# Max Havelaar, Chapter 3

Max Havelaar · Multatuli · The Novel

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-3. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/havelaar/hoofdstuk-3.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/havelaar/<line id>.m4a.


Waarde lezer, ge begrypt hoe gek ik stond te kyken, toen men my daar zoo op-eens wilde verheffen tot makelaar in verzen.  
Worthy reader, you can imagine how foolish I felt when, all at once, they wanted to elevate me to a broker in verse.
> staan te + modal wilde: stond te kyken ('stood looking') is the staan-te progressive; in the toen-clause the modal wilde governs verheffen, sent to the end. men is impersonal 'one/they.'

Ik ben zeker dat die Sjaalman--zoo zal ik hem maar blyven noemen--als de man me by-dag had gezien, zich met zulk een verzoek niet tot my zou gewend hebben.  
I am quite certain that this Shawlman—for so I shall keep calling him—would never have come to me with such a request had he seen me by daylight.
> Unreal als + conditional perfect: als opens an unreal condition (pluperfect had gezien); the main clause uses the conditional perfect zou … gewend hebben. zich wenden tot ('to turn to') is reflexive.
> Future zal + blijven + infinitive: zal forms the future; blijven takes the bare infinitive noemen ('keep calling him'). The whole nickname-aside is set off as a dash.

Want deftigheid en fatsoen laten zich niet verbergen. Maar 't was avend, en ik trek het me dus niet aan.  
For dignity and respectability cannot be hidden. But it was evening, and so I take no offense at it.
> Reflexive passive: laten zich + infinitive: X laat zich verbergen = 'X can be hidden' — laten + zich + infinitive is a common reflexive-passive construction. niet negates it. ik trek het me niet aan = 'I take no offense.'

Het spreekt vanzelf dat ik van die gekheid niets weten wilde. Ik zou het pak door Frits hebben laten terugbrengen, maar ik wist zyn adres niet, en hy liet niets van zich hooren.  
It goes without saying that I wanted nothing to do with such nonsense. I would have had Frits carry the parcel back, but I did not know his address, and he gave no sign of himself.
> Conditional + causative laten (double infinitive): zou … hebben laten terugbrengen is a conditional perfect with causative laten and a stacked infinitive — 'would have had the parcel brought back by Frits.' door marks the agent.
> Idiom + reflexive zich: van zich laten horen = 'to give a sign of oneself'; here negated with niets ('nothing'). zich is the third-person reflexive; laten takes the bare infinitive hooren.

Ik dacht dat hy ziek was, of dood, of zoo-iets.  
I supposed he was ill, or dead, or something of the sort.
> dat-clause, verb-final: dat sends the verb was to the end; the predicates ziek, dood are then strung after it. zoo-iets ('something of the sort') is a casual close.

De vorige week was er krans by de Rosemeyers, die in suiker doen.  
Last week there was a card-party at the Rosemeyers', who are in sugar.
> Existential er + relative die: er … krans = 'there was a card-party'; die in suiker doen is a relative clause on Rosemeyers (verb-final doen). in suiker doen = 'to be in the sugar trade.'

Frits was voor het eerst meegegaan.  
Frits had gone along for the first time.
> Pluperfect of motion verb meegaan: meegaan ('to go along') is separable and a motion verb, so its pluperfect uses zijn: was meegegaan. voor het eerst = 'for the first time.'

Hy is zestien jaar, en ik vind het goed dat een jong mensch in de wereld komt. Anders loopt hy naar de Westermarkt of zulke dingen.  
He is sixteen, and I think it good for a young fellow to get out into the world. Otherwise he goes loitering off to the Westermarkt and the like.
> Anticipatory het + dat-clause: het anticipates the real object, the dat-clause ('that a young person comes into the world'), which is verb-final (komt). een jong mensch: the adjective takes no -e before this neuter een-word.

De meisjes hadden piano gespeeld en gezongen, en by 't dessert plaagden ze elkaar met iets dat in de voorkamer scheen gebeurd te zyn, terwyl wy achter aan 't gentsch whisten waren, iets waarin Frits betrokken scheen. "Ja, ja, Louise, riep Betsy Rosemeyer, geschreid heb je!  
The girls had played the piano and sung, and over dessert they teased one another about something that seemed to have happened in the front room while we were at the back playing Ghent whist—something in which Frits appeared to be mixed up. "Yes, yes, Louise," cried Betsy Rosemeyer, "you cried, you did!
> schijnen + perfect te-infinitive: scheen … gebeurd te zyn = 'seemed to have happened' — schijnen governs a perfect te-infinitive. dat is the relative for neuter iets.
> aan 't + infinitive (progressive): aan 't whisten zijn ('to be (playing) whist') is the aan-het progressive of an ongoing action. terwyl ('while') sends waren to the end.

Papa, Frits heeft Louise aan 't schreien gemaakt." Myn vrouw zei hierop dat Frits dan voortaan niet meer mee zou naar den krans.  
Papa, Frits made Louise cry." To this my wife said that Frits should then not be allowed to the card-party again.
> Idiom: aan 't … maken: iemand aan 't schreien maken = 'to make someone cry' — the aan-het + infinitive frame as a caused state. heeft … gemaakt is the present perfect.
> Conditional zou with omitted infinitive: zou … mee [gaan] drops the obvious infinitive gaan: 'should not go along anymore.' niet meer = 'no longer'; den krans shows the old accusative den.

Ze dacht dat hy Louise geknepen had, of zoo-iets wat niet te-pas komt, en ook ik maakte my gereed er een hartig woordje bytevoegen, toen Louise riep:  
She thought he had pinched Louise, or something of the kind that is not proper, and I too was getting ready to add a stern little word, when Louise cried out:
> Pluperfect + relative wat: geknepen had is the pluperfect of the strong verb knijpen ('to pinch'). wat ('which') is the relative after indefinite zoo-iets; te-pas komen = 'to be fitting/proper.'
> Reflexive zich gereedmaken + diminutive: zich gereedmaken ('to get ready') is reflexive (my). woordje is a diminutive ('little word'), neuter. bytevoegen is joined 1860 spelling for bij te voegen.

--Neen, neen, Frits is heel lief geweest! Ik wou dat hy 't nog-eens deed!  
—No, no, Frits was very sweet! I wish he would do it once more!
> Optative with imperfect deed: Ik wou dat … + imperfect (deed) expresses an unfulfilled wish: 'I wish he would do it again.' The past tense, not the present, signals the wish. wou is the colloquial past of willen.

Wàt dàn? Hy had haar niet geknepen, hy had gereciteerd, daar hebt ge 't.  
What, then? He had not pinched her—he had recited, there you have it.
> Perfect + literary recite: had … geknepen / had gereciteerd contrast two pluperfects; gereciteerd ('recited') is the regular past participle of the borrowed verb reciteren and does take the ge- prefix, since 're-' is not a Dutch inseparable prefix. daar hebt ge 't = 'there you have it.'

Natuurlyk ziet de vrouw van 't huis gaarne dat er aan het dessert een aardigheidje plaats heeft. Dat vult.  
Naturally the lady of the house is glad when there is some little entertainment at dessert. It fills the time.
> Inversion + diminutive + er: Fronting Natuurlyk inverts (ziet … de vrouw). aardigheidje is a diminutive ('little bit of fun'), neuter; er fills the front slot before it. plaats hebben = 'to take place.'

Mevrouw Rosemeyer--de Rosemeyers laten zich mevrouw noemen, omdat ze in suiker doen, en aandeel in een schip hebben--mevrouw Rosemeyer begreep dat wat Louise aan 't schreien had gemaakt, ook òns vermaken zou, en vroeg een dacapo aan Frits, die zoo rood zag als een kalkoen.  
Mevrouw Rosemeyer—the Rosemeyers have themselves called mevrouw because they are in sugar and own a share in a ship—Mevrouw Rosemeyer understood that what had made Louise cry would amuse us as well, and asked Frits for an encore, while he turned as red as a turkey-cock.
> Causative laten + reflexive: zich mevrouw laten noemen = 'to have themselves called mevrouw' — causative laten with reflexive zich and a bare infinitive noemen. omdat sends doen to the end.
> Free relative wat + future zou: wat ('what') opens a free relative subject; inside it had gemaakt is verb-final, and in the main embedded clause vermaken zou (future) closes. The grave on òns marks emphasis.

Ik begreep óm de wereld niet, wàt hy dan toch opgesneden had, want ik kende zyn repertoire op een haar.  
For the life of me I could not imagine what he had been holding forth about, for I knew his repertoire to a hair.
> Indirect question + separable opsnijden: wàt opens an indirect question, sending the pluperfect opgesneden had to the end. opsnijden here is the idiom 'to boast/brag.' óm de wereld niet = 'not for the life of me.'

Dat was: de godenbruiloft, de boeken van het Oude-Testament op rym, en een epizode uit de bruiloft van Kamacho, dat de jongens altyd zoo aardig vinden, omdat er iets van een "brillekiek" in komt.  
It was: the wedding of the gods, the books of the Old Testament in rhyme, and an episode out of the wedding of Camacho, which the boys always find so amusing because there is something of a "peep-show" in it.
> Relative + er … in (pronominal): The relative refers back to the recited piece; omdat sends komt to the end. er … in is a split pronominal adverb ('in it'). iets van een 'brillekiek' = 'something of a peep-show.'

Wat er onder dit alles wezen kon dat tranen uitlokte, was my een raadsel. 't Is waar, zoo'n meisje schreit gauw.  
What in all this could have drawn out tears was a riddle to me. True, a girl like that cries readily.
> Embedded subject clause + modal kon: The whole indirect question Wat … kon is the subject of was; inside it the modal kon governs wezen (older infinitive of zijn). dat … uitlokte is a relative on what 'could be in it.'
> Diminutive subject + present tense: meisje ('girl') is a fossilized diminutive — always neuter. schreit is present of schreien ('to weep'); gauw = 'readily, quickly.'

"Toe, Frits! Och ja, Frits!  
"Come, Frits! Oh yes, Frits!

Kom, Frits!" Zoo ging het, en Frits begon. Daar ik niet houd van dat bestudeerd spannen van des lezers nieuwsgierigheid, zal ik maar terstond zeggen dat ze te-huis het pak van Sjaalman hadden opengemaakt, en daaruit hadden Frits en Marie een neuswysheid en een sentimentaliteit geput, die me later veel last in huis gehaald hebben.  
Go on, Frits!" So it went, and Frits began. Since I have no taste for that studied way of stretching out a reader's curiosity, I shall say at once that at home they had opened Shawlman's parcel, and out of it Frits and Marie had drawn a know-it-all conceit and a sentimentality that have since caused me much trouble in the house.
> daar 'since' + genitive des lezers: Daar ('since') sends houd to the end. des lezers is the old masculine genitive ('of the reader'): 'the reader's curiosity.' A frozen case form of 1860 prose.
> Pluperfect + separable openmaken: hadden opengemaakt is the pluperfect; openmaken ('to open') is separable, its prefix open fusing into the participle. dat sends both verbs to the end.

Toch moet ik erkennen, lezer, dat dit boek ook uit dat pak komt, en ik zal me naderhand hierop behoorlyk verantwoorden, want ik hecht er aan, dat men my beschouwe als iemand die de waarheid lief heeft, en die goed voor zyn zaken is. Onze firma is Last & Co, Makelaars in koffi, Lauriergracht, N° 37.  
Still, I must own, reader, that this book too comes out of that parcel, and I shall duly account for this later on, for I set store by being regarded as a man who loves the truth and who is sound in his business. Our firm is Last & Co., Coffee Brokers, Lauriergracht, No. 37.
> Subjunctive beschouwe + er aan: beschouwe is the old present subjunctive ('that one regard me'). er … aan is a split pronominal adverb ('set store by it'). die … lief heeft is a relative clause.

Toen reciteerde Frits een ding dat van nonsens aan-één hing. Neen 't hing niet aan-een.  
Then Frits recited a thing that hung together out of nonsense. No, it did not hang together at all.
> Separable aaneenhangen: aaneenhangen ('to hang together / cohere') is separable; in the simple past the prefix aaneen sits at the end. dat is the relative for neuter ding. The self-correction is Droogstoppel's deadpan humor.

Een jong mensch schreef aan zyn moeder, dat hy verliefd was geweest, en dat zyn meisje met een ander getrouwd was--waarin ze groot gelyk had, vind ik--dat hy echter, in weerwil hiervan, altyd veel van zyn moeder hield. Zyn deze laatste drie regels duidelyk of niet?  
A young man was writing to his mother that he had been in love, and that his girl had married another—in which she was quite right, I think—but that he, in spite of this, had always loved his mother dearly. Are these last three lines clear or not?
> Pluperfect with zijn: was geweest and getrouwd was are pluperfects formed with zijn (states/change of state). The stacked dat-clauses are verb-final. in weerwil hiervan = 'in spite of this' (pronominal hiervan).

Vindt ge dat er veel omslag noodig is, om dat te zeggen? Welnu, ik heb een broodje met kaas gegeten, daarna twee peren geschild, en ik was ruim half gereed met het orberen van de derde, voor Frits klaar was met die vertelling.  
Do you think much ado is needed to say that? Well now, I ate a roll with cheese, then peeled two pears, and I was a good half done with disposing of the third before Frits had finished that recitation.
> Inversion + om … te: The question inverts (Vindt ge); the dat-clause is verb-final (is), and om … te zeggen states the purpose. er supplies the existential subject for omslag ('fuss').
> voor 'before' subordinator: voor (= voordat, 'before') opens a subordinate clause, sending was to the end. klaar zijn met = 'to be done with.' The mundane pear-peeling deflates Frits's recitation.

Maar Louise schreide weer, en de dames zeiden dat het heel mooi was.  
But Louise wept again, and the ladies said it was very beautiful.
> Coordinator en + embedded dat: en ('and') joins two main clauses without inverting. The dat-clause is verb-final (was). schreide and zeiden are simple pasts.

Toen vertelde Frits, die, geloof ik, meende dat hy een groot stuk had uitgevoerd, dat hy 't ding in dat pak had gevonden van den man die een sjaal droeg, en ik legde aan de heeren uit, hoe dat in myn huis kwam. Maar van de Griekin sprak ik niet, omdat Frits er by was, en ook zeide ik niets van de Kapelsteeg.  
Then Frits told them—he believed, I think, that he had performed some great feat—that he had found the thing in that parcel belonging to the man who wore a shawl, and I explained to the gentlemen how it had come into my house. But of the Greek woman I said nothing, because Frits was there, and I also said nothing about the Kapelsteeg.
> Inversion + nested clauses: Fronting Toen inverts (vertelde Frits). The relative die governs meende; the embedded dat-clause ends in the pluperfect had uitgevoerd (separable uitvoeren, 'to carry off').
> Separable uitleggen + indirect question: uitleggen ('to explain') is separable, its prefix uit sent to the end (uit … kwam … in between). hoe … kwam is the verb-final indirect question.

Ieder vond dat ik heel goed had gehandeld, me van dien man aftehelpen.  
Everyone agreed that I had done very well to rid myself of that man.
> Pluperfect + reflexive te-infinitive: had gehandeld is the pluperfect. me … aftehelpen is a reflexive te-infinitive (joined 1860 spelling of af te helpen); zich van iemand afhelpen = 'to rid oneself of someone.' dien is the old accusative of die.

Straks zult ge zien dat er ook andere dingen in dat pak waren van meer solieden aard, en daarvan komt een-en-ander in dit boek, omdat de Koffiveilingen van de Handelmaatschappy er mee in verband staan. Want ik leef voor myn vak.  
Presently you shall see that there were also other things in that parcel of a more solid kind, and some of these find their way into this book, because the Coffee Auctions of the Trading Company are bound up with them. For I live for my profession.
> omdat verb-final + er mee: omdat sends staan to the end. er … mee is a split pronominal adverb ('connected with it'). Koffiveilingen is a compound: koffie + veilingen ('coffee auctions').

Later vroeg my de uitgever of ik hier niet by voegen wilde, wat Frits gereciteerd had. Ik wil 't wel doen, mits men wete dat ik me niet ophoud met zulke dingen.  
Later the publisher asked me whether I would not append here what Frits had recited. I am willing enough to do so, provided it be understood that I do not occupy myself with such things.
> Verb-final after 'of': The indirect-question conjunction 'of' (whether) opens a subordinate clause, so the finite verb 'wilde' drops to the very end, after the separable prefix and infinitive. Compare the main-clause order in 'Ik wil 't wel doen'.
> Separable verb 'byvoegen': 'Byvoegen' (to append) is a separable verb; here the prefix 'by' (modern 'bij') stands apart from 'voegen'. Note the period spelling 'by' for 'bij'.
> Subjunctive 'wete': 'Wete' is an archaic present subjunctive of 'weten' (let it be known), surviving in the formal idiom 'mits men wete dat...' (provided that one knows). The bare-stem subjunctive marks solemn or legalistic register.

Alles leugens en gekheid! Ik houd myn aanmerkingen terug, anders wordt myn boek te dik.  
All lies and folly! I hold back my own remarks, otherwise my book grows too thick.
> Inversion after a fronted adverb: Fronting the adverb 'anders' (otherwise) forces verb-second: the finite verb 'wordt' comes before the subject 'myn boek'. This is the classic Dutch V2 inversion.
> Separable 'terughouden': 'Terughouden' (to hold back) splits in a main clause: the verb 'houd' stays in second position while the prefix 'terug' lands at the end of the clause.

Ik wil hier alleen byzeggen, dat die vertelling zoo omstreeks 1843 in de buurt van Padang geschreven is, en dat dit een inferieur merk is. De koffi, meen ik.  
I will only add here that the recitation was written somewhere around 1843 in the neighborhood of Padang, and that this is an inferior brand. The coffee, I mean.
> Passive in a subordinate clause: A 'zijn'-passive ('geschreven is', was written) reporting the resulting state, placed in a 'dat'-clause so the auxiliary 'is' sits at the very end after the participle.
> Period spelling 'koffi': Multatuli writes 'koffi' for modern 'koffie' (coffee) — the recurring obsession of the narrator Droogstoppel, an Amsterdam coffee broker. The clipped 1860 spelling drops the final -e.

Moeder, 'k ben wel ver van 't land Waar me 't leven werd geschonken, Waar myn eerste tranen blonken, Waar ik opwies aan uw hand... Waar uw moedertrouw der ziel Van den knaap haar zorgen wydde, En hem liefdryk stond ter-zyde, En hem ophief als hy viel...  
Mother, I am far indeed from the land where life was granted to me, where my first tears glistened, where I grew up at your hand... where your motherly faith devoted its cares to the soul of the boy, and stood lovingly at his side, and lifted him up when he fell...
> Worden-passive (process): 'Werd geschonken' is a 'worden'-passive in the past ('werd' is the imperfect of 'worden'): life was granted to me. The agent is unnamed and the participle closes the clause.
> Case remnants 'der' and 'den': 'Der ziel' is a frozen genitive/dative feminine ('to the soul'), and 'den knaap' shows the old masculine accusative/dative ending -en. Both are inflected case forms long dead in speech but alive in 1860 poetry.
> Strong past 'opwies': 'Opwies' is the strong simple past of separable 'opwassen' (to grow up): the stem vowel shifts (wassen → wies) rather than adding a dental ending, and the prefix 'op' is incorporated in this poetic compact form.

Schynbaar scheurde 't lot de banden Die ons bonden, wreed van-een.. 'k Sta hier wel aan vreemde stranden Met myzelf en God, alleen...  
Seemingly fate tore the bonds that held us, cruelly apart.. Here I stand on foreign shores, with myself and God, alone...
> V2 after fronted adverb: The sentence opens on the adverb 'schynbaar' (seemingly), so the verb 'scheurde' precedes the subject 'het lot' — verb-second inversion. 'Schynbaar' also shows period 'y' for 'ij'.
> Relative 'die' for the bonds: 'Die' is a relative pronoun referring back to 'de banden' (the bonds), a plural de-word; the verb 'bonden' (the strong past of 'binden') goes to clause-final position.
> 'van-een' = apart: 'Van-een' (literally 'from one') means 'asunder, apart'. The hyphenated 1860 form survives today as 'vaneen' or 'uiteen'; 'wreed' (cruelly) is used here adverbially.

Maar toch, moeder, wat me griefde, Wat me vreugd gaf of verdriet, Moeder, twyfel aan de liefde, Aan het hart uws zoons toch niet!  
But still, mother, whatever grieved me, whatever gave me joy or sorrow, mother, never doubt the love, the heart of your son!
> Imperative 'twyfel': 'Twyfel ... niet' is a negative imperative (do not doubt), the bare stem of 'twyfelen' used as a command, with the negation 'niet' and softening 'toch' framing the plea to the mother.
> Genitive 'uws zoons': 'Uws zoons' is a full old genitive: both the possessive 'uw' and the noun 'zoon' take the -s ending (of your son). This inflected genitive is purely literary by 1860.

't Is nog nauwlyks twee paar jaren Toen ik 't laatst op gindschen grond Zwygend aan den oever stond Om de toekomst in te staren... Toen ik 't schoone tot my riep Dat ik van de toekomst wachtte, En het heden stout verachtte, En my paradyzen schiep...  
It is barely two pairs of years since I last stood silent on yonder ground at the water's edge, gazing into the future... when I called to myself the beauty I awaited from what was to come, and boldly scorned the present, and made myself paradises...
> 'Toen' sends the verb back: The subordinating conjunction 'toen' (when, in the past) drives the finite verb 'stond' to the end of its clause; everything between piles up in the middle field before it.
> Purpose 'om ... te': 'Om ... in te staren' is a purpose clause (in order to gaze into the future). With the separable verb 'instaren', 'te' slots between the prefix 'in' and the infinitive 'staren'.
> Weak past 'verachtte': 'Verachtte' is a regular weak past (scorned): the stem 'veracht' adds the dental -te. 'Stout' here means 'boldly', an older sense than the modern 'naughty'.

Toen, door alle stoornis heen Die zich opdeed voor myn schreên, 't Hart zich koen een uitweg baande, En zich droomend zalig waande...  
Then, through every hindrance that arose before my steps, the heart boldly cut itself a way out, and dreamed itself into bliss...
> Reflexive 'zich opdeed': 'Zich opdeed' is the reflexive separable verb 'zich opdoen' (to arise, present itself) in the past; 'zich' is the third-person reflexive pronoun and the clause is verb-final under the relative 'die'.
> More reflexives 'zich': The heart 'baande zich een uitweg' (cut itself a way out) and 'waande zich zalig' (imagined itself blissful). Both verbs are inherently reflexive, taking 'zich' for the third person.
> 'schreên' = steps: 'Schreên' is a poetic contracted plural of 'schrede' (stride, step), modern 'schreden'. The circumflex marks the elided syllable for the meter.

Maar die tyd, sints 't laatst vaarwel Hoe gezwind ook ons onttogen, Onbevatbaar bliksemsnel, Als een schim voorbygevlogen...  
But that time, since the last farewell—however swiftly it has been wrested from us, inconceivably lightning-fast, flown by like a shade...
> Concessive 'hoe ... ook': 'Hoe gezwind ook' means 'however swiftly' — the 'hoe ... ook' frame yields a concessive ('no matter how...'). 'Onttogen' is the past participle of 'onttrekken/onttogen' (wrested away).
> 'schim' = shade, phantom: 'Schim' means a shadow, ghost, or fleeting apparition. 'Als een schim voorbygevlogen' — flown past like a shade — figures elapsed time as something insubstantial.

O, hy liet in 't voorwaarts gaan, Diepe, diepe sporen staan! 'k Proefde vreugde en smart met-één, 'k Heb gedacht en 'k heb gestreden, 'k Heb gejuicht en 'k heb gebeden: 't Is me als vlogen eeuwen heen! 'k Heb naar levensheil gestreefd, 'k Heb gevonden en verloren, En, een kind nog kort te-voren, Jaren in één uur doorleefd!  
Oh, in its forward march it left deep, deep traces behind! I tasted joy and pain at once, I have thought and I have struggled, I have rejoiced and I have prayed: it is to me as though ages had flown by! I have striven after life's happiness, I have found and lost, and, a child but lately, lived years in a single hour!
> Causative 'laten ... staan': 'Liet ... staan' is the causative 'laten' plus a bare infinitive (left traces standing). 'Laten' governs a bare infinitive with no 'te', and the construction here means 'left behind'.
> Present perfect chain: A drumbeat of present perfects: 'hebben' plus a past participle each time (gedacht, gestreden, gejuicht, gebeden). The participles, several of them strong (gestreden, gebeden), close each clause.
> Counterfactual 'als ... vlogen': 'Als vlogen eeuwen heen' uses the past subjunctive/imperfect for an unreal comparison: 'as though ages had flown by'. The verb-first order after 'als' here is a poetic conditional inversion.

Maar toch, moeder! wil 't gelooven, By den Hemel die my ziet, Moeder! wil het toch gelooven, Neen, uw kind vergat u niet! 'k Minde een meisje.  
But still, mother! believe it, by the Heaven that looks on me, mother! do believe it, no, your child did not forget you! I loved a girl.
> Imperative softened by 'willen': 'Wil 't gelooven' is a coaxing imperative built on 'willen' (be willing to believe it) — a polite, urging command form common in 19th-century verse. The modal sends 'gelooven' to the end as an infinitive.
> Strong past 'vergat': 'Vergat' is the strong simple past of 'vergeten' (forgot), with vowel change e → a. The double 'u' (uw kind / vergat u) reflects the solemn, formal address to the mother.
> Weak past 'minde': 'Minde' is the weak past of the poetic verb 'minnen' (to love), stem + -de. 'Minnen' is an elevated synonym of 'beminnen/liefhebben', reserved for verse.

Heel myn leven Scheen my door die liefde schoon. 'k Zag in haar een eerekroon, Als een eindloon van myn streven, My door God ten doel gegeven. Zalig door den reinen schat Die Zyn zorg my toegewogen, Die Zyn gunst geschonken had, Dankte ik met een traan in de oogen.  
My whole life seemed beautiful to me through that love. I saw in her a crown of honor, as a final reward for my striving, set before me as a goal by God. Blessed by the pure treasure that His care had weighed out to me, that His favor had bestowed, I gave thanks with a tear in my eyes.
> 'schijnen' + adjective complement: 'Scheen my schoon' (seemed beautiful to me) uses 'schijnen' with a dative-like 'my' and a bare predicate adjective. 'Scheen' is the strong past of 'schijnen'.
> Frozen dative 'ten doel': 'Ten doel' fuses the old dative article into 'te + den' (as a goal). Such 'ten/ter' contractions are case remnants surviving in fixed phrases like 'ten doel', 'ter zijde'.
> Pluperfect 'had toegewogen': 'Had ... toegewogen' is a pluperfect (had weighed out to me), the imperfect of 'hebben' plus the participle of separable 'toewegen'. The relative 'die' makes it verb-final.

Liefde was met godsdienst één...  
Love was one with religion...

En 't gemoed dat opgetogen, Dankend opsteeg tot den Hoogen, Dankte en bad voor haar alleen! Zorgen baarde my die liefde, Onrust kwelde my het hart, En ondraaglyk was de smart Die my 't week gemoed doorgriefde. 'k Heb slechts angst en leed gegaard, Waar ik 't hoogst genot verwachtte, En voor 't heil waarnaar ik trachtte, Was me gif en wee bewaard...  
And the soul that, enraptured, rose in thanks to the Most High, gave thanks and prayed for her alone! That love bore me cares, unrest tormented my heart, and unbearable was the grief that pierced through my tender soul. I have gathered nothing but anguish and woe where I awaited the highest delight, and for the happiness I reached after, poison and pain were laid up for me...
> Fronted object for emphasis: The object 'zorgen' (cares) is fronted ahead of the verb 'baarde' and subject 'die liefde', a marked V2 order that throws weight onto what the love brought forth.
> Pronominal adverb 'waarnaar': 'Waarnaar' splits as 'naar wat' — a relative pronominal adverb (after which) referring to 'het heil'. Dutch fuses preposition + relative into 'waar-' rather than saying 'naar welk'.
> Zijn-passive, inverted: 'Was ... bewaard' is a 'zijn'-passive of result (was laid up/kept), here inverted so the auxiliary 'was' leads. 'Me' is a dative of interest: poison and woe were kept for me.

'k Vond genot in 't lydend zwygen! 'k Stond standvastig hopend daar, Onspoed deed den prys my stygen: 'k Droeg en leed zoo graag voor haar! 'k Telde ramp noch onspoedsslagen, Vreugde schiep ik in verdriet, Alles, alles wilde ik dragen...  
I found delight in suffering silence! Steadfast I stood there, hoping, adversity only made the prize rise higher for me: I bore and suffered so gladly for her sake! I counted neither calamity nor blows of misfortune, I made joy out of sorrow, all, all I was willing to bear...
> Causative 'deed ... stygen': 'Deed ... stygen' is the causative 'doen' plus a bare infinitive (made the prize rise). Like 'laten', 'doen' as a causative takes a bare infinitive without 'te'. 'Den prys' keeps the old accusative -en.
> Negative correlative 'noch': 'Noch ... ' negates a coordinated pair (neither calamity nor blows of misfortune). 'Noch' is the literary 'nor', supplying the single clause-negation without any extra 'niet'.

Roofde 't lot my haar slechts niet!  
If only fate had not robbed me of her!
> Optative verb-first wish: Verb-first 'Roofde 't lot...' with 'slechts niet' is an unreal wish ('if only fate had not robbed me of her'). The verb-initial order and past tense together signal a counterfactual yearning.

En dàt beeld, my 't schoonste op aarde, Dat ik omdroeg in 't gemoed Als een onwaardeerbaar goed, En zoo trouw in 't hart bewaarde... Vreemd was 't eenmaal aan myn zinnen!  
And that image, to me the loveliest on earth, which I carried about in my soul as an inestimable treasure, and so faithfully kept in my heart... was once a stranger to my senses!
> Demonstrative vs relative 'dat': The accented 'dàt beeld' is a demonstrative (that image), while the following 'dat ik omdroeg' is the relative pronoun for the neuter het-word 'beeld'. The accent on 'dàt' marks the stressed demonstrative.
> V2 after fronted predicate: Fronting the predicate adjective 'vreemd' (strange) triggers inversion: 'was' precedes the dummy subject ''t'. 'Vreemd aan' (strange to) takes the preposition 'aan'.

En al houdt die liefde stand Tot de laatste snik van 't leven Me in een beter vaderland Eind'lyk haar zal wedergeven... 'k Had begonnen haar te minnen! Wat is min die eens begon, By de liefde mèt het leven 't Kind door God in 't hart gedreven Toen het nog niet staam'len kon?  
And though that love endures to the last gasp of life, until at last, in a better fatherland, it gives her back to me... I had begun to love her! What is a love that once began, beside the love that comes with life itself—the love driven into the child's heart by God when it could not yet so much as stammer?
> Concessive 'al' + inversion: Concessive 'al' (even though) keeps main-clause-like verb-second order: 'houdt' stays second. 'Standhouden' is a separable verb, so 'stand' splits off to the end.
> Future with 'zullen': 'Zal ... wedergeven' is the 'zullen'-future (will give back); the infinitive 'wedergeven' lands at the end. 'Eind'lyk' (finally) shows poetic elision for the meter.
> Pluperfect + 'te'-infinitive: 'Had begonnen ... te minnen' combines a pluperfect ('had begonnen') with a 'te'-infinitive complement ('te minnen', to love). 'Beginnen' governs its infinitive with 'te'.

Toen het aan de moederborst, Nauw den moederschoot onttogen, 't Eerste vocht vond voor den dorst, 't Eerste licht in moederoogen?  
When at the mother's breast, scarcely drawn from the mother's womb, it found the first moisture for its thirst, the first light in its mother's eyes?
> Participle phrase + case remnant: 'Onttogen' (drawn from) is the past participle of 'onttrekken' used adjectivally for the child, and 'den moederschoot' carries the old accusative/dative -en. 'Nauw' here means 'scarcely'.
> Compound 'moederschoot' / 'moederoogen': This stanza stacks right-headed compounds: 'moederborst', 'moederschoot', 'moederoogen' (mother's breast/womb/eyes). Dutch glues the modifier noun directly onto the head noun.

Neen, geen band die vaster bindt, Vaster harten houdt omsloten, Dan de band, door God gesloten Tusschen 't moederhart en 't kind!  
No, there is no bond that binds more firmly, that holds hearts more closely enclosed, than the bond, fastened by God, between a mother's heart and her child!
> 'geen' + comparative: 'Geen band' negates an indefinite noun (no bond), and 'vaster ... dan' is the comparative (more firmly than). 'Geen' is required here rather than 'niet' because it negates an indefinite noun.
> Passive participle phrase + agent 'door': 'Door God gesloten' is a reduced passive (fastened by God): the participle 'gesloten' plus the agent phrase 'door God'. 'Door' marks the agent in Dutch passives.

En een hart, dat zóó zich hechtte Aan het schoon dat even blonk, Dat me niets dan doornen schonk, En geen enkel bloempje vlechtte... Zou datzelfde hart de trouw Van het moederhart vergeten?  
And a heart that clung so to the beauty that gleamed but for a moment, that gave me nothing but thorns and wove not a single little flower... could that same heart forget the faithfulness of a mother's heart?
> Reflexive 'zich hechten': 'Zich hechten aan' (to attach/cling oneself to) is reflexive; in the relative clause introduced by 'dat' the verb 'hechtte' goes to the end after 'zich'.
> Conditional 'zou ... vergeten': 'Zou ... vergeten' is the conditional (could/would that same heart forget), 'zou' plus a clause-final infinitive, framed as a rhetorical question across the stanza.
> Diminutive 'bloempje': 'Bloempje' is the diminutive of 'bloem' (a little flower), neuter by rule, paired with the diminutive 'traantjes' elsewhere in the poem to soften and endear.

En de liefde van de vrouw Die myn eerste kinderkreten Opving in 't bezorgd gemoed? Die my, als ik weende, suste, Traantjes van de wangen kuste, Die my voedde met haar bloed?  
And the love of the woman who caught my first infant cries in her anxious soul? Who soothed me when I wept, kissed the little tears from my cheeks, who nourished me with her own blood?
> Relative 'die' + separable 'opvangen': 'Die' relativizes 'de vrouw' (the woman); the separable verb 'opvangen' (catch) here appears with the prefix 'op' incorporated as 'opving' in the verb-final relative clause.
> Diminutive 'traantjes': 'Traantjes' is the diminutive plural of 'traan' (little tears), with the -tje suffix after a long vowel/n. The diminutive lends the line tenderness.

Moeder! wil het niet gelooven, By den hemel die my ziet, Moeder! wil het niet gelooven, Neen, uw kind vergat u niet! 'k Ben hier vèr van wat het leven Ginds ons zoets en schoons kan geven En 't genot van de eerste jeugd, Vaak geroemd en hoog geprezen, Kan wel hier myn deel niet wezen: 't Eenzaam harte kent geen vreugd.  
Mother! do not believe it, by the heaven that looks on me, mother! do not believe it, no, your child did not forget you! Here I am far from what life can give of sweetness and beauty yonder, and the delight of early youth, so often praised and highly prized, may well not be my portion here: the lonely heart knows no joy.
> Negative imperative with 'willen': 'Wil het niet gelooven' is the urging negative imperative (do not believe it), modal 'willen' plus 'niet' plus the clause-final infinitive 'gelooven'. The refrain inverts the earlier 'wil 't gelooven'.
> Modal 'kunnen' + middle-field order: 'Kan ... niet wezen' sends the infinitive 'wezen' (to be) to the end after the modal 'kan'. Between them the adverbials line up time/place ('wel hier') before the negation and predicate.

Steil en doornig zyn myn paden, Onspoed drukt me diep ter-neer, En de last my opgeladen Knelt me, en doet het hart me zeer...  
Steep and thorny are my paths, adversity presses me down deep, and the burden laid upon me bears hard on me, and makes my heart ache...
> V2 with fronted predicate: The predicate adjectives 'steil en doornig' open the line, so the copula 'zyn' precedes the subject 'myn paden' — verb-second inversion for emphasis.
> Participle 'opgeladen' as modifier: 'Opgeladen' is the past participle of separable 'opladen' (loaded up), used adjectivally after its noun: 'de last my opgeladen' = the burden laid upon me. 'My' is again a dative of interest.

Laat het slechts myn tranen tuigen, Als zoo menig moed'loos uur Me in den boezem der Natuur, 't Hoofd zoo treurig neer doet buigen... Vaak, als my de moed ontzonk, Is de zucht me schier ontvloden: "Vader! schenk me by de dooden, "Wat het leven my niet schonk!  
Let only my tears bear witness to it, when so many a despondent hour bows my head down, so mournful, in the bosom of Nature... Often, when my courage failed me, the sigh has all but escaped me: "Father! grant me among the dead what life did not grant me!
> Imperative 'laat' (let): 'Laat ... tuigen' is a hortative imperative with causative 'laten' plus a bare infinitive (let my tears bear witness). 'Laat' opens the wish; 'tuigen' (to testify) is archaic for 'getuigen'.
> Causative 'doet ... buigen' under 'als': Inside the 'als'-clause the causative 'doen + buigen' (makes my head bow) is split by the separable 'neer', all driven to the clause end by the subordinator 'als'.
> Present perfect of motion with 'zijn': 'Is ... ontvloden' uses 'zijn' as the perfect auxiliary (the sigh has escaped me), as Dutch does for verbs of movement/change. 'Schier' is archaic for 'almost'.

"Vader! geef me aan gene zyde, "Als de mond des doods my kust, "Vader! geef me aan gene zyde "Wat ik hier niet smaakte... Rust!"  
"Father! give me on the far side, when the mouth of death has kissed me, Father! give me on the far side what I did not taste here... Rest!"
> Imperative 'geef': 'Geef' is a bare-stem imperative (give me), addressed to the Father. 'Aan gene zyde' (on the far side / yonder side) uses the archaic distal demonstrative 'gene'.
> Genitive 'des doods': 'Des doods' is the old masculine/neuter genitive (of death): article 'des' plus the noun's -s ending. This inflected genitive is a hallmark of solemn 1860 prose and verse.

Maar, bestervend op myn lippen, Steeg de beê niet tot den Heer... 'k Boog wel beî myn knieën neer, 'k Voelde wel een zucht me ontglippen, Maar het was: "nog niet, o Heer! "Geef my eerst myn moeder weer!"  
But, dying on my lips, the prayer did not rise to the Lord... I bent both my knees down, indeed, I felt a sigh slip from me, indeed, but it was: "not yet, O Lord! Give me back my mother first!"
> V2 inversion + 'den Heer': After the fronted participle phrase 'bestervend op myn lippen', the verb 'steeg' precedes its subject 'de beê'. 'Den Heer' shows the surviving accusative/dative -en.
> 'beê' = prayer, plea: 'Beê' is a poetic contracted form of 'bede' (prayer, supplication), related to 'bidden' (to pray). It carries a solemn, devotional ring.
> Imperative + separable 'weergeven': 'Geef ... weer' is an imperative of the separable verb 'weergeven' (give back); the prefix 'weer' splits to the end. The child begs to keep living until reunited with the mother.

VIERDE HOOFDSTUK Voor ik verder ga, moet ik u zeggen dat de jonge Stern gekomen is.  
FOURTH CHAPTER. Before I go on, I must tell you that young Stern has arrived.
> Subordinate 'voor' then main clause: 'Voor ik verder ga' (before I go on) is a subordinate clause with verb-final 'ga'; the following main clause inverts, putting the modal 'moet' before the subject 'ik'. The whole turns on Dutch V2.
> Perfect with 'zijn' in a dat-clause: 'Is gekomen' (has arrived) takes 'zijn' because 'komen' is a verb of motion; the 'dat'-clause forces the auxiliary 'is' to the very end after the participle.

Het is een aardig ventje. Hy schynt vlug en bekwaam, maar ik geloof dat hy schwärmt.  
He is a nice little fellow. He seems quick and capable, but I believe he is given to rapturous enthusiasm.
> Diminutive 'ventje': 'Ventje' is the diminutive of 'vent' (a little fellow/chap), neuter and faintly condescending — exactly Droogstoppel's tone toward the young clerk.
> Germanism 'schwärmt': 'Schwärmt' is a German loan (from 'schwärmen', to rave/be enthusiastic). Droogstoppel reaches for German to label Stern's romantic enthusiasm, a sly touch given the Stern family is German.

Marie is dertien jaar. Zyn uitzet is heel netjes.  
Marie is thirteen. His outfit is very neat.

Ik heb hem aan 't kopyboek gezet, om zich te oefenen in den hollandschen styl. Ik ben benieuwd of er spoedig orders van Ludwig Stern zullen komen.  
I have set him to the copy-book, so that he may practice the Dutch style. I am curious whether orders will soon be coming in from Ludwig Stern.
> Present perfect, weak participle: 'Heb ... gezet' is the present perfect of 'zetten' (set/put), a weak verb whose participle 'gezet' ends in -t. The participle closes the clause behind the object phrase.
> Reflexive in an 'om ... te' purpose clause: 'Om zich te oefenen' is a purpose clause (in order to practice himself) with the reflexive 'zich'. 'In den hollandschen styl' keeps the old -en endings on article and adjective.
> 'er' + future in indirect question: 'Of er ... zullen komen' opens an indirect yes/no question with 'of'; 'er' is the existential placeholder ('whether there will come orders'), and 'zullen komen' is the clause-final future.

Marie zal een paar pantoffels voor hem borduren ... voor den jongen Stern, meen ik. Busselinck & Waterman hebben achter 't net gevischt.  
Marie is to embroider a pair of slippers for him ... for young Stern, I mean. Busselinck & Waterman have fished behind the net.
> Future 'zal ... borduren': 'Zal ... borduren' is the 'zullen'-future expressing an arranged intention (is to embroider); the infinitive 'borduren' goes to the end after the object and the goal phrase.
> Idiom 'achter het net vissen': 'Achter het net visschen' (to fish behind the net) is an idiom meaning to miss out, come too late. Droogstoppel gloats that his rivals Busselinck & Waterman lost the deal.

Een fatsoenlyk makelaar onderkruipt niet, dat zeg ik! Den dag na dat kransje by de Rosemeyers, die in suiker doen, riep ik Frits, en gelastte hem my dat pak van Sjaalman te brengen.  
A respectable broker does not undercut, that I will say! The day after that little party at the Rosemeyers', who are in sugar, I called Frits and ordered him to bring me that parcel of Shawlman's.
> Separable verb under negation: 'Onderkruipt' (undercuts) negated by 'niet'; here the prefix 'onder-' is inseparable in meaning so no splitting occurs. The gnomic present states a maxim of broker honour.
> 'te'-infinitive after 'gelasten': 'Gelastte hem ... te brengen' (ordered him to bring) governs its infinitive 'te brengen' with 'te', the object 'hem' and indirect object 'my' preceding. 'Gelastte' is a weak past.

Ge moet weten, lezer, dat ik in myn gezin zeer stipt ben op godsdienst en zedelykheid.  
You should know, reader, that in my household I am most strict about religion and morality.
> Pronoun 'ge' (literary you): 'Ge' is the unstressed literary second-person pronoun of 1860 (you), paired with the modal 'moet'. Droogstoppel buttonholes the reader directly with this period 'ge/gij'.
> Verb-final after 'dat': The 'dat'-clause pushes the copula 'ben' to the end, after the adverbial 'zeer stipt' and the prepositional complement. 'Stipt zijn op' = to be strict about.

Welnu, den vorigen avend, juist toen ik myn eerste peer had geschild, las ik op het gelaat van een der meisjes, dat er iets in dat vers voorkwam, dat niet pluis was. Ikzelf had niet naar 't ding geluisterd, maar ik had bemerkt dat Betsy haar broodje verkruimelde, en dit was my genoeg.  
Well now, the evening before, just as I had peeled my first pear, I read in the face of one of the girls that there was something in that verse that was not quite right. I myself had not been listening to the thing, but I had noticed that Betsy was crumbling her roll, and that was enough for me.
> Pluperfect inside 'toen'-clause: 'Toen ik ... had geschild' (when I had peeled) is a pluperfect under 'toen', with the auxiliary 'had' and participle 'geschild' at the clause end. 'Den vorigen avend' carries old accusative -en endings.
> 'er' + separable 'voorkomen' + nested relative: 'Er iets ... voorkwam' uses 'er' as a placeholder with the separable verb 'voorkomen' (to occur). A second 'dat' opens a relative clause on 'iets', pushing 'was' to the end.
> Idiom 'niet pluis': 'Niet pluis' means 'not right, suspicious, fishy'. The prudish Droogstoppel senses something improper in the verse without even having listened to it.

Ge zult inzien, lezer, met iemand te doen te hebben, die weet wat er in de wereld omgaat.  
You will see, reader, that you have to do with someone who knows what goes on in the world.
> Idiom 'te doen hebben met': 'Te doen hebben met iemand' = to be dealing with someone. The double 'te' (te doen te hebben) reflects the 'te'-infinitive governed by 'zult inzien'. A characteristically Droogstoppel self-important flourish.
> 'wat' + 'er' + separable 'omgaan': 'Wat er ... omgaat' is a free relative ('what goes on') with placeholder 'er' and the separable verb 'omgaan' (to go on, happen), verb-final under the relative 'wat'.

Ik liet me dus door Frits dat fraaie stuk van den laatsten avend voorleggen, en ik vond heel spoedig den regel die Betsy's broodje verkruimeld had.  
So I had Frits lay before me that fine piece from the previous evening, and I very soon found the line that had crumbled Betsy's roll.
> Causative 'laten ... voorleggen': 'Liet me ... voorleggen' is causative 'laten' plus bare infinitive (had it laid before me). The reflexive-like 'me' is the beneficiary; 'voorleggen' is separable and closes the clause.
> Pluperfect in a relative clause: 'Die ... verkruimeld had' is a relative clause in the pluperfect (that had crumbled), verb cluster at the end. 'Betsy's broodje' shows the modern 's-genitive plus the diminutive 'broodje'.

Er wordt daar gesproken van een kind dat aan de borst van de moeder ligt--dit kan er dóór--maar: "dat ter-nauwer-nood aan den moederlyken schoot onttogen is" zie, dit vond ik niet goed--om daarover te spreken, meen ik--en myn vrouw ook niet.  
There is talk in it of a child that lies at its mother's breast—that can pass—but: "that is scarcely drawn from the maternal womb"—see, this I did not think good—to speak of, I mean—and neither did my wife.
> Impersonal worden-passive: 'Er wordt ... gesproken van' is an impersonal passive (there is talk of), with placeholder 'er', the 'worden'-passive, and no named agent — a very Dutch construction.
> Pronominal adverb 'daarover': 'Daarover' fuses 'over' + 'dat/het' (about that). Dutch prefers 'daarover' to 'over dat'; here it sits inside an 'om ... te' purpose phrase.
> Zijn-passive + old adjective ending: 'Onttogen is' is a 'zijn'-passive (is drawn from); 'den moederlyken schoot' carries the period -en endings on both article and adjective. This is the very line that scandalizes Droogstoppel.

Marie is dertien jaar. Van kool of ooievaars wordt by ons aan huis niet gesproken, ook niet van den Volewyk, maar zóó de zaken by den naam te noemen, vind ik onbehoorlyk, omdat ik zoo op zedelykheid gesteld ben.  
Marie is thirteen. Of cabbages or storks there is no talk in our house, nor of the Volewijk either, but to call things by their name in that way I find unseemly, because I am so particular about morality.
> Fronted PP + impersonal passive: The prepositional phrase 'van kool of ooievaars' is fronted, then the impersonal 'worden'-passive 'wordt ... gesproken' (there is no talk of). V2 keeps 'wordt' in second position.
> Fronted infinitive clause as object: The whole 'te'-infinitive phrase 'zóó de zaken by den naam te noemen' (to call things by their name) is fronted as the object of 'vind ik onbehoorlyk' — emphatic V2 again.

Ik deed Frits, die dat ding nu eenmaal "uitwendig wist" zooals Stern dit noemt, beloven dat hy 't nooit weer opzeggen zou --althans niet voor hy lid van Doctrina wezen zal, omdat daar geen jonge meisjes komen--en toen borg ik het in myn lessenaar, het vers meen ik. Maar ik moest weten of er niet meer in dat pak was, dat aanstoot geven kon.  
I made Frits—who now knew the thing "by heart," as Stern calls it—promise that he would never recite it again—at least not before he is a member of Doctrina, since no young girls go there—and then I locked it away in my desk, the verse, I mean. But I had to know whether there was anything more in that parcel that might give offense.
> Causative 'deed ... beloven': 'Deed Frits ... beloven' is causative 'doen' plus bare infinitive (made Frits promise). The object 'Frits' and a long relative interjection separate 'deed' from the clause-final 'beloven'.
> Conditional 'zou' in a dat-clause: 'Dat hy 't nooit weer opzeggen zou' places the conditional 'zou' last, after the infinitive 'opzeggen' (recite). 'Nooit' supplies the single negation; the separable 'opzeggen' completes the cluster.

Daar ging ik aan 't zoeken en bladeren. Alles lezen kon ik niet, want ik vond er talen in, die ik niet verstond, maar zie, daar viel myn oog op een bundel: "Verslag over de Koffikultuur in de Residentie Menado."  
So I set to searching and leafing through it. I could not read it all, for I found languages in it that I did not understand, but, lo, my eye fell on a bundle: "Report on Coffee Cultivation in the Residency of Menado."
> 'aan het' + infinitive (progressive): 'Aan 't zoeken en bladeren' is the 'aan het' + infinitive progressive (set to searching and leafing). Fronted 'daar' triggers V2 inversion of 'ging ik'.
> Split pronominal adverb 'er ... in': 'Er ... in' is a split pronominal adverb ('in it'): 'er' detaches from 'in' across the clause. The relative 'die' then opens a verb-final clause on 'talen'.

Myn hart sprong op, omdat ik makelaar in koffi ben--Lauriergracht, N° 37--en Menado is een goed merk.  
My heart leapt up, because I am a coffee broker—Lauriergracht, No. 37—and Menado is a good brand.
> Predicate noun without article: 'Ik ... makelaar in koffi ben' drops the article before a profession (I am a coffee broker), and the subordinator 'omdat' sends 'ben' to the end. The aside fixes Droogstoppel's identity for the umpteenth time.

Dus die Sjaalman, die zulke onzedelyke verzen maakte, had ook in koffi gewerkt.  
So this Shawlman, who wrote such immoral verses, had also worked in coffee.
> Relative clause + pluperfect main clause: The relative 'die ... maakte' (who made) is verb-final, then the main clause runs 'had ... gewerkt' (had worked), a pluperfect bracketing 'ook in koffi'. 'Zulke' is the archaic-leaning 'such'.

Ik zag nu 't pak met een heel ander oog aan, en vond er stukken in, die ik wel niet alle begreep, maar die werkelyk kennis van zaken aantoonden.  
I now looked at the parcel with quite a different eye, and found pieces in it that I did not, to be sure, fully understand, but that showed real knowledge of the matter.
> Separable 'aanzien': 'Aanzien' (to look at/regard) splits: 'zag' stands second and the prefix 'aan' lands at the very end after the whole middle field 'nu 't pak met een heel ander oog'.
> Coordinated relatives 'die ... maar die': Two relative clauses on 'stukken' are joined by 'maar' (a coordinating conjunction that does NOT send the verb to the end of the main line), each internally verb-final under 'die'.

Er waren staten, opgaven, berekeningen met cyfers, waaraan geen rym te bekennen was, en alles was met zulk een zorg en nauwkeurigheid bewerkt, dat ik, ronduit gezegd--want ik houd van de waarheid--op het denkbeeld kwam dat die Sjaalman, als de derde klerk eens uitviel--wat gebeuren kan, daar hy oud en stuntelig wordt--heel goed diens plaats zou kunnen innemen.  
There were tables, returns, calculations with figures, in which there was not a trace of rhyme to be found, and everything was worked out with such care and accuracy that I—frankly speaking, for I love the truth—came upon the notion that this Shawlman, if the third clerk should fall out—which may happen, since he is growing old and doddering—could very well fill his place.
> Pronominal adverb 'waaraan' + 'te'-infinitive: 'Waaraan ... te bekennen was' (in which no rhyme was to be detected) combines the relative pronominal adverb 'waaraan' with a 'te'-infinitive of possibility. 'Geen rym' negates the indefinite noun.
> Conditional 'zou kunnen innemen': A conditional sentence: the 'als'-clause uses imperfect 'uitviel' (separable 'uitvallen'), and the main clause stacks 'zou kunnen innemen' — conditional 'zou' + modal 'kunnen' + separable infinitive at the end.
> Causal 'daar' (since): 'Daar' here is the literary subordinator 'since/because' (not the adverb 'there'), sending 'wordt' to the end. It marks a slightly formal, period register.

Het spreekt vanzelf dat ik eerst informatiën nemen zou naar eerlykheid, geloof en fatsoen, want ik neem niemand op 't kantoor, voor ik dáárvan zeker ben. Dit is een vast principe van me.  
It goes without saying that I should first make inquiries about his honesty, faith, and respectability, for I take no one into the office before I am sure of that. This is a fixed principle of mine.
> Impersonal 'het spreekt vanzelf': 'Het spreekt vanzelf dat...' (it goes without saying that) uses dummy 'het'; the 'dat'-clause then ends on the conditional 'zou' after the infinitive 'nemen'.
> Pronominal adverb 'daarvan': 'Dáárvan' = 'van dat' (of that, i.e. of his honesty). The accent marks emphasis. The 'voor'-clause (before) is verb-final on 'ben'.

Gy hebt het gezien uit myn brief aan Ludwig Stern.  
You have seen it from my letter to Ludwig Stern.
> Pronoun 'gy' + present perfect: 'Gy' is the stressed literary second-person pronoun of 1860 (you), here with the present perfect 'hebt ... gezien'. Modern Dutch would use 'u' or 'je/jij'.

Ik wilde voor Frits niet weten dat ik eenig belang begon te stellen in den inhoud van dat pak, en stuurde hem daarom weg. 't Werd my inderdaad duizelig, toen ik zoo den eenen bundel vóór, den anderen na, opnam, en de opschriften las.  
I did not want Frits to know that I was beginning to take some interest in the contents of that parcel, and so I sent him off. It actually made me dizzy when I took up one bundle after another and read the titles.
> Modal 'wilde' + 'te'-infinitive chain: 'Wilde ... niet weten' (did not want Frits to know), then inside the 'dat'-clause 'begon te stellen' (began to take interest) shows 'beginnen' governing a 'te'-infinitive. 'Belang stellen in' = to take interest in.
> Impersonal 'het werd my duizelig': 'Het werd my duizelig' is an impersonal construction with dummy 'het' and a dative 'my' (it made me dizzy / I grew dizzy). Dutch frames bodily states this impersonal way.
> Case-marked 'den eenen ... den anderen': 'Den eenen ... den anderen' (one after another) keeps the old accusative -en throughout the phrase, a frozen idiom for 'one ... the next'.

Het is waar, er waren veel verzen onder, maar ik vond veel nuttigs ook, en ik stond verbaasd over de verscheidenheid der behandelde onderwerpen.  
It is true, there were many verses among them, but I found much that was useful as well, and I stood amazed at the variety of the subjects treated.
> Existential 'er waren': 'Er waren veel verzen onder' (there were many verses among them) uses existential 'er' with 'zijn' to assert existence. 'Onder' here means 'among them'.
> Genitive 'der ... onderwerpen' + participle adjective: 'Der behandelde onderwerpen' is an old genitive plural (of the treated subjects), with 'behandelde' a past participle used attributively. 'Verbaasd staan over' = to be amazed at.

Ik erken--want ik houd van de waarheid--dat ik, die altyd in koffi gedaan heb, niet in staat ben de waarde van alles te beoordeelen, maar, ook zonder deze beoordeeling, de lyst der opschriften alleen was reeds kurieus.  
I admit—for I love the truth—that I, who have always been in coffee, am not in a position to judge the worth of everything; but, even without such judgment, the list of titles alone was already curious.
> Relative 'die' on 'ik' + perfect: 'Die altyd in koffi gedaan heb' is a relative clause on the first person 'ik', so the verb agrees with 'ik' ('heb', not 'heeft'). 'In koffi doen' = to be in the coffee business.
> 'in staat zijn te' + infinitive: 'In staat zijn ... te beoordeelen' (to be able to judge) governs a 'te'-infinitive. The negation 'niet' precedes the predicate; 'te beoordeelen' closes the structure.
> Genitive 'der opschriften': 'Der opschriften' is an old genitive plural (of the titles). Modern Dutch would say 'de lijst van de opschriften'; the inflected 'der' is the literary 1860 choice.

Daar ik u de geschiedenis van den Griek verteld heb, weet ge reeds dat ik in myn jeugd eenigszins ben gelatinizeerd geworden, en hoezeer ik my in korrespondentie onthoud van alle citaten --wat op een makelaars kantoor ook niet te-pas komen zou--dacht ik echter by het zien van dat alles: multa, non multum. Of: de omnibus aliquid, de toto nihil.  
Since I have told you the story of the Greek, you already know that in my youth I was somewhat Latinized, and however much I avoid all quotations in my correspondence—which would not be in place at a broker's office either—I nevertheless thought, on seeing all this: multa, non multum. Or: de omnibus aliquid, de toto nihil.
> Causal 'daar' fronted, then V2: The fronted causal clause 'Daar ik ... verteld heb' (since I have told you) pushes the main verb 'weet' before the subject 'ge' — V2 after a subordinate clause in first position.
> Perfect passive 'is/ben ... geworden': 'Ben gelatinizeerd geworden' is a perfect worden-passive (was/became Latinized): 'zijn' + participle + 'geworden'. The perfect of the process passive adds 'geworden' at the end.
> Reflexive 'zich onthouden van': 'Ik my onthoud van' is the reflexive 'zich onthouden van' (to abstain from), here 'my' for the first person. The concessive 'hoezeer' (however much) sends the verb to the end of its clause.

Maar dit was eigenlyk meer uit een soort van wrevel, en uit zekeren aandrang om de geleerdheid die voor my lag, in 't latyn aantespreken, dan wel omdat ik het precies meende. Want, waar ik 't een of ander stuk wat langer inzag, moest ik erkennen dat de schryver me toescheen wel op de hoogte van zyn taak te staan, en zelfs dat hy een groote soliditeit in zyn redeneeringen aan den dag legde.  
But this was really more out of a kind of vexation, and out of a certain urge to address in Latin the learning that lay before me, than because I exactly meant it. For wherever I looked a little longer at one piece or another, I had to admit that the writer seemed to me well up to his task, and even that he brought a great soundness to bear in his reasonings.
> 'om ... aan te spreken' (separable in 'te'-infinitive): A purpose clause 'om ... aantespreken' (to address in Latin); the separable verb 'aanspreken' wraps 'te' as the joined 1860 form 'aantespreken' (modern 'aan te spreken').
> Subjective 'schijnen' + 'te'-infinitive: 'De schryver ... toescheen ... te staan' uses 'schijnen' (seem) with a 'te'-infinitive ('op de hoogte ... te staan', to be on top of his task). 'Toescheen' is the separable 'toeschijnen' (to seem to someone).
> Coordinating 'want' vs subordinating 'waar': 'Want' (for) coordinates and does NOT change word order, while 'waar' (wherever) subordinates and drives 'inzag' (separable 'inzien') to the clause end. The contrast is instructive.

Ik vond daar verhandelingen en opstellen:  
I found there treatises and essays:

Over het SANSKRIT, als moeder van de germaansche taaltakken. Over de strafbepalingen op kindermoord.  
On SANSKRIT, as the mother of the Germanic branches of language. On the penalties for infanticide.
> Compound 'taaltakken': 'Taaltakken' glues 'taal' (language) + 'takken' (branches) into 'language-branches'. The adjective 'germaansche' carries the period -sche ending for 'Germanic'.

Over den oorsprong van den adel. Over het verschil tusschen de begrippen: ONEINDIGE TYD en: EEUWIGHEID.  
On the origin of the nobility. On the difference between the concepts: INFINITE TIME and: ETERNITY.
> Old accusative 'den ... den': 'Den oorsprong' follows 'over'; 'den adel' follows 'van' — both display the old masculine case ending, but under different prepositions. In these pamphlet titles the case endings appear with mechanical regularity.

Over de kansrekening. Over het boek van JOB. (Ik vond nog iets over Job, maar dat waren verzen.)  
On the calculation of probabilities. On the book of JOB. (I found something more on Job, but that was verses.)

Over proteïne in de atmospherische lucht. Over de staatkunde van Rusland.  
On protein in the atmospheric air. On the statecraft of Russia.

Over de klinkletters. Over cellulaire gevangenissen.  
On vowels. On cellular prisons.

Over de oude stellingen omtrent het: HORROR VACUI. Over de wenschelykheid der afschaffing van strafbepalingen op laster.  
On the old propositions concerning the: HORROR VACUI. On the desirability of abolishing the penalties for slander.

Over de oorzaken van den opstand der Nederlanders tegen Spanje, NIET liggende in de begeerte naar godsdienstige of staatkundige vryheid.  
On the causes of the revolt of the Dutch against Spain, NOT lying in any longing for religious or political freedom.
> Present participle 'liggende': 'Liggende' is a present participle (-end + adjectival -e) used attributively ('not lying in...'). 'Der Nederlanders' is again an old genitive plural.

Over het PERPETUUM MOBILE, de cirkelkwadratuur en den wortel van wortellooze getallen. Over de zwaarte van het licht.  
On the PERPETUUM MOBILE, the squaring of the circle, and the root of rootless numbers. On the weight of light.

Over den achteruitgang der beschaving sedert het ontstaan des Christendoms. (Hè?) Over de yslandsche Mythologie.  
On the decline of civilization since the rise of Christianity. (Eh?) On Icelandic Mythology.
> Genitive 'der' and 'des': 'Der beschaving' (of civilization) and 'des Christendoms' (of Christianity) are old genitives, feminine 'der' and neuter 'des' + noun -s. 'Sedert' (since) is a formal temporal preposition.

Over den EMILE van ROUSSEAU.  
On ROUSSEAU's ÉMILE.

Over de Civiele Rechtsvordering, in zaken van koophandel. Over SIRIUS als middelpunt van een zonnestelsel.  
On Civil Procedure in matters of commerce. On SIRIUS as the center of a solar system.

Over Inkomende-Rechten als ondoeltreffend, onkiesch, onrechtvaardig, en onzedelyk. (Daarvan had ik nooit iets gehoord.) Over verzen als oudste taal. (Dat geloof ik niet.)  
On Import Duties as ineffective, indelicate, unjust, and immoral. (Of that I had never heard a thing.) On verse as the oldest language. (That I do not believe.)
> Pronominal adverb 'daarvan' fronted: 'Daarvan' (= van dat, of that) is fronted, so the pluperfect auxiliary 'had' inverts before 'ik'. 'Nooit' carries the single negation; the participle 'gehoord' ends the clause.

Over witte mieren. Over het tegennatuurlyke van School-Inrichtingen.  
On white ants. On the unnaturalness of School-Institutions.

Over de prostitutie in het huwelyk. (Dat is een schandelyk stuk.) Over hydraulische onderwerpen in verband met de rystkultuur.  
On prostitution in marriage. (That is a scandalous piece.) On hydraulic subjects in connection with rice cultivation.

Over het schynbaar overwicht der westersche beschaving. Over kadaster, registratie en zegel.  
On the seeming preponderance of Western civilization. On land registry, registration, and stamp duty.

Over kinderboekjes, fabels en sprookjes. (Dit wil ik wel eens lezen, omdat hy op waarheid aandringt.) Over bemiddeling, in den handel. (Dit bevalt me volstrekt niet.  
On children's books, fables, and fairy-tales. (This I should rather like to read, because he insists on truth.) On middlemen, in trade. (This I do not like at all.
> Modal 'wil' + causal 'omdat': Main clause 'wil ik ... lezen' keeps V2 with the infinitive 'lezen' at the end; the 'omdat'-clause then sends the separable 'aandringt' (insists) to its own clause end.

Ik geloof dat hy de makelaars wil afschaffen. Maar ik heb het toch ter-zyde gelegd, omdat er een-en-ander in voorkomt, dat ik gebruiken kan voor myn boek.)  
I believe he wants to abolish the brokers. But I have laid it aside all the same, because there are one or two things in it that I can use for my book.)
> Modal + infinitive in a dat-clause: Inside the 'dat'-clause the modal 'wil' and the infinitive 'afschaffen' (to abolish) both go to the end, in the order modal-then-infinitive — a clean example of the verb cluster.
> 'er ... in' + separable 'voorkomen': 'Er ... in voorkomt' splits the pronominal adverb 'erin' around the separable verb 'voorkomen' (occurs). The trailing relative 'dat ik gebruiken kan' is verb-final on the modal 'kan'.

Over successierecht, een der beste belastingen. Over de uitvinding der kuisheid. (Dit begryp ik niet.)  
On inheritance duty, one of the best taxes. On the invention of chastity. (This I do not understand.)
> Partitive genitive 'der': 'Een der beste belastingen' = 'one of the best taxes', the old genitive plural 'der' standing for modern 'van de'. The superlative 'beste' takes its -e ending attributively.

Over vermenigvuldiging. (Deze titel klinkt heel eenvoudig, maar er staat veel in dit stuk, waaraan ik vroeger niet gedacht had.)  
On multiplication. (This title sounds very simple, but there is much in this piece that I had never thought of before.)
> 'er staat' + pronominal adverb 'waaraan': 'Er staat veel in' (there is much in it), then 'waaraan ik ... gedacht had' is a relative pronominal adverb clause ('about which I had not thought'), pluperfect and verb-final. 'Denken aan' = to think about.

Over zeker soort van geest der Franschen, een gevolg der armoede van hun taal. (Dit laat ik gelden. Geestigheid en armoede ... hy kan het weten.)  
On a certain kind of wit in the French, a consequence of the poverty of their language. (This I let pass. Wit and poverty ... he ought to know.)
> Genitive 'der armoede': 'Der armoede' is an old feminine genitive (of the poverty), mixed in the same phrase with the modern 'van hun taal' — a nice snapshot of 1860 Dutch using both strategies side by side.

Over het verband tusschen de romans van AUGUST LAFONTAINE en de tering. (Dit wil ik eens lezen, omdat er van dien Lafontaine boeken op zolder liggen.  
On the connection between the novels of AUGUST LAFONTAINE and consumption. (This I should like to read sometime, because there are books by that Lafontaine in the attic.
> Existential 'er ... liggen': 'Er ... boeken op zolder liggen' (there are books lying in the attic) uses 'er' for existence; under 'omdat' the verb 'liggen' goes to the end. 'Op zolder' = in the attic.
> 'tering' = consumption: 'Tering' is the old word for tuberculosis/consumption. Sjaalman's title links sentimental Lafontaine novels to the wasting disease — Romantic cliché met with mock science.

Maar hy zegt, dat de invloed zich eerst openbaart in het tweede geslacht. Myn grootvader las niet.)  
But he says that the influence first shows itself in the second generation. My grandfather did not read.)
> Reflexive 'zich openbaren': 'Zich openbaren' (to manifest itself) is reflexive; in the 'dat'-clause the verb 'openbaart' goes to the end after 'zich' and the time adverb 'eerst' (only then). 'Geslacht' here = generation.

Over de macht der Engelschen buiten Europa. Over het Godsgericht in de middeleeuwen, en thans.  
On the power of the English outside Europe. On the Judgment of God in the Middle Ages, and now.

Over de rekenkunde by de Romeinen. Over armoede aan poëzie by toonzetters.  
On arithmetic among the Romans. On poverty of poetry in composers.

Over pietistery, biologie en tafeldans. Over besmettelyke ziekten.  
On pietism, biology, and table-turning. On contagious diseases.

Over den moorschen bouwtrant. Over de kracht der vooroordeelen, blijkbaar uit ziekten die door tocht veroorzaakt heeten te zyn. (Heb ik het niet gezegd, dat de lyst kurieus was?)  
On the Moorish style of building. On the power of prejudices, evident from illnesses said to be caused by drafts. (Did I not say the list was curious?)
> 'heten te' + passive infinitive: 'Heeten te zyn' = are said to be; 'heten' governs a 'te'-infinitive, here the passive 'door tocht veroorzaakt te zyn' (to be caused by draught). 'Door' marks the agent.

Over de duitsche eenheid. Over de lengte op zee. (Ik denk dat op zee alles wel even lang zal wezen als op 't land.)  
On German unity. On longitude at sea. (I think that at sea everything will be much the same length as on land.)
> Future + comparative 'even ... als': In the 'dat'-clause the future 'zal wezen' closes the line; 'even lang ... als' is the equative comparison (as long as). Droogstoppel comically mistakes 'lengte' (longitude) for physical length.

Over de plichten van de Regeering omtrent publieke vermakelijkheden. Over de overeenstemming tusschen de schotsche en friesche talen.  
On the duties of the Government concerning public amusements. On the correspondence between the Scots and Frisian languages.

Over prozodie. Over de schoonheid der vrouwen te Nîmes en te Arles, met een onderzoek naar het stelsel van kolonisatie der Phoeniciërs.  
On prosody. On the beauty of the women at Nîmes and at Arles, with an inquiry into the system of colonization of the Phoenicians.

Over landbouwkontrakten op Java. Over het zuigvermogen van een nieuw-modelpomp.  
On agricultural contracts in Java. On the suction power of a new-model pump.

Over legitimiteit van dynastien. Over de volksletterkunde in Javaansche rhapsoden.  
On the legitimacy of dynasties. On folk literature among Javanese rhapsodes.

Over de nieuwe wyze van reven. Over de perkussie, toegepast op handgranaten. (Dit stuk dateert van 1847, dus van vóór Orsini.)  
On the new manner of reefing. On percussion, applied to hand grenades. (This piece is dated 1847, and so from before Orsini.)
> Coordinating 'dus': 'Dus' (so/therefore) is a coordinating conjunction — it links the conclusion without sending any verb to the end. The dating gag references the would-be assassin Orsini and his 1858 bomb.
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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.