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.
Ma, per quanto mi riguarda, essendomi stancato per molti anni nell'offrire pensieri vani, inutili e visionari, e avendo alla fine perso completamente ogni speranza di successo, mi sono fortunatamente imbattuto in questa proposta, che, essendo del tutto nuova, ha qualcosa di solido e reale, senza alcuna spesa e con poco fastidio, interamente in nostro potere, e con la quale non possiamo incorrere in alcun pericolo di scontentare l'Inghilterra.
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.
Poiché questo tipo di merce non è adatta all'esportazione, e la carne essendo di una consistenza troppo tenera per sopportare una lunga conservazione sotto sale, sebbene forse potrei nominare un paese che sarebbe ben lieto di divorare l'intera nostra nazione senza di essa.
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.
Dopotutto, non sono così ostinatamente attaccato alla mia opinione da rifiutare qualsiasi proposta, avanzata da uomini saggi, che risulti ugualmente innocente, economica, semplice ed efficace.
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.
Ma prima che qualcosa di quel genere venga avanzato in contraddizione al mio piano, e ne venga offerto uno migliore, desidero che l'autore o gli autori vogliano considerare con maturità due punti.
First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs.
Primo, dato lo stato attuale delle cose, come riusciranno a trovare cibo e vestiario per centomila bocche e schiene inutili.
Vocabulary
- Ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but', used to contrast ideas.
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'by', or 'through'.
- quanto
- Meaning 'how much' or 'as far as'.
- mi
- First-person singular reflexive or object pronoun 'me/myself'.
- riguarda
- Third-person singular of 'riguardare', meaning 'concerns' or 'regards'.
- essendomi
- Gerund of 'essere' with reflexive pronoun, meaning 'having been'.
- stancato
- Past participle of 'stancarsi', meaning 'tired' or 'worn out'.
- molti
- Plural adjective meaning 'many' or 'a lot of'.
- anni
- Plural noun meaning 'years'.
- nell'
- Contraction of 'in' and 'l'', meaning 'in the'.
- offrire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to offer' or 'to provide'.
- pensieri
- Plural noun meaning 'thoughts' or 'ideas'.
- vani
- Adjective meaning 'vain', 'futile', or 'useless'.
- inutili
- Adjective meaning 'useless' or 'pointless'.
- e
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
- visionari
- Adjective or noun meaning 'visionary' or 'fanciful'.
- avendo
- Gerund of 'avere', meaning 'having'.
- alla
- Contraction of 'a' and 'la', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
- fine
- Noun or adjective meaning 'end' or 'fine'.
- perso
- Past participle of 'perdere', meaning 'lost'.
- completamente
- Adverb meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'.
- ogni
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'.
- speranza
- Noun meaning 'hope' or 'expectation'.
- di
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
- successo
- Noun meaning 'success' or past participle 'happened'.
- sono
- First-person singular of 'essere', meaning 'I am'.
- fortunatamente
- Adverb meaning 'fortunately' or 'luckily'.
- imbattuto
- Past participle of 'imbattersi', meaning 'come across' or 'encountered'.
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'into', or 'at'.
- questa
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine singular).
- proposta
- Noun meaning 'proposal' or 'suggestion'.
- che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', or 'who'.
- essendo
- Gerund of 'essere', meaning 'being'.
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il', meaning 'of the'.
- tutto
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'everything', or 'entire'.
- nuova
- Adjective meaning 'new' (feminine singular).
- ha
- Third-person singular of 'avere', meaning 'has'.
- qualcosa
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'something'.
- solido
- Adjective meaning 'solid', 'firm', or 'reliable'.
- reale
- Adjective meaning 'real', 'actual', or 'royal'.
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'.
- alcuna
- Adjective meaning 'any' or 'no' (feminine singular).
- spesa
- Noun meaning 'expense', 'cost', or 'shopping'.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'.
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little', 'few', or 'not much'.
- fastidio
- Noun meaning 'annoyance', 'bother', or 'trouble'.
- interamente
- Adverb meaning 'entirely' or 'wholly'.
- nostro
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our'.
- potere
- Noun meaning 'power' or infinitive meaning 'to be able'.
- la
- Definite article 'the' (feminine singular) or pronoun 'her/it'.
- quale
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who'.
- non
- Negation adverb meaning 'not'.
- possiamo
- First-person plural of 'potere', meaning 'we can'.
- incorrere
- Infinitive meaning 'to incur' or 'to run into'.
- alcun
- Adjective meaning 'any' or 'no' (masculine singular).
- pericolo
- Noun meaning 'danger' or 'risk'.
- scontentare
- Infinitive meaning 'to displease' or 'to dissatisfy'.
- l'
- Contracted definite article 'the' before a vowel.
- Inghilterra
- Proper noun meaning 'England'.
- Poiché
- Conjunction meaning 'since', 'because', or 'as'.
- questo
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'.
- tipo
- Noun meaning 'type', 'kind', or 'sort'.
- merce
- Noun meaning 'goods', 'merchandise', or 'commodity'.
- è
- Third-person singular of 'essere', meaning 'is'.
- adatta
- Adjective meaning 'suitable' or 'appropriate' (feminine singular).
- all'
- Contraction of 'a' and 'l'', meaning 'to the' or 'for the'.
- esportazione
- Noun meaning 'export' or 'exportation'.
- carne
- Noun meaning 'meat' or 'flesh'.
- una
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (feminine singular).
- consistenza
- Noun meaning 'consistency', 'texture', or 'substance'.
- troppo
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'too' or 'too much'.
- tenera
- Adjective meaning 'tender', 'soft', or 'delicate'.
- sopportare
- Infinitive meaning 'to bear', 'to tolerate', or 'to withstand'.
- lunga
- Adjective meaning 'long' (feminine singular).
- conservazione
- Noun meaning 'preservation' or 'conservation'.
- sotto
- Preposition meaning 'under', 'below', or 'beneath'.
- sale
- Noun meaning 'salt'.
- sebbene
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'.
- forse
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps', 'maybe', or 'possibly'.
- potrei
- First-person singular conditional of 'potere', meaning 'I could'.
- nominare
- Infinitive meaning 'to name', 'to appoint', or 'to mention'.
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine singular).
- paese
- Noun meaning 'country', 'village', or 'town'.
- sarebbe
- Third-person singular conditional of 'essere', meaning 'would be'.
- ben
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'quite', short form of 'bene'.
- lieto
- Adjective meaning 'glad', 'happy', or 'pleased'.
- divorare
- Infinitive meaning 'to devour' or 'to consume greedily'.
- intera
- Adjective meaning 'entire' or 'whole' (feminine singular).
- nazione
- Noun meaning 'nation' or 'country'.
- essa
- Third-person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.
- Dopotutto
- Adverbial phrase meaning 'after all' or 'all things considered'.
- così
- Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'.
- ostinatamente
- Adverb meaning 'stubbornly' or 'obstinately'.
- attaccato
- Past participle of 'attaccare', meaning 'attached' or 'stuck'.
- mia
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular).
- opinione
- Noun meaning 'opinion' or 'view'.
- da
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', or 'since'.
- rifiutare
- Infinitive meaning 'to refuse' or 'to reject'.
- qualsiasi
- Adjective meaning 'any', 'whatever', or 'whichever'.
- avanzata
- Noun or adjective meaning 'proposal', 'advance', or 'advanced'.
- uomini
- Plural noun meaning 'men' or 'people'.
- saggi
- Adjective or noun meaning 'wise' or 'essays' (plural).
- risulti
- Subjunctive of 'risultare', meaning 'results in' or 'proves to be'.
- ugualmente
- Adverb meaning 'equally' or 'likewise'.
- innocente
- Adjective meaning 'innocent' or 'harmless'.
- economica
- Adjective meaning 'economical', 'cheap', or 'economic'.
- semplice
- Adjective meaning 'simple', 'easy', or 'plain'.
- ed
- Conjunction meaning 'and', used before vowels.
- efficace
- Adjective meaning 'effective' or 'efficient'.
- prima
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'before', 'first', or 'earlier'.
- quel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (masculine singular).
- genere
- Noun meaning 'kind', 'type', or 'gender'.
- venga
- Subjunctive of 'venire', meaning 'comes' or 'is presented'.
- avanzato
- Past participle or adjective meaning 'advanced' or 'proposed'.
- contraddizione
- Noun meaning 'contradiction' or 'inconsistency'.
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
- mio
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (masculine singular).
- piano
- Noun meaning 'plan', 'floor', or 'flat'.
- ne
- Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'about it', or 'some'.
- offerto
- Past participle of 'offrire', meaning 'offered' or 'provided'.
- uno
- Numeral or article meaning 'one' or 'a'.
- migliore
- Adjective meaning 'better' or 'best'.
- desidero
- First-person singular of 'desiderare', meaning 'I wish' or 'I desire'.
- autore
- Noun meaning 'author' or 'creator'.
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or'.
- gli
- Definite article 'the' (masculine plural) or indirect pronoun 'him'.
- autori
- Plural noun meaning 'authors' or 'creators'.
- vogliano
- Subjunctive of 'volere', meaning 'they wish' or 'they want'.
- considerare
- Infinitive meaning 'to consider' or 'to think about'.
- maturità
- Noun meaning 'maturity', 'ripeness', or 'graduation exam'.
- due
- Numeral meaning 'two'.
- punti
- Plural noun meaning 'points', 'dots', or 'scores'.
- Primo
- Adjective or noun meaning 'first'.
- dato
- Past participle of 'dare' meaning 'given'; also noun 'fact'.
- lo
- Definite article 'the' (masculine singular) or direct object pronoun 'him/it'.
- stato
- Noun meaning 'state', 'condition', or past participle 'been'.
- attuale
- Adjective meaning 'current', 'present', or 'actual'.
- delle
- Contraction of 'di' and 'le', meaning 'of the' (feminine plural).
- cose
- Plural noun meaning 'things' or 'matters'.
- come
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'how', 'like', or 'as'.
- riusciranno
- Third-person plural future of 'riuscire', meaning 'they will manage'.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
- trovare
- Infinitive meaning 'to find' or 'to locate'.
- cibo
- Noun meaning 'food' or 'nourishment'.
- vestiario
- Noun meaning 'clothing', 'wardrobe', or 'apparel'.
- centomila
- Numeral meaning 'one hundred thousand'.
- bocche
- Plural noun meaning 'mouths', often used as 'mouths to feed'.
- schiene
- Plural noun meaning 'backs' (of the body).
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