Middlemarch — Page 2
The pride of being ladies had something to do with it: the Brooke connections, though not exactly aristocratic, were unquestionably "good:" if you inquired backward for a generation or two, you would not find any yard-measuring or parcel-tying forefathers—anything lower than an admiral or a clergyman; and there was even an ancestor discernible as a Puritan gentleman who served under Cromwell, but afterwards conformed, and managed to come out of all political troubles as the proprietor of a respectable family estate.
O orgulho de serem damas tinha algo a ver com isso: as ligações dos Brooke, embora não exatamente aristocráticas, eram inquestionavelmente "boas": se você investigasse duas ou três gerações atrás, não encontraria nenhum antepassado medidor de tecidos ou amarrador de pacotes — nada inferior a um almirante ou um clérigo; e havia até um ancestral identificável como um cavalheiro puritano que serviu sob Cromwell, mas que depois se conformou e conseguiu sair de todas as turbulências políticas como proprietário de uma respeitável propriedade familiar.
Young women of such birth, living in a quiet country-house, and attending a village church hardly larger than a parlor, naturally regarded frippery as the ambition of a huckster's daughter.
Jovens mulheres de tal origem, vivendo em uma tranquila casa de campo e frequentando uma igreja de aldeia pouco maior do que uma sala de estar, naturalmente consideravam as futilidades como a ambição da filha de um mercador ambulante.
Then there was well-bred economy, which in those days made show in dress the first item to be deducted from, when any margin was required for expenses more distinctive of rank.
Havia também a economia de boa criação, que naqueles tempos tornava a ostentação no vestuário o primeiro item a ser cortado, quando qualquer margem era necessária para despesas mais condizentes com a distinção de classe.
Such reasons would have been enough to account for plain dress, quite apart from religious feeling; but in Miss Brooke's case, religion alone would have determined it; and Celia mildly acquiesced in all her sister's sentiments, only infusing them with that common-sense which is able to accept momentous doctrines without any eccentric agitation.
Tais razões seriam suficientes para explicar a simplicidade no vestir, independentemente de sentimentos religiosos; mas no caso da senhorita Brooke, a religião por si só teria determinado isso; e Célia aquiescia docilmente em todos os sentimentos de sua irmã, apenas os infundindo com aquele bom senso capaz de aceitar doutrinas importantes sem qualquer agitação excêntrica.
Dorothea knew many passages of Pascal's Pensees and of Jeremy Taylor by heart; and to her the destinies of mankind, seen by the light of Christianity, made the solicitudes of feminine fashion appear an occupation for Bedlam.
Doroteia sabia de cor muitas passagens dos Pensamentos de Pascal e de Jeremy Taylor; e para ela os destinos da humanidade, vistos à luz do cristianismo, faziam com que as preocupações com a moda feminina parecessem uma ocupação digna de um hospício.
Vocabulary
- orgulho
- Pride; a feeling of self-respect or dignity.
- de
- Of; from; indicates possession or relation.
- serem
- To be; infinitive form of the verb ser.
- damas
- Ladies; women of social standing or nobility.
- tinha
- Had; past tense of ter (to have).
- algo
- Something; anything; a thing of some kind.
- ver
- To see; to watch or perceive with eyes.
- com
- With; indicates accompaniment or association.
- isso
- That; that thing; refers to something mentioned.
- as
- The; feminine plural definite article.
- ligações
- Connections; links; ties or relationships between people.
- dos
- Of the; contraction of de and os.
- embora
- Although; though; despite; even if.
- não
- Not; negation or denial particle.
- exatamente
- Exactly; precisely; in an exact manner.
- aristocráticas
- Aristocratic; relating to nobility or upper classes.
- eram
- Were; past tense of ser (to be).
- inquestionavelmente
- Undoubtedly; beyond question; unquestionably.
- boas
- Good; well; feminine plural form of bom.
- se
- If; whether; reflexive pronoun in some contexts.
- você
- You; formal or informal second-person singular.
- investigasse
- Investigated; past subjunctive of investigar.
- duas
- Two; feminine form of the number two.
- ou
- Or; indicates alternative or choice between options.
- três
- Three; the number 3.
- gerações
- Generations; groups of people born in same era.
- atrás
- Behind; back; in the past or before.
- encontraria
- Would find; conditional form of encontrar.
- nenhum
- No; none; not any; zero.
- antepassado
- Ancestor; a forefather or predecessor.
- tecidos
- Fabrics; textiles; woven or knitted materials.
- pacotes
- Packages; bundles; wrapped items or parcels.
- nada
- Nothing; not anything; zero or void.
- inferior
- Lower; beneath; of lesser quality or rank.
- um
- One; a; masculine singular indefinite article.
- almirante
- Admiral; high-ranking naval military officer.
- clérigo
- Clergyman; priest; member of the clergy.
- havia
- There was; there were; had existed.
- até
- Until; up to; even; as far as.
- ancestral
- Ancestral; relating to ancestors or ancestry.
- identificável
- Identifiable; able to be identified or recognized.
- como
- How; as; in the way that; like.
- cavalheiro
- Gentleman; knight; a man of noble manners.
- puritano
- Puritan; strict religious or moral person.
- que
- That; which; who; relative pronoun.
- serviu
- Served; past tense of servir (to serve).
- sob
- Under; beneath; below; underneath something.
- mas
- But; however; yet; on the contrary.
- depois
- After; afterward; later; subsequently in time.
- conformou
- Conformed; adapted; complied with rules or standards.
- conseguiu
- Managed; succeeded; was able to accomplish.
- sair
- To leave; to exit; to go out.
- todas
- All; every; feminine plural form of todo.
- turbulências
- Turbulences; disturbances; periods of instability or chaos.
- políticas
- Political; relating to government or politics.
- proprietário
- Owner; proprietor; one who owns property.
- uma
- One; a; feminine singular indefinite article.
- respeitável
- Respectable; worthy of respect or regard.
- propriedade
- Property; estate; land or possessions owned.
- familiar
- Family; familiar; relating to family or household.
- Jovens
- Young; youth; persons of young age.
- mulheres
- Women; females; adult female persons.
- tal
- Such; of that kind; like that.
- origem
- Origin; source; place or cause of beginning.
- vivendo
- Living; residing; present participle of viver.
- em
- In; at; inside; on; indicates location.
- tranquila
- Tranquil; calm; peaceful; quiet and serene.
- casa
- House; home; building for residence.
- campo
- Field; countryside; rural or open area.
- frequentando
- Attending; visiting regularly; present participle of frequentar.
- igreja
- Church; religious place of worship.
- aldeia
- Village; small town; hamlet.
- pouco
- Little; small in amount or degree.
- maior
- Greater; larger; biggest; of greater size.
- sala
- Room; hall; chamber; area within building.
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