Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 7
Nothing has been left undone to cripple their intellects, darken their minds, debase their moral nature, obliterate all traces of their relationship to mankind; and yet how wonderfully they have sustained the mighty load of a most frightful bondage, under which they have been groaning for centuries!
Nada se ha dejado sin hacer para mutilar sus intelectos, oscurecer sus mentes, degradar su naturaleza moral, borrar todo rastro de su relación con la humanidad; ¡y sin embargo, con qué maravillosa fortaleza han sostenido el enorme peso de una esclavitud espantosa, bajo la cual han estado gimiendo durante siglos!
To illustrate the effect of slavery on the white man,—to show that he has no powers of endurance, in such a condition, superior to those of his black brother,—Daniel O'Connell, the distinguished advocate of universal emancipation, and the mightiest champion of prostrate but not conquered Ireland, relates the following anecdote in a speech delivered by him in the Conciliation Hall, Dublin, before the Loyal National Repeal Association, March 31, 1845.
Para ilustrar el efecto de la esclavitud sobre el hombre blanco, —para demostrar que no posee poderes de resistencia, en tal condición, superiores a los de su hermano negro,— Daniel O'Connell, el distinguido defensor de la emancipación universal y el más poderoso campeón de la postrada pero no conquistada Irlanda, relata la siguiente anécdota en un discurso pronunciado por él en el Salón de la Conciliación de Dublín, ante la Asociación Nacional Leal por la Derogación, el 31 de marzo de 1845.
"No matter," said Mr. O'Connell, "under what specious term it may disguise itself, slavery is still hideous.
«No importa», dijo el Sr. O'Connell, «bajo qué término especioso pueda disfrazarse, la esclavitud sigue siendo horrenda.
It has a natural, an inevitable tendency to brutalize every noble faculty of man.
Tiene una tendencia natural, inevitable, a brutalizar cada noble facultad del hombre.
An American sailor, who was cast away on the shore of Africa, where he was kept in slavery for three years, was, at the expiration of that period, found to be imbruted and stultified—he had lost all reasoning power; and having forgotten his native language, could only utter some savage gibberish between Arabic and English, which nobody could understand, and which even he himself found difficulty in pronouncing.
Un marinero americano, que naufragó en las costas de África, donde fue mantenido en esclavitud durante tres años, fue hallado, al término de ese período, embrutecido e idiotizado —había perdido toda capacidad de razonamiento; y habiendo olvidado su lengua materna, solo podía emitir una jerga salvaje entre el árabe y el inglés, que nadie podía entender, y que incluso él mismo tenía dificultad en pronunciar.
So much for the humanizing influence of The Domestic Institution!
¡Esto es todo lo que puede decirse de la influencia humanizadora de La Institución Doméstica!
Vocabulary
- Nada
- Nothing; not anything at all.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself, himself, herself, themselves.
- ha
- Has; auxiliary verb indicating present perfect tense.
- dejado
- Left; past participle of dejar meaning to leave or allow.
- sin
- Without; indicating the absence of something.
- hacer
- To do; to make; fundamental Spanish verb.
- para
- For; in order to; indicating purpose or direction.
- mutilar
- To mutilate; to damage or injure severely.
- sus
- His, her, its, their; possessive adjective.
- intelectos
- Intellects; plural of intelecto meaning minds or intellect.
- oscurecer
- To darken; to obscure or make dark.
- mentes
- Minds; plural of mente meaning mind or intellect.
- degradar
- To degrade; to reduce in rank or status.
- su
- His, her, its, their; singular possessive adjective.
- naturaleza
- Nature; fundamental character or essence of something.
- moral
- Moral; relating to principles of right and wrong.
- borrar
- To erase; to delete or remove completely.
- todo
- All; everything; the whole of something.
- rastro
- Trace; a sign or mark left behind.
- de
- Of; preposition indicating possession or relationship.
- relación
- Relationship; connection or association between things.
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- humanidad
- Humanity; human beings collectively or human nature.
- embargo
- Embargo; seizure of goods; however in some contexts.
- qué
- What; interrogative pronoun asking for information.
- maravillosa
- Wonderful; marvelous; inspiring wonder or admiration.
- fortaleza
- Strength; fortress; physical or mental strength.
- han
- Have; third person plural present perfect auxiliary.
- sostenido
- Sustained; supported; maintained continuously.
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- enorme
- Enormous; very large; huge in size.
- peso
- Weight; burden; also Spanish currency unit.
- una
- A; an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- esclavitud
- Slavery; state of being enslaved.
- espantosa
- Dreadful; terrible; causing fear or horror.
- bajo
- Under; below; beneath; also low in pitch.
- cual
- Which; what; relative pronoun in sentences.
- estado
- State; condition; also a political state.
- gimiendo
- Groaning; moaning; making painful sounds.
- durante
- During; throughout the course of a time period.
- siglos
- Centuries; plural of siglo meaning hundred-year periods.
- Para
- For; in order to; indicating purpose.
- ilustrar
- To illustrate; to explain with examples.
- efecto
- Effect; result; consequence of an action.
- sobre
- On; about; concerning; upon.
- hombre
- Man; adult male human being.
- blanco
- White; blank; target; also a person of European descent.
- demostrar
- To demonstrate; to show or prove something.
- que
- That; which; relative pronoun in sentences.
- no
- No; not; negation or denial.
- posee
- Possesses; owns; third person singular of poseer.
- poderes
- Powers; abilities; plural of poder.
- resistencia
- Resistance; opposition; ability to withstand something.
- en
- In; into; preposition indicating location or time.
- tal
- Such; of that kind; similar.
- condición
- Condition; state; requirement or circumstance.
- superiores
- Superior; higher in rank, quality, or position.
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article.
- hermano
- Brother; male sibling or fellow human.
- negro
- Black; dark colored; person of African descent.
- distinguido
- Distinguished; renowned; eminent and respected.
- defensor
- Defender; advocate; one who defends causes.
- emancipación
- Emancipation; liberation; freedom from restraint.
- universal
- Universal; applying to all; worldwide in scope.
- más
- More; most; greater in quantity or degree.
- poderoso
- Powerful; mighty; having great strength.
- campeón
- Champion; victor; one who wins competitions.
- postrada
- Prostrate; lying down; in a weakened state.
- pero
- But; however; expressing contrast or opposition.
- conquistada
- Conquered; defeated; subdued by force.
- relata
- Relates; tells; narrates a story or account.
- siguiente
- Following; next; coming after something else.
- anécdota
- Anecdote; brief story illustrating a point.
- un
- A; an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- discurso
- Discourse; speech; extended formal spoken address.
- pronunciado
- Pronounced; delivered; spoken aloud.
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