History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 — Page 8
Every national history, to be complete, must, in a certain sense, be the history of Europe; there is no knowing to how remote a quarter it may be necessary to trace our most domestic events; from a country, how apparently disconnected, may originate the impulse which gives its direction to the whole course of affairs.
Toda historia nacional, para ser completa, debe ser, en cierto sentido, la historia de Europa; no se puede saber hasta qué rincón tan remoto puede ser necesario rastrear nuestros acontecimientos más domésticos; de un país, por aparentemente desconectado que parezca, puede originarse el impulso que da su dirección al curso entero de los asuntos.
In imitation of his classical models, Gibbon places _Rome_ as the cardinal point from which his inquiries diverge, and to which they bear constant reference; yet how immeasurable the space over which those inquiries range!
A imitación de sus modelos clásicos, Gibbon sitúa a _Roma_ como el punto cardinal desde el cual divergen sus indagaciones, y al cual hacen constante referencia; y sin embargo, ¡cuán inconmensurable es el espacio sobre el que se extienden esas indagaciones!
how complicated, how confused, how apparently inextricable the causes which tend to the decline of the Roman empire!
¡cuán complicadas, cuán confusas, cuán aparentemente inextricables las causas que conducen a la decadencia del Imperio Romano!
how countless the nations which swarm forth, in mingling and indistinct hordes, constantly changing the geographical limits—incessantly confounding the natural boundaries!
¡cuán innumerables las naciones que surgen en masa, en hordas mezcladas e indistintas, cambiando constantemente los límites geográficos, confundiendo sin cesar las fronteras naturales!
At first sight, the whole period, the whole state of the world, seems to offer no more secure footing to an historical adventurer than the chaos of Milton—to be in a state of irreclaimable disorder, best described in the language of the poet:—
A primera vista, todo el período, todo el estado del mundo, parece no ofrecer al aventurero histórico un terreno más firme que el caos de Milton; parece hallarse en un estado de desorden irremediable, descrito mejor en el lenguaje del poeta:
—"A dark Illimitable ocean, without bound, Without dimension, where length, breadth, and height, And time, and place, are lost: where eldest Night And Chaos, ancestors of Nature, hold Eternal anarchy, amidst the noise Of endless wars, and by confusion stand."
—«Un oscuro océano ilimitado, sin confines, sin dimensión, donde la longitud, la anchura y la altura, y el tiempo y el lugar se pierden: donde la anciana Noche y el Caos, ancestros de la Naturaleza, sostienen la anarquía eterna, en medio del estruendo de guerras interminables, y se mantienen por la confusión.»
We feel that the unity and harmony of narrative, which shall comprehend this period of social disorganization, must be ascribed entirely to the skill and luminous disposition of the historian.
Sentimos que la unidad y la armonía del relato que ha de abarcar este período de desorganización social deben atribuirse enteramente a la habilidad y a la luminosa disposición del historiador.
Vocabulary
- toda
- All; every; whole
- historia
- History; story; narrative account
- nacional
- National; relating to a nation
- para
- For; in order to; toward
- ser
- To be; to exist; fundamental verb
- completa
- Complete; finished; whole or entire
- debe
- Must; should; ought to do
- en
- In; on; at; within location
- cierto
- Certain; sure; some; particular
- sentido
- Sense; meaning; direction; feeling
- la
- The; feminine singular article
- de
- Of; from; belonging to; about
- Europa
- Europe; the continent
- no
- No; not; negation
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun; passive voice marker
- puede
- Can; is able to; may
- saber
- To know; to know how; knowledge
- hasta
- Until; up to; as far as
- qué
- What; which; interrogative or relative
- rincón
- Corner; remote place; nook
- tan
- So; such; as; very much
- remoto
- Remote; distant; far away
- necesario
- Necessary; required; essential; needed
- nuestros
- Our; ours; belonging to us
- acontecimientos
- Events; occurrences; happenings
- más
- More; most; additional; greater
- domésticos
- Domestic; household; internal; home-related
- un
- A; an; one; indefinite article
- país
- Country; nation; land
- por
- For; by; through; because of
- aparentemente
- Apparently; seemingly; evidently; ostensibly
- desconectado
- Disconnected; unrelated; isolated
- que
- That; which; who; what
- parezca
- Seems; appears; looks like
- originarse
- To originate; to arise; to begin
- el
- The; masculine singular article
- impulso
- Impulse; drive; thrust; momentum
- da
- Gives; provides; yields
- su
- His; her; its; your; their
- dirección
- Direction; address; management; leadership
- al
- To the; at the; contraction
- curso
- Course; path; flow; direction
- entero
- Entire; whole; complete; unbroken
- los
- The; masculine plural article
- asuntos
- Matters; affairs; issues; subjects
- imitación
- Imitation; copying; mimicry; following
- sus
- His; her; its; their; your
- modelos
- Models; examples; patterns; designs
- clásicos
- Classical; classic; traditional; standard
- sitúa
- Places; situates; locates; positions
- Roma
- Rome; ancient empire; capital city
- como
- As; like; how; in the manner
- punto
- Point; dot; place; item
- cardinal
- Cardinal; principal; main; fundamental
- desde
- From; since; starting from point
- cual
- Which; what; that which
- divergen
- Diverge; separate; branch off; differ
- hacen
- Make; do; cause; perform actions
- constante
- Constant; continuous; perpetual; steady
- referencia
- Reference; allusion; mention; citation
- sin
- Without; lacking; minus
- cuán
- How; how much; how very
- es
- Is; third person singular of ser
- espacio
- Space; area; room; distance
- sobre
- Over; on; about; concerning
- extienden
- Extend; spread; stretch; reach out
- esas
- Those; those feminine plural; those ones
- complicadas
- Complicated; complex; intricate; difficult
- confusas
- Confused; confusing; unclear; muddled
- las
- The; feminine plural article
- causas
- Causes; reasons; grounds; motives
- conducen
- Lead; conduct; guide; result in
- decadencia
- Decadence; decline; decay; deterioration
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