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 foi deixado de fazer para mutilar seus intelectos, obscurecer suas mentes, aviltар sua natureza moral, obliterar todos os vestígios de sua relação com a humanidade; e ainda assim, quão maravilhosamente eles suportaram o peso imenso de uma escravidão aterrorizante, sob a qual têm gemido por séculos!
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 o efeito da escravidão sobre o homem branco — para mostrar que ele não possui poderes de resistência, em tal condição, superiores aos de seu irmão negro — Daniel O'Connell, o ilustre defensor da emancipação universal e o mais poderoso campeão da prostrada, mas não conquistada Irlanda, relata a seguinte anedota em um discurso proferido por ele no Salão da Conciliação, em Dublin, perante a Associação Nacional Leal pelo Repeal, em 31 de março de 1845.
"No matter," said Mr. O'Connell, "under what specious term it may disguise itself, slavery is still hideous.
"Não importa", disse o Sr. O'Connell, "sob que termo especioso ela possa se disfarçar, a escravidão continua sendo hedionda.
It has a natural, an inevitable tendency to brutalize every noble faculty of man.
Ela possui uma tendência natural, inevitável, de brutalizar todas as faculdades nobres do homem.
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.
Um marinheiro americano, que naufragou nas costas da África, onde foi mantido em escravidão por três anos, foi, ao término desse período, encontrado embrutecido e estultificado — havia perdido toda a capacidade de raciocínio; e tendo esquecido sua língua nativa, só conseguia proferir uma espécie de algaravia selvagem entre o árabe e o inglês, que ninguém conseguia entender, e que até ele próprio encontrava dificuldade em pronunciar.
So much for the humanizing influence of The Domestic Institution!
Eis aí a influência humanizadora da Instituição Doméstica!
Vocabulary
- Nada
- Nothing; not anything at all.
- foi
- Was; past tense of ser (to be).
- deixado
- Left; abandoned; past participle of deixar.
- de
- Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- fazer
- To do; to make; common Portuguese verb.
- para
- For; in order to; preposition of purpose.
- seus
- His; her; their; possessive adjective third person.
- suas
- Your; his; her; their; possessive adjective feminine.
- mentes
- Minds; intellects; plural of mente.
- sua
- Your; his; her; their; possessive adjective singular.
- natureza
- Nature; natural character or essence of something.
- moral
- Moral; relating to principles of right conduct.
- todos
- All; everyone; plural masculine of todo.
- os
- The; masculine plural definite article.
- relação
- Relation; connection; relationship between things.
- com
- With; together with; preposition of accompaniment.
- humanidade
- Humanity; human beings collectively; human nature.
- ainda
- Still; yet; even; adverb of continuation.
- assim
- Thus; so; in this manner; therefore.
- quão
- How; what degree; adverb of interrogation.
- eles
- They; masculine plural personal pronoun.
- suportaram
- Supported; bore; endured; past tense of suportar.
- peso
- Weight; burden; heaviness or mass of object.
- imenso
- Immense; huge; extremely large or vast.
- uma
- A; an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- escravidão
- Slavery; state of being enslaved or bondage.
- sob
- Under; beneath; preposition indicating position below.
- qual
- Which; what; relative pronoun of interrogation.
- têm
- Have; they have; third person plural present.
- por
- For; by; preposition of agency or duration.
- séculos
- Centuries; periods of one hundred years each.
- Para
- For; in order to; preposition of purpose.
- ilustrar
- To illustrate; to make clear by examples.
- efeito
- Effect; result; consequence of an action.
- da
- Of the; feminine singular contracted preposition.
- sobre
- On; about; concerning; preposition of position.
- homem
- Man; male human being; mankind.
- branco
- White; person of Caucasian descent.
- mostrar
- To show; to demonstrate; to display clearly.
- que
- That; which; what; relative or interrogative pronoun.
- ele
- He; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- não
- Not; negation; negative particle or adverb.
- possui
- Possesses; owns; has; third person singular.
- poderes
- Powers; abilities; strength; plural of poder.
- resistência
- Resistance; ability to withstand or endure.
- em
- In; inside; preposition indicating location or time.
- tal
- Such; of such kind; like; that.
- condição
- Condition; state; circumstances; requirements.
- superiores
- Superior; higher; better; greater in rank.
- aos
- To the; masculine plural contracted preposition.
- seu
- His; her; your; possessive adjective masculine.
- irmão
- Brother; male sibling; fellow human.
- negro
- Black; person of African descent.
- defensor
- Defender; advocate; one who defends cause.
- emancipação
- Emancipation; liberation; freedom from slavery.
- universal
- Universal; applying to all; of all people.
- mais
- More; greater; additional quantity or degree.
- poderoso
- Powerful; mighty; having great strength power.
- campeão
- Champion; victor; one who wins contest.
- mas
- But; however; yet; coordinating conjunction.
- conquistada
- Conquered; won; taken by force.
- Irlanda
- Ireland; island nation off Great Britain.
- relata
- Relates; tells; recounts; third person singular.
- seguinte
- Following; next; succeeding in order.
- anedota
- Anecdote; short entertaining story or account.
- um
- A; an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- discurso
- Discourse; speech; formal address or discussion.
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