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 15
But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England.
Was mich selbst betrifft, so bin ich nach vielen Jahren, in denen ich mich damit abgemüht habe, vergebliche, müßige, phantastische Gedanken vorzubringen, und nachdem ich schließlich jede Hoffnung auf Erfolg völlig aufgegeben hatte, glücklicherweise auf diesen Vorschlag verfallen, der, so gänzlich neu er ist, dennoch etwas Solides und Reales an sich hat, ohne Kosten und mit wenig Mühe, ganz in unserer eigenen Macht stehend, und wobei wir keine Gefahr eingehen, England zu verprellen.
For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.
Denn diese Art von Ware verträgt keine Ausfuhr, und Fleisch ist von zu zarter Beschaffenheit, um eine lange Einpökelung zu erlauben, obwohl ich vielleicht ein Land nennen könnte, das unser ganzes Volk auch ohne Salz gerne auffressen würde.
After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.
Immerhin bin ich nicht so hartnäckig auf meine eigene Meinung versessen, dass ich irgendein Angebot ablehnen würde, das von weisen Männern vorgebracht wird und sich als gleichermaßen unschädlich, billig, einfach und wirksam erweist.
But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points.
Aber bevor etwas dergleichen im Widerspruch zu meinem Plan vorgebracht und ein besserer angeboten wird, wünsche ich, dass der Verfasser oder die Verfasser zwei Punkte reiflich zu bedenken geruhen.
First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs.
Erstens, wie die Dinge jetzt stehen, wie sie in der Lage sein werden, Nahrung und Kleidung für hunderttausend unnütze Mäuler und Rücken zu beschaffen.
Vocabulary
- selbst
- Reflexive intensifier meaning 'myself' or 'itself'.
- betrifft
- Third-person singular of 'betreffen', meaning 'concerns' or 'regards'.
- denen
- Relative pronoun dative plural meaning 'in which'.
- damit
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'with it' or 'so that'.
- abgemüht
- Past participle of 'abmühen', meaning 'struggled' or 'labored'.
- vergebliche
- Adjective meaning 'futile', 'vain', or 'fruitless'.
- müßige
- Adjective meaning 'idle', 'pointless', or 'leisurely'.
- phantastische
- Adjective meaning 'fantastic', 'fanciful', or 'imaginary'.
- Gedanken
- Plural noun meaning 'thoughts' or 'ideas'.
- vorzubringen
- Infinitive meaning 'to put forward' or 'to present'.
- nachdem
- Conjunction meaning 'after' introducing a subordinate clause.
- schließlich
- Adverb meaning 'finally' or 'ultimately'.
- Hoffnung
- Noun meaning 'hope' or 'expectation'.
- Erfolg
- Noun meaning 'success' or 'achievement'.
- völlig
- Adverb meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'.
- aufgegeben
- Past participle of 'aufgeben', meaning 'given up' or 'abandoned'.
- glücklicherweise
- Adverb meaning 'fortunately' or 'luckily'.
- Vorschlag
- Noun meaning 'proposal' or 'suggestion'.
- verfallen
- Verb meaning 'to hit upon' or 'to fall into an idea'.
- gänzlich
- Adverb meaning 'entirely' or 'wholly'.
- dennoch
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless' or 'yet'.
- Solides
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'something solid' or 'substantial'.
- Reales
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'something real' or 'tangible'.
- Kosten
- Plural noun meaning 'costs' or 'expenses'.
- Mühe
- Noun meaning 'effort', 'trouble', or 'difficulty'.
- eigenen
- Adjective meaning 'own' in a declined form.
- Macht
- Noun meaning 'power' or 'authority'.
- stehend
- Present participle of 'stehen', meaning 'standing' or 'lying within'.
- wobei
- Relative adverb meaning 'whereby' or 'in doing so'.
- Gefahr
- Noun meaning 'danger' or 'risk'.
- eingehen
- Verb meaning 'to enter into' or 'to take on' a risk.
- verprellen
- Verb meaning 'to alienate' or 'to offend' someone.
- Denn
- Conjunction meaning 'for' or 'because'.
- Art
- Noun meaning 'type', 'kind', or 'manner'.
- Ware
- Noun meaning 'goods', 'merchandise', or 'commodity'.
- verträgt
- Third-person singular of 'vertragen', meaning 'tolerates' or 'withstands'.
- Ausfuhr
- Noun meaning 'export' or 'exportation of goods'.
- Fleisch
- Noun meaning 'meat' or 'flesh'.
- zarter
- Comparative adjective meaning 'more tender' or 'delicate'.
- Beschaffenheit
- Noun meaning 'quality', 'nature', or 'condition of something'.
- Einpökelung
- Noun meaning 'pickling' or 'salting of meat for preservation'.
- erlauben
- Verb meaning 'to allow' or 'to permit'.
- obwohl
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'.
- nennen
- Verb meaning 'to name' or 'to call' something.
- könnte
- Subjunctive II of 'können', meaning 'could' or 'might'.
- Volk
- Noun meaning 'people', 'nation', or 'folk'.
- Salz
- Noun meaning 'salt'.
- gerne
- Adverb meaning 'gladly' or 'willingly'.
- auffressen
- Verb meaning 'to devour' or 'to eat up entirely'.
- würde
- Subjunctive II of 'werden', meaning 'would'.
- Immerhin
- Adverb meaning 'after all' or 'at least'.
- hartnäckig
- Adjective meaning 'stubborn', 'persistent', or 'tenacious'.
- eigene
- Adjective meaning 'own' in nominative feminine form.
- Meinung
- Noun meaning 'opinion' or 'view'.
- versessen
- Adjective meaning 'obsessed with' or 'fixated on something'.
- irgendein
- Determiner meaning 'any' or 'some' unspecified thing.
- Angebot
- Noun meaning 'offer', 'proposal', or 'bid'.
- ablehnen
- Verb meaning 'to reject' or 'to decline' an offer.
- weisen
- Adjective meaning 'wise' or verb infinitive meaning 'to direct'.
- vorgebracht
- Past participle of 'vorbringen', meaning 'put forward' or 'presented'.
- gleichermaßen
- Adverb meaning 'equally' or 'in the same measure'.
- unschädlich
- Adjective meaning 'harmless' or 'innocuous'.
- billig
- Adjective meaning 'cheap', 'inexpensive', or 'fair'.
- wirksam
- Adjective meaning 'effective' or 'efficacious'.
- erweist
- Third-person singular of 'erweisen', meaning 'proves' or 'shows itself'.
- bevor
- Conjunction meaning 'before' in a temporal subordinate clause.
- dergleichen
- Pronoun meaning 'the like', 'such things', or 'anything of that kind'.
- Widerspruch
- Noun meaning 'contradiction', 'objection', or 'opposition'.
- besserer
- Comparative adjective genitive meaning 'of a better' kind.
- angeboten
- Past participle of 'anbieten', meaning 'offered' or 'proposed'.
- wünsche
- First-person singular of 'wünschen', meaning 'wish' or 'desire'.
- Verfasser
- Noun meaning 'author', 'writer', or 'composer of a text'.
- Punkte
- Plural noun meaning 'points', 'items', or 'aspects'.
- reiflich
- Adverb meaning 'carefully', 'maturely', or 'thoroughly'.
- bedenken
- Verb meaning 'to consider' or 'to reflect upon something'.
- geruhen
- Verb meaning 'to deign' or 'to condescend to do something'.
- Erstens
- Adverb meaning 'firstly' or 'in the first place'.
- Lage
- Noun meaning 'situation', 'position', or 'location'.
- Nahrung
- Noun meaning 'food', 'nourishment', or 'sustenance'.
- Kleidung
- Noun meaning 'clothing' or 'garments'.
- hunderttausend
- Numeral meaning 'one hundred thousand'.
- unnütze
- Adjective meaning 'useless', 'unnecessary', or 'futile'.
- Mäuler
- Plural noun meaning 'mouths' (colloquial, often for animals or people).
- Rücken
- Noun meaning 'back' (body) or plural of 'back'; here meaning 'backs' to clothe.
- beschaffen
- Verb meaning 'to procure', 'to provide', or 'to obtain'.
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