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,
troppo frequente tra noi,
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 i poveri innocenti bambini, temo, più per evitare la spesa che la vergogna, il che muoverebbe lacrime e pietà nel petto più selvaggio e disumano.
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,
Il numero di anime in questo regno essendo di solito stimato a un milione e mezzo, di questi calcolo che possano esserci circa duecentomila coppie, le cui mogli sono prolifiche; da questo numero sottraggo trentamila coppie, che sono in grado di mantenere i propri figli,
(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.
(benché tema che non possano essere così tante nelle presenti difficoltà del regno) ma concesso ciò, rimarranno centosettantamila donne prolifiche.
I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year.
Sottraggo di nuovo cinquantamila, per quelle donne che abortiscono, o i cui figli muoiono per incidente o malattia entro l'anno.
There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born.
Rimangono soltanto centaventimila bambini di genitori poveri nati ogni anno.
The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for?
La questione è dunque: come questo numero dovrà essere allevato e provveduto?
which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed.
il che, come ho già detto, nell'attuale situazione delle cose, è del tutto impossibile con tutti i metodi finora proposti.
Vocabulary
- troppo
- Too much; excessively or more than enough
- frequente
- Frequent; occurring often or regularly
- tra
- Between; among or in the middle of
- noi
- Us; first person plural pronoun
- sacrificando
- Sacrificing; giving up or offering something
- poveri
- Poor; lacking money or material possessions
- innocenti
- Innocent; not guilty or not responsible
- bambini
- Children; plural of bambino or young persons
- temo
- I fear; I am afraid of something
- più
- More; greater in amount or degree
- per
- For; expressing purpose or destination
- evitare
- To avoid; to stay away from something
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- spesa
- Expense; cost or spending of money
- che
- That; which or what relative pronoun
- vergogna
- Shame; feeling of embarrassment or dishonor
- il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- muoverebbe
- Would move; would cause movement or emotion
- lacrime
- Tears; liquid from eyes expressing emotion
- pietà
- Pity; compassion or sympathy for suffering
- nel
- In the; contraction of in and il
- petto
- Breast; chest or bosom of person
- selvaggio
- Savage; wild or uncivilized person or thing
- disumano
- Inhuman; lacking humanity or cruel behavior
- Il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- numero
- Number; quantity or mathematical value or amount
- di
- Of; expressing possession or relationship
- anime
- Souls; spiritual essence of living beings
- in
- In; inside or within location or time
- questo
- This; indicating something nearby or present
- regno
- Kingdom; realm ruled by monarch or sovereign
- essendo
- Being; present participle of essere verb
- solito
- Usual; customary or normal as accustomed
- stimato
- Estimated; calculated or assessed as probable
- un
- One; indefinite article masculine singular form
- milione
- Million; number equal to one thousand thousands
- mezzo
- Half; one of two equal parts
- questi
- These; plural of questo indicating nearby things
- calcolo
- Calculation; mathematical computation or reckoning
- possano
- Can be; subjunctive of potere expressing possibility
- esserci
- There to be; existence or presence
- circa
- About; approximately or around in quantity
- coppie
- Couples; pairs of people together united
- le
- The; feminine plural definite article form
- cui
- Whose; of whom relative pronoun
- mogli
- Wives; plural of moglie married women
- sono
- Are; second person present indicative of essere
- prolifiche
- Fertile; capable of producing offspring abundantly
- da
- From; origin or starting point location
- sottraggo
- I subtract; I deduct or remove amount
- grado
- Degree; level or rank of status
- mantenere
- To maintain; to keep or support continued
- propri
- One's own; belonging to oneself or themselves
- figli
- Children; sons and daughters of parents
- benché
- Although; even though or despite fact
- tema
- I fear; expressing concern or worry
- non
- Not; negation or negative particle form
- essere
- To be; fundamental verb of existence
- così
- So; in such a manner or way
- tante
- So many; large quantity of feminine things
- nelle
- In the; contraction of in and feminine article
- presenti
- Present; current or existing at this time
- difficoltà
- Difficulties; challenges or problems encountered situation
- del
- Of the; contraction of di and il
- ma
- But; expressing contrast or alternative opinion
- concesso
- Granted; allowed or permitted by authority
- ciò
- That; referring to previously mentioned thing
- rimarranno
- Will remain; future tense of rimanere verb
- donne
- Women; plural of donna female persons
- Sottraggo
- I subtract; I deduct or remove amount
- nuovo
- New; recent or not used before
- quelle
- Those; plural feminine of quella pronoun
- abortiscono
- Miscarry; spontaneous pregnancy termination or failure
- muoiono
- They die; third person plural of morire
- incidente
- Accident; unexpected event or occurrence happening
- malattia
- Illness; disease or sickness of body
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