Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 2
—fortunate for the land of his birth, which he has already done so much to save and bless!—fortunate for a large circle of friends and acquaintances, whose sympathy and affection he has strongly secured by the many sufferings he has endured, by his virtuous traits of character, by his ever-abiding remembrance of those who are in bonds, as being bound with them!—fortunate for the multitudes, in various parts of our republic, whose minds he has enlightened on the subject of slavery, and who have been melted to tears by his pathos, or roused to virtuous indignation by his stirring eloquence against the enslavers of men!—fortunate for himself, as it at once brought him into the field of public usefulness, "gave the world assurance of a MAN," quickened the slumbering energies of his soul, and consecrated him to the great work of breaking the rod of the oppressor, and letting the oppressed go free!
—¡afortunado para la tierra de su nacimiento, a la cual ya ha hecho tanto por salvar y bendecir!—¡afortunado para un amplio círculo de amigos y conocidos, cuya simpatía y afecto se ha ganado firmemente por medio de los muchos sufrimientos que ha soportado, por sus virtuosas cualidades de carácter, por su perenne recuerdo de quienes se encuentran en cautiverio, como si él mismo estuviera encadenado con ellos!—¡afortunado para las multitudes, en diversas partes de nuestra república, cuyas mentes ha iluminado en lo que respecta a la esclavitud, y quienes han sido llevadas a las lágrimas por su pathos, o despertadas a una virtuosa indignación por su conmovedora elocuencia contra los esclavizadores de hombres!—¡afortunado para sí mismo, pues ello lo llevó de inmediato al campo de la utilidad pública, «le dio al mundo la certeza de un HOMBRE», avivó las adormecidas energías de su alma y lo consagró a la gran obra de quebrar la vara del opresor y dejar libre al oprimido!
I shall never forget his first speech at the convention—the extraordinary emotion it excited in my own mind—the powerful impression it created upon a crowded auditory, completely taken by surprise—the applause which followed from the beginning to the end of his felicitous remarks.
Nunca olvidaré su primer discurso en la convención—la extraordinaria emoción que despertó en mi propia mente—la poderosa impresión que causó en un auditorio repleto, completamente tomado por sorpresa—los aplausos que siguieron desde el principio hasta el final de sus afortunadas palabras.
I think I never hated slavery so intensely as at that moment; certainly, my perception of the enormous outrage which is inflicted by it, on the godlike nature of its victims, was rendered far more clear than ever.
Creo que nunca odié la esclavitud con tanta intensidad como en ese momento; ciertamente, mi percepción del enorme ultraje que esta inflige sobre la naturaleza casi divina de sus víctimas quedó mucho más clara que nunca.
Vocabulary
- afortunado
- Lucky or fortunate person or circumstance.
- para
- Preposition meaning for, to, or in order to.
- tierra
- Land, earth, or native country of someone.
- nacimiento
- Birth or the place where someone was born.
- cual
- Relative pronoun meaning which or whom.
- ya
- Adverb meaning already, now, or by this time.
- hecho
- Past participle of hacer; done or made something.
- tanto
- So much or as much as something or someone.
- salvar
- To save or rescue someone from danger or harm.
- bendecir
- To bless someone or something with good wishes.
- amplio
- Wide, broad, or extensive in scope or size.
- círculo
- Circle or social group of people with shared interests.
- amigos
- Friends or close acquaintances of a person.
- conocidos
- Acquaintances or people one knows casually.
- cuya
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning whose (feminine).
- simpatía
- Sympathy, warmth, or friendly feeling toward others.
- afecto
- Affection or warm emotional feeling toward someone.
- ganado
- Earned or won through effort; past participle of ganar.
- firmemente
- Firmly or steadily, with strong conviction or stability.
- medio
- Means, medium, or environment; also middle or half.
- muchos
- Many or a large number of people or things.
- sufrimientos
- Sufferings or painful experiences endured by someone.
- soportado
- Endured or tolerated hardship; past participle of soportar.
- virtuosas
- Virtuous, morally excellent women or qualities (feminine plural).
- cualidades
- Qualities or characteristics that define a person.
- carácter
- Character or moral nature of a person.
- perenne
- Perennial or everlasting, continuing without interruption.
- recuerdo
- Memory, remembrance, or a souvenir of something.
- quienes
- Relative pronoun meaning who or those who (plural).
- encuentran
- They find or encounter; third person plural of encontrar.
- cautiverio
- Captivity or state of being held prisoner against will.
- si
- Conjunction meaning if or whether in conditionals.
- mismo
- Same or himself; emphasizing identity or sameness.
- estuviera
- Past subjunctive of estar; were or would be.
- encadenado
- Chained or shackled; bound with chains physically.
- multitudes
- Multitudes or large crowds of gathered people.
- diversas
- Various or diverse; different in kind or nature.
- partes
- Parts or regions of a country or area.
- nuestra
- Possessive adjective meaning our (feminine singular).
- república
- Republic or democratic form of government nation.
- cuyas
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning whose (feminine plural).
- mentes
- Minds or intellects of people thinking or reasoning.
- iluminado
- Enlightened or illuminated; past participle of iluminar.
- respecta
- Concerns or relates to; third person of respectar.
- esclavitud
- Slavery or the condition of being enslaved.
- llevadas
- Brought or led to; past participle of llevar (feminine).
- lágrimas
- Tears shed from eyes due to emotion or pain.
- pathos
- Pathos; quality evoking pity or sadness in audience.
- despertadas
- Awakened or stirred; past participle of despertar (feminine).
- virtuosa
- Virtuous or morally righteous (feminine singular adjective).
- indignación
- Indignation or anger aroused by injustice or wrong.
- conmovedora
- Moving or touching; emotionally stirring (feminine adjective).
- elocuencia
- Eloquence or skill in persuasive and expressive speaking.
- contra
- Preposition meaning against or in opposition to something.
- esclavizadores
- Enslavers or those who subject others to slavery.
- hombres
- Men or human beings in general (masculine plural).
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, or itself.
- pues
- Conjunction meaning then, well, or since/because.
- ello
- Neuter pronoun meaning it, referring to something abstract.
- llevó
- Led or brought; third person singular preterite of llevar.
- inmediato
- Immediate or without delay; happening right away.
- campo
- Field or arena of activity, work, or endeavor.
- utilidad
- Usefulness or utility; the quality of being beneficial.
- pública
- Public or relating to the community or society.
- dio
- Gave; third person singular preterite of dar.
- mundo
- World or the earth and all its inhabitants.
- certeza
- Certainty or sure knowledge of something being true.
- HOMBRE
- Man or human being (emphasized in capitalized form).
- avivó
- Revived or stirred up; third person singular preterite of avivar.
- adormecidas
- Dormant or numbed; past participle of adormecer (feminine).
- energías
- Energies or vital forces driving action and effort.
- alma
- Soul or spirit; the inner essence of a person.
- consagró
- Dedicated or devoted; third person singular preterite of consagrar.
- gran
- Great or grand; important and significant in magnitude.
- obra
- Work or endeavor, especially a significant undertaking or project.
- quebrar
- To break or shatter something; to bring to an end.
- vara
- Rod or staff; symbol of authority or oppressive power.
- opresor
- Oppressor or one who cruelly dominates and suppresses others.
- dejar
- To let, leave, or allow someone to do something.
- libre
- Free or liberated from constraint, bondage, or control.
- oprimido
- Oppressed person subjected to unjust authority or hardship.
- Nunca
- Never; at no time or under no circumstances.
- olvidaré
- I will never forget; first person future of olvidar.
- primer
- First; ordinal adjective indicating the initial occurrence.
- discurso
- Speech or discourse delivered to an audience publicly.
- convención
- Convention or formal assembly of people for a purpose.
- extraordinaria
- Extraordinary or remarkable; beyond what is ordinary or expected.
- emoción
- Emotion or strong feeling experienced by a person.
- despertó
- Awakened or aroused; third person singular preterite of despertar.
- propia
- Own or one's very own (feminine singular adjective).
- mente
- Mind or intellect of a person thinking and reasoning.
- poderosa
- Powerful or mighty; having great strength or influence.
- impresión
- Impression or strong effect left on someone's mind.
- causó
- Caused or produced; third person singular preterite of causar.
- auditorio
- Audience or auditorium; group of people listening attentively.
- repleto
- Full or packed; completely filled to capacity with people.
- completamente
- Completely or entirely; in a total and thorough manner.
- tomado
- Taken or caught; past participle of tomar (off guard).
- sorpresa
- Surprise or unexpected event catching someone off guard.
- aplausos
- Applause or clapping of hands to show appreciation.
- siguieron
- Followed or continued; third person plural preterite of seguir.
- desde
- Preposition meaning from or since a point in time.
- principio
- Beginning or start; also a principle or fundamental rule.
- hasta
- Preposition meaning until, up to, or as far as.
- final
- End or final point of something; last in sequence.
- afortunadas
- Lucky or fortunate (feminine plural); aptly chosen words.
- palabras
- Words or spoken expressions in language or speech.
- Creo
- I believe or think; first person singular of creer.
- nunca
- Never; at no time in past or future.
- odié
- I hated; first person singular preterite of odiar.
- tanta
- So much or such great (feminine singular); expressing intensity.
- intensidad
- Intensity or extreme degree of force or feeling.
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective meaning that (masculine singular nearby).
- momento
- Moment or brief period of time in experience.
- ciertamente
- Certainly or surely; expressing confidence in a statement.
- percepción
- Perception or awareness of something through the senses.
- enorme
- Enormous or huge; very large in size or degree.
- ultraje
- Outrage or gross insult inflicted upon a person.
- inflige
- Inflicts or imposes harm; third person of infligir.
- sobre
- Preposition meaning on, over, or about something.
- naturaleza
- Nature or the essential character of something or someone.
- casi
- Almost or nearly; very close to but not quite.
- divina
- Divine or godlike; of or relating to a deity.
- víctimas
- Victims or those who suffer harm from others' actions.
- quedó
- Became or remained; third person singular preterite of quedar.
- mucho
- Much or a lot; indicating a large quantity or degree.
- más
- More or most; indicating greater degree or quantity.
- clara
- Clear or evident; easy to understand or perceive (feminine).
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