Letter to his parents (dated 5 May, 1943 in the 1951 edition; dated 5 April, 1943 in the English edition of 1973)
Jetzt nach 4 Wochen Haft kommt zu der raschen, bewußten, inneren Aussöhnung mit dem Geschickten allmählich eine gewisse unbewußte natürliche Gewöhnung hinzu. Das ist eine Erleichterung, hat aber auch seine Probleme; denn gewöhnen will und soll man sich wohl an diesen Zustand nicht, das wird Euch ebenso gehen.
die Aussöhnung reconciliation, acceptance
die Erleichterung lightening, relief
das Geschickt fate, lot in life
die Gewöhnung habituation, becoming accustomed to, habit
die Haft imprisonment, custody
der Zustand state, condition
gewöhnen sich an become accustomed to, get used to
hinzu/kommen arrive, come to, happen in addition
es geht Euch it goes for you; it is ok with you; you agree (Euch is dat 2 pl familiar)
allmählich gradual/ly
bewußt conscious
ebenso just as, as well
gewiss certain, sure
innere inner
rasch quick, hasty, rash
Now after 4 weeks of imprisonment, a sure unconscious natural acceptance with fate arrives in addition to the quick, conscious inner acceptance .
That’s a relief, but also has its (own) problems. So one neither wants to become wholly accustomed nor should one become wholly accustomed to this state, as you will agree.
That was ugly. Forgot my verb in that first sentence.
“acceptance arrives in addition to”
This one is pretty tough; I think first of all because of the impersonal subject “Imprisonment”; second because the verb zu/kommen is kind of odd. It sounds pretty weird to say in English,
“Now after four weeks imprisonment comes–in addition to (or after) the quick . . . reconciliation with fate–gradually to a . . . state of habituation . . . ”
Maybe it would be better to paraphrase and use a personal subject: “After quickly and consciously accepting my fate I have gradually have come to get used to it unconsciously . . .”