Beyond Good and Evil — Page 4
Had the wicked Socrates really corrupted him?
O perverso Sócrates o havia realmente corrompido?
Was Socrates after all a corrupter of youths, and deserved his hemlock?
Era Sócrates afinal um corruptor de jovens, e merecia a sua cicuta?
But the struggle against Plato, or--to speak plainer, and for the "people"--the struggle against the ecclesiastical oppression of millenniums of Christianity (FOR CHRISTIANITY IS PLATONISM FOR THE "PEOPLE"), produced in Europe a magnificent tension of soul, such as had not existed anywhere previously; with such a tensely strained bow one can now aim at the furthest goals.
Mas a luta contra Platão, ou--para falar mais claramente, e para o "povo"--a luta contra a opressão eclesiástica de milênios de Cristianismo (POIS O CRISTIANISMO É O PLATONISMO PARA O "POVO"), produziu na Europa uma magnífica tensão de alma, tal como não havia existido em nenhum lugar anteriormente; com um arco tão tensamente retesado pode-se agora mirar nos objetivos mais distantes.
As a matter of fact, the European feels this tension as a state of distress, and twice attempts have been made in grand style to unbend the bow: once by means of Jesuitism, and the second time by means of democratic enlightenment--which, with the aid of liberty of the press and newspaper-reading, might, in fact, bring it about that the spirit would not so easily find itself in "distress"!
De fato, o europeu sente essa tensão como um estado de angústia, e duas vezes foram feitas tentativas em grande estilo para distender o arco: uma vez por meio do Jesuitismo, e a segunda vez por meio do iluminismo democrático--que, com o auxílio da liberdade de imprensa e da leitura de jornais, poderia, de fato, fazer com que o espírito não se encontrasse tão facilmente em "angústia"!
(The Germans invented gunpowder--all credit to them! but they again made things square--they invented printing.)
(Os alemães inventaram a pólvora--todo o crédito a eles! mas novamente acertaram as contas--inventaram a imprensa.)
But we, who are neither Jesuits, nor democrats, nor even sufficiently Germans, we GOOD EUROPEANS, and free, VERY free spirits--we have it still, all the distress of spirit and all the tension of its bow!
Mas nós, que não somos nem jesuítas, nem democratas, nem sequer suficientemente alemães, nós BONS EUROPEUS, e livres, MUITO livres espíritos--ainda o temos, toda a angústia do espírito e toda a tensão do seu arco!
And perhaps also the arrow, the duty, and, who knows? THE GOAL TO AIM AT....
E talvez também a flecha, o dever, e, quem sabe? O ALVO A MIRAR....
Sils Maria Upper Engadine, JUNE, 1885.
Sils Maria, Alta Engadina, JUNHO, 1885.
Vocabulary
- perverso
- Wicked, evil, morally corrupt person or thing
- havia
- Past tense of haver; there was, had
- realmente
- Truly, really, in a genuine or actual sense
- corrompido
- Corrupted, morally degraded or made impure
- Era
- Was; imperfect tense of ser (to be)
- afinal
- After all, in the end, ultimately
- corruptor
- One who corrupts or morally degrades others
- jovens
- Young people, youth; plural of jovem
- merecia
- Deserved; imperfect tense of merecer
- cicuta
- Hemlock, a poisonous plant used in executions
- luta
- Fight, struggle, battle, or conflict
- contra
- Preposition meaning against, opposed to
- falar
- To speak, to talk
- claramente
- Clearly, in a clear or evident manner
- povo
- People, folk, the common populace
- opressão
- Oppression, unjust exercise of power over others
- eclesiástica
- Ecclesiastical, relating to the church or clergy
- milênios
- Millennia, periods of one thousand years each
- POIS
- Because, since, for; also used as well or then
- PLATONISMO
- Platonism, philosophical tradition derived from Plato's teachings
- POVO
- People, the common folk or populace
- produziu
- Produced; past tense of produzir
- magnífica
- Magnificent, splendid, extraordinarily impressive
- tensão
- Tension, stress, or strained state
- alma
- Soul, spirit, inner essence of a person
- tal
- Such, such a, of that kind
- existido
- Existed; past participle of existir
- nenhum
- No, none, not any; negative indefinite pronoun
- lugar
- Place, location, spot
- anteriormente
- Previously, before, at an earlier time
- arco
- Bow (archery), arc, or arch
- tão
- So, as, such; used to intensify adjectives
- tensamente
- Tensely, in a strained or taut manner
- retesado
- Taut, tightly stretched, strung with tension
- pode-se
- One can, it is possible; reflexive form of poder
- agora
- Now, at this moment
- mirar
- To aim, to target, to look toward
- objetivos
- Objectives, goals, aims
- distantes
- Distant, far away, remote
- fato
- Fact; de fato means in fact, indeed
- europeu
- European, of or relating to Europe
- sente
- Feels; third person singular present of sentir
- estado
- State, condition; also the past participle of estar
- angústia
- Anguish, deep anxiety, distress
- vezes
- Times, occasions; plural of vez
- foram
- Were, went; past tense of ser or ir
- feitas
- Made, done; feminine plural past participle of fazer
- tentativas
- Attempts, tries, endeavors
- grande
- Great, large, big, important
- estilo
- Style, manner, characteristic way of doing something
- distender
- To distend, loosen, relax, or release tension
- vez
- Time, occasion, turn; uma vez means once
- meio
- Means, middle, half; por meio de means by means of
- Jesuitismo
- Jesuitism, the principles or practices of the Jesuits
- segunda
- Second (feminine); also Monday or second time
- iluminismo
- The Enlightenment, 18th-century philosophical movement
- democrático
- Democratic, relating to or supporting democracy
- auxílio
- Aid, assistance, help, support
- liberdade
- Freedom, liberty
- imprensa
- Press, printing press, news media
- leitura
- Reading, the act or practice of reading
- jornais
- Newspapers; plural of jornal
- poderia
- Could, would be able to; conditional of poder
- fazer
- To do, to make
- espírito
- Spirit, mind, soul, intellectual essence
- encontrasse
- Would find, might find; imperfect subjunctive of encontrar
- facilmente
- Easily, with ease, without difficulty
- alemães
- Germans; plural of alemão
- inventaram
- Invented; past tense of inventar
- pólvora
- Gunpowder, explosive powder used in firearms
- todo
- All, every, whole
- crédito
- Credit, recognition, acknowledgment of merit
- novamente
- Again, once more, anew
- acertaram
- Got right, settled, fixed; past tense of acertar
- contas
- Accounts, bills; acertar as contas means to settle scores
- nem
- Neither, nor, not even
- jesuítas
- Jesuits; members of the Society of Jesus
- democratas
- Democrats; supporters of democracy
- sequer
- Even, at least; used in negative contexts
- suficientemente
- Sufficiently, adequately, enough
- BONS
- Good (masculine plural); plural of bom
- EUROPEUS
- Europeans; plural of europeu
- livres
- Free (plural); unrestrained, liberated
- espíritos
- Spirits, minds; plural of espírito
- ainda
- Still, yet, even; used for continuity
- talvez
- Perhaps, maybe, possibly
- flecha
- Arrow, a projectile shot from a bow
- dever
- Duty, obligation; also to owe or should
- sabe
- Knows; third person singular of saber
- ALVO
- Target, goal, objective; also means white
- MIRAR
- To aim, to target, to set one's sights on
- Alta
- High, upper (feminine); Alta Engadina is Upper Engadine
- JUNHO
- June, the sixth month of the year
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