Heart of Darkness — Page 8
Land in a swamp,
Desembarcar num pântano,
march through the woods, and in some inland post feel the savagery, the utter savagery, had closed round him—all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.
marchar pela floresta, e em algum posto do interior sentir a selvageria, a completa selvageria, que se fechara ao seu redor — toda aquela vida misteriosa do sertão que se agita na floresta, nas selvas, nos corações dos homens selvagens.
There's no initiation either into such mysteries.
Não há iniciação alguma nesses mistérios.
He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is also detestable.
Ele tem de viver no meio do incompreensível, que é também detestável.
And it has a fascination, too, that goes to work upon him.
E tem também um fascínio que começa a agir sobre ele.
The fascination of the abomination—you know, imagine the growing regrets, the longing to escape, the powerless disgust, the surrender, the hate."
O fascínio da abominação — sabe, imagine os arrependimentos crescentes, o anseio de escapar, o desgosto impotente, a rendição, o ódio."
He paused.
Ele fez uma pausa.
"Mind," he began again, lifting one arm from the elbow, the palm of the hand outwards, so that, with his legs folded before him, he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus-flower—"Mind, none of us would feel exactly like this.
"Atenção", recomeçou ele, levantando um braço pelo cotovelo, com a palma da mão voltada para fora, de modo que, com as pernas dobradas à sua frente, tinha a pose de um Buda pregando com roupas europeias e sem uma flor de lótus — "Atenção, nenhum de nós sentiria exatamente assim.
What saves us is efficiency—the devotion to efficiency.
O que nos salva é a eficiência — a dedicação à eficiência.
But these chaps were not much account, really.
Mas esses caras não valiam grande coisa, na verdade.
They were no colonists; their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect.
Não eram colonos; sua administração era meramente uma extorsão, e nada mais, suspeito eu.
They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force—nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.
Eram conquistadores, e para isso só se precisa de força bruta — nada de que se orgulhar, quando se tem, pois a sua força é apenas um acidente decorrente da fraqueza dos outros.
They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got.
Eles agarravam o que podiam conseguir pelo bem do que havia para conseguir.
Vocabulary
- Desembarcar
- To disembark; to go ashore from a ship.
- pântano
- Swamp; marshy or boggy wetland area.
- marchar
- To march; to walk with purposeful steps.
- floresta
- Forest; large wooded area with many trees.
- algum
- Some; any (masculine singular form).
- posto
- Post; station; a fixed position or place.
- interior
- Interior; inland; inner or remote region.
- sentir
- To feel; to perceive or experience sensation.
- selvageria
- Savagery; wild or uncivilized character or behavior.
- completa
- Complete; total; finished or whole.
- fechara
- Had closed; shut (past perfect tense).
- redor
- Around; surroundings; the area encircling something.
- toda
- All; entire; the whole (feminine).
- aquela
- That; those (feminine singular demonstrative).
- vida
- Life; living; the state of being alive.
- misteriosa
- Mysterious; enigmatic; full of mystery.
- sertão
- Backlands; remote inland region; wilderness area.
- agita
- Agitates; disturbs; shakes or moves restlessly.
- selvas
- Jungles; forests; tropical wooded regions.
- corações
- Hearts; the organ that pumps blood.
- homens
- Men; male human beings; mankind.
- selvagens
- Savage; wild; uncivilized or untamed people.
- Não
- No; not (negation word).
- há
- There is; there are (existential verb).
- iniciação
- Initiation; beginning; introduction to something.
- alguma
- Some; any (feminine singular form).
- mistérios
- Mysteries; secrets; things not understood.
- tem
- Has; have; to possess or own.
- viver
- To live; to exist or inhabit.
- meio
- Middle; midst; the central part.
- incompreensível
- Incomprehensible; not understandable; mysterious.
- também
- Also; too; as well; additionally.
- detestável
- Detestable; hateful; extremely disliked or abhorred.
- fascínio
- Fascination; charm; strong attraction or appeal.
- começa
- Begins; starts; commences or initiates.
- agir
- To act; to perform; to do.
- sobre
- On; about; concerning; over or upon.
- abominação
- Abomination; something extremely disliked or hateful.
- sabe
- Knows; understands; has knowledge of.
- imagine
- Imagine; picture in the mind; visualize.
- arrependimentos
- Regrets; repentance; feeling sorry for actions.
- crescentes
- Growing; increasing; becoming greater in size.
- anseio
- Longing; yearning; strong desire or craving.
- escapar
- To escape; to get away or flee.
- desgosto
- Disgust; displeasure; strong dislike or aversion.
- impotente
- Impotent; powerless; unable to act or affect.
- rendição
- Surrender; giving up; capitulation or submission.
- ódio
- Hatred; intense dislike; strong feeling of animosity.
- fez
- Made; did; performed an action (past).
- pausa
- Pause; break; temporary stop in activity.
- Atenção
- Attention; notice; concentration or regard to something.
- recomeçou
- Began again; restarted; recommenced after pause.
- levantando
- Lifting; raising; picking up or elevating.
- braço
- Arm; limb from shoulder to hand.
- cotovelo
- Elbow; joint between forearm and upper arm.
- com
- With; accompanied by; in association with.
- palma
- Palm; inner surface of the hand.
- mão
- Hand; five-fingered limb at arm's end.
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