A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick — Page 2
But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.
Aber meine Absicht ist keineswegs darauf beschränkt, nur für die Kinder erklärter Bettler zu sorgen: sie ist von weit größerem Umfang und soll die gesamte Anzahl von Säuglingen in einem bestimmten Alter einschließen, die von Eltern geboren werden, die tatsächlich ebenso wenig in der Lage sind, sie zu versorgen, wie jene, die unsere Nächstenliebe auf den Straßen einfordern.
As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation.
Was mich selbst betrifft, so habe ich, nachdem ich meine Gedanken viele Jahre lang diesem wichtigen Thema gewidmet und die verschiedenen Pläne unserer Projektemacher reiflich abgewogen habe, sie stets als grob fehlerhaft in ihren Berechnungen befunden.
It is true, a child just dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands.
Es ist wahr, dass ein Kind, das gerade von seiner Mutter geboren wurde, für ein Sonnenjahr durch ihre Milch ernährt werden kann, mit wenig anderer Nahrung: höchstens im Wert von zwei Schilling, den die Mutter gewiss verdienen kann, oder den entsprechenden Wert in Almosen, durch ihren rechtmäßigen Beruf des Bettelns; und genau im Alter von einem Jahr schlage ich vor, für sie in einer solchen Weise zu sorgen, dass sie, anstatt ihren Eltern oder der Gemeinde zur Last zu fallen oder für den Rest ihres Lebens nach Nahrung und Kleidung zu verlangen, im Gegenteil zur Ernährung und teilweise zur Bekleidung vieler Tausender beitragen sollen.
There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas!
Es gibt überdies noch einen weiteren großen Vorteil in meinem Plan, nämlich dass er jene freiwilligen Abtreibungen und jene grässliche Praxis von Frauen, ihre unehelichen Kinder zu ermorden, verhindern wird, leider!
Vocabulary
- Aber
- But; however; yet
- meine
- My; mine (possessive pronoun/determiner)
- Absicht
- Intention; purpose; aim or objective
- ist
- Is; present tense of sein (to be)
- keineswegs
- Not at all; by no means; in no way
- darauf
- On that; thereupon; on it; about that
- beschränkt
- Limited; restricted; confined to something
- nur
- Only; merely; just; solely or simply
- für
- For; in favor of; intended for someone
- die
- The (feminine singular or plural article)
- Kinder
- Children; plural of Kind (child)
- Bettler
- Beggar; person who begs for alms
- zu
- To; for; too; toward or in order to
- sorgen
- To care; to worry; to provide for someone
- sie
- She; they; it (feminine or plural pronoun)
- von
- From; by; of; belonging to or originating
- weit
- Far; wide; distant; to a great extent
- größerem
- Greater; larger; more extensive or significant
- Umfang
- Extent; scope; range; circumference or volume
- und
- And; conjunction connecting words or phrases
- soll
- Shall; should; is supposed to do something
- gesamte
- Entire; whole; complete; all or total
- Anzahl
- Number; quantity; amount; total count or sum
- Säuglingen
- Infants; babies; young children still nursing
- in
- In; into; within; during a time period
- einem
- A; an; one (indefinite article, dative)
- bestimmten
- Certain; specific; particular; definite or fixed
- Alter
- Age; old age; period of years lived
- einschließen
- Include; enclose; comprise or contain something
- Eltern
- Parents; mother and father; one's guardians
- geboren
- Born; brought into existence by birth
- werden
- To become; to be; auxiliary verb for passive
- tatsächlich
- Actually; in fact; really; indeed or truly
- ebenso
- Likewise; equally; just as; in same way
- wenig
- Little; few; small amount or quantity
- der
- The; masculine singular or plural article
- Lage
- Situation; position; state or circumstances
- sind
- Are; plural present tense of sein (to be)
- versorgen
- To supply; to provide; to care for someone
- wie
- How; as; like; in what manner or way
- jene
- Those; that; those people or things mentioned
- unsere
- Our; belonging to us; ours (possessive)
- Nächstenliebe
- Charity; brotherly love; compassion for others
- auf
- On; upon; at; in or into a place
- den
- The; masculine singular accusative article
- Straßen
- Streets; roads; public ways in towns
- einfordern
- To demand; to claim; to require or insist
- Was
- What; interrogative pronoun; that which
- mich
- Me; myself; accusative form of ich (I)
- selbst
- Self; myself; myself or oneself emphasizer
- betrifft
- Concerns; affects; pertains to or involves
- so
- So; thus; therefore; in this manner way
- habe
- Have; first person singular of haben
- ich
- I; first person singular pronoun
- nachdem
- After; according to; subsequently or thereafter
- Gedanken
- Thoughts; ideas; reflections on something
- viele
- Many; numerous; a large number of things
- Jahre
- Years; plural of Jahr; periods of twelve months
- lang
- Long; lengthy; for a long period time
- diesem
- This; these (demonstrative, dative singular)
- wichtigen
- Important; significant; of great consequence value
- Thema
- Theme; topic; subject matter of discussion
- gewidmet
- Dedicated; devoted; committed to something
- verschiedenen
- Different; various; several or multiple types
- Pläne
- Plans; schemes; designs or arrangements
- unserer
- Our; ours; belonging to us (possessive)
- stets
- Always; constantly; continually or at all times
- als
- As; when; than; during a particular time
- grob
- Gross; crude; coarse; roughly or severely
- fehlerhaft
- Faulty; defective; erroneous or incorrect
- ihren
- Their; theirs; feminine or plural possessive form
- Berechnungen
- Calculations; computations; mathematical estimations or figures
- Es
- It; neuter singular pronoun or subject
- wahr
- True; real; genuine or authentic fact
- dass
- That; conjunction introducing subordinate clause statement
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