Elizabeth strikes again

[AlexBell]

I'm working on another book by Elizabeth von Arnim, in which there is a newspaper report

'Heute früh ist meine liebe Frau Charlotte von einem strammen Jungen leicht und glücklich entbunden worden'

Elizabeth is thinking about her cousin Charlotte who has had 10 children who died within days of birth. I think that von einem is a typo, and should read von Einem, but can't make any sense of the rest of it.

Can anyone help?

PS: the book The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen was published in 1904, so I suppose there could be changes in meaning. But I would like the translation in 2017 English, please.

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

'Heute früh ist meine liebe Frau Charlotte von einem strammen Jungen leicht und glücklich entbunden worden'

It means something along the lines of:

After an easy and fortunate delivery, my dear wife Charlotte gave birth to a strapping boy this morning.

I didn't how to best squeeze in the "leichte und glückliche Entbindung" part. I'm also not 100% sure whether "glücklich" = happy/lucky/fortunate refers to the delivery itself or the feelings of the mother after the easy birth.

Hopefully, HarryT will come up with a more idiomatic translation.

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I'm working on another book by Elizabeth von Arnim, in which there is a newspaper report

'Heute früh ist meine liebe Frau Charlotte von einem strammen Jungen leicht und glücklich entbunden worden'

Elizabeth is thinking about her cousin Charlotte who has had 10 children who died within days of birth. I think that von einem is a typo, and should read von Einem, but can't make any sense of the rest of it.

There is an almost exact English translation that matches the German one in tone and cadence, but it feels to me, like the German, somewhat outdated and overly formal:

"This morning, my dear wife Charlotte was easily and happily delivered of a strapping boy."

PS: there is no typo, the German is correct in all aspects.

[beachwanderer]

As Gudy suggests. And nobody would use the phrase "von einem strammen Jungen leicht und glücklich entbunden worden" today. You read or hear this and imagine some prussian with a stiff white collar rightaway.

By the way: Nice find, that book. As the island of Rügen is just 150 km away and as I'm always interested in older accounts of travel along these shores I'll surely have a look at it.

Edit.:
Ha! Very nice stuff.
"A pillow, it is true, takes up a great deal of room in one's luggage, but in Rügen however simply you dress you are better dressed than the others, so that you need take hardly any clothes."

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Gudy

There is an almost exact English translation that matches the German one in tone and cadence, but it feels to me, like the German, somewhat outdated and overly formal:

"This morning, my dear wife Charlotte was easily and happily delivered of a strapping boy."

PS: there is no typo, the German is correct in all aspects.

In modern English, something like:

"This morning, my dear wife Charlotte had a healthy baby boy after an easy delivery"

might be better?

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by beachwanderer

Edit.:
Ha! Very nice stuff.
"A pillow, it is true, takes up a great deal of room in one's luggage, but in Rügen however simply you dress you are better dressed than the others, so that you need take hardly any clothes."

Most of her books are full of 'one-liners' like that, and I find them hilarious.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In modern English, something like:

"This morning, my dear wife Charlotte had a healthy baby boy after an easy delivery"

might be better?

Thanks to you all, and yes, Elizabeth often mentions that her husband is a Prussian Junker.

I'll use Harry's translation, with thanks, though I was expecting from the context something more sombre than that. Perhaps it's another example of the author's irony.