On Liberty — Page 5
He died in 1873, his last years being spent peacefully in the pleasant society of his step-daughter, from whose tender care and earnest intellectual sympathy he caught maybe a far-off reflection of the light which had irradiated his spiritual life.
Murió en 1873, habiendo pasado sus últimos años tranquilamente en la agradable compañía de su hijastra, de cuya tierna atención y sincera simpatía intelectual captó quizás un lejano reflejo de la luz que había iluminado su vida espiritual.
II.
II.
The circumstances under which John Stuart Mill wrote his _Liberty_ are largely connected with the influence which Mrs. Taylor wielded over his career.
Las circunstancias bajo las cuales John Stuart Mill escribió su _Libertad_ están ampliamente relacionadas con la influencia que la señora Taylor ejerció sobre su carrera.
The dedication is well known.
La dedicatoria es bien conocida.
It contains the most extraordinary panegyric on a woman that any philosopher has ever penned.
Contiene el más extraordinario panegírico sobre una mujer que filósofo alguno haya escrito jamás.
"Were I but capable of interpreting to the world one-half the great thoughts and noble feelings which are buried in her grave, I should be the medium of a greater benefit to it than is ever likely to arise from anything that I can write, unprompted and unassisted by her all but unrivalled wisdom."
«Si tan solo fuera capaz de interpretar ante el mundo la mitad de los grandes pensamientos y nobles sentimientos que están sepultados en su tumba, sería el medio de un beneficio mayor para él del que jamás podría surgir de cualquier cosa que yo pudiera escribir, sin ser inspirado ni asistido por su sabiduría casi sin igual».
It is easy for the ordinary worldly cynicism to curl a sceptical lip over sentences like these.
Es fácil para el cinismo mundano ordinario torcer un labio escéptico ante frases como estas.
There may be exaggeration of sentiment, the necessary and inevitable reaction of a man who was trained according to the "dry light" of so unimpressionable a man as James Mill, the father; but the passage quoted is not the only one in which John Stuart Mill proclaims his unhesitating belief in the intellectual influence of his wife.
Puede haber exageración de sentimiento, la reacción necesaria e inevitable de un hombre que fue educado según la «luz árida» de un hombre tan poco impresionable como James Mill, el padre; pero el pasaje citado no es el único en el que John Stuart Mill proclama su convicción sin vacilaciones en la influencia intelectual de su esposa.
The treatise on _Liberty_ was written especially under her authority and encouragement, but there are many earlier references to the power which she exercised over his mind.
El tratado sobre la _Libertad_ fue escrito especialmente bajo su autoridad y estímulo, pero hay muchas referencias anteriores al poder que ella ejerció sobre su mente.
Vocabulary
- Murió
- He/she died; past tense of morir
- en
- In, on, or at; common preposition
- habiendo
- Having; gerund form of haber
- pasado
- Spent or passed; past participle of pasar
- sus
- His, her, or their; possessive adjective
- últimos
- Last or final; plural masculine adjective
- años
- Years; plural of año
- tranquilamente
- Peacefully or calmly; adverb of manner
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- agradable
- Pleasant or enjoyable; descriptive adjective
- compañía
- Company or companionship of another person
- de
- Of or from; very common preposition
- su
- His, her, or your; possessive adjective
- hijastra
- Stepdaughter; a spouse's daughter from before
- cuya
- Whose; feminine relative possessive pronoun
- tierna
- Tender or gentle; feminine adjective
- atención
- Attention or care given to someone
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- sincera
- Sincere or genuine; feminine adjective
- simpatía
- Sympathy or warm rapport with someone
- intelectual
- Intellectual; relating to the mind or intellect
- captó
- Captured or caught; past tense of captar
- quizás
- Perhaps or maybe; expresses uncertainty
- un
- A or an; masculine indefinite article
- lejano
- Distant or far-off; masculine adjective
- reflejo
- Reflection or glimmer of something
- luz
- Light; illumination or radiance
- que
- That, which, or who; relative conjunction
- había
- Had; imperfect tense of haber
- iluminado
- Illuminated or lit up; past participle
- vida
- Life; one's existence or way of living
- espiritual
- Spiritual; relating to the spirit or soul
- Las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- circunstancias
- Circumstances or conditions surrounding an event
- bajo
- Under or beneath; preposition indicating condition
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- cuales
- Which; plural relative pronoun
- escribió
- Wrote; past tense of escribir
- _Libertad_
- Liberty or freedom; title of Mill's essay
- están
- Are; third-person plural of estar
- ampliamente
- Broadly or extensively; adverb of degree
- relacionadas
- Related or connected; feminine plural past participle
- con
- With; common preposition
- influencia
- Influence or effect one person has on another
- señora
- Mrs. or lady; title for a woman
- ejerció
- Exercised or exerted; past tense of ejercer
- sobre
- On, over, or about; common preposition
- carrera
- Career or professional path of a person
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article
- dedicatoria
- Dedication; inscription at the front of a book
- es
- Is; third-person singular of ser
- bien
- Well or widely; common adverb
- conocida
- Known or well-known; feminine past participle
- Contiene
- Contains or holds; third-person singular of contener
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- más
- Most or more; superlative or comparative marker
- extraordinario
- Extraordinary or remarkable; masculine adjective
- panegírico
- Panegyric; elaborate speech of high praise
- una
- A or one; feminine indefinite article
- mujer
- Woman or wife; adult female person
- filósofo
- Philosopher; person who studies philosophy
- alguno
- Any or some; indefinite pronoun or adjective
- haya
- Has; present subjunctive of haber
- escrito
- Written; past participle of escribir
- jamás
- Never or ever; emphatic negative adverb
- Si
- If; conditional conjunction
- tan
- So or as; adverb of degree
- solo
- Only or just; adverb of restriction
- fuera
- Were; past subjunctive of ser or ir
- capaz
- Capable or able; adjective of ability
- interpretar
- To interpret or convey; infinitive verb
- ante
- Before or in front of; preposition
- mundo
- World; the earth or all of humanity
- mitad
- Half; one of two equal parts
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- grandes
- Great or grand; plural adjective
- pensamientos
- Thoughts or ideas; plural of pensamiento
- nobles
- Noble or elevated; plural adjective
- sentimientos
- Feelings or emotions; plural of sentimiento
- sepultados
- Buried or entombed; masculine plural past participle
- tumba
- Tomb or grave; place where someone is buried
- sería
- Would be; conditional tense of ser
- medio
- Half or means; medium or instrument
- beneficio
- Benefit or advantage gained from something
- mayor
- Greater or larger; comparative adjective
- para
- For or in order to; common preposition
- él
- He or him; third-person masculine pronoun
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- podría
- Could; conditional tense of poder
- surgir
- To emerge or arise; infinitive verb
- cualquier
- Any or whatever; indefinite adjective
- cosa
- Thing; a general object or matter
- yo
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- pudiera
- Could; past subjunctive of poder
- escribir
- To write; infinitive of writing verb
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence
- ser
- To be; infinitive of permanent-state verb
- inspirado
- Inspired; past participle of inspirar
- ni
- Nor or not even; negative conjunction
- asistido
- Assisted or aided; past participle of asistir
- por
- By or through; common preposition
- sabiduría
- Wisdom; deep knowledge and good judgment
- casi
- Almost or nearly; adverb of approximation
- igual
- Equal or the same; adjective of equivalence
- Es
- It is; third-person singular of ser
- fácil
- Easy or simple; adjective of difficulty
- cinismo
- Cynicism; distrustful or mocking attitude
- mundano
- Worldly or mundane; relating to everyday society
- ordinario
- Ordinary or common; lacking distinction
- torcer
- To twist or curl; infinitive verb
- labio
- Lip; the fleshy edge of the mouth
- escéptico
- Skeptical; doubting the truth of something
- frases
- Phrases or sentences; plural of frase
- como
- Like or as; comparison conjunction or adverb
- estas
- These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective
- Puede
- Can or may; third-person singular of poder
- haber
- To have; auxiliary infinitive verb
- exageración
- Exaggeration; overstating the truth
- sentimiento
- Feeling or emotion; inner emotional experience
- reacción
- Reaction; response to a stimulus or situation
- necesaria
- Necessary or required; feminine adjective
- e
- And; variant of y before i or hi
- inevitable
- Inevitable; impossible to avoid or prevent
- hombre
- Man or human being; adult male person
- fue
- Was or went; past tense of ser or ir
- educado
- Educated or raised; past participle of educar
- según
- According to or depending on; preposition
- árida
- Arid or dry; barren or unproductive
- poco
- Little or few; adjective of small quantity
- impresionable
- Impressionable; easily influenced or affected emotionally
- padre
- Father; male parent
- pero
- But; adversative coordinating conjunction
- pasaje
- Passage; excerpt from a text or writing
- citado
- Cited or quoted; past participle of citar
- no
- No or not; basic negation word
- único
- Unique or only; masculine adjective
- proclama
- Proclaims or declares; third-person singular verb
- convicción
- Conviction; firm belief or strong certainty
- vacilaciones
- Hesitations; moments of doubt or wavering
- esposa
- Wife; a married woman
- El
- The; masculine singular definite article
- tratado
- Treatise or treaty; formal written work
- especialmente
- Especially or particularly; adverb of emphasis
- autoridad
- Authority or power; recognized expertise or control
- estímulo
- Stimulus or encouragement; motivating influence
- hay
- There is or there are; impersonal form of haber
- muchas
- Many or a lot; feminine plural adjective
- referencias
- References; mentions or allusions in a text
- anteriores
- Previous or earlier; plural adjective
- al
- To the; contraction of a and el
- poder
- Power or ability; can also mean to be able
- ella
- She or her; third-person feminine pronoun
- mente
- Mind; the seat of thought and intellect
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →