de meening van den man die daarover 't woord voert, en daar dit meestal de persoon is die doorgaat voor een Specialiteit, by-voorkeur iemand "die in Indie een zoo gewichtige betrekking heeft bekleed" volgt hieruit dat de slotsom eener stemming meestal de kleur draagt van de dwalingen die nu eenmaal schynen te kleven aan "die gewichtige betrekkingen." Indien dit reeds geldt waar de invloed van zoodanige specialiteit slechts wordt uitgeoefend door een lid der Volksvertegenwoordiging, hoe groot wordt dan niet de voorbeschikking tot verkeerd oordeelen, als zulke invloed gepaard gaat met het vertrouwen des Konings die zich dwingen liet zulk een specialiteit aan 't hoofd van zyn Ministerie van Kolonien te plaatsen.  
Usually an important question is tested not against the matter it deals with, but against the worth that is attached to the opinion of the man who speaks on it; and since this is usually the person who passes for a Specialist, by preference someone "who has held so weighty a post in the Indies," it follows from this that the upshot of a vote usually bears the colour of the errors that seem, once and for all, to cling to "those weighty posts." If this already holds true where the influence of such a specialist is exerted only through a member of the People's Representatives, how great then does the predisposition to wrong judgment become when such influence goes hand in hand with the confidence of the King, who let himself be forced to place such a specialist at the head of his Ministry of Colonies.
> Worden-passive + niet … maar: wordt … getoetst ('is tested') is the process passive; niet … maar ('not … but') contrasts the two standards, maar being a coordinator that does not move the verb.
> Genitive des Konings + causative laten (reflexive passive): des Konings is the old genitive ('the King's'); zich dwingen liet ('let himself be forced') combines reflexive zich with causative laten — a passive-causative.

Het is een eigenaardig verschynsel--wellicht voortspruitende uit een soort van traagheid die de moeite van 't zelf oordeelen schuwt--hoe licht men vertrouwen schenkt aan personen die zich den schyn weten te geven van meerder kennis, zoodra slechts die kennis kan geput wezen uit bronnen die niet voor ieder toegankelyk zyn.  
It is a peculiar phenomenon—springing, perhaps, from a kind of indolence that shies from the trouble of judging for oneself—how readily one grants confidence to persons who know how to give themselves the appearance of greater knowledge, as soon as that knowledge can have been drawn from sources not accessible to everyone.
> Present participle voortspruitende: voortspruitende ('springing from') is a present participle of the separable voortspruiten used adjectivally; die opens a verb-final relative clause.
> Modal + zijn-passive (kan … geput wezen): kan geput wezen ('can have been drawn') stacks kunnen over a state passive with archaic wezen; zoodra ('as soon as') subordinates, sending the cluster to the end.

De oorzaak ligt misschien hierin, dat de eigenliefde minder gekwetst wordt door 't erkennen van zoodanig overwicht, dan 't geval wezen zou wanneer men van dezelfde hulpmiddelen had kunnen gebruik maken, waardoor iets als wedyver ontstaan zou.  
The cause lies, perhaps, in this: that self-love is less wounded by acknowledging such superiority than it would be were one able to make use of the same resources, whereby something like rivalry would arise.
> Comparative minder … dan + worden-passive: minder gekwetst wordt … dan ('is less wounded … than') joins a comparative to the process passive; wezen zou is the conditional 'would be.'
> Pronominal adverb waardoor + conditional: waardoor ('whereby', = door wat) is a relative pronominal adverb; ontstaan zou is the conditional ('would arise'), clause-final.

Het valt den Volksvertegenwoordiger gemakkelyk zyn gevoelen optegeven, zoodra 't bestreden wordt door iemand die geacht kan worden een juister oordeel te vellen dan het zyne, wanneer slechts zulke veronderstelde meerdere juistheid niet behoeft te worden toegeschreven aan persoonlyke meerderheid--waarvan de erkenning moeielyker vallen zou--doch alleen aan de byzondere omstandigheden waarin zoodanige tegenstander verkeerd heeft.  
It comes easy to the People's Representative to give up his view as soon as it is opposed by someone who may be held to pass a sounder judgment than his own—provided only that such supposed greater soundness need not be ascribed to personal superiority, the acknowledgment of which would come harder, but solely to the particular circumstances in which such an opponent has been placed.
> Impersonal het valt + dative + joined infinitive: Het valt … gemakkelyk ('it comes easy to…') uses impersonal het with a dative (den Volksvertegenwoordiger) and the joined infinitive optegeven = op te geven.
> Worden-passive + comparative juister: bestreden wordt and geacht kan worden are both worden-passives; juister ('sounder', comparative of juist) modifies oordeel ('a sounder judgment').

En zonder te spreken van hen "die zulke hooge betrekkingen in Indie vervulden" het is inderdaad vreemd hoe men meermalen waarde toekent aan de meening van personen die volstrekt niets bezitten wat die toekenning rechtvaardigt dan de "herinnering aan een zóóveeljarig verblyf in die gewesten." Dit is te meer zonderling omdat zy die gewicht hechten aan dusdanigen bewysgrond, toch niet gereedelyk alles zouden aannemen wat hun by-voorbeeld zou gezegd worden over de huishouding des nederlandschen staats, door ieder die aantoonde dat hy veertig of vyftig jaren in Nederland gewoond had.  
And without speaking of those "who filled such high posts in the Indies," it is indeed strange how one often attaches worth to the opinion of persons who possess absolutely nothing to justify that attribution save the "recollection of a so-many-years' sojourn in those regions." This is the more odd because those who attach weight to such a ground of proof would yet not readily accept everything that might be told them, for instance, about the management of the Netherlands state by anyone who showed that he had lived forty or fifty years in the Netherlands.
> te + infinitive after a preposition: Dutch governs an infinitive with 'te' after 'zonder' ('without speaking of'). The 'te + infinitive' construction is the standard way to attach a verb to a preposition or governing word.
> Relative 'die' and verb-final clause: 'die' is the relative pronoun for de-words ('persons who possess nothing'), and the clause it opens sends its verb 'bezitten' to the end. Within it 'wat' relates back to 'niets', the relative for an indefinite/neuter antecedent.
> Genitive case-remnant 'des': 'des nederlandschen staats' is a frozen genitive: the old masculine/neuter article 'des' plus the adjective in -en and the noun in -s, where modern Dutch would write 'van de Nederlandse staat'. Such inflected genitives are alive throughout 1860 prose.
> Conditional passive: 'zou … worden' combines the conditional 'zou' with a worden-passive: 'what might be told them'. The process passive uses 'worden' + past participle ('gezegd'), here softened into the conditional.
> 'gewesten' = regions: 'gewest' (plural 'gewesten') is a slightly elevated word for a region or province; here 'die gewesten' ('those regions') is a euphemism for the Dutch East Indies.

Er zyn personen die byna even zooveel tyd in Nederlandsch-Indie doorbrachten, zonder ooit in aanraking gekomen te zyn, noch met de bevolking, noch met inlandsche Hoofden, en 't is bedroevend, dat de Raad van Indie zeer dikwyls geheel of grootendeels uit zoodanige personen is samengesteld, ja dat men zelfs middel heeft gevonden, den Koning benoemingen te laten teekenen tot Gouverneur-generaal, van iemand die tot deze soort van specialiteiten behoorde.  
There are persons who spent almost as much time in Netherlands India without ever having come into contact, either with the population or with the native Chiefs; and it is saddening that the Council of the Indies is very often composed wholly or in great part of such persons—nay, that means have even been found to have the King sign appointments to Governor-General of someone who belonged to this sort of specialist.
> Existential 'er' + period spelling 'zyn': 'Er zyn' is the existential 'there are', where 'er' is the dummy that introduces an indefinite subject. Note the 1860 spelling 'zyn' for modern 'zijn', with 'y' standing for 'ij'.
> Perfect infinitive with te: 'gekomen te zyn' is a perfect infinitive ('to have come'): the past participle 'gekomen' plus 'te zijn'. 'zonder' governs the whole 'te'-infinitive phrase.
> State passive with zijn: 'is samengesteld' is a zijn-passive describing a resulting state ('is composed of'). Unlike the worden-passive of an action in progress, 'zijn' + participle names the condition that results.
> Causative 'laten' + bare infinitive: 'laten teekenen' is causative 'laten' ('to have something done'): 'to have the King sign appointments'. 'laten' takes a bare infinitive with no 'te', and here is itself embedded under 'te laten'.

Toen ik zeide dat de veronderstelde bekwaamheid van een nieuwbenoemden Gouverneur-generaal moest geacht worden de meening intesluiten dat men hem voor een genie hield, was myn bedoeling geenszins het benoemen van genien aantepryzen.  
When I said that the supposed competence of a newly appointed Governor-General must be held to imply the opinion that he was taken for a genius, my meaning was by no means to commend the appointing of geniuses.
> Subordinator 'toen' sends the verb back: 'Toen' ('when', of a single past event) is a subordinating conjunction, so its verb 'zeide' moves toward the clause end. The nested 'dat'-clause then governs its own verbs to the end as well.
> Stacked modal + passive infinitive: 'moest geacht worden … in te sluiten' chains the past modal 'moest' with a worden-passive infinitive ('be held') and the separable 'insluiten' split as 'in te sluiten'. The verbs all cluster at the clause end.
> 'geenszins' = by no means: 'geenszins' is an emphatic, somewhat formal negative adverb meaning 'in no way / by no means'. It belongs to the literary register typical of Multatuli's narrator.
> Compound participle 'nieuwbenoemd': 'nieuwbenoemd' ('newly appointed') glues the adverb 'nieuw' onto the participle 'benoemd'; the inflected '-en' agrees with the masculine accusative noun. Dutch readily compounds adverb + participle into one word.

Buiten het bezwaar toch dat er liggen zou in 't gedurig onvervuld laten van een zoo gewichtige betrekking, pleit nog een andere reden hiertegen.  
Apart from the objection there would be in continually leaving so weighty a post unfilled, yet another reason pleads against it.
> Existential 'er' with conditional: 'er liggen zou' uses 'er' as the existential particle ('that there would lie / be') with the conditional 'zou' pushed to the clause end after its infinitive.
> Verb-second after a fronted phrase: Because the sentence opens with the long adverbial 'Buiten het bezwaar …', the finite verb 'pleit' must stand in second position, before its subject 'een andere reden'. This inversion is the V2 rule. 'hiertegen' is a pronominal adverb ('against it').
> Nominalized infinitive: 'het … laten' turns the verb 'laten' into a neuter noun ('the leaving'), modified by the adverb 'gedurig' and the predicate 'onvervuld'. The article ''t' (= het) marks it as a noun.

Een genie zou niet kunnen werken onder het Ministerie van Kolonien, en dus als Gouverneur-generaal onbruikbaar wezen ... zooals genien wel meer zyn.  
A genius could not work under the Ministry of Colonies, and so would be useless as Governor-General ... as geniuses often are.
> Conditional with a modal: 'zou … kunnen werken' stacks the conditional 'zou' with the modal 'kunnen' and the main verb 'werken' as a bare infinitive at the end. The negator 'niet' precedes the verb cluster.
> Modal particle 'wel': Here 'wel' is not 'well' but a modal particle softening the claim ('as geniuses often are'). 'zooals' opens a subordinate clause, sending 'zyn' to the end.

Het ware misschien te wenschen dat de door my in den vorm eener ziektegeschiedenis opgegeven hoofdfeilen de aandacht trokken dergenen die tot de keuze van een nieuwen Landvoogd geroepen zyn.  
It were perhaps to be wished that the chief defects I have set out in the form of a case-history might draw the attention of those who are called to the choice of a new Viceroy.
> Subjunctive 'ware': 'ware' is the past subjunctive of 'zijn' ('it were to be wished'), a literary mood form used for hypothetical wishes. Modern Dutch would say 'het zou … te wensen zijn'.
> Genitive 'dergenen': 'dergenen' is a genitive plural ('the attention of those who…'), the inflected form of 'diegenen'. This frozen '-er' genitive is a case-remnant kept alive in formal 1860 prose.
> Pre-nominal participle phrase: 'de door my … opgegeven hoofdfeilen' packs a whole passive phrase ('the chief defects set out by me') in front of the noun, framed by the article and the participle 'opgegeven'. Dutch can stack such material between article and noun where English uses a relative clause.

Op den voorgrond stellende dat al de personen die daarvoor worden in aanmerking gebracht, rechtschapen zyn, en in 't bezit van een bevattingsvermogen dat hen eenigermate zal in-staat stellen te leeren wat ze zullen moeten weten, houd ik 't voor hoofdzaak dat men met eenig gegrond vertrouwen van hen de vermyding kunne verwachten van die aanmatigende betwetery in 't begin, en vooral van die apathische slaperigheid in de laatste jaren van hun bestuur.  
Taking it as a premise that all the persons brought into consideration for it are upright, and in possession of a capacity that will in some measure enable them to learn what they will have to know, I hold it the main thing that one may, with some well-founded confidence, expect of them the avoidance of that presumptuous know-it-all manner at the outset, and above all of that apathetic drowsiness in the last years of their rule.
> Present participle as a clause-opener: 'stellende' is a present participle (the -end(e) form) heading an absolute phrase ('placing in the foreground that…'). 'op den voorgrond' even shows the dative remnant 'den'.
> Worden-passive in a relative clause: 'worden in aanmerking gebracht' is a worden-passive ('are brought into consideration') sitting inside a 'die'-relative clause, so the verbs gather at its end.
> Subjunctive 'kunne': 'kunne' is a present-subjunctive form of 'kunnen' ('that one may expect'), a literary mood marker for something hoped-for rather than asserted. Note also the abstract noun 'vermyding' built from 'vermijden'.

Ik heb er reeds op gewezen dat Havelaar in zyn moeielyken plicht meende te kunnen steunen op de hulp van den Gouverneur-generaal, en ik voegde er by "dat deze meening naïef was." Die Gouverneur-generaal wachtte zyn opvolger: de rust in Nederland was naby!  
I have already pointed out that Havelaar, in his arduous duty, thought he could rely on the help of the Governor-General, and I added that "this opinion was naïve." That Governor-General was awaiting his successor: rest in the Netherlands was at hand!
> te + infinitive cluster: 'meende te kunnen steunen' chains 'menen' ('to think') with a 'te'-infinitive that itself contains the modal 'kunnen' and the main verb 'steunen'. 'meende' is the simple past of a weak verb (stem + -de).
> Dative remnant 'den': 'den' marks the old masculine accusative/dative and survives here after the preposition 'van'. In modern Dutch it would simply be 'de'.
> Period spelling 'naby': 'naby' is the 1860 spelling of modern 'nabij' ('at hand, near'), with 'y' standing for 'ij' — a hallmark of the period orthography Multatuli's printer used.

We zullen zien wat deze neiging tot slaap berokkend heeft aan de Lebaksche Afdeeling, aan Havelaar, en aan den Javaan Saïdjah, tot wiens eentonige geschiedenis--één onder zeer velen!--ik thans overga.  
We shall see what this inclination to slumber brought about for the Lebak Division, for Havelaar, and for the Javanese Saïdjah, to whose monotonous story—one among very many!—I now pass.
> Genitive relative 'wiens': 'wiens' is the genitive relative pronoun ('to whose monotonous story'), agreeing in the masculine. 'overga' is the present of the separable verb 'overgaan', here held back to the clause end after the relative.
> 'thans' = now (formal): 'thans' is a formal, literary equivalent of 'nu' ('now'). It belongs to the elevated narrative register and is rare in everyday modern Dutch.

Ja, eentonig zal ze wezen! Eentonig als 't verhaal van de werkzaamheid der mier die haar bydrage tot den wintervoorraad moet opslepen tegen den aardkluit--voor haar een berg--die er ligt op den weg naar de voorraadschuur.  
Yes, monotonous it will be! Monotonous as the tale of the labour of the ant that must drag its contribution to the winter store up against the clod of earth—to it a mountain—that lies in the path to the storehouse.
> Fronting and the future with zullen: The predicate 'eentonig' is fronted for emphasis, forcing the future auxiliary 'zal' into second position before the subject 'ze'. 'wezen' is an older infinitive of 'zijn'.
> Genitive 'der' + separable verb: 'der mier' is a genitive case-remnant ('of the ant'), and 'opslepen' is a separable verb whose infinitive sits at the clause end under the modal 'moet'.

Telkens valt ze terug met haar vracht, om telkens weer te beproeven of ze eindelyk vasten voet zou kunnen zetten op dat steentje daar-boven ... op de rots die den berg kroont.  
Again and again it falls back with its load, only to try again and again whether it might at last set firm foot on that little stone up there ... on the rock that crowns the mountain.
> om … te (purpose): 'om … te beproeven' frames a purpose clause ('only to try again'), closing with 'te' + infinitive. The 'of'-clause that follows is an indirect yes/no question, sending its verbs to the end.
> Conditional + modal verb cluster: 'zou kunnen zetten' stacks the conditional 'zou', the modal 'kunnen', and the main infinitive 'zetten' at the end of the indirect question. 'vasten voet' shows the old accusative -en on the adjective.

Maar tusschen haar en dien top is een afgrond die moet worden omgetrokken ... een diepte die duizend mieren niet vullen zouden.  
But between it and that summit is a chasm that must be skirted ... a depth that a thousand ants would not fill.
> Worden-passive with a modal: 'moet worden omgetrokken' is a modal 'moet' over a worden-passive ('that must be skirted'). The participle 'omgetrokken' belongs to the separable verb 'omtrekken'.
> Relative clause, verb-final, with conditional: 'die … niet vullen zouden' is a relative clause for the de-word 'diepte', with the conditional 'zouden' driven to the very end behind the infinitive 'vullen'.

Daartoe moet zy, die nauwlyks kracht heeft haar last voortteslepen op gelyken grond--een last vele malen zwaarder dan eigen lyf--dien omhoog heffen, en zich overeind houden op een bewegelyke plek.  
To do so it must, scarcely having strength to drag its burden forward over level ground—a burden many times heavier than its own body—lift that burden up on high and keep itself upright on a shifting spot.
> te + infinitive of a separable verb: 'voort te slepen' is the separable verb 'voortslepen' broken by 'te' ('to drag forward'). It depends on the noun 'kracht' ('strength to…').
> Reflexive 'zich': 'zich … houden' is reflexive ('keep itself upright'); 'zich' is the third-person reflexive pronoun. Here it pairs with the separable predicate 'overeind'.
> Comparative with 'dan': 'zwaarder dan' is the comparative ('heavier than'), formed with -er and 'dan' for 'than'. 'lyf' is the 1860 spelling of 'lijf' (body).

Ze moet het evenwicht bewaren als ze zich opricht met haar vracht tusschen de voorpooten.  
It must keep its balance as it rears up with its load between its forelegs.
> Subordinator 'als' + reflexive verb: 'als' ('as / when') opens a subordinate clause and sends the verb 'opricht' to the end; 'oprichten' is separable and reflexive here ('zich oprichten', to rear up).

Ze moet die omslingeren in schuinsche richting naar-boven, om ze te doen neerkomen op de punt die uitsteekt aan den rotswand. Ze wankelt, waggelt, schrikt, bezwykt ... tracht zich te houden aan den half ontwortelden boomstam die met zyn kruin naar de diepte wyst--een grasspriet!--ze mist het steunpunt dat ze zoekt: de boom slingert terug--de grasspriet wykt onder haren tred--ach, de tobster valt in de diepte met haar vracht.  
It must sling the load round it, slantwise, upward, to bring it down upon the point that juts from the rock-face. It totters, sways, takes fright, gives way ... tries to hold to the half-uprooted tree-trunk that points its crown toward the depth—a blade of grass!—it misses the foothold it seeks: the tree swings back—the blade of grass yields under its tread—ah, the poor toiler falls into the depth with its load.
> Causative 'doen' under om … te: 'te doen neerkomen' uses causative 'doen' ('to make/bring it come down') with a bare infinitive, all inside an 'om … te' purpose clause. 'neerkomen' is itself separable.
> Historic present narration: Multatuli switches to the vivid present tense ('it totters, sways…') to dramatize the ant's struggle. Each verb is third-person singular in stem + -t.
> Dative 'den' + adjective in -en: 'aan den half ontwortelden boomstam' shows the old masculine dative: article 'den' and the participle-adjective 'ontwortelden' both in -en after the preposition 'aan'.
> 'tobster' = (female) toiler: 'tobster' is the feminine agent noun from 'tobben' ('to toil, to struggle wearily'), with the female suffix -ster. It casts the ant as a long-suffering woman.

Dan is zy een oogenblik stil, wel een sekonde ... dat lang is in het leven van een mier.  
Then for a moment it lies still, a whole second perhaps ... which is long in the life of an ant.
> V2 after the adverb 'dan': Opening with 'Dan' ('then') puts the verb 'is' second, before the subject 'zy' — the verb-second rule in action. 'oogenblik' shows the doubled vowel of period spelling.

Zou ze verdoofd wezen van pyn door haar val? Of geeft ze toe in wat droefheid dat zooveel inspanning ydel was?  
Could it be numbed with pain from its fall? Or does it yield to some grief that so much effort was in vain?
> Conditional as a tentative question: 'Zou … wezen' opens a speculative yes/no question ('could it be…?'), the conditional used to soften a guess. 'verdoofd' is a past participle here functioning as a predicate adjective.
> Separable verb 'toegeven': 'geeft … toe' is the separable verb 'toegeven' ('to yield'), whose prefix 'toe' splits off to follow the subject. The opening 'Of' marks the alternative question.

Maar ze verliest den moed niet.  
But it does not lose courage.
> Negation with 'niet' + dative 'den': 'niet' negates the whole clause and is placed at the end after the object. 'den moed' keeps the old masculine accusative article 'den'.

Weder grypt ze haren last, en weder sleept zy dien naar-boven, om straks nògeens, en nògeens, neertevallen in de diepte.  
Once more it grips its load, and once more it drags it upward, only soon to fall again, and again, into the depth.
> V2 after 'weder' + accusative 'haren': The fronted adverb 'weder' (archaic 'again') forces the verb 'grypt' into second place. 'haren last' shows the old masculine accusative -en on the possessive 'haar'.
> om … te with a separable verb: 'om … neer te vallen' is a purpose/result clause closing with 'te' inside the separable verb 'neervallen' ('to fall down'). 'straks' here means 'soon'.

Zóó eentonig is myn verhaal.  
So monotonous is my tale.
> Fronted predicate, verb-second: Putting the predicate 'Zóó eentonig' first forces 'is' into second position ahead of the subject 'myn verhaal'. 'myn' is the 1860 spelling of 'mijn'.

Maar ik zal niet spreken van mieren, welker vreugde of leed door de grofheid onzer zintuigen aan onze waarneming ontsnapt.  
But I shall not speak of ants, whose joy or sorrow escapes our perception through the coarseness of our senses.
> Formal relative 'welker': 'welker' is a heavy, archaic genitive relative ('whose joy or sorrow'), the inflected form of 'welk'. Such formal relatives belong to solemn 19th-century prose.
> Genitive 'onzer': 'onzer zintuigen' is an inflected genitive of 'onze' ('of our senses'), a case-remnant where modern Dutch uses 'van onze zintuigen'.

Ik zal verhalen van menschen, van wezens die gelyke beweging hebben als wy. 't Is waar, wie aandoening schuwt en vermoeiend mede-lyden ontgaan wil, zal zeggen dat die menschen geel zyn, of bruin--velen noemen ze zwart--en voor dezulken is 't verschil van kleur beweegreden genoeg om hun oog aftekeeren van die ellende, of ten-minste àls zy er op neerzien, daarop neertezien zonder aandoening.  
I shall tell of human beings, of creatures who have the same stirrings as we. It is true, whoever shuns emotion and would escape wearisome compassion will say that those people are yellow, or brown—many call them black—and to such persons the difference of colour is reason enough to turn their eyes away from that misery, or at least, if they do look upon it, to look upon it without feeling.
> Free relative 'wie': 'wie' here is a free relative without antecedent ('whoever shuns emotion'), introducing a verb-final clause. The modal 'wil' sends 'ontgaan' to the end as a bare infinitive.
> V2 after a fronted prepositional phrase: Fronting 'voor dezulken' forces 'is' into second position before the subject. 'dezulken' is an archaic demonstrative ('such people').
> om … te + separable verbs: Two purpose infinitives ('to turn away… to look down upon') close with 'te' inside the separable verbs 'afkeeren' and 'neerzien'. 'daarop' is a pronominal adverb ('upon it').

Myn vertelling is dus alleen gericht aan hen die in-staat zyn tot het moeielyk geloof dat er harten kloppen onder die donkere opperhuid, en dat, wie gezegend is met blankheid en de daarmee samengaande beschaving, edelmoedigheid, handels- en Godskennis, deugd ... zyn blanke hoedanigheden zou kunnen aanwenden op àndere wyze dan tot nog toe ondervonden werd door wie minder gezegend zyn in huidskleur en zielevoortreffelykheid.  
My telling, then, is addressed only to those who are capable of the difficult belief that hearts beat beneath that dark skin, and that whoever is blessed with whiteness and the civilization, magnanimity, commercial and divine knowledge, and virtue that go with it ... could employ his white qualities in a manner other than has hitherto been experienced by those less blessed in skin-colour and excellence of soul.
> State passive + relative clause: 'is … gericht' is a zijn-passive of resulting state ('is addressed'); 'aan hen die' attaches a relative clause whose verbs go to the end.
> Pronominal adverb + present participle: 'daarmee' fuses 'met' + 'that' ('the civilization that goes with it'), and 'samengaande' is a present participle used attributively before the noun.
> Conditional + modal cluster: 'zou kunnen aanwenden' stacks the conditional 'zou', modal 'kunnen', and main infinitive 'aanwenden' ('could employ') at the clause end — a chain typical of Multatuli's heavy periodic sentences.

Myn vertrouwen op medegevoel met de Javanen gaat echter niet zóó ver, dat ik by de beschryving hoe men den laatsten buffel rooft uit den kendang by-dag, zonder schroom, onder bescherming van 't nederlandsch gezag ... als ik 't weggevoerd rund laat volgen door den eigenaar en zyn schreiende kinderen ... als ik hem laat neerzitten op den trap van 't huis des roovers, sprakeloos en wezenloos en verzonken in smart ... als ik hem van daar laat wegjagen met hoon en smaad, met bedreiging van rottingslag en blokgevangenis ... zie, ik eisch niet--noch verwacht, o Nederlanders!--dat ge daardoor zult aangegrepen zyn in gelyke maat als wanneer ik u het lot schetste van een boer wien men zyn koe ontnam.  
My faith in fellow-feeling for the Javanese does not, however, reach so far that, in describing how the last buffalo is robbed from the cattle-pen by day, without shame, under the protection of Netherlands authority ... when I let the carried-off beast be followed by its owner and his weeping children ... when I let the man sit down on the step of the robber's house, speechless and senseless and sunk in grief ... when I let him be driven thence with scorn and abuse, with threats of the rattan and the stocks ... see, I do not demand—nor expect, O Netherlanders!—that you should be moved by it to the same degree as when I sketched for you the fate of a peasant whose cow was taken from him.
> Causative 'laten' + bare infinitive (repeated): The whole sentence is built on causative 'laten' ('I let / I have'): 'laat volgen', 'laat neerzitten', 'laat wegjagen' — each 'laten' takes a bare infinitive without 'te'.
> Archaic pronoun 'ge' + future passive: 'ge' is the literary/older 'you' (subject form of 'gij'), and 'zult … aangegrepen zyn' is a future (state) passive ('shall be moved') — the zijn-passive 'aangegrepen zyn' names the resulting future state, not a completed action. The narrator addresses his Dutch reader directly.
> Dative relative 'wien': 'wien' is the dative relative ('a peasant from whom one took his cow'), the inflected form of 'wie'. The dative marks the person deprived.

Ik vraag geen traan by de tranen die er vloeien op zoo donkere gezichten, noch edelen toorn als ik zal spreken van de vertwyfeling der beroofden.  
I ask no tear for the tears that flow on such dark faces, nor noble wrath when I speak of the despair of the despoiled.
> Negation 'geen' and 'noch': 'geen' negates the indefinite noun 'traan' ('no tear'), while 'noch … noch' coordinates further negatives ('nor noble wrath'). One negation governs the whole, with no double negation.
> 'vertwyfeling' / 'beroofden': 'vertwyfeling' (modern 'vertwijfeling') is despair, and 'de beroofden' ('the despoiled') is a nominalized participle, 'der beroofden' a genitive. The pairing intensifies the moral charge.

Evenmin verwacht ik dat ge zult opstaan, en met myn boek in de hand tot den Koning gaan, en zeggen: "zie, o Koning, dat geschiedt in uw Ryk, in uw schoon ryk van Insulinde!"  
Just as little do I expect that you will rise up and go to the King with my book in your hand and say: "see, O King, that this is happening in your Realm, in your fair realm of Insulinde!"
> Future 'zullen' across coordinated verbs: The future auxiliary 'zult' governs a chain of infinitives ('opstaan… gaan… zeggen'). 'ge' is again the archaic 'you', and 'tot den Koning' shows the dative remnant 'den'.

Neen, neen, neen, dat alles verwacht ik niet!  
No, no, no, all that I do not expect!
> Fronted object + verb-second: Fronting the object 'dat alles' puts the verb 'verwacht' second, before the subject 'ik'. The clause is negated by sentence-final 'niet'.

Te veel leeds in de nabyheid maakt zich meester van uw gevoel, om u zóó veel gevoels overtelaten voor wat zoo ver is! Worden niet al uw zenuwen in spanning gehouden door de akeligheid der keus van een nieuw Kamerlid?  
Too much sorrow close at hand takes hold of your feeling for you to have so much feeling left over for what is so far away! Are not all your nerves held in suspense by the dreadful business of choosing a new member of the Chamber?
> Reflexive idiom 'zich meester maken van': 'zich meester maken van' is a fixed reflexive idiom ('to take possession of'). 'leeds' is an old partitive genitive after 'te veel' ('too much of sorrow').
> om … te + partitive genitive 'gevoels': 'om … over te laten' is a result clause with the separable 'overlaten' split by 'te'. 'zóó veel gevoels' uses the partitive genitive -s ('so much feeling').
> Worden-passive as a question: 'Worden … gehouden' is a worden-passive ('are held'), here inverted into a yes/no question with the auxiliary first. The narrator mocks his reader's trivial preoccupations.

Dobbert niet uw verscheurde ziel tusschen de wereldberoemde verdiensten van Nietigheid A en Onbeduidendheid B?  
Does not your torn soul waver between the world-famous merits of Nonentity A and Insignificance B?
> Inverted yes/no question: A yes/no question puts the verb 'Dobbert' first, before its subject 'uw verscheurde ziel'. 'verscheurde' is a past participle used attributively, taking -e before the noun.
> Mock honorifics: 'Nietigheid' ('Nonentity') and 'Onbeduidendheid' ('Insignificance') are sarcastic abstract nouns standing in for the candidates' names — Multatuli skewering empty political contests.

En hebt ge niet uw dure tranen noodig voor ernstiger zaken dan ... maar wat hoef ik méér te zeggen!  
And have you not need of your precious tears for graver matters than ... but what need have I to say more!
> Archaic 'ge' in an inverted question: 'hebt ge' inverts subject and verb for a question, with 'ge' the literary 'you'. The comparative 'ernstiger' ('graver') uses the -er ending.

Was er niet gister slapte op de beurs, en dreigde niet ietwat overvoer de koffimarkt met daling? * * * * *  
Was there not slackness on the exchange yesterday, and did not a little overstock threaten the coffee market with a fall? * * * * *
> Existential 'er' in an inverted question: 'Was er …' is an existential question ('was there not slackness'), with dummy 'er'. Both verbs ('Was', 'dreigde') stand first in their coordinated yes/no questions.
> Period spelling 'koffi': 'koffi' is the 1860 spelling of modern 'koffie' (coffee), with the period clipping of the final -e. Coffee is the novel's central commodity, the wealth wrung from forced cultivation in Java — note the narrator cares only about its market price.

"Schryf toch zulke zinnelooze dingen niet aan je papa, Stern!" heb ik gezegd, en misschien zei ik 't wat driftig, want ik kan geen onwaarheid lyden, dit is altyd een vast principe van me geweest.  
"Do please not write such senseless stuff to your papa, Stern!" I have said, and perhaps I said it somewhat sharply, for I cannot abide untruth—this has always been a fixed principle with me.
> Imperative softened by 'toch': 'Schryf … niet' is an imperative (bare verb stem) negated by 'niet'. The particle 'toch' adds a pleading, exasperated tone ('do please not…').
> Coordinator 'want' keeps V2: 'want' ('for') is a coordinating conjunction, so it does NOT send the verb to the end: 'ik kan' keeps normal main-clause order. 'geen onwaarheid' negates the indefinite noun.

Ik heb dien avend terstond aan den ouden Stern geschreven dat hy haast moest maken met zyn orders, en vooral zich in-acht nemen tegen valsche berichten, want de koffi staat heel goed.  
That evening I wrote at once to old Stern that he must hurry up with his orders, and above all be on his guard against false reports, for the coffee stands very well.
> Subordinate 'dat' + reflexive idiom: 'dat' opens a reported-speech clause, sending its verbs to the end; 'zich in acht nemen' is a reflexive idiom ('to be on one's guard'). 'hy' is the 1860 spelling of 'hij'.
> 'dien avend' = that evening: 'dien' is the old masculine accusative of 'die' ('that'), and 'avend' is a period spelling of 'avond' (evening). Together they form a time-adverbial in the accusative.

De lezer gevoelt wat ik by 't aanhooren van die laatste hoofdstukken weer heb uitgestaan.  
The reader can feel what I again had to endure in listening to those last chapters.
> Perfect of separable 'uitstaan': 'heb uitgestaan' is the present perfect ('have endured') of the separable verb 'uitstaan'; in this 'wat'-clause the auxiliary and participle stand at the end. 'aanhooren' is a nominalized infinitive.

Ik heb in de kinderkamer een solitairspelletje gevonden, en dàt neem ik voortaan mee naar den krans.  
I have found a game of solitaire in the nursery, and that I shall henceforth take with me to the club.
> Fronted object + separable 'meenemen': Fronting the stressed object 'dàt' triggers V2 ('neem ik'), and the separable verb 'meenemen' drops its prefix 'mee' to the end. 'den krans' keeps the dative remnant 'den'.

Had ik niet gelyk, toen ik zei dat die Sjaalman allen had gek gemaakt met zyn pak?  
Was I not right when I said that this Shawlman had driven everybody mad with his parcel?
> Inverted past + subordinate 'toen': 'Had ik niet gelyk' inverts for a rhetorical question. 'toen' then opens a subordinate clause ('when I said'), sending 'zei' toward the end.

Zou men in al dat geschryf van Stern--en Frits doet ook mee, dit is zeker!--jongelieden herkennen, die opgebracht worden in een deftig huis?  
Would anyone recognize, in all that scribbling of Stern's—and Frits has a hand in it too, that is certain!—young people who are being brought up in a respectable house?
> Conditional + worden-passive relative: 'Zou … herkennen' is the conditional ('would one recognize'); the relative 'die opgebracht worden' is a worden-passive ('who are being brought up'). 'men' is the impersonal 'one'.

Wat zyn dat voor malle uitvallen tegen een ziekte, die zich openbaart in 't verlangen naar een buitenplaats?  
What sort of silly outbursts are these against a disease that shows itself in the longing for a country house?
> Reflexive 'zich openbaren' in a relative clause: 'die zich openbaart' is a relative clause with a reflexive verb ('that shows itself'), its verb at the end. 'verlangen' here is a nominalized infinitive ('the longing').

Is dat op my gemunt?  
Is that aimed at me?
> Idiom 'op iemand gemunt zijn': 'op iemand gemunt zijn' is a fixed expression ('to be aimed at someone'). Here it is a short inverted yes/no question; 'my' is the period spelling of 'mij'.

Mag ik niet naar Driebergen gaan, als Frits makelaar is?  
May I not go to Driebergen when Frits is a broker?
> Modal question + 'als' clause: 'Mag ik … gaan' is a modal question (modal 'mag' + bare infinitive 'gaan'). 'als Frits makelaar is' is a subordinate condition with verb at the end.

En wie spreekt van buikaandoeningen, in gezelschap van vrouwen en meisjes?  
And who speaks of bowel complaints in the company of women and girls?
> Interrogative 'wie': 'wie' here is the interrogative subject ('who speaks…'), a main-clause question with V2. 'meisjes' is a plural diminutive ('girls'), -je + plural -s.

Het is een vast principe van me, altyd bedaard te blyven--want ik houd dit voor nuttig in de zaken--maar ik moet erkennen, dat het me dikwyls veel moeite kostte, by 't aanhooren van al de gekheid die Stern voorleest.  
It is a fixed principle with me always to stay composed—for I hold this to be useful in business—but I must own that it often cost me much effort, in listening to all the foolishness that Stern reads out.
> te + infinitive after a copula predicate: 'te blyven' completes the predicate 'het is een vast principe … te blyven' ('to stay composed'). 'want' then introduces a coordinate reason without sending its verb to the end.
> Imperfect of a weak verb: 'kostte' is the simple past of weak 'kosten' (stem + -te). The 'dat'-clause sends the verb to the end, and 'me' is the dative experiencer ('it cost me effort').

Wat wil hy toch?  
What does he want, after all?
> Modal 'willen' + particle 'toch': 'wil' is the modal 'willen' ('to want'). The particle 'toch' here lends an irritated 'after all / on earth' flavour to the question.

Wat moet het eind zyn?  
What is to be the end of it?
> Modal 'moeten' of expectation: 'moet … zyn' uses 'moeten' not for obligation but for what is destined or expected ('what is to be the end'). The infinitive 'zyn' closes the clause.

Wanneer komt er nu eindelyk iets degelyks?  
When, at long last, does something sensible come?
> Existential 'er' + partitive '-s': 'komt er … iets degelyks' uses 'er' as an existential placeholder for the indefinite subject. 'iets degelyks' shows the partitive -s on an adjective after 'iets' ('something sensible').

Wat gaat het my aan, of die Havelaar zyn tuin schoon houdt, en of de menschen voor of achter by hem binnenkomen?  
What concern is it of mine whether that Havelaar keeps his garden tidy, and whether people come in to him by the front or the back?
> Separable 'aangaan' + indirect question: 'gaat … aan' is the separable verb 'aangaan' ('to concern'), prefix at the end. The 'of'-clause is an indirect question whose verbs ('houdt', 'binnenkomen') go to the end.

By Busselinck en Waterman moet men door een nauw gangetje, naast een oliepakhuis, waar 't altyd heel vuil is. En dan dat gemaal over die buffels!  
At Busselinck and Waterman's one has to go through a narrow passage, next to an oil-warehouse, where it is always very filthy. And then all that fuss about those buffaloes!
> Diminutive 'gangetje' + compound 'oliepakhuis': 'gangetje' is the diminutive of 'gang' (-etje, neuter), making a 'little passage'. 'oliepakhuis' is a right-headed compound (olie + pakhuis, 'oil-warehouse').
> Demonstrative 'die' / 'dat': 'dat gemaal' uses 'dat' for the neuter het-word 'gemaal' ('that fuss'), while 'die buffels' uses 'die' for the plural. Demonstratives agree with gender and number.

Wat hoeven ze buffels te hebben, die zwarten?  
What need have they of buffaloes, those blacks?
> 'hoeven … te' (need to): 'hoeven … te hebben' is the verb 'hoeven' ('to need'), which—unlike true modals—takes 'te' before its infinitive. 'die zwarten' is a right-dislocated demonstrative, restating the subject contemptuously.

Ik heb nog nooit een buffel gehad, en toch ben ik tevreden.  
I have never yet had a buffalo, and yet I am content.
> Present perfect + 'nog nooit': 'heb … gehad' is the present perfect, with the participle 'gehad' at the end. 'nog nooit' ('not yet ever') is a single negation; Dutch avoids stacking it with another negative.

Er zyn menschen die altyd klagen. En wat dat schimpen op gedwongen arbeid aangaat, men ziet wel dat hy de preek van dominee Wawelaar niet gehoord heeft, anders zou hy weten hoe nuttig dat werken is voor de uitbreiding van 't Godsryk. 't Is waar, hy is luthersch.  
There are people who are forever complaining. And as for that railing against forced labour, one sees plainly that he has not heard the sermon of the Reverend Wawelaar, or else he would know how useful that working is for the spread of God's Kingdom. It is true, he is a Lutheran.
> Conditional 'zou' for a counterfactual: 'zou … weten' expresses what would be true under a condition ('else he would know'). The fronted 'anders' triggers V2, and the indirect question 'hoe nuttig … is' is verb-final.

O, zeker, als ik had kunnen gissen hoe hy 't boek schryven zou, dat zoo gewichtig worden moet voor alle makelaars in koffi--en anderen--had ik 't liever zelf gedaan.  
Oh, to be sure, had I been able to guess how he would write the book that is to become so weighty for all brokers in coffee—and others—I would sooner have done it myself.
> Pluperfect counterfactual: Both clauses use the pluperfect: 'had kunnen gissen' ('had been able to guess') and 'had … gedaan' ('would have done'). 'dat zoo gewichtig worden moet' shows copular 'worden' + the predicate adjective 'gewichtig' under the modal 'moeten' ('must become so weighty') — not a worden-passive, which needs a past participle.

Maar hy heeft een steun in de Rosemeyers, die in suiker doen, en dit maakt hem zoo boud.  
But he has a support in the Rosemeyers, who are in sugar, and this makes him so bold.
> Relative 'die' + idiom 'in suiker doen': 'die in suiker doen' is a relative clause ('who are in sugar'); 'in iets doen' is the merchant's idiom for trading in a commodity. The clause is verb-final.

Ik heb ronduit gezegd--want ik ben oprecht in die dingen--dat wy de geschiedenis van dien Saïdjah wel kunnen missen, maar daar begon op-eens Louise Rosemeyer tegen my optestaan.  
I said plainly—for I am candid in such things—that we could very well do without the story of that Saïdjah, but there all at once Louise Rosemeyer rose up against me.
> V2 after 'daar' + separable 'opstaan': Fronting 'daar' forces the verb 'begon' second. 'op te staan' is the separable verb 'opstaan' split by 'te' ('to rise up'). 'tegen my' shows period 'my' for 'mij'.

Het schynt dat Stern haar gezegd heeft dat er van liefde zou inkomen, en daar zyn zulke meisjes dol op.  
It seems that Stern told her there would be love coming into it, and girls of that sort are wild about such a thing.
> Impersonal 'het schijnt' + existential 'er': 'Het schynt dat' is impersonal 'het' ('it seems that…'). Inside, 'er … zou inkomen' uses existential 'er' with the conditional and the separable 'inkomen'.
> Pronominal adverb split 'daar … op': 'daar … op' is a split pronominal adverb ('about that'), the parts framing the clause. 'dol op iets zijn' is the idiom 'to be wild about something'.

Ik zou me echter hierdoor niet hebben laten afschrikken, als maar niet de Rosemeyers me gezegd hadden, gaarne kennis te willen aanknoopen met Sterns vader.  
I would not, however, have let myself be put off by this, had not the Rosemeyers told me they would gladly like to strike up an acquaintance with Stern's father.
> Conditional perfect + causative 'laten': 'zou … hebben laten afschrikken' is a conditional perfect with causative/permissive 'laten' ('would not have let myself be put off'). The 'als'-clause uses the pluperfect 'gezegd hadden'.
> te + infinitive cluster with 'willen': 'te willen aanknoopen' nests the modal 'willen' under 'te' ('to want to strike up'); 'kennis aanknoopen' is the idiom 'to make an acquaintance'. 'gaarne' is the formal 'gladly'.

Dit is natuurlyk om door den vader te komen tot den oom, die in suiker doet.  
This is naturally in order to get, by way of the father, to the uncle, who is in sugar.
> om … te (purpose) + dative 'den': 'om … te komen' is a purpose clause ('in order to get to'). Both 'den vader' and 'den oom' carry the old masculine accusative/dative article 'den'.

Als ik nu te sterk party trek voor 't gezond verstand tegen den jongen Stern, laad ik den schyn op my, alsof ik hen van hem wil aftrekken, en dit is volstrekt het geval niet, want ze doen in suiker.  
If I now take too strong a side for common sense against young Stern, I lay myself open to the appearance of wanting to draw them away from him, and this is absolutely not the case, for they are in sugar.
> Conditional 'als' clause + main-clause V2: The subordinate 'Als'-clause ('if I take too strong a side') is verb-final, then the main clause inverts to V2: 'laad ik'. 'partij trekken voor' is the idiom 'to take sides for'.
> 'alsof' + separable 'aftrekken': 'alsof' ('as if') is a subordinator sending the verbs to the end; the modal 'wil' takes the bare separable infinitive 'aftrekken' ('to draw away').

Ik begryp volstrekt Sterns bedoeling niet met zyn geschryf.  
I absolutely do not understand Stern's purpose with his scribbling.
> Pejorative 'ge-' noun 'geschryf': 'geschryf' (modern 'geschrijf') is a collective ge-noun with a dismissive flavour — 'scribbling, all that writing'. Droogstoppel uses it to belittle Stern's manuscript.

Er zyn altyd ontevreden menschen, en staat het hem nu fraai, hy die zooveel goeds geniet in Holland--van de week nog heeft myn vrouw kamillenthee voor hem gezet--om te schimpen op de Regeering?  
There are always discontented people, and does it now become him—he who enjoys so much good in Holland; only this week my wife made him camomile tea—to rail at the Government?
> Impersonal idiom + om … te: 'staat het hem fraai … om te schimpen' is an impersonal construction ('does it become him to rail'), completed by an 'om … te' clause. 'hy die zooveel goeds geniet' is a relative clause with partitive 'goeds'.
> 'kamillenthee' = camomile tea: 'kamillenthee' is a compound (kamille + thee) for camomile tea. Droogstoppel cites his wife's small kindness as proof Stern has no grounds to criticize the government — a comic non sequitur.

Wil hy daarmee de algemeene ontevredenheid aanvuren?  
Does he mean by this to fan the general discontent?
> Modal question + pronominal adverb 'daarmee': 'Wil … aanvuren' is a modal question ('does he mean to fan'). 'daarmee' is a pronominal adverb fusing 'met' + 'this' ('by this').

Wil hy Gouverneur-generaal worden?  
Does he want to become Governor-General?

Hy is er verwaand genoeg toe ... om het te willen, meen ik.  
He is conceited enough for it ... to want it, I mean.
> Split pronominal adverb 'er … toe' + om … te: 'er … toe' is a split pronominal adverb ('conceited enough for it'). The trailing 'om het te willen' is a purpose clause with the bare modal 'willen' under 'te'.

Ik vroeg hem dit eergister, en zei er ronduit by, dat zyn hollandsch nog zoo gebrekkig was. "O, dit is geen bezwaar, antwoordde hy.  
I asked him this the day before yesterday, and added plainly that his Dutch was still so deficient. "Oh, that is no obstacle," he answered.
> Imperfect + separable 'erbij zeggen': 'vroeg' and 'zei' are strong-verb imperfects (vowel-changing pasts of 'vragen' and 'zeggen'). 'er … by' is a split pronominal adverb belonging to 'erbij zeggen' ('to add').
> Subordinate 'dat' with verb-final: 'dat … was' is a 'dat'-clause sending its verb to the end. 'zyn hollandsch' is the neuter het-word for the Dutch language, with the period possessive 'zyn'.

Er schynt maar zelden een Gouverneur-generaal daarheen gezonden te worden, die de taal van 't land verstaat." Wat moet ik nu doen met zoo'n wysneus?  
"A Governor-General who understands the language of the country seems but seldom to be sent out there." What am I now to do with such a smart aleck?
> Impersonal 'schijnen' + passive infinitive: 'Er schynt … gezonden te worden' combines existential 'er', impersonal 'schijnen', and a worden-passive infinitive ('seems seldom to be sent'). A dense stacking typical of formal register.
> 'wysneus' = smart aleck: 'wysneus' (modern 'wijsneus', literally 'wise-nose') is a compound insult for a know-it-all. The recurring theme of 'neuswysheid' / 'wysneus' marks Droogstoppel's contempt for cleverness he can't follow.

Hy heeft niet den minsten eerbied voor myn ondervinding.  
He has not the slightest respect for my experience.
> Superlative 'de minste' + dative 'den': 'den minsten eerbied' is the superlative of 'min' ('the slightest respect'), with the old masculine accusative article 'den' and adjective in -en. 'niet … den minsten' is the negation.

Toen ik hem van de week zei dat ik reeds zeventien jaar makelaar was, en al twintig jaar de beurs bezocht, haalde hy Busselinck & Waterman aan, die al achttien jaar makelaars zyn, en, zeide hy "die hebben dus één jaar ondervinding meer." Zoo ving hy me, want ik moet erkennen, omdat ik van de waarheid houd, dat Busselinck & Waterman weinig van de zaken weten, en dat het knoeiers zyn.  
When I told him this week that I had already been a broker for seventeen years, and had frequented the exchange for twenty years, he cited Busselinck & Waterman, who have been brokers for eighteen years, and, said he, "so they have one year's experience more." Thus he caught me, for I must own—because I love the truth—that Busselinck & Waterman know little of the business and that they are bunglers.
> Fronted 'toen'-clause forces inversion: The long subordinate 'Toen…'-clause occupies first position, so the main verb 'haalde' must come immediately, before its subject 'hy' (V2). 'haalde … aan' is separable 'aanhalen' ('to cite').
> Relative 'die' vs demonstrative 'die': The first 'die' is a relative pronoun ('who have been brokers'); the second 'die hebben' is a demonstrative resuming the subject for emphasis. Same form, two different jobs.

Marie is ook in de war.  
Marie too is all in a muddle.
> Idiom 'in de war': 'in de war (zijn)' is a fixed expression meaning 'to be confused / in a muddle'. Droogstoppel reports that his daughter Marie too has been unsettled by Stern's writing.

Verbeeld u, dat ze van de week--het was haar beurt van voorlezen aan 't ontbyt, en we waren aan de geschiedenis van Loth--op eens stilhield en niet verder lezen wilde.  
Just imagine, that this week—it was her turn to read aloud at breakfast, and we were at the story of Lot—she suddenly stopped and would not read on.
> Separable 'stilhouden' + modal at clause end: In this 'dat'-clause both verb groups go to the end: 'stilhield' (separable 'stilhouden') and 'lezen wilde' (modal 'willen' over the infinitive). 'het was haar beurt' is an interjected main clause.

Myn vrouw, die evenzeer als ik op godsdienst gesteld is, trachtte haar met zachtheid tot gehoorzaamheid overtehalen, omdat het toch voor een zedig meisje niet past, zoo hoofdig te wezen.  
My wife, who is as set on religion as I am, tried gently to coax her into obedience, since it really does not befit a modest girl to be so headstrong.
> te + infinitive of separable 'overhalen': 'over te halen' splits the separable verb 'overhalen' with 'te' ('to coax into'). It depends on 'trachten' ('to try'), a weak verb here in the imperfect 'trachtte'.
> 'omdat' clause + impersonal 'het past': 'omdat' opens a causal subordinate clause ('because…'), verb-final. 'het past' is impersonal ('it does not befit'), completed by a 'te'-infinitive 'te wezen'.

Alles vergeefs!  
All in vain!

Toen moest ik als vader met groote strengheid haar beknorren, omdat ze door haar hardnekkigheid de stichting van 't ontbyt bedierf, wat altyd slecht werkt op den heelen dag.  
Then I had, as a father, to scold her with great severity, because by her obstinacy she spoiled the edification of breakfast, which always works badly on the whole day.
> Modal 'moeten' + bare infinitive after fronted 'toen': Fronting 'Toen' ('then') triggers V2 ('moest ik'). 'moeten' takes the bare infinitive 'beknorren' ('to scold') at the clause end.
> Strong imperfect 'bedierf': 'bedierf' is the strong-verb past of 'bederven' ('to spoil'), with the stem vowel changing e→ie. The 'omdat'-clause keeps it at the end.

Maar er was niets aan te doen, en ze ging zóóver, dat ze zeide, liever doodgeslagen te willen worden dan voorttelezen.  
But there was nothing to be done about it, and she went so far as to say she would rather be beaten to death than read on.
> Passive infinitive + comparative 'liever … dan': 'doodgeslagen te willen worden' is a passive te-infinitive ('to want to be beaten to death'). 'liever … dan' is the comparative of 'graag' ('rather … than'), contrasting with separable 'voortlezen'.
> Idiom 'er is niets aan te doen': 'er was niets aan te doen' is the set phrase 'there was nothing to be done about it'. The split pronominal 'er … aan' plus 'te doen' is fixed.

Ik heb haar gestraft met drie dagen kamerarrest op koffi en brood, en hoop dat het haar goed zal doen.  
I have punished her with three days confined to her room on coffee and bread, and I hope it will do her good.
> Perfect + future in a 'dat'-clause: 'heb … gestraft' is the present perfect ('have punished'); the 'dat'-clause uses the future 'zal doen' driven to the end. Note 'koffi' again for coffee.

Om tevens die straf te doen strekken tot zedelyke verbetering, heb ik haar gelast, het kapittel dat ze niet lezen wilde, tien maal afteschryven, en ik ben tot deze strengheid vooral overgegaan, omdat ik bemerkt heb dat ze in den laatsten tyd--of 't van Stern komt, weet ik niet--begrippen heeft aangenomen, die me gevaarlyk voorkomen voor de zedelykheid, waarop myn vrouw en ik zoo byzonder gesteld zyn.  
So that the punishment might at the same time serve her moral improvement, I have ordered her to copy out ten times the chapter she refused to read; and I resorted to this severity above all because I have noticed that of late — whether it comes from Stern I do not know — she has taken up notions that strike me as dangerous to the morality on which my wife and I set such particular store.
> om … te + causative 'doen': 'Om … te doen strekken' is a purpose clause with causative 'doen' ('to make the punishment serve'). The whole heavy front-clause pushes the main verb 'heb' into V2 position after it.
> Perfect of separable verbs in stacked clauses: 'ben … overgegaan' (separable 'overgaan') and 'heeft aangenomen' (separable 'aannemen') are both perfects whose participles fall at the end of their clauses, here nested under 'omdat' and 'dat'.

Ik heb haar onder anderen een fransch liedje hooren zingen--van Béranger, geloof ik--waarin een arme oude bedelaarster beklaagd wordt, die in haar jeugd op een theater zong, en gister was zy aan 't ontbyt zonder korset --Marie, meen ik--dat toch niet fatsoenlyk is.  
Among other things I heard her singing a French song — by Béranger, I believe — in which a poor old beggar-woman is lamented who in her youth sang upon a stage; and yesterday she came to breakfast without a corset — Marie, I mean — which is hardly decent.
> Perfect of a perception verb (infinitivus pro participio): 'heb … hooren zingen' is the perfect of perception verb 'horen', which takes a bare infinitive and itself appears as an infinitive (not 'gehoord') — the so-called IPP construction. 'liedje' is a diminutive.
> Pronominal relative 'waarin' + worden-passive: 'waarin' is a relative pronominal adverb ('in which'), and 'beklaagd wordt' is a worden-passive ('is lamented'). 'bedelaarster' shows the female agent suffix -ster.

Ook moet ik erkennen dat Frits weinig goeds heeft thuisgebracht van den bidstond.  
I must also admit that Frits brought home little good from the prayer meeting.
> Perfect of separable 'thuisbrengen' + partitive 'goeds': 'heeft thuisgebracht' is the perfect of separable 'thuisbrengen', participle at the end of the 'dat'-clause. 'weinig goeds' uses the partitive -s ('little good').

Ik was redelyk tevreden geweest over zyn stilzitten in de kerk.  
I had been reasonably satisfied with how still he sat in church.
> Pluperfect with 'zijn': 'was … geweest' is the pluperfect of 'zijn' ('I had been satisfied'). 'stilzitten' is a nominalized separable verb ('the sitting still'), governed by 'over'.

Hy verroerde zich niet, en wendde geen oog van den preekstoel, maar later vernam ik dat Betsy Rosemeyer in 't doophek had gezeten.  
He did not stir, and never took his eye off the pulpit; but later I learned that Betsy Rosemeyer had been sitting in the baptismal pew.
> Negation with 'geen' + dative 'den': 'geen oog' negates the indefinite object ('never took his eye off'). 'den preekstoel' shows the dative remnant 'den' after 'van'. 'verroerde' is a weak imperfect.
> Coordinator 'maar' + pluperfect: 'maar' coordinates without sending the verb to the end ('vernam ik' stays V2). The 'dat'-clause uses the pluperfect 'had gezeten' ('had been sitting'), participle at the end.

Ik heb er niets van gezegd, want men moet voor jongelieden niet al te streng zyn, en de Rosemeyers zyn een fatsoenlyk huis.  
I said nothing about it, for one must not be too strict with young people, and the Rosemeyers are a decent household.
> Impersonal 'men' + modal 'moeten' with 'niet': 'men' is the generic subject ('one'), with modal 'moeten' and the negation 'niet'. 'al te streng' intensifies the adjective ('too strict').

Ze hebben aan hun oudste dochter die met Bruggeman in drogeryen getrouwd is, iets heel aardigs meegegeven, en daarom geloof ik dat zoo-iets Frits van de Westermarkt afhoudt, wat me heel aangenaam is, omdat ik zoo op zedelykheid gesteld ben.  
They gave their eldest daughter, who married Bruggeman in the drug trade, a very handsome dowry, and so I think that such a thing keeps Frits away from the Westermarkt, which is most agreeable to me, since I am so fond of morality.
> Perfect of separable 'meegeven' framing a relative clause: 'hebben … meegegeven' is the perfect of separable 'meegeven' ('gave along, as dowry'), its participle held to the very end across an embedded relative clause 'die … getrouwd is'.
> Separable 'afhouden' in a 'dat'-clause: 'afhoudt' is separable 'afhouden' ('keeps away'), its prefix and verb fused at the clause end under 'dat'.

Maar dit belet niet, dat het me ergert, Frits zyn hart te zien verharden, even als Pharao, die minder schuldig was dan hy, omdat hy geen vader had die hem zoo gedurig den rechten weg wees, want van den ouden Pharao zegt de Schrift niets.  
But this does not prevent its vexing me to see Frits harden his heart, just like Pharaoh, who was less guilty than he, because he had no father to point him so continually to the right path; for of Pharaoh's father Scripture says nothing.
> te + infinitive after perception 'zien': 'te zien verharden' nests perception 'zien' with a bare infinitive 'verharden' under governing 'te' ('to see Frits harden his heart'). 'het … ergert' is impersonal.
> Comparative 'minder … dan' + relative 'die': 'minder schuldig … dan' is the comparative ('less guilty than'); 'die' opens a relative clause about Pharaoh. The whole is a biblical comparison.

Dominee Wawelaar klaagt over zyn verwaandheid--van Frits, meen ik--op de katechisatie, en de jongen schynt--uit dat pak van Sjaalman alweer!--een neuswyzigheid gehaald te hebben, dat den gemoedelyken Wawelaar dol maakt.  
Dominee Wawelaar complains of his conceit — Frits's, I mean — at the catechism class, and the boy seems — out of that parcel of Sjaalman's again! — to have picked up a know-it-all impudence that drives the good-natured Wawelaar to distraction.
> Perfect infinitive after 'schijnen': 'schynt … gehaald te hebben' is a perfect infinitive under 'schijnen' ('seems to have picked up'). 'dat … dol maakt' is a relative clause sending its verb to the end.

Het is aandoenlyk hoe de waardige man, die dikwyls koffi by ons drinkt, by Frits op 't gevoel tracht te werken, en hoe de kwajongen telkens nieuwe vragen gereed heeft, die de weerbarstigheid van zyn gemoed aantoonen ... 't komt alles uit dat vervloekte pak van Sjaalman!  
It is touching how the worthy man, who often drinks coffee at our house, tries to work upon Frits's feelings, and how the rascal has new questions ready every time, which show the stubbornness of his disposition ... it all comes out of that accursed parcel of Sjaalman's!
> te + infinitive and the present 'heeft': 'tracht … te werken' is 'trachten' + te-infinitive ('tries to work upon feelings'). 'hoe … gereed heeft' is an exclamatory verb-final clause. 'kwajongen' is a compound noun ('rascal').
> The 'accursed parcel' refrain: 'dat vervloekte pak van Sjaalman' ('that accursed parcel') is Droogstoppel's running curse against the manuscript bundle that keeps stirring up his household. 'vervloekte' takes attributive -e.

Met tranen van gevoel op de wangen, tracht de yverige dienaar des Evangeliums hem te bewegen, aftezien van de wysheid naar den mensch, om te worden ingeleid in de geheimenissen der wysheid Gods.  
With tears of feeling on his cheeks, the zealous servant of the Gospel strives to move him to renounce the wisdom that is after man, so as to be led into the mysteries of the wisdom of God.
> Fronted phrase + te + infinitive chain: Opening with 'Met tranen…' forces V2 ('tracht de … dienaar'). 'te bewegen … af te zien' chains te-infinitives, the second being separable 'afzien' ('to renounce').
> Genitive 'des' and 'der': 'des Evangeliums' (genitive masculine/neuter) and 'der wysheid' (genitive feminine), plus 'Gods', are stacked old genitives lending biblical solemnity. Modern Dutch would use 'van'.

Met zachtheid en teederheid smeekt hy hem, toch niet te verwerpen het brood des eeuwigen levens, en dusdoende te vervallen in de klauwen van Satan, die met zyn engelen het vuur bewoont, dat hem bereid is tot in eeuwigheid.  
Gently and tenderly he implores him not, after all, to reject the bread of eternal life, and by so doing fall into the claws of Satan, who with his angels dwells in the fire that is prepared for him unto all eternity.
> te + infinitive with literary object-after-verb order: 'te verwerpen het brood…' places the object after the infinitive — an archaic/biblical word order for emphasis ('not to reject the bread'). 'des eeuwigen levens' is again a genitive remnant.
> Relative 'die' / 'dat' + state passive: 'die' relates to Satan (de-word) and 'dat' to 'vuur' (het-word). 'dat hem bereid is' is a zijn-passive of state ('that is prepared for him').

"O, zeide hy gisteren--Wawelaar meen ik--o, jonge vriend, open toch de oogen en de ooren, en hoor en zie wat de Heer u geeft te zien en te hooren door myn mond. Let op de getuigenissen der heiligen die gestorven zyn voor 't ware geloof!  
"Oh, said he yesterday — Wawelaar, I mean — oh, young friend, do open your eyes and your ears, and hear and see what the Lord gives you to see and to hear through my mouth. Mark the testimonies of the saints who died for the true faith!
> Imperatives with pleading 'toch': 'open … hoor … zie' are bare-stem imperatives, softened by 'toch' into a plea. 'wat de Heer u geeft te zien' uses 'geven … te' ('gives you to see').
> Genitive 'der' + perfect with 'zijn': 'der heiligen' is a genitive plural ('of the saints'). 'gestorven zyn' is the perfect of 'sterven', which takes 'zijn' as its auxiliary (a verb of change of state).

Zie Stefanus, als hy nederzinkt onder de keien die hem verpletteren!  
Behold Stephen, as he sinks down beneath the stones that crush him!
> Imperative 'Zie' + present-tense vividness: 'Zie' is the imperative ('behold'). The present-tense 'nederzinkt' (archaic 'neerzinken') and the relative 'die … verpletteren' make the martyrdom immediate.

Zie, hoe nog zyn blik ten hemel is gericht, en hoe nog zyn tong psalmzingt ... "Ik had liever weerom gegooid!" zei Frits daarop.  
Behold, how still his gaze is turned toward heaven, and how still his tongue sings psalms ... "I'd rather have thrown them back!" said Frits to that.
> State passive + archaic 'ten hemel': 'is gericht' is a zijn-passive of state ('is turned'). 'ten hemel' is a frozen dative ('te + den' → 'ten', 'toward heaven'), a case-remnant common in solemn phrases.

Lezer, wat moet ik met dien jongen aanvangen? Een oogenblik later begon Wawelaar op-nieuw, want hy is een yverig dienstknecht, en laat niet af van den arbeid.  
Reader, what am I to do with that boy? A moment later Wawelaar began again, for he is a zealous servant and does not leave off from his labor.
> Modal 'moeten' + dative 'dien': 'moet ik … aanvangen' is a modal question ('what am I to do'). 'dien jongen' shows the old masculine accusative 'dien' after the preposition 'met'.
> Coordinator 'want' + separable 'aflaten': 'want' joins clauses without verb-final order. 'laat … af' is the separable verb 'aflaten' ('to leave off'), prefix at the end; 'niet … van' completes the negation.

"O, zeide hy, jonge vriend open toch ... de aanhef was als zooeven. "Maar, ging hy voort, kunt gy ongevoelig blyven by 't bedenken wat er van u worden zal, als gy eenmaal zult gerekend worden tot de bokken aan de linkerzyde ...  
"Oh, said he, young friend, do open ... the opening was as before. "But, he went on, can you remain unmoved at the thought of what will become of you, when one day you shall be counted among the goats on the left hand ...
> Archaic 'gij' + future in an indirect question: 'kunt gy' uses the literary 'gij' ('you'), inverted for a question. 'wat er van u worden zal' is an indirect question with existential 'er' and future 'zal' at the end.
> 'als' clause + future worden-passive: 'als' opens a temporal clause, verb-final, with the future passive 'zult gerekend worden' ('shall be counted'). The image is the Last Judgment.

Daar berstte de deugniet uit in gelach--Frits meen ik--en ook Marie begon te lachen.  
At that the good-for-nothing burst out laughing — Frits, I mean — and Marie too began to laugh.
> V2 after 'Daar' + strong past 'berstte': Fronting 'Daar' forces the verb second ('berstte de deugniet'). 'uitbersten in gelach' ('to burst out laughing') is separable. 'deugniet' is a compound ('good-for-nothing').

Zelfs meende ik iets wat naar lachen geleek, te bespeuren op 't gelaat van myn vrouw.  
I even thought I could detect something like a laugh on my wife's face.
> te + infinitive with embedded relative: 'meende ik … te bespeuren' is 'menen' + te-infinitive ('I thought I could detect'). Inside, 'iets wat naar lachen geleek' uses the relative 'wat' for the indefinite 'iets'.

Maar toen ben ik Wawelaar te-hulp gekomen, ik heb Frits gestraft met een boete uit zyn spaarpot, aan 't zendelinggenootschap.  
But then I came to Wawelaar's aid: I punished Frits with a fine out of his money-box, given to the missionary society.
> Coordinator 'maar' + fronted 'toen' + perfect: 'maar' coordinates, then fronted 'toen' triggers V2 ('ben ik'). 'te hulp komen' ('to come to the aid of') takes 'zijn' in the perfect ('ben … gekomen').

Och, lezer dat alles treft me diep.  
Oh, reader, all this cuts me deeply.
> Fronted subject 'dat alles' + V2: 'dat alles' is the fronted subject and 'treft' stands second ('all this cuts me'). 'me' is the unstressed object pronoun.

En men zou, by zúlk lyden, zich kunnen vermaken met het aanhooren van vertelsels over buffels en Javanen?  
And could one, amid such suffering, find amusement in listening to tales about buffaloes and Javanese?
> Conditional + modal + reflexive: 'zou … zich kunnen vermaken' stacks the conditional 'zou', modal 'kunnen', and reflexive 'zich vermaken' ('amuse oneself'). 'het aanhooren' is a nominalized infinitive object of 'met'.

Wat is een buffel in vergelyk met de zaligheid van Frits?  
What is a buffalo compared with the salvation of Frits?
> 'in vergelijk met' + V2 question: 'in vergelyk met' (modern 'in vergelijking met') means 'compared with'. The question places the verb 'is' second. 'zaligheid' is the noun 'salvation/bliss'.

Wat gaan my de zaken aan van die menschen in de verte, als ik vreezen moet dat Frits door zyn ongeloof myn eigen zaken zal bederven, en dat hy nooit een flink makelaar worden zal?  
What are the affairs of those people far away to me, when I must fear that Frits, through his unbelief, will ruin my own business, and that he will never become a sound broker?
> Modal at clause end + nested future: 'als ik vreezen moet' puts the modal 'moet' after its infinitive at the subordinate-clause end. The 'dat'-clause nests a future 'zal bederven' ('will ruin'), also verb-final.

Want Wawelaar zelf heeft gezegd, dat God alles zóó bestiert, dat rechtzinnigheid tot rykdom voert.  
For Wawelaar himself has said that God so orders all things that orthodoxy leads to riches.
> Result 'zóó … dat' construction: 'zóó … dat' sets up a result clause ('so orders … that orthodoxy leads to riches'). Both 'bestiert' and 'voert' sit at the end of their respective 'dat'-clauses.

"Zie maar, zeide hy, is er niet veel rykdom in Nederland?  
"Only look, said he, is there not much wealth in the Netherlands?

Dat komt door 't geloof.  
That comes from the faith.

Is niet in Frankryk telkens moord en doodslag?  
Is there not, in France, murder and manslaughter every other moment?
> Existential question without 'er': A rhetorical existential question ('is there not… murder'), here without 'er' because the fronted 'in Frankryk' fills the first slot, forcing 'Is' second. 'Frankryk' is period spelling for 'Frankrijk'.

Dat is omdat ze daar katholiek zyn.  
That is because they are Catholics there.
> 'omdat' clause sends verb to the end: 'omdat' ('because') is subordinating, so 'zyn' moves to the clause end. 'daar' here is an adverb of place ('there'), not the existential particle.

Zyn niet de Javanen arm? 't Zyn heidenen.  
Are the Javanese not poor? They are heathens.
> Inverted question + impersonal-style ''t zijn': 'Zyn niet de Javanen arm?' inverts for a yes/no question. ''t Zyn heidenen' uses ''t' (het) as a dummy with plural 'zijn' ('they are heathens').

Hoe langer de Hollanders met de Javanen omgaan, hoe meer rykdom er zal komen hier, en hoe meer armoede daarginder.  
The longer the Dutch deal with the Javanese, the more wealth will come here, and the more poverty over yonder.
> Correlative 'hoe … hoe …': 'hoe langer … hoe meer …' is the correlative comparative ('the longer… the more…'). The first clause is verb-final (subordinate); the second uses existential 'er' with future 'zal komen'.

Dat is Gods wil zoo!"  
Such is the will of God!"
> Genitive 's: 'Gods wil': 'Gods wil' uses the surviving -s genitive ('God's will'), the one inflected genitive still fully alive in modern Dutch for names. The trailing 'zoo' adds emphatic finality.

Ik sta verbaasd over Wawelaars doorzicht in zaken. Want het is de waarheid dat ik, die stipt op de godsdienst ben, myn zaken zie vooruitgaan van-jaar tot-jaar, en Busselinck & Waterman, die om God noch gebod geven, zullen knoeiers blyven hun leven lang.  
I stand amazed at Wawelaar's insight into business. For it is the truth that I, who am scrupulous about religion, see my affairs prosper from year to year, while Busselinck & Waterman, who care neither for God nor for His commandments, will remain bunglers all their lives.
> Perception 'zien' + bare infinitive: 'zie vooruitgaan' is perception verb 'zien' with a bare infinitive ('see my affairs prosper'), no 'te'. 'die stipt … ben' is an appositive relative clause about 'ik'.
> Negation 'noch … noch' + future: 'om God noch gebod geven' uses 'noch' to coordinate negatives in the idiom 'zich om God noch gebod bekommeren' (care for neither God nor commandment). 'zullen … blyven' is the future.

Ook de Rosemeyers, die in suiker doen en een roomsche meid houden, hebben onlangs weer 27 percent moeten aannemen uit de massa van een jood die fout was.  
The Rosemeyers too, who are in sugar and keep a Roman Catholic maid, lately had to accept again only 27 percent out of the estate of a Jew who had failed.
> Perfect of a modal (IPP) + separable infinitive: 'hebben … moeten aannemen' is the perfect of modal 'moeten', which appears as an infinitive not a participle (IPP). 'aannemen' is separable. 'uit de massa' = 'from the estate' (of a bankrupt).

Hoe meer ik nadenk, hoe verder ik kom in 't doorgronden van Gods onnaspeurlyke wegen.  
The more I reflect, the further I get in fathoming God's inscrutable ways.
> Correlative 'hoe meer … hoe verder': Another 'hoe … hoe …' correlative ('the more I reflect, the further I get'). 'onnaspeurlyke' ('inscrutable') is an attributive adjective taking -e; 'Gods' uses the surviving s-genitive ('God's inscrutable ways'); there is no 'der' in this sentence.

Onlangs is gebleken dat er weer dertig millioen zuiver gewonnen is op den verkoop van produkten die door de heidenen geleverd zyn, en daarby is niet eens gerekend wat ik daarop verdiend heb, en de vele anderen die van deze zaken leven.  
It has lately come out that another thirty million was netted clear on the sale of produce delivered by the heathens, and that does not even count what I made on it myself, and the many others who live by this trade.
> Impersonal 'het is gebleken' + worden/zijn passive: 'is gebleken' is the perfect of impersonal 'blijken' ('it has come out'). Inside, 'er … gewonnen is' is a passive with existential 'er' ('thirty million was netted').
> Agent phrase 'door' in a passive relative: 'die door de heidenen geleverd zyn' is a passive relative clause ('delivered by the heathens'), with 'door' marking the agent. 'geleverd' is the participle at the clause end.

Is dit nu niet alsof de Heer zeide: "ziedaar dertig millioen ter belooning van uw geloof?" Is dit niet duidelyk de vinger Gods, die den booze laat arbeiden om den rechtvaardige te behouden?  
Is this not as if the Lord were saying: "behold thirty million as a reward for your faith"? Is this not plainly the finger of God, who lets the wicked man labor in order to preserve the righteous?
> 'alsof' + subjunctive 'zeide' + causative 'laten': 'alsof … zeide' uses 'alsof' ('as if') with the past-subjunctive 'zeide'. 'laat arbeiden' is causative 'laten' + bare infinitive ('lets the wicked man labor'), and 'om … te behouden' is a purpose clause.
> Nominalized adjectives with 'den': 'den booze' ('the wicked one') and 'den rechtvaardige' ('the righteous one') are adjectives used as nouns, carrying the old masculine accusative article 'den'.

Is dit niet een wenk om voorttegaan op den goeden weg? Om ginds veel te laten voortbrengen, en hier te volharden in 't ware geloof?  
Is this not a hint to keep on along the good path? To let much be produced over there, and here to persevere in the true faith?
> om … te + causative 'laten': 'Om … te laten voortbrengen' is a purpose clause with causative 'laten' ('to let much be produced'). 'voortbrengen' is separable; 'ginds' ('over there') and 'hier' ('here') frame the colonial contrast.

Heet het niet daarom: "bidt en werkt" opdat wy zouden bidden, en 't werk laten doen door 't zwarte goedje dat geen "Onze Vader" kent?  
Is it not for this reason that it is said: "pray and work" — that we should do the praying, and let the work be done by the black creatures who know no "Our Father"?
> Purpose 'opdat' + conditional + causative: 'opdat' ('so that') is a formal purpose subordinator taking the verb to the end, here with conditional 'zouden bidden'. ''t werk laten doen' is causative 'laten' + bare infinitive ('let the work be done').

O, hoe heeft Wawelaar gelyk, als hy Gods juk zacht noemt!  
Oh, how right Wawelaar is when he calls God's yoke easy!
> 'als' clause + genitive 'Gods': 'als hy … noemt' is a subordinate clause, verb-final. 'Gods juk' uses the -s genitive ('God's yoke'). The phrase echoes Matthew 11:30 ('my yoke is easy').

Hoe licht wordt de last gemaakt aan ieder die gelooft!  
How light the burden is made for everyone who believes!
> Worden-passive + exclamatory 'hoe': 'wordt … gemaakt' is a worden-passive ('is made light'), with the exclamatory 'hoe licht' fronted, forcing V2. 'die gelooft' is a relative clause.

Ik ben pas in de veertig, en zou kunnen uitscheiden als ik wilde, en naar Driebergen gaan, en zie eens hoe 't met anderen afloopt, die den Heer verlieten?  
I am scarcely in my forties, and could retire from business if I wished, and go to Driebergen, and see how things turn out for others who forsook the Lord.
> Conditional + modal + 'als' clause: 'zou kunnen uitscheiden' stacks conditional 'zou' and modal 'kunnen' over separable 'uitscheiden' ('retire from business'). 'als ik wilde' is a conditional clause with the imperfect 'wilde'.
> Strong imperfect 'verlieten': 'verlieten' is the strong past plural of 'verlaten' ('forsook'), changing the stem vowel. 'den Heer' shows the old accusative article 'den'.

Gisteren heb ik Sjaalman gezien met zyn vrouw en hun jongetje: ze zagen er uit als spoken.  
Yesterday I saw Sjaalman with his wife and their little boy: they looked like ghosts.
> Perfect + diminutive 'jongetje': Fronted 'Gisteren' triggers V2 ('heb ik'), and 'gezien' is the participle of the perfect at the end. 'jongetje' is a diminutive of 'jongen' ('little boy'), always neuter.
> Idiom 'er uitzien': 'er uitzien als' is the fixed expression 'to look like' (here 'they looked like ghosts'), with the separable verb 'eruitzien'. 'spoken' is the plural of 'spook' (ghost).

Hy is bleek als de dood, zyn oogen puilen uit, en zyn wangen staan hol.  
He is pale as death, his eyes bulge out, and his cheeks are hollow.
> Separable 'uitpuilen' in the present: 'puilen … uit' is the separable verb 'uitpuilen' ('to bulge out'), prefix at the clause end. 'bleek als de dood' is the simile 'pale as death'.

Zyn houding is gebogen, schoon hy nog jonger is dan ik.  
His bearing is stooped, though he is still younger than I am.
> Archaic concessive 'schoon' + comparative: 'schoon' here is an archaic concessive conjunction ('although'), not 'beautiful', sending its verb to the end. 'jonger … dan' is the comparative ('younger than').

Ook zy was zeer armoedig gekleed, en ze scheen weer geschreid te hebben. Nu, ik had terstond bemerkt dat zy ontevreden van natuur is, want ik behoef iemand maar eenmaal te zien om hem te beoordeelen.  
She too was very poorly dressed, and she seemed to have been crying again. Well, I had seen at once that she is discontented by nature, for I need only look at someone once to judge him.
> 'behoeven … te' + om … te: 'behoef … te zien' is 'behoeven' ('to need') governing a te-infinitive; the trailing 'om hem te beoordeelen' is a purpose clause ('in order to judge him').
> Perfect infinitive after 'schijnen': 'scheen … geschreid te hebben' is a perfect infinitive under 'schijnen' ('seemed to have cried'). 'schreien' is a literary verb for weeping; 'geschreid' is its participle.

Dat komt van de ondervinding.  
That comes of experience.

Ze had een manteltje van zwarte zyde om, en 't was toch vry koud. Van krinoline was geen spoor.  
She had a little mantle of black silk about her, and yet it was quite cold. Of crinoline there was no trace.
> Fronting and inversion: A fronted prepositional phrase (Van krinoline) pushes the finite verb was into second position, before the subject geen spoor — the hallmark of Dutch verb-second order. Note also geen, which negates the indefinite noun spoor (where niet would be wrong).
> Diminutive -tje: manteltje is the diminutive of mantel (cloak), formed with -tje and always neuter ('t manteltje). Here it conveys the smallness and slightness of her wrap, reinforcing how thinly the woman is dressed against the cold.
> Period spelling: y for ij: zyde is 1860 spelling of zijde (silk), with y standing for modern ij. The same convention runs through this whole chapter: myn, zyn, vry, wyze.

Haar licht japonnetje hing slap om de knieën, en aan den rand was franje.  
Her thin little gown hung loose about her knees, and at the hem there was a fringe.
> Case remnant: dative den: aan den rand keeps the old masculine dative -en ending after a preposition, a frozen case form normal in 1860 prose but lost in modern Dutch (aan de rand).
> Diminutive of a loanword: japonnetje is the diminutive of japon (a gown, from French jupon). The -netje form softens it to 'thin little gown' and makes it neuter (het japonnetje).

Hy had zelfs zyn sjaal niet meer om, en zag er uit alsof 't zomer was.  
He no longer even had his shawl about him, and looked as though it were summer.
> Separable verb omhebben: The prefix om of omhebben (to have on, to wear) splits off and lands at the end of the clause, after the object zyn sjaal — a textbook separable verb. The phrasing literally reads 'he had even his shawl no longer on'.
> Counterfactual alsof: alsof ('as if') is a subordinating conjunction, so the verb was goes to the end of the clause. The simple past here is counterfactual — 'as though it were summer' — when in fact it is cold.

Toch schynt hy nog een soort van trots te bezitten, want hy gaf iets aan een arme vrouw, die op de sluis zat--Frits zegt: brug, maar wat van steen is zonder een wip, noem ik sluis--en wie zelf zoo weinig heeft, doet zonde als hy nog weggeeft aan een ander.  
Yet he seems still to possess a kind of pride, for he gave something to a poor woman who sat on the lock — Frits says: bridge, but anything of stone without a draw-section I call a lock — and whoever has so little himself commits a sin if he still gives any of it away to another.
> te + infinitive after schijnen: schijnen ('to seem') governs a following infinitive marked with te: te bezitten closes the clause. The fronted Toch also triggers verb-second, putting schynt before the subject hy.
> Free relative wie: wie ('whoever') opens a headless relative clause with no antecedent; its verb heeft goes to the end, and the main clause then resumes with doet. This is the wie/wat relative, distinct from die/dat which need a noun to attach to.
> Droogstoppel's pedantry: Droogstoppel insists on calling a stone structure a sluis (lock) rather than a brug (bridge) unless it has a wip — a drawbridge or counterweighted lifting section. The aside is pure comic self-importance, splitting hairs over terminology.

Bovendien, ik geef nooit op straat--dit is een principe van me--want ik zeg altyd, als ik zoo arme menschen zie: wie weet of 't hun eigen schuld niet is, en ik mag hen niet styven in verkeerdheid.  
Besides, I never give in the street — this is a principle of mine — for I always say, when I see such poor people: who knows whether it is not their own fault, and I must not encourage them in their wrongheadedness.
> Negation with nooit: nooit ('never') is the single negative word carrying the clause; Dutch allows only one negation per clause, so no further niet is added. Word order keeps the verb geef in second position.
> Verb-final after als: als opens a subordinate clause, sending the verb zie to the very end. menschen also shows period spelling (modern mensen), where sch- is reduced to s-.
> Modal mogen + bare infinitive: The modal mag (from mogen, 'may/be allowed') sends the main verb styven to the end as a bare infinitive with no te. styven ('to stiffen, to embolden') is used figuratively: to encourage people in their wrongheadedness.

Zondags geef ik tweemaal: eens voor de armen, en eens voor de kerk.  
On Sundays I give twice: once for the poor, and once for the church.
> Adverbial -s and inversion: Zondags ('on Sundays') is an adverb formed with a frozen genitive -s; fronting it forces inversion, so the verb geef precedes the subject ik (verb-second).

Zóó behoort het!  
That is how it ought to be!
> Impersonal behoren: behoort here is used impersonally with het as a dummy subject — 'that is how it ought to be.' behoren in this sense ('to be fitting/proper') is now formal and dated.

Ik weet niet of Sjaalman me gezien heeft, maar ik ging snel voorby, en keek naar boven, en dacht aan de rechtvaardigheid van God, die hem toch niet zoo zou laten loopen zonder winterjas, als hy beter had opgepast en niet lui, pedant en ziekelyk was.  
I do not know whether Sjaalman saw me, but I walked quickly past, and looked upward, and thought of the righteousness of God, who surely would not let him go about like that without a winter coat, if he had behaved better and had not been lazy, pedantic, and sickly.
> Indirect question with of: of ('whether') introduces an embedded yes/no question, a subordinate clause in which the verb cluster gezien heeft moves to the end. Note the perfect tense built from heeft + the participle gezien.
> Conditional zou + causative laten: zou (conditional of zullen) frames what God 'would' do, while laten loopen is causative laten plus a bare infinitive — 'let/have him walk about.' Both verbs cluster at the end of the relative clause opened by die.
> Pluperfect in a conditional: had opgepast is the pluperfect (imperfect of hebben + participle) inside an als-clause expressing an unreal past condition. opgepast is the participle of separable oppassen ('to behave, take care').

Wat nu myn boek aangaat, moet ik waarlyk den lezer om verschooning vragen voor de onvergeeflyke wyze, waarop Stern misbruik maakt van ons kontrakt.  
Now as for my book, I must truly beg the reader's pardon for the unpardonable manner in which Stern abuses our contract.
> Separable aangaan, fronted: Wat ... aangaat ('as for...') is a fixed framing phrase using separable aangaan; the prefix aan joins gaat at the clause end. The whole clause is fronted, so the main verb moet then comes second.
> Case remnant: dative den lezer: den lezer carries the old masculine dative ending -en as the indirect object of vragen ('to ask the reader'). Modern Dutch would write de lezer.
> Pronominal adverb waarop: waarop fuses the relative 'which' with the preposition op into a single pronominal adverb — 'the manner in which.' Dutch prefers waarop over op welke when relativizing a thing.

Ik moet erkennen dat ik zeer opzie tegen den eersten kransavend en de liefdegeschiedenis van dien Saïdjah.  
I must confess that I quite dread the first reading-circle evening and the love-story of that Saïdjah.
> Separable opzien tegen: opzien tegen ('to dread') is separable; in this dat-clause the verb opzie sits at the end with its prefix rejoined. den eersten shows the dative -en on both article and adjective after the verb's governed tegen.
> Demonstrative dien (case remnant): dien is the old masculine accusative form of die ('that'), surviving here after van. Modern Dutch flattens it to die Saïdjah.

De lezer weet reeds, welke gezonde begrippen ik over liefde heb ... men denke slechts aan myn beoordeeling van dat uitstapje naar den Ganges.  
The reader already knows what sound notions I have about love ... one need only recall my verdict on that excursion to the Ganges.
> Embedded wh-clause, verb-final: welke ('what/which') opens an embedded question functioning as object of weet; the verb heb drops to the end. This is the interrogative/relative welk(e), heavier and more formal than plain wat.
> Subjunctive imperative with men: denke is an archaic third-person subjunctive ('let one merely think...'), a hortative form used with men. This solemn, exhortatory register is typical of 1860 literary Dutch.

Dat jonge meisjes zoo-iets aardig vinden, kan ik wel begrypen, maar 't is my onverklaarbaar dat mannen van jaren zulke zotheden zonder walg aanhooren.  
That young girls find such a thing charming, I can well understand, but it is inexplicable to me that men of years should listen to such follies without disgust.
> Fronted dat-clause as object: An entire dat-clause (with vinden at the end) is fronted to first position as the object of begrypen; the main clause then inverts, putting kan before ik. The modal kan sends begrypen to the end as a bare infinitive.
> Dummy het + extraposed clause: 't (het) is a placeholder subject ('it is inexplicable to me'), with the real content following in the dat-clause where aanhooren sits at the end. my is the dative 'to me,' an old object form.
> zotheid → zotheden: zotheid means 'folly, foolishness'; the plural zotheden takes -en after the -heid suffix becomes -hed-. Droogstoppel dismisses love-stories as such follies, told without walg (disgust).

Ik ben zeker, dat ik op den aanstaanden krans den triolet vind van myn solitairspel.  
I am certain that at the coming circle I shall find the triolet from my game of solitaire.
> Adjective -e plus dative -en: aanstaanden carries both the attributive adjective ending and the old masculine dative -en after op den. Modern Dutch reduces this to op de aanstaande krans.

Ik zal beproeven niets van dien Saïdjah te hooren, en hoop dat de man gauw trouwt, als hy ten-minste de held is van de liefdehistorie. 't Is nog al wèl van Stern, dat hy vooraf gewaarschuwd heeft, dat het een eentonige geschiedenis wezen zal.  
I shall try to hear nothing of that Saïdjah, and I hope the man marries soon, if indeed he is the hero of the love-story. It is rather decent of Stern that he warned us beforehand it would be a monotonous tale.
> Future zullen + te-infinitive complement: zal (future of zullen) governs beproeven at the end; beproeven ('to attempt') in turn governs a te-infinitive (te hooren). Note the chain of two verb systems stacking toward the clause end.
> Subordinate verb cluster at clause end: In this dat-clause the verbs cluster sentence-finally as wezen zal ('will be'), with the infinitive wezen (an older variant of zijn) preceding the finite zal. The order inside the cluster is freer in 1860 prose.

Zoodra hy dan later aan wat anders begint, zal ik weer toeluisteren.  
As soon as he later moves on to something else, I shall listen again.
> Subordinate clause fronted, then inversion: The Zoodra ('as soon as') clause is fronted with its verb begint at the end; the main clause then inverts to zal ik. zoodra is one word in period spelling.
> Free relative wat as object of preposition: wat anders ('something else') uses wat as an indefinite pronoun governed by aan. The separable toeluisteren ('to listen') keeps its prefix at the very end.

Maar dat afkeuren van 't Bestuur, verveelt me byna evenzeer als liefdegeschiedenissen.  
But that censuring of the Government wearies me almost as much as love-stories.
> Nominalized infinitive as subject: afkeuren ('to condemn') is used as a verbal noun, the subject of the clause: 'that condemning of the Government.' Dutch freely turns infinitives into neuter nouns ('t afkeuren).

Men ziet uit alles, dat Stern jong is en weinig ondervinding heeft.  
One can see from everything that Stern is young and has little experience.
> Generic men: men is the impersonal 'one/people,' taking a third-person-singular verb ziet. The following dat-clause sends its verbs (is ... heeft) to the end.

Om de zaken goed te beoordeelen, moet men alles van naby zien.  
To judge matters rightly, one must see everything from close up.
> Purpose clause om ... te: om frames a purpose clause ('in order to judge matters rightly') that closes with te beoordeelen. Fronting it forces the main clause to invert: moet men.

Toen ik trouwde, ben ik zelf in den Haag geweest, en heb met myn vrouw 't Mauritshuis bezocht. Ik ben daar in aanraking gekomen met alle standen van de maatschappy, want ik heb den Minister van Financien zien voorbyryden, en we hebben samen flanel gekocht in de Veenestraat--ik en myn vrouw, meen ik--en nergens heb ik 't minste blijk bespeurd van ontevredenheid met de Regeering.  
When I married, I went to The Hague myself, and visited the Mauritshuis with my wife. There I came into contact with every rank of society, for I saw the Minister of Finance ride past, and we bought flannel together in the Veenestraat — my wife and I, I mean — and nowhere did I detect the slightest sign of discontent with the Government.
> Perfect with zijn: Verbs of motion and change of state take zijn rather than hebben in the perfect: ben ... geweest ('have been'). The fronted Toen ik trouwde clause triggers inversion to ben ik.
> Perception verb + double infinitive: Perception verb zien takes a bare infinitive (voorbyryden), and in the perfect both appear as infinitives — the 'infinitivus pro participio' (zien rather than gezien). Separable voorbyryden keeps prefix and verb joined here.

Die juffrouw in den winkel zag er tevreden uit, en toen dus in 1848 sommigen ons trachtten wys te maken dat in den Haag niet alles was zoo als 't behoorde, heb ik op den krans over die ontevredenheid het myne gezegd. Ik vond geloof, want ieder wist dat ik by ondervinding sprak.  
The young woman in the shop looked content, and so when in 1848 certain people tried to make us believe that in The Hague not everything was as it ought to be, I had my say at the circle about that discontent. I was believed, for everyone knew that I spoke from experience.
> Separable wijsmaken with te: wijsmaken ('to make someone believe') splits, with wys fronted and maken bound to te. The whole construction sits inside a toen-clause, whose verb trachtten goes to the end. wys is period spelling of wijs.
> Possessive het mijne: het myne is the nominalized possessive 'my part/my piece' (here, my say). The fronted temporal clause triggers inversion in the main clause: heb ik.

Ook op de terugreis met de diligence heeft de kondukteur "schep vreugd" geblazen, en dat zou de man toch niet gedaan hebben, als er zooveel verkeerds was.  
On the return journey by stagecoach, too, the conductor played "draw joy," and the man surely would not have done that if there were so much amiss.
> Conditional perfect with zou: zou ... gedaan hebben is the conditional perfect ('would not have done'), a zou-frame around a perfect infinitive cluster. The fronted object dat triggers inversion: zou de man.
> Existential er: er here is the existential 'there' ('if there were so much amiss'). verkeerds is a partitive genitive form of verkeerd after zooveel — 'so much of what is wrong.'

Zóó heb ik op alles gelet, en wist dus terstond wat ik te denken had van al dat morren in 1848.  
Thus I have paid attention to everything, and so knew at once what to make of all that grumbling in 1848.
> Separable opletten in the perfect: letten op ('to pay attention to') appears as gelet ... op; the fronted Zóó triggers inversion (heb ik). wist dus is the strong simple past of weten ('to know').
> te + infinitive of obligation: te denken had expresses 'what I had to think/make of it' — the te-infinitive after hebben carrying a sense of obligation or destined action.

Tegenover ons woont een juffrouw, wier neef een toko doet in de Oost, zooals ze daar een winkel noemen.  
Across from us there lives a young woman whose nephew keeps a toko in the East, as they call a shop out there.
> Genitive relative wier: wier is the feminine/plural genitive relative pronoun ('whose'), agreeing with juffrouw — 'a woman whose nephew...'. It is a formal, now largely literary form. The relative clause sends doet to the end.

Wanneer dus alles zoo slecht ging als Stern zegt, zou zy er ook wel wat van weten, en 't schynt toch dat het mensch zeer tevreden is met de zaken, want ik hoor haar nooit klagen.  
So if everything were going as badly as Stern says, she too would surely know something of it, and yet it appears the woman is quite content with the state of things, for I never hear her complain.
> Unreal conditional with zou: A Wanneer-clause (verb ging at the end) sets up an unreal condition, and the main clause answers with conditional zou ... weten. The fronted subordinate clause forces inversion (zou zy).
> Split pronominal adverb er ... van: er ... van is a pronominal adverb ('something of it') with the two parts split across the clause, a very common Dutch pattern. wat is the indefinite 'something.'
> het mensch (neuter, of a woman): Although mens as 'human being' is a de-word, het mensch is a separate neuter usage referring (often slightingly or familiarly) to a particular woman — 'the woman, the creature.' Here it means the neighbour across the way.

Integendeel, ze zegt dat haar neef daar op een buiten woont, dat hy lid is van den kerkeraad, en dat hy haar een pauwenveeren sigaarkoker heeft gezonden, dien hy zelf gemaakt had van bamboe.  
On the contrary, she says that her nephew lives out there on a country estate, that he is a member of the church council, and that he sent her a peacock-feather cigar-case which he had made himself out of bamboo.
> Relative dien (accusative case remnant): dien is the old masculine accusative of die, used because the relative pronoun is the object of gemaakt had — 'a cigar-case which he had made.' Modern Dutch uses die regardless of case.
> Stacked dat-clauses: Three parallel dat-clauses report what she says; in each, the verb (woont, is, heeft gezonden) drops to the end. This is reported speech built by subordination.

Dit alles toont toch duidelyk, hoe ongegrond dat geklaag is over slecht bestuur.  
All this surely shows plainly how groundless that grumbling about bad government is.
> Embedded hoe-clause: hoe ('how') opens an exclamatory embedded clause, object of toont, with the verb is at the end. geklaag is a collective ge-...-noun: 'the (constant) complaining.'

Ook ziet men daaruit, dat er voor iemand die wil oppassen, in dat land nog wel wat te verdienen valt, en dat dus die Sjaalman ook dáár al lui, pedant en ziekelyk geweest is, anders zou hy niet zoo arm zyn thuisgekomen, en hier rondloopen zonder winterjas.  
One sees from it, too, that for anyone willing to apply himself there is still something to be earned in that country, and that consequently this Sjaalman must already have been lazy, pedantic, and sickly out there as well; otherwise he would not have come home so poor, and gone about here without a winter coat.
> Existential er + te-infinitive: er ... te verdienen valt is an impersonal construction: 'there is something to be earned.' valt (from vallen) plus a te-infinitive expresses possibility ('can be done').
> Perfect of zijn, verb-final: In this dat-clause, geweest is ('has been') closes the clause, with the participle preceding the finite verb. The adjectives lui, pedant, ziekelyk are predicate complements.
> Conditional perfect + separable thuiskomen: zou ... zyn thuisgekomen is a conditional perfect with zijn ('would not have come home'). thuisgekomen is the participle of separable thuiskomen. Fronted anders triggers inversion (zou hy).

En de neef van die juffrouw tegenover ons, is de eenige niet die in de Oost fortuin heeft gemaakt.  
And the nephew of that young woman across from us is not the only one who has made his fortune in the East.
> Negation with niet after the predicate: niet here negates the predicate de eenige ('not the only one'), placed after it in period style. The relative clause die ... gemaakt heeft sends its verb cluster to the end.

In "Polen" zie ik velen die daar geweest zyn, en waarlyk heel knap in de kleeren steken.  
At "Poland" I see many who have been out there, and who are truly very smartly turned out.
> Idiom: in de kleeren steken: The relative clause coordinates two predicates about velen ('many'): geweest zyn and (in de kleeren) steken, both verb-final. in de kleeren steken is an idiom for being well-dressed, 'smartly turned out.'

Maar dit begrypt zich, op de zaken moet men passen, ginder zoo goed als hier.  
But that stands to reason: one must mind one's business, yonder as well as here.
> Reflexive zich: begrypt zich uses the third-person reflexive zich impersonally — 'this is self-evident, stands to reason.' zich covers only the third person; other persons use me/je/ons.
> ginder, 'yonder': ginder means 'over there, yonder' (in the distance) — here the Indies, opposed to hier ('here'). It is an older, regional-flavoured adverb of distant place.

Op Java zullen de gebraden duiven niemand in den mond vliegen: er moet gewerkt worden, wie dàt niet wil, is arm en blyft arm, dat spreekt vanzelf.  
In Java the roast pigeons will fly into no one's mouth: work must be done, and whoever will not do it is poor and stays poor — that goes without saying.
> Future present + negation niemand: zullen ... vliegen frames a future, and niemand ('no one') is the single negative word. gebraden is the participle of braden used attributively. den mond keeps the old dative -en.
> Impersonal passive with worden: moet gewerkt worden is a subjectless passive ('work must be done'), with dummy er filling the subject slot. The worden-passive names the action as an ongoing process.
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Source text: public domain (Multatuli / Eduard Douwes Dekker, d. 1887; Dutch 1860, Project Gutenberg #11024). English translation: original, © 1732 Studios (2026); rendered freshly from the public-domain Dutch, not derived from any prior English translation. Sentence-aligned by 1732 Studios.