Pride and Prejudice — Page 8
If cynicism means the perception of "the other side," the sense of "the accepted hells beneath," the consciousness that motives are nearly always mixed, and that to seem is not identical with to be--if this be cynicism, then every man and woman who is not a fool, who does not care to live in a fool's paradise, who has knowledge of nature and the world and life, is a cynic.
Si el cinismo significa la percepción del «otro lado», el sentido de «los infiernos aceptados que subyacen», la conciencia de que los motivos casi siempre son mezclados, y que parecer no es idéntico a ser —si esto es cinismo, entonces todo hombre y toda mujer que no sea un necio, que no desee vivir en el paraíso de los necios, que tenga conocimiento de la naturaleza, del mundo y de la vida, es un cínico.
And in that sense Miss Austen certainly was one.
Y en ese sentido, la señorita Austen ciertamente lo era.
She may even have been one in the further sense that, like her own Mr. Bennet, she took an epicurean delight in dissecting, in displaying, in setting at work her fools and her mean persons.
Puede que incluso lo haya sido en el sentido más amplio de que, al igual que su propio señor Bennet, encontraba un deleite epicúreo en diseccionar, en exhibir, en poner en acción a sus necios y a sus personajes mezquinos.
I think she did take this delight, and I do not think at all the worse of her for it as a woman, while she was immensely the better for it as an artist.
Creo que sí encontraba ese deleite, y no la considero en absoluto peor por ello como mujer, mientras que era inmensamente mejor gracias a ello como artista.
In respect of her art generally, Mr. Goldwin Smith has truly observed that "metaphor has been exhausted in depicting the perfection of it, combined with the narrowness of her field;" and he has justly added that we need not go beyond her own comparison to the art of a miniature painter.
En cuanto a su arte en general, el señor Goldwin Smith ha observado con acierto que «la metáfora se ha agotado al intentar describir su perfección, combinada con la estrechez de su campo»; y ha añadido con razón que no necesitamos ir más allá de su propia comparación con el arte de un pintor de miniaturas.
To make this latter observation quite exact we must not use the term miniature in its restricted sense, and must think rather of Memling at one end of the history of painting and Meissonier at the other, than of Cosway or any of his kind.
Para que esta última observación sea del todo exacta, no debemos usar el término miniatura en su sentido restringido, sino pensar más bien en Memling en un extremo de la historia de la pintura y en Meissonier en el otro, antes que en Cosway o en cualquiera de su clase.
Vocabulary
- si
- if; whether
- el
- the (masculine singular article)
- cinismo
- cynicism; belief that people are selfish
- significa
- means; signifies; represents in meaning
- la
- the (feminine singular article)
- percepción
- perception; awareness or understanding of something
- del
- of the; from the (contraction)
- otro
- other; another; different one
- lado
- side; flank; aspect or perspective
- sentido
- sense; meaning; direction or feeling
- de
- of; from; indicating possession or origin
- los
- the (masculine plural article)
- infiernos
- hells; infernos; places of torment
- aceptados
- accepted; approved; received willingly
- que
- that; which; who; relative pronoun
- conciencia
- conscience; consciousness; awareness of self
- motivos
- motives; reasons; causes for actions
- casi
- almost; nearly; practically or virtually
- siempre
- always; ever; at all times
- son
- are; exist; third person plural present
- mezclados
- mixed; blended; combined together
- parecer
- to seem; to appear; to look like
- no
- no; not; negative response or negation
- es
- is; exists; third person singular present
- idéntico
- identical; the same; exactly alike
- ser
- to be; to exist; fundamental verb
- esto
- this; this thing; this matter
- entonces
- then; at that time; therefore
- todo
- all; everything; whole; entire
- hombre
- man; male human; mankind in general
- toda
- all; every; entire (feminine form)
- mujer
- woman; female; wife; lady
- sea
- is; may be; subjunctive of ser
- un
- a; an; one (masculine indefinite article)
- necio
- fool; foolish person; stupid or silly
- desee
- wishes; desires; wants; subjunctive desire
- vivir
- to live; to exist; to reside
- en
- in; on; at; preposition of location
- paraíso
- paradise; heaven; place of perfect bliss
- necios
- fools; foolish people; silly or stupid
- tenga
- has; possesses; subjunctive of tener
- conocimiento
- knowledge; understanding; awareness or learning
- naturaleza
- nature; natural world; inherent character
- mundo
- world; earth; society or sphere
- vida
- life; existence; living or livelihood
- cínico
- cynic; cynical person; skeptical doubter
- ese
- that; that one; demonstrative pronoun
- señorita
- young lady; miss; unmarried woman
- ciertamente
- certainly; surely; definitely; without doubt
- lo
- it; that; masculine neutral article
- era
- was; existed; past tense of ser
- Puede
- can; is able; may or possible
- incluso
- even; including; moreover; furthermore
- haya
- has; may have; subjunctive of haber
- sido
- been; past participle of ser
- más
- more; greater; additional or further
- amplio
- broad; wide; ample; extensive
- al
- to the; at the; contraction
- igual
- equal; same; alike; equivalent
- su
- his; her; your; their possessive
- propio
- own; proper; characteristic; one's own
- señor
- mister; sir; man; gentleman
- encontraba
- found; encountered; discovered; met
- deleite
- delight; pleasure; enjoyment; satisfaction
- epicúreo
- epicurean; devoted to sensual pleasures
- exhibir
- to exhibit; to show; to display
- poner
- to put; to place; to set
- acción
- action; deed; act; operation
- sus
- his; her; their; your (plural)
- personajes
- characters; persons; figures in story
- mezquinos
- petty; mean; stingy; contemptible
- Creo
- I believe; I think; I consider
- sí
- yes; affirmative; indeed or truly
- considero
- I consider; I think; I deem
- absoluto
- absolute; complete; total; unconditional
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