Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 10
what longings after freedom took possession of his breast, and how his misery augmented, in proportion as he grew reflective and intelligent,—thus demonstrating that a happy slave is an extinct man!
¡qué anhelos de libertad se apoderaron de su pecho, y cómo su miseria aumentó, en proporción a medida que se volvió reflexivo e inteligente, —demostrando así que un esclavo feliz es un hombre extinto!
how he thought, reasoned, felt, under the lash of the driver, with the chains upon his limbs!
¡cómo pensó, razonó, sintió, bajo el látigo del capataz, con las cadenas sobre sus miembros!
what perils he encountered in his endeavors to escape from his horrible doom!
¡qué peligros encontró en sus esfuerzos por escapar de su horrible destino!
and how signal have been his deliverance and preservation in the midst of a nation of pitiless enemies!
¡y cuán señaladas han sido su liberación y preservación en medio de una nación de enemigos despiadados!
This Narrative contains many affecting incidents, many passages of great eloquence and power; but I think the most thrilling one of them all is the description _Douglass_ gives of his feelings, as he stood soliloquizing respecting his fate, and the chances of his one day being a freeman, on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay—viewing the receding vessels as they flew with their white wings before the breeze, and apostrophizing them as animated by the living spirit of freedom.
Esta Narrativa contiene muchos incidentes conmovedores, muchos pasajes de gran elocuencia y poder; pero creo que el más emocionante de todos es la descripción que _Douglass_ hace de sus sentimientos, mientras permanecía soliloquizando sobre su destino, y las posibilidades de ser algún día un hombre libre, a orillas de la Bahía de Chesapeake—contemplando los barcos que se alejaban mientras volaban con sus alas blancas ante la brisa, y apostrofándolos como animados por el espíritu vivo de la libertad.
Who can read that passage, and be insensible to its pathos and sublimity?
¿Quién puede leer ese pasaje y ser insensible a su patetismo y sublimidad?
Compressed into it is a whole Alexandrian library of thought, feeling, and sentiment—all that can, all that need be urged, in the form of expostulation, entreaty, rebuke, against that crime of crimes,—making man the property of his fellow-man!
Comprimida en él hay toda una biblioteca alejandrina de pensamiento, sentimiento y emoción—todo lo que puede, todo lo que debe ser expresado, en forma de protesta, súplica, reproche, contra ese crimen de crímenes,—¡hacer del hombre la propiedad de su semejante!
Vocabulary
- ¡qué
- What; how (exclamatory particle)
- anhelos
- Yearnings, longings, desires or wishes
- de
- Of, from (preposition)
- libertad
- Freedom, liberty (noun)
- se
- Reflexive pronoun, oneself
- apoderaron
- Took possession of, seized (verb past)
- su
- His, her, its, their (possessive)
- pecho
- Chest, breast (noun)
- cómo
- How (interrogative or exclamatory)
- miseria
- Misery, wretchedness, poverty (noun)
- aumentó
- Increased, grew (verb past)
- en
- In, on (preposition)
- proporción
- Proportion, ratio, relationship (noun)
- medida
- Measure, extent, degree (noun)
- que
- That, which (relative pronoun)
- volvió
- Became, turned (verb past)
- reflexivo
- Reflective, thoughtful (adjective)
- inteligente
- Intelligent, smart, clever (adjective)
- demostrando
- Demonstrating, showing, proving (verb)
- así
- Thus, this way, so (adverb)
- un
- A, an (indefinite article)
- esclavo
- Slave (noun)
- feliz
- Happy, fortunate (adjective)
- es
- Is (verb present)
- hombre
- Man, human being (noun)
- extinto
- Extinct, extinguished, dead (adjective)
- ¡cómo
- How (exclamatory)
- pensó
- Thought (verb past)
- razonó
- Reasoned (verb past)
- sintió
- Felt (verb past)
- bajo
- Under, beneath (preposition)
- el
- The (definite article masculine)
- del
- Of the (contraction)
- con
- With (preposition)
- las
- The (definite article feminine plural)
- cadenas
- Chains (noun plural)
- sobre
- On, upon, over (preposition)
- sus
- His, her, its, their (possessive)
- miembros
- Members, limbs (noun plural)
- peligros
- Dangers, perils (noun plural)
- encontró
- Found, encountered (verb past)
- esfuerzos
- Efforts, endeavors (noun plural)
- por
- For, by, through (preposition)
- escapar
- To escape, to flee (verb)
- horrible
- Horrible, dreadful, terrible (adjective)
- destino
- Destiny, fate, destination (noun)
- ¡y
- And (conjunction exclamatory)
- cuán
- How (exclamatory before adjective)
- han
- Have (auxiliary verb present)
- sido
- Been (past participle of ser)
- liberación
- Liberation, freedom, release (noun)
- preservación
- Preservation, conservation (noun)
- medio
- Means, medium, middle (noun)
- una
- A, an (indefinite article feminine)
- nación
- Nation, country (noun)
- enemigos
- Enemies (noun plural)
- Esta
- This (demonstrative adjective feminine)
- Narrativa
- Narrative, story, account (noun)
- contiene
- Contains, holds (verb present)
- muchos
- Many, much (adjective)
- incidentes
- Incidents, events, occurrences (noun)
- pasajes
- Passages, sections (noun plural)
- gran
- Great, grand, large (adjective)
- poder
- Power, strength, ability (noun)
- pero
- But, yet (conjunction)
- creo
- I believe, I think (verb present)
- más
- More, most (adverb)
- emocionante
- Exciting, thrilling, moving (adjective)
- todos
- All, everyone (pronoun/adjective)
- la
- The (definite article feminine)
- descripción
- Description, account (noun)
- hace
- Makes, does (verb present)
- sentimientos
- Feelings, emotions (noun plural)
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