Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 8
And whatever happened either in your country or in ours, or in any other region of which we are informed--if any action which is noble or great, or in any other way remarkable has taken place, all that has been written down of old, and is preserved in our temples;
Y todo lo que ocurrió en vuestro país o en el nuestro, o en cualquier otra región de la que tengamos noticia, si alguna acción noble o grande, o notable de cualquier otra manera ha tenido lugar, todo eso ha sido escrito desde antiguo y se conserva en nuestros templos;
whereas you and other nations are just being provided with letters and the other things which States require;
mientras que vosotros y otras naciones apenas estáis siendo dotados de letras y de las demás cosas que los Estados requieren;
and then, at the usual period, the stream from heaven descends like a pestilence, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education;
y entonces, en el período habitual, la corriente del cielo desciende como una pestilencia, y no deja entre vosotros sino a quienes carecen de letras y de educación;
and thus you have to begin all over again as children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves.
y así tenéis que volver a empezar desde el principio como niños, sin saber nada de lo que ocurrió en los tiempos antiguos, ni entre nosotros ni entre vosotros mismos.
As for those genealogies of yours which you have recounted to us, Solon, they are no better than the tales of children;
En cuanto a esas genealogías vuestras que nos habéis relatado, Solón, no son mejores que los cuentos de niños;
for, in the first place, you remember one deluge only, whereas there were many of them;
pues, en primer lugar, vosotros recordáis un solo diluvio, cuando en realidad hubo muchos;
and, in the next place, you do not know that there dwelt in your land the fairest and noblest race of men which ever lived, of whom you and your whole city are but a seed or remnant.
y, en segundo lugar, no sabéis que en vuestra tierra habitó la raza de hombres más bella y noble que jamás haya existido, de la cual vosotros y vuestra ciudad entera no sois más que una semilla o un vestigio.
And this was unknown to you, because for many generations the survivors of that destruction died and made no sign.
Y esto os era desconocido, porque durante muchas generaciones los supervivientes de aquella destrucción murieron sin dejar rastro alguno.
Vocabulary
- todo
- Everything or all; referring to the whole of something.
- lo
- Neuter article or pronoun referring to abstract things.
- ocurrió
- Past tense of 'ocurrir'; something happened or took place.
- vuestro
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (plural, Spain).
- país
- A nation or country where people live together.
- nuestro
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our', belonging to us.
- cualquier
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'any' or 'whichever'.
- otra
- Adjective meaning 'other' or 'another', feminine form.
- región
- A geographical area or district within a larger territory.
- tengamos
- Subjunctive form of 'tener'; that we may have something.
- noticia
- A piece of news or information about an event.
- alguna
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'some' or 'any', feminine.
- acción
- An act or deed performed by a person or group.
- noble
- Describing something honorable, admirable, or morally elevated.
- grande
- Adjective meaning great, large, or significant in importance.
- notable
- Worthy of attention; remarkable or distinguished in some way.
- manera
- A way, method, or style of doing something.
- tenido
- Past participle of 'tener'; meaning 'had' or 'held'.
- lugar
- A place or location; also used in 'tener lugar' (to occur).
- eso
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' (neutral thing).
- escrito
- Past participle of 'escribir'; written or recorded in text.
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'from' a point in time.
- antiguo
- Adjective meaning ancient, old, or from earlier times.
- conserva
- Third person singular of 'conservar'; to preserve or keep.
- nuestros
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our', masculine plural form.
- templos
- Sacred buildings or temples used for religious worship.
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas', showing contrast.
- vosotros
- Second person plural pronoun 'you all', used in Spain.
- otras
- Adjective meaning 'other', feminine plural form.
- naciones
- Plural of 'nación'; independent countries or peoples.
- apenas
- Adverb meaning 'barely', 'scarcely', or 'hardly'.
- estáis
- Second person plural of 'estar'; you all are (state).
- siendo
- Gerund of 'ser'; meaning 'being' in a continuous sense.
- dotados
- Past participle of 'dotar'; gifted or endowed with something.
- letras
- Letters of the alphabet; also refers to literacy or learning.
- demás
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'the rest' or 'the others'.
- cosas
- Plural of 'cosa'; things, objects, or matters in general.
- Estados
- Plural of 'estado'; states or governmental political entities.
- requieren
- Third person plural of 'requerir'; they require or need.
- entonces
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that time'.
- período
- A period or span of time during which events occur.
- habitual
- Adjective meaning usual, customary, or occurring regularly.
- corriente
- Adjective meaning ordinary, current, or flowing; common.
- cielo
- The sky above; also means heaven in religious contexts.
- desciende
- Third person singular of 'descender'; descends or comes down.
- pestilencia
- A deadly epidemic disease; pestilence causing widespread death.
- deja
- Third person singular of 'dejar'; leaves or allows something.
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among' multiple things.
- sino
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather' after a negation.
- quienes
- Relative pronoun meaning 'those who' or 'the ones who'.
- carecen
- Third person plural of 'carecer'; they lack or are without.
- educación
- The process of learning and being taught; schooling.
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
- tenéis
- Second person plural of 'tener'; you all have or must.
- volver
- To return to a place or to do something again.
- empezar
- To start or begin something from the very beginning.
- principio
- The beginning or starting point of something; a principle.
- niños
- Plural of 'niño'; young children or boys.
- sin
- Preposition meaning 'without', lacking something entirely.
- saber
- To know facts or information; the verb 'to know'.
- nada
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing'; the complete absence of anything.
- tiempos
- Plural of 'tiempo'; times, periods, or eras in history.
- antiguos
- Adjective meaning ancient or old, masculine plural form.
- ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither'.
- nosotros
- First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
- mismos
- Adjective meaning 'ourselves' or 'the same ones', masculine plural.
- cuanto
- Used in 'en cuanto a' meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'.
- esas
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those', feminine plural form.
- genealogías
- Plural of 'genealogía'; family histories tracing ancestral lineages.
- vuestras
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your', feminine plural (Spain).
- nos
- First person plural object pronoun meaning 'us' or 'ourselves'.
- habéis
- Second person plural of 'haber'; you all have (auxiliary).
- relatado
- Past participle of 'relatar'; narrated or recounted a story.
- mejores
- Comparative plural of 'bueno'; better or the best ones.
- cuentos
- Plural of 'cuento'; short stories or tales, sometimes fictional.
- pues
- Conjunction meaning 'since', 'because', or 'well then'.
- primer
- Shortened form of 'primero'; first in order or rank.
- recordáis
- Second person plural of 'recordar'; you all remember something.
- solo
- Adjective meaning alone, only, or a single one.
- diluvio
- A great flood or deluge covering the land with water.
- cuando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when' referring to time.
- realidad
- Reality or truth; the actual state of things as they are.
- hubo
- Preterite of 'haber'; there was or there were (past).
- muchos
- Adjective meaning 'many' or 'a lot of', masculine plural.
- segundo
- Ordinal adjective meaning second; the one after the first.
- sabéis
- Second person plural of 'saber'; you all know a fact.
- vuestra
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your', feminine singular (Spain).
- tierra
- Earth, land, or soil; the ground beneath one's feet.
- habitó
- Preterite of 'habitar'; inhabited or lived in a place.
- raza
- A race or breed of people; a group sharing heritage.
- hombres
- Plural of 'hombre'; men or human beings in general.
- más
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most', used in comparisons.
- bella
- Adjective meaning beautiful, lovely, or fair, feminine form.
- jamás
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever', stronger than 'nunca'.
- haya
- Present subjunctive of 'haber'; that there may have been.
- existido
- Past participle of 'existir'; to have existed or lived.
- cual
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who', preceded by article.
- ciudad
- A city or large urban settlement where people live.
- entera
- Adjective meaning entire or whole, feminine singular form.
- sois
- Second person plural of 'ser'; you all are (permanent).
- semilla
- A seed; the origin or small remnant of something larger.
- vestigio
- A trace, remnant, or small surviving sign of something past.
- esto
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' (nearby thing).
- os
- Second person plural reflexive/object pronoun meaning 'you' (Spain).
- era
- Imperfect of 'ser'; was (describing a past state or condition).
- desconocido
- Adjective meaning unknown or unfamiliar; not previously known.
- porque
- Conjunction meaning 'because', giving a reason or cause.
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'throughout' a period of time.
- muchas
- Adjective meaning 'many', feminine plural form.
- generaciones
- Plural of 'generación'; successive groups of people by age.
- supervivientes
- Plural of 'superviviente'; survivors who remained alive after disaster.
- aquella
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (distant), feminine singular.
- destrucción
- The act of destroying; severe damage causing complete ruin.
- murieron
- Preterite plural of 'morir'; they died at a specific time.
- dejar
- To leave something behind or to allow something to happen.
- rastro
- A trace, track, or trail left behind by someone.
- alguno
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'any' or 'some', masculine form.
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