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.
Pero mi intención está muy lejos de limitarse a proveer únicamente para los hijos de mendigos declarados: es de un alcance mucho mayor, y abarcará a la totalidad de los infantes de cierta edad, que nacen de padres en la práctica tan poco capaces de mantenerlos como aquellos que nos piden limosna en las calles.
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.
En cuanto a mí, habiendo reflexionado durante muchos años sobre este importante asunto, y habiendo sopesado con madurez los diversos planes de nuestros proyectistas, siempre los he encontrado groseramente equivocados en sus cálculos.
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 cierto que un niño recién salido del vientre de su madre puede ser sustentado con la leche de esta durante un año solar, con poco otro alimento: a lo sumo por un valor no superior a dos chelines, que la madre bien puede obtener, o su equivalente en sobras, mediante su legítima ocupación de mendigar; y es precisamente al cumplir un año cuando propongo proveer para ellos de tal manera que, en lugar de ser una carga para sus padres, o para la parroquia, o de carecer de alimento y vestido durante el resto de sus vidas, contribuyan, por el contrario, a la alimentación y en parte al vestido de muchos miles de personas.
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!
Hay asimismo otra gran ventaja en mi plan, y es que evitará esos abortos voluntarios y esa horrible práctica de las mujeres que asesinan a sus hijos bastardos, ¡ay!
Vocabulary
- Pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' used to contrast ideas.
- mi
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'my.'
- intención
- Noun meaning intention or purpose of an action.
- está
- Third-person singular present of 'estar,' meaning 'is.'
- muy
- Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs.
- lejos
- Adverb meaning 'far' or 'far away.'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from.'
- limitarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to limit or restrict oneself.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at.'
- proveer
- Verb meaning to provide or supply something needed.
- únicamente
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'solely.'
- para
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to.'
- los
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural).
- hijos
- Noun meaning 'children' or 'sons.'
- mendigos
- Noun meaning beggars or people who beg for alms.
- declarados
- Adjective meaning declared or officially recognized as such.
- es
- Third-person singular present of 'ser,' meaning 'is.'
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (masculine).
- alcance
- Noun meaning scope, reach, or extent of something.
- mucho
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'much' or 'a lot.'
- mayor
- Adjective meaning greater, larger, or older.
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and.'
- abarcará
- Future tense verb meaning will encompass or cover.
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular).
- totalidad
- Noun meaning totality or the entire whole of something.
- infantes
- Noun meaning infants or very young children.
- cierta
- Adjective meaning 'a certain' or specific but unspecified.
- edad
- Noun meaning age of a person or thing.
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that,' 'which,' or 'who.'
- nacen
- Third-person plural present of 'nacer,' meaning are born.
- padres
- Noun meaning parents or fathers.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at.'
- práctica
- Noun meaning practice or practical reality of something.
- tan
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'as,' used in comparisons.
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little' or 'few.'
- capaces
- Adjective meaning capable or able to do something.
- mantenerlos
- Verb phrase meaning to maintain or support them financially.
- como
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as' or 'like.'
- aquellos
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (referring to distant ones).
- nos
- First-person plural object pronoun meaning 'us.'
- piden
- Third-person plural present of 'pedir,' meaning they ask.
- limosna
- Noun meaning alms or charity given to the poor.
- las
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine plural).
- calles
- Noun meaning streets or roads in a city.
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at.'
- cuanto
- Phrase word meaning 'as for' or 'regarding.'
- mí
- Prepositional pronoun meaning 'me' (after a preposition).
- habiendo
- Gerund of 'haber,' meaning having (auxiliary, compound tense).
- reflexionado
- Past participle of 'reflexionar,' meaning reflected or pondered.
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a period of time.
- muchos
- Adjective meaning 'many' (masculine plural).
- años
- Noun meaning 'years.'
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'about,' 'over,' or 'on top of.'
- este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (masculine singular).
- importante
- Adjective meaning important or of great significance.
- asunto
- Noun meaning matter, issue, or subject under consideration.
- sopesado
- Past participle meaning weighed or carefully considered something.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with.'
- madurez
- Noun meaning maturity or the state of being mature.
- diversos
- Adjective meaning various or diverse (masculine plural).
- planes
- Noun meaning plans or schemes for doing something.
- nuestros
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (masculine plural).
- proyectistas
- Noun meaning projectors or people who devise schemes.
- siempre
- Adverb meaning 'always.'
- he
- First-person singular present of 'haber,' auxiliary 'have.'
- encontrado
- Past participle of 'encontrar,' meaning found or encountered.
- groseramente
- Adverb meaning grossly or crudely, in an extreme way.
- equivocados
- Adjective meaning mistaken or wrong (masculine plural).
- sus
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their' or 'his/her/your.'
- cálculos
- Noun meaning calculations or estimates of quantities.
- Es
- Third-person singular present of 'ser,' meaning 'is.'
- cierto
- Adjective meaning 'certain' or 'true.'
- niño
- Noun meaning child or young boy.
- recién
- Adverb meaning 'recently' or 'just,' often before participles.
- salido
- Past participle of 'salir,' meaning gone out or emerged.
- del
- Contraction of 'de' + 'el,' meaning 'of the.'
- vientre
- Noun meaning womb or belly.
- su
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' or 'your.'
- madre
- Noun meaning mother.
- puede
- Third-person singular present of 'poder,' meaning 'can.'
- ser
- Infinitive meaning 'to be' (permanent states).
- sustentado
- Past participle meaning sustained or nourished.
- leche
- Noun meaning milk.
- año
- Noun meaning year.
- solar
- Adjective meaning solar or relating to the sun.
- otro
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'another' or 'other.'
- alimento
- Noun meaning food or nourishment.
- lo
- Pronoun meaning 'it' or used in expressions like 'lo sumo.'
- sumo
- Adjective meaning supreme or highest; 'a lo sumo' means at most.
- por
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'by,' or 'through.'
- valor
- Noun meaning value or worth of something.
- no
- Adverb meaning 'no' or 'not.'
- superior
- Adjective meaning superior or exceeding in amount or quality.
- dos
- Number meaning 'two.'
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or adjective meaning 'good.'
- obtener
- Verb meaning to obtain or get something.
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or.'
- equivalente
- Noun or adjective meaning equivalent or equal in value.
- sobras
- Noun meaning leftovers or remnants of food or goods.
- mediante
- Preposition meaning 'by means of' or 'through.'
- legítima
- Adjective meaning legitimate or lawful.
- ocupación
- Noun meaning occupation, job, or activity.
- mendigar
- Verb meaning to beg for alms or charity.
- precisamente
- Adverb meaning precisely or exactly.
- al
- Contraction of 'a' + 'el,' meaning 'to the' or 'upon.'
- cumplir
- Verb meaning to fulfill, comply, or turn a certain age.
- cuando
- Conjunction meaning 'when.'
- propongo
- First-person singular of 'proponer,' meaning I propose.
- ellos
- Subject pronoun meaning 'they' (masculine or mixed group).
- tal
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'such' or 'such a.'
- manera
- Noun meaning manner, way, or method of doing something.
- lugar
- Noun meaning place or location.
- una
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine).
- carga
- Noun meaning burden, load, or charge placed on someone.
- parroquia
- Noun meaning parish or local church district.
- carecer
- Verb meaning to lack or be without something needed.
- vestido
- Noun meaning clothing or a dress; also past participle 'dressed.'
- el
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
- resto
- Noun meaning the rest or remainder of something.
- vidas
- Noun meaning lives (plural of 'vida').
- contribuyan
- Subjunctive of 'contribuir,' meaning they contribute or help.
- contrario
- Adjective or noun meaning contrary or opposite.
- alimentación
- Noun meaning nourishment, feeding, or food supply.
- parte
- Noun meaning part or portion of a whole.
- miles
- Noun meaning thousands (plural), used to indicate large numbers.
- personas
- Noun meaning people or persons.
- Hay
- Impersonal form of 'haber,' meaning 'there is/are.'
- asimismo
- Adverb meaning likewise or also.
- otra
- Adjective meaning 'another' or 'other' (feminine).
- gran
- Adjective meaning great or large (before a noun).
- ventaja
- Noun meaning advantage or benefit gained over others.
- plan
- Noun meaning plan or scheme for achieving something.
- evitará
- Future tense of 'evitar,' meaning will avoid or prevent.
- esos
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (masculine plural, nearby).
- abortos
- Noun meaning abortions or miscarriages.
- voluntarios
- Adjective meaning voluntary or intentional (masculine plural).
- esa
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (feminine singular).
- horrible
- Adjective meaning horrible or dreadful.
- mujeres
- Noun meaning women (plural of 'mujer').
- asesinan
- Third-person plural present of 'asesinar,' meaning they murder.
- ay
- Interjection expressing pain, surprise, or strong emotion.
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