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!
彼らの知性を損ない、心を暗くし、道徳的本性を堕落させ、人類との関係のあらゆる痕跡を消し去るために、あらゆる手が尽くされてきた。それでもなお、彼らが何世紀もの間うめき苦しんできた、最も恐ろしい束縛の重い荷をいかに驚くべき形で耐え忍んできたことか！
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.
白人に対する奴隷制の影響を示すために、――そのような状況において、彼が黒人の同胞より優れた忍耐力を持つわけではないことを示すために、――普遍的解放の著名な擁護者であり、打ちひしがれながらも征服されざるアイルランドの最も力強い闘士である_ダニエル・オコンネル_は、1845年3月31日にダブリンの和解ホールにおいてロイヤル・ナショナル・リピール協会の前で行った演説の中で、次の逸話を語っている。
"No matter," said _Mr. O'Connell_, "under what specious term it may disguise itself, slavery is still hideous.
「いかなる口実めいた言葉で偽装しようとも」とオコンネル氏は述べた、「奴隷制は依然として忌まわしいものである。
_It has a natural, an inevitable tendency to brutalize every noble faculty of man._
_それは人間のあらゆる高貴な能力を野蛮化する、自然な、避けがたい傾向を持っている。_
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.
アフリカの海岸に漂着し、そこで三年間奴隷として囚われていたあるアメリカ人船員は、その期間が終わった時、野獣化し愚鈍になっていることが判明した――彼はあらゆる思考力を失っており、母国語を忘れてしまっていたため、アラビア語と英語の間のような野蛮な意味不明な言葉しか発することができず、誰にも理解できず、彼自身さえもその発音に困難を覚えるほどであった。
So much for the humanizing influence of _The Domestic Institution_!
これが_家庭的制度_の人間化の影響とやらである！
Vocabulary
- 彼ら
- karera — They; those people (plural)
- 知性
- chisei — Intelligence; intellect; mental capacity
- 損ない
- sokonai — Damage; harm; impair
- 暗く
- kuraku — Darkly; in a dark manner or color
- 道徳的
- doutokuteki — Moral; ethical; relating to morality
- 本性
- honsei — True nature; inherent character; essence
- 堕落
- daraku — Degradation; corruption; moral decline
- させ
- sase — Causative auxiliary verb; to make/let someone do
- 人類
- jinrui — Humanity; humankind; the human race
- 関係
- kankei — Relationship; connection; relation
- あらゆる
- arayuru — Every; all kinds of; any and all
- 痕跡
- konseki — Trace; mark; vestige; evidence
- 消し去る
- keshi saru — Erase; eliminate; wipe out completely
- ため
- tame — For; in order to; sake; benefit
- 尽くされ
- tsukusare — Exhausted; depleted; used up completely
- それ
- sore — That; that thing; it
- なお
- nao — Still; yet; furthermore; moreover
- 世紀
- seiki — Century; period of one hundred years
- うめき
- umeki — Groan; moan; cry of pain
- 苦しん
- kurushin — Suffer; struggle with difficulty
- 最も
- mottomo — Most; the greatest degree or extent
- 恐ろしい
- osoroshii — Terrible; dreadful; frightening; horrible
- 束縛
- sokubaku — Restraint; bondage; constraint; binding
- 重い
- omoi — Heavy; serious; weighty; grave
- いかに
- ikani — How; in what way; to what extent
- 驚く
- odoroku — Be surprised; amazed; astonished
- べき
- beki — Should; ought to; must; necessary to
- 耐え忍ん
- taeshinon — Endure; bear; tolerate with patience
- こと
- koto — Thing; matter; fact; deed; event
- 白人
- hakujin — White person; Caucasian; person of European descent
- 対する
- taisuru — Oppose; contrast with; face; toward
- 奴隷制
- dorei sei — Slavery; system of enslaving people
- 影響
- eikyou — Influence; effect; impact; consequence
- 示す
- shimesu — Show; indicate; display; demonstrate
- その
- sono — That; that particular; its
- よう
- you — Appearance; manner; way; like; as if
- 状況
- joukyou — Situation; circumstances; condition; state
- 黒人
- kokujin — Black person; African person; person of African descent
- 同胞
- douhou — Fellow countrymen; compatriot; sibling
- より
- yori — From; than; more; by means of
- 優れ
- sugure — Excellent; superior; surpass; exceed
- 忍耐力
- nintairyoku — Patience; perseverance; endurance; tolerance
- 持つ
- motsu — Hold; possess; carry; have; own
- わけ
- wake — Reason; meaning; situation; circumstance
- ない
- nai — Not; no; absence; negation
- 普遍的
- fuhen-teki — Universal; general; common to all people
- 解放
- kaihō — Liberation; emancipation; freedom; release
- 著名
- chomei — Famous; well-known; renowned; celebrated
- 擁護者
- yougosha — Advocate; supporter; defender; champion
- あり
- ari — Ant; exist; there is; have
- 打ちひしがれ
- uchihi shigare — Crushed; overwhelmed; disheartened; dejected
- ながら
- nagara — While; although; during; at same time
- 征服
- seifu ku — Conquest; subjugation; conquer; subdue
- ざる
- zaru — Strainer; can not; unable to; failed to
- 力強い
- chikarazuyoi — Powerful; mighty; vigorous; strong
- 闘士
- toushi — Warrior; fighter; combatant; champion
- ある
- aru — Be; exist; have; there is
- 和解
- wakai — Reconciliation; settlement; peace; compromise
- ホール
- hōru — Hall; large room; auditorium
- 協会
- kyoukai — Association; society; organization; club
- 行っ
- itta — Go; went; proceed; travel
- 演説
- enzetsu — Speech; address; oration; discourse
- 逸話
- itsuwا — Anecdote; story; tale; episode
- 語っ
- katatta — Speak; talk; tell; narrate; relate
- いる
- iru — Be; exist; stay; present; in progress
- いかなる
- ikanaru — What; what kind of; any; whatever
- 口実
- kujitsu — Excuse; pretext; pretense; justification
- めいた
- meita — Like; resembling; seemingly; appearing as
- 言葉
- kotoba — Word; language; words spoken; speech
- 偽装
- gisou — Disguise; deception; masquerade; camouflage
- しよう
- shiyou — Do; let's do; shall; will do
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