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,
demasiado frecuente entre nosotros,
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.
sacrificando a los pobres e inocentes bebés, sospecho, más para evitar el gasto que la vergüenza, lo cual movería a lágrimas y compasión en el pecho más salvaje e inhumano.
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.
Siendo el número de almas en este reino habitualmente estimado en un millón y medio, de estas calculo que puede haber unas doscientas mil parejas, cuyas esposas son procreadoras; de cuyo número resto treinta mil parejas, que son capaces de mantener a sus propios hijos, (aunque sospecho que no puede haber tantas bajo las presentes penurias del reino) pero concedido esto, quedarán ciento setenta mil procreadoras.
I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year.
Resto de nuevo cincuenta mil, por aquellas mujeres que sufren abortos espontáneos, o cuyos hijos mueren por accidente o enfermedad dentro del año.
There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born.
Solo quedan ciento veinte mil hijos de padres pobres que nacen anualmente.
The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for?
La pregunta, por tanto, es: ¿cómo se criará y proveerá a este número?
which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed.
lo cual, como ya he dicho, bajo la presente situación de los asuntos, es completamente imposible por todos los métodos propuestos hasta ahora.
Vocabulary
- demasiado
- Too much; excessive in quantity or degree.
- frecuente
- Occurring often; happening at regular intervals.
- entre
- Between; in the space separating two things.
- nosotros
- We; plural first-person pronoun referring to group.
- sacrificando
- Sacrificing; giving up something valuable for cause.
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article in Spanish.
- pobres
- Poor; people lacking money or material resources.
- inocentes
- Innocent; free from guilt or wrongdoing.
- bebés
- Babies; very young human children not yet walking.
- sospecho
- I suspect; I have a feeling something true.
- más
- More; greater in quantity or additional amount.
- para
- For; indicating purpose or intended recipient.
- evitar
- To avoid; to refrain from or prevent happening.
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- gasto
- Expense; cost or spending of money.
- que
- That; which; relative pronoun connecting clauses.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- vergüenza
- Shame; feeling of humiliation or embarrassment.
- lo
- It; neuter singular pronoun or definite article.
- cual
- Which; relative pronoun referring to things.
- lágrimas
- Tears; liquid drops from eyes when crying.
- compasión
- Compassion; feeling of sympathy for suffering others.
- en
- In; indicating location or time position.
- pecho
- Chest; front part of human body.
- salvaje
- Savage; wild or cruel in nature.
- inhumano
- Inhumane; lacking compassion or human decency.
- Siendo
- Being; present participle of ser verb.
- número
- Number; mathematical quantity or total amount.
- de
- Of; indicating possession or relationship.
- almas
- Souls; spiritual essence of human beings.
- este
- This; demonstrative adjective pointing to nearby.
- reino
- Kingdom; country ruled by a monarch.
- habitualmente
- Usually; commonly or typically done regularly.
- estimado
- Estimated; calculated or judged approximate value.
- un
- A; one; masculine singular indefinite article.
- millón
- Million; number one thousand thousand.
- medio
- Half; middle or average; one-half.
- estas
- These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective.
- calculo
- I calculate; I compute mathematical numbers.
- puede
- Can; is able to or might.
- haber
- To have; auxiliary verb forming perfect tenses.
- unas
- Some; feminine plural indefinite article approximately.
- mil
- Thousand; number one thousand.
- parejas
- Couples; pairs of people together romantically.
- cuyas
- Whose; feminine plural possessive relative pronoun.
- esposas
- Wives; married women or female partners.
- son
- Are; third person plural of ser.
- cuyo
- Whose; possessive relative pronoun.
- resto
- Rest; remaining part or leftover portion.
- treinta
- Thirty; number between twenty-nine and thirty-one.
- capaces
- Capable; able to accomplish or perform.
- mantener
- To maintain; to keep or support.
- sus
- Their; possessive adjective third person plural.
- propios
- Own; belonging to oneself personally.
- hijos
- Children; sons or offspring of parents.
- aunque
- Although; even though or despite that.
- no
- No; negation or denial of statement.
- tantas
- So many; feminine plural quantity indicator.
- bajo
- Under; beneath or below in position.
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article.
- presentes
- Present; currently existing or attending.
- del
- Of the; contraction of de plus el.
- pero
- But; conjunction introducing contrasting statement.
- concedido
- Granted; allowed or permitted to happen.
- esto
- This; neuter singular demonstrative pronoun.
- quedarán
- Will remain; future tense of quedar.
- ciento
- One hundred; number 100.
- setenta
- Seventy; number between sixty-nine and seventy-one.
- Resto
- Rest; remaining amount or leftover portion.
- nuevo
- New; not old or recently made.
- cincuenta
- Fifty; number between forty-nine and fifty-one.
- por
- By; indicating agent or cause.
- aquellas
- Those; feminine plural distant demonstrative adjective.
- mujeres
- Women; adult female human beings.
- sufren
- Suffer; endure pain or distress.
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