History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 — Page 7
This extent and harmony of design is unquestionably that which distinguishes the work of Gibbon from all other great historical compositions.
Esta amplitud y armonía de diseño es indudablemente aquello que distingue la obra de Gibbon de todas las demás grandes composiciones históricas.
He has first bridged the abyss between ancient and modern times, and connected together the two great worlds of history.
Él ha tendido por primera vez un puente sobre el abismo entre la antigüedad y los tiempos modernos, y ha conectado entre sí los dos grandes mundos de la historia.
The great advantage which the classical historians possess over those of modern times is in unity of plan, of course greatly facilitated by the narrower sphere to which their researches were confined.
La gran ventaja que poseen los historiadores clásicos sobre los de los tiempos modernos reside en la unidad de plan, la cual está, naturalmente, muy facilitada por la esfera más estrecha a la que se limitaban sus investigaciones.
Except Herodotus, the great historians of Greece—we exclude the more modern compilers, like Diodorus Siculus—limited themselves to a single period, or at least to the contracted sphere of Grecian affairs.
Excepto Heródoto, los grandes historiadores de Grecia —excluimos a los compiladores más modernos, como Diodoro Sículo— se limitaron a un único período, o cuando menos a la reducida esfera de los asuntos griegos.
As far as the Barbarians trespassed within the Grecian boundary, or were necessarily mingled up with Grecian politics, they were admitted into the pale of Grecian history; but to Thucydides and to Xenophon, excepting in the Persian inroad of the latter, Greece was the world.
En la medida en que los bárbaros traspasaban los límites griegos, o se mezclaban necesariamente con la política griega, eran admitidos en el ámbito de la historia griega; pero para Tucídides y para Jenofonte, salvo en la incursión persa de este último, Grecia era el mundo.
Natural unity confined their narrative almost to chronological order, the episodes were of rare occurrence and extremely brief.
La unidad natural confinaba su narración casi al orden cronológico, y los episodios eran de rara aparición y sumamente breves.
To the Roman historians the course was equally clear and defined.
Para los historiadores romanos el camino era igualmente claro y definido.
Rome was their centre of unity; and the uniformity with which the circle of the Roman dominion spread around, the regularity with which their civil polity expanded, forced, as it were, upon the Roman historian that plan which Polybius announces as the subject of his history, the means and the manner by which the whole world became subject to the Roman sway.
Roma era su centro de unidad; y la uniformidad con que el círculo del dominio romano se extendía, la regularidad con que su organización civil se expandía, imponía, por así decirlo, al historiador romano aquel plan que Polibio anuncia como tema de su historia: los medios y la manera por los cuales el mundo entero quedó sometido al poder romano.
How different the complicated politics of the European kingdoms!
¡Cuán diferentes son las complicadas políticas de los reinos europeos!
Vocabulary
- Esta
- This (feminine singular demonstrative adjective).
- amplitud
- Amplitude; breadth or scope of something.
- armonía
- Harmony; pleasant combination of different elements.
- de
- Of; from; indicates possession or origin.
- diseño
- Design; plan or artistic arrangement.
- es
- Is; third person singular present of ser.
- indudablemente
- Undoubtedly; without question or doubt.
- aquello
- That; neutral demonstrative pronoun.
- que
- That; which; relative pronoun or conjunction.
- distingue
- Distinguishes; sets apart or makes different.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- obra
- Work; literary, artistic, or creative production.
- todas
- All; every one (feminine plural).
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article.
- demás
- Other; the rest; remaining ones.
- grandes
- Great; large in size or importance.
- composiciones
- Compositions; artistic or literary works.
- históricas
- Historical; relating to history or past events.
- Él
- He; male third person singular pronoun.
- ha
- Has; third person singular present perfect.
- tendido
- Stretched; laid out or extended.
- por
- For; by; indicating agent or purpose.
- primera
- First; preceding all others in order.
- vez
- Time; instance or occasion.
- un
- A; an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- puente
- Bridge; structure spanning a gap or divide.
- sobre
- Over; above; concerning or about.
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- abismo
- Abyss; deep chasm or gulf.
- entre
- Between; in the space dividing two things.
- antigüedad
- Antiquity; ancient times or period.
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article.
- tiempos
- Times; periods or eras.
- modernos
- Modern; contemporary or recent.
- conectado
- Connected; joined together or linked.
- sí
- Yes; affirmative response or agreement.
- dos
- Two; number between one and three.
- mundos
- Worlds; spheres or realms.
- historia
- History; record of past events.
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- gran
- Great; large in size or importance.
- ventaja
- Advantage; favorable condition or benefit.
- poseen
- Possess; own or have something.
- historiadores
- Historians; scholars of history.
- clásicos
- Classical; of or from classic period.
- reside
- Resides; dwells or is located.
- en
- In; inside; indicating location.
- unidad
- Unity; state of being united.
- plan
- Plan; scheme or arrangement.
- cual
- Which; relative pronoun.
- está
- Is; third person singular present of estar.
- naturalmente
- Naturally; in a natural manner.
- muy
- Very; to a great extent.
- facilitada
- Facilitated; made easier or simpler.
- esfera
- Sphere; domain or field of activity.
- más
- More; greater in amount or degree.
- estrecha
- Narrow; limited in scope or space.
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun.
- limitaban
- Limited; restricted or confined themselves.
- sus
- Their; possessive adjective.
- investigaciones
- Investigations; research or inquiries.
- Excepto
- Except; with the exception of.
- Grecia
- Greece; country in southeastern Europe.
- excluimos
- Exclude; we leave out or reject.
- compiladores
- Compilers; those who compile information.
- como
- Like; as; similar to or such as.
- limitaron
- Limited; restricted or confined.
- único
- Unique; sole or only one.
- período
- Period; span of time.
- cuando
- When; at what time.
- menos
- Less; smaller in amount or degree.
- reducida
- Reduced; made smaller or limited.
- asuntos
- Matters; subjects or topics.
- griegos
- Greek; relating to Greece or Greeks.
- En
- In; inside; indicating location.
- medida
- Measure; extent or degree.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →