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 3
too frequent among us,
allzu häufig unter uns vorkommt,
sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.
die armen unschuldigen Kinder zu opfern, wie ich vermute, mehr um die Kosten zu vermeiden als die Schande, was in der wildesten und unmenschlichsten Brust Tränen und Mitleid erwecken würde.
The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple, whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain a hundred and seventy thousand breeders.
Da die Zahl der Seelen in diesem Königreich gewöhnlich auf anderthalb Millionen geschätzt wird, berechne ich, dass es darunter etwa zweihunderttausend Paare geben mag, deren Frauen gebärfähig sind; von dieser Zahl ziehe ich dreißigtausend Paare ab, die in der Lage sind, ihre eigenen Kinder zu unterhalten, (obwohl ich bezweifle, dass es unter den gegenwärtigen Nöten des Königreichs so viele sein können) aber wenn man dies als gegeben annimmt, verbleiben hundertsiebizigtausend gebärfähige Frauen.
I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year.
Ich ziehe weitere fünfzigtausend ab, für jene Frauen, die eine Fehlgeburt erleiden oder deren Kinder innerhalb des Jahres durch Unfall oder Krankheit sterben.
There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born.
Es verbleiben nur hundertzwanzigtausend Kinder armer Eltern, die jährlich geboren werden.
The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed.
Die Frage ist daher, wie diese Anzahl aufgezogen und versorgt werden soll, was, wie ich bereits gesagt habe, unter der gegenwärtigen Lage der Dinge, mit allen bisher vorgeschlagenen Methoden völlig unmöglich ist.
Vocabulary
- allzu
- Too, excessively, overly.
- häufig
- Frequent, often, common occurrence.
- unter
- Under, beneath, among multiple items.
- uns
- Us, objective form of we.
- vorkommt
- Occurs, happens, comes before someone.
- die
- The, definite article feminine singular.
- armen
- Poor, needy, lacking material resources.
- unschuldigen
- Innocent, guiltless, not responsible for.
- Kinder
- Children, young human beings collectively.
- zu
- To, for, toward a direction.
- opfern
- Sacrifice, give up, surrender willingly.
- wie
- How, as, in what manner.
- ich
- I, first person singular pronoun.
- vermute
- Suspect, suppose, assume without certainty.
- mehr
- More, greater quantity or amount.
- um
- Around, about, in order to.
- Kosten
- Costs, expenses, financial charges incurred.
- vermeiden
- Avoid, prevent, refrain from doing.
- als
- Than, as, when used comparatively.
- Schande
- Shame, disgrace, loss of honor.
- was
- What, which thing or matter.
- in
- In, inside, within a place.
- der
- The, definite article feminine singular.
- wildesten
- Wildest, most untamed or savage.
- und
- And, conjunction joining two items.
- unmenschlichsten
- Most inhumane, least compassionate behavior.
- Brust
- Breast, chest, seat of emotions.
- Tränen
- Tears, liquid from eyes when.
- Mitleid
- Pity, compassion, sympathy for others.
- erwecken
- Awaken, arouse, stir up feelings.
- würde
- Would, conditional form of werden.
- Da
- There, then, since that time.
- Zahl
- Number, quantity, amount of things.
- Seelen
- Souls, spiritual essence of people.
- diesem
- This, this one, to this.
- Königreich
- Kingdom, realm ruled by monarch.
- gewöhnlich
- Usually, ordinarily, commonly as normal.
- auf
- On, upon, on top of.
- anderthalb
- One and a half, 1.5.
- Millionen
- Millions, one thousand thousand units.
- geschätzt
- Estimated, valued at approximately amount.
- wird
- Is, third person singular of werden.
- berechne
- Calculate, compute, determine by mathematics.
- dass
- That, introducing subordinate clause content.
- es
- It, third person singular neuter.
- darunter
- Among them, beneath that, under.
- etwa
- About, approximately, roughly speaking number.
- Paare
- Pairs, couples, two things together.
- geben
- Give, provide, present something offered.
- mag
- May, might, is able to.
- deren
- Whose, of which, relative pronoun.
- Frauen
- Women, adult female human beings.
- sind
- Are, plural present tense of.
- von
- From, of, origin or possession.
- dieser
- This, this one feminine form.
- ziehe
- Draw, pull, subtract one from.
- ab
- Off, away from, subtracted.
- Lage
- Situation, position, state of affairs.
- ihre
- Their, possessive pronoun feminine plural.
- eigenen
- Own, belonging to oneself only.
- unterhalten
- Maintain, support, keep in working.
- obwohl
- Although, even though, despite fact.
- bezweifle
- Doubt, question, express skepticism about.
- den
- The, definite article masculine accusative.
- gegenwärtigen
- Present, current, existing at now.
- Nöten
- Needs, necessities, situations requiring help.
- des
- The, definite article genitive masculine.
- so
- So, thus, in this manner.
- viele
- Many, numerous, large quantity amount.
- sein
- Be, exist, have state being.
- können
- Can, be able to, possible.
- aber
- But, however, conversely on other.
- wenn
- If, whenever, conditional conjunction word.
- man
- One, you, indefinite pronoun reference.
- dies
- This, these, this one item.
- gegeben
- Given, provided, past participle give.
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