Classic
Die Maske des Roten Todes
Edgar Allan Poe
In each language: The Masque of the Red Death · Die Maske des Roten Todes · La máscara de la Muerte Roja · Le Masque de la Mort rouge · La maschera della Morte Rossa
While a deadly plague ravages the land, Prince Prospero seals himself and a thousand friends inside a walled abbey with iron gates, certain the sickness cannot reach them. At his lavish masked ball, a tall stranger in a gravecloth costume appears among the dancers at midnight, while the seventh chamber, hung in black, glows with blood-red windows.
In English, German, Spanish, French and Italian · about 2,400 words · 15 min to read.
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Der „Rote Tod“ hatte das Land schon lange verwüstet. Keine Pest war je so tödlich oder so abscheulich gewesen. Blut war sein Avatar und sein Siegel – das Rot und der Schrecken des Blutes.
The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood.
Es gab stechende Schmerzen und plötzlichen Schwindel, und dann trat aus den Poren reichlich Blut aus, gefolgt von der Auflösung des Körpers.
There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.
Die scharlachroten Flecken auf dem Körper und besonders im Gesicht des Opfers waren das Pestmal, das den Betroffenen von der Hilfe und dem Mitgefühl seiner Mitmenschen ausschloss.
The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.
Languages
- The Masque of the Red Death · English (original)2,399 words · ~15 min
- Die Maske des Roten Todes · GermanC1 Advanced · 2,282 words · ~15 min
- La máscara de la Muerte Roja · SpanishC1 Advanced · 2,452 words · ~15 min
- Le Masque de la Mort rouge · FrenchC1 Advanced · 2,483 words · ~15 min
- La maschera della Morte Rossa · ItalianC1 Advanced · 2,259 words · ~15 min
Open in the reader: German with English · English with Spanish · Spanish with English · French with English · Italian with English
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Reading it as a parallel text
A parallel text puts a story next to its translation, paragraph by paragraph. Read in the language you are working on and glance across only when a sentence stops you: the story keeps moving, and the words you look up stay in context. More in how to read with a parallel text.
Questions
- Which languages can I read The Masque of the Red Death in?
- English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.
- What level is it?
- In translation, German, Spanish, French and Italian are C1 Advanced. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
- How long is it?
- About 2,399 words: around 15 min of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Read it online with no account. The e-reader files (EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account; the PDF doesn't.
- Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?
- Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.