The Republic — Page 14

English → Spanish INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS. Level 9/10

To Plato himself, the enquiry 'what was the intention of the writer,' or 'what was the principal argument of the Republic' would have been hardly intelligible, and therefore had better be at once dismissed (cp. the Introduction to the Phaedrus).

Para el propio Platón, la pregunta «cuál era la intención del autor» o «cuál era el argumento principal de la República» habría sido difícilmente inteligible, y por tanto es mejor descartarla de inmediato (cp. la Introducción al Fedro).

Is not the Republic the vehicle of three or four great truths which, to Plato's own mind, are most naturally represented in the form of the State?

¿No es acaso la República el vehículo de tres o cuatro grandes verdades que, en la propia mente de Platón, se representan de la manera más natural bajo la forma del Estado?

Just as in the Jewish prophets the reign of Messiah, or 'the day of the Lord,' or the suffering Servant or people of God, or the 'Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings' only convey, to us at least, their great spiritual ideals, so through the Greek State Plato reveals to us his own thoughts about divine perfection, which is the idea of good—like the sun in the visible world;—about human perfection, which is justice—about education beginning in youth and continuing in later years—about poets and sophists and tyrants who are the false teachers and evil rulers of mankind—about 'the world' which is the embodiment of them—about a kingdom which exists nowhere upon earth but is laid up in heaven to be the pattern and rule of human life.

Así como en los profetas judíos el reinado del Mesías, o «el día del Señor», o el Siervo sufriente o el pueblo de Dios, o el «Sol de justicia con salud en sus alas» solo transmiten, al menos para nosotros, sus grandes ideales espirituales, del mismo modo a través del Estado griego Platón nos revela sus propios pensamientos acerca de la perfección divina, que es la idea del bien —como el sol en el mundo visible—; acerca de la perfección humana, que es la justicia; acerca de la educación que comienza en la juventud y continúa en los años posteriores; acerca de los poetas, los sofistas y los tiranos, que son los falsos maestros y los malos gobernantes de la humanidad; acerca de «el mundo», que es la encarnación de ellos; acerca de un reino que no existe en ningún lugar de la tierra, sino que está reservado en el cielo para ser el modelo y la norma de la vida humana.

No such inspired creation is at unity with itself, any more than the clouds of heaven when the sun pierces through them.

Ninguna creación tan inspirada está en armonía consigo misma, como tampoco lo están las nubes del cielo cuando el sol las atraviesa.

Every shade of light and dark, of truth, and of fiction which is the veil of truth, is allowable in a work of philosophical imagination.

Todo matiz de luz y de sombra, de verdad y de ficción que es el velo de la verdad, es admisible en una obra de imaginación filosófica.

Vocabulary

Para: Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
el: Definite article 'the' used with masculine nouns
propio: Meaning 'own' or 'proper', belonging to oneself
la: Definite article 'the' used with feminine nouns
pregunta: A question or inquiry posed to someone
cuál: Interrogative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'what'
era: Past tense of 'ser', meaning 'was' or 'were'
intención: Purpose or aim behind an action or work
del: Contraction of 'de' and 'el', meaning 'of the'
autor: Person who writes or creates a literary work
o: Conjunction meaning 'or', presenting alternatives
argumento: Main argument or plot of a text or discussion
principal: Most important or primary among several things
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
habría: Conditional form of 'haber', meaning 'would have'
sido: Past participle of 'ser', meaning 'been'
difícilmente: Adverb meaning 'hardly' or 'with great difficulty'
inteligible: Able to be understood; comprehensible to the reader
y: Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses
por: Preposition meaning 'by', 'for', or 'through'
tanto: Meaning 'so much' or 'therefore' in context
es: Third person singular present tense of 'ser'
mejor: Comparative adjective meaning 'better' or 'best'
descartarla: To discard or dismiss it entirely from consideration
inmediato: Immediate; happening without delay or hesitation
Introducción: Introductory section of a book or scholarly work
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'el', meaning 'to the'
No: Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
acaso: Perhaps or by chance; used in rhetorical questions
vehículo: Vehicle or medium for conveying ideas or truths
tres: The number three in Spanish
cuatro: The number four in Spanish
grandes: Adjective meaning 'great' or 'large' in size or importance
verdades: Truths; fundamental facts or realities about existence
que: Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'which'
en: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'on'
propia: Feminine form of 'propio', meaning 'own' or 'proper'
mente: The mind or intellect of a person
se: Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or passive verbs
representan: They represent or depict something in a given context
manera: Manner or way in which something is done
más: Adverb meaning 'more' used in comparisons
natural: Natural; occurring without artificiality or force
bajo: Preposition meaning 'under' or adjective meaning 'low'
forma: Form or shape in which something is presented
Estado: State or nation as a political entity
Así: Adverb meaning 'thus' or 'in this way'
como: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as' or 'like'
los: Plural definite article 'the' for masculine nouns
profetas: Prophets who deliver divine messages or predictions
judíos: Jewish people or relating to Judaism and Hebrew tradition
reinado: Reign or kingdom ruled by a king or deity
día: Day; a unit of time from sunrise to sunset
Señor: Lord or sir; title of respect or divine reference
Siervo: Servant or slave who serves another person
sufriente: Suffering; one who endures pain or hardship
pueblo: People or town; a community or nation of people
Dios: God; the supreme divine being in monotheistic religions
Sol: The sun; central star of our solar system
justicia: Justice; the principle of fair and moral treatment
con: Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment
salud: Health; the condition of being free from illness
sus: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'their'
alas: Wings of a bird or symbolic representation of freedom
solo: Adverb meaning 'only' or adjective meaning 'alone'
transmiten: They transmit or convey messages, ideas, or values
menos: Less or fewer; used in comparisons of quantity
para: Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
nosotros: First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'
ideales: Ideals; highest standards or perfect concepts to pursue
espirituales: Spiritual; relating to the soul or non-material existence
mismo: Same or itself; used for emphasis or comparison
modo: Mode or manner; the way something is done
a: Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
través: Through; used in 'a través de' meaning across
griego: Greek; relating to Greece or its language and culture
nos: First person plural object pronoun meaning 'us'
revela: Reveals or discloses something previously hidden or unknown
propios: Own; belonging to oneself, plural masculine form
pensamientos: Thoughts; ideas formed in the mind through reflection
acerca: About or regarding a particular topic or subject
perfección: Perfection; the state of being flawless or complete
divina: Divine; relating to God or a supreme being
idea: Idea or concept formed through thought or imagination
bien: Good; moral goodness or something beneficial
sol: Sun; the star at the center of our solar system
mundo: World; the earth or all of human existence
visible: Visible; able to be seen with the eyes
humana: Human; relating to people and their characteristics
educación: Education; the process of teaching and learning knowledge
comienza: Begins; starts at a particular point in time
juventud: Youth; the period of being young in life
continúa: Continues; keeps going without stopping or interruption
años: Years; units of time equal to twelve months
posteriores: Later or subsequent; coming after in time or order
poetas: Poets; writers who compose poetry or verse
tiranos: Tyrants; rulers who exercise power cruelly and unjustly
son: Third person plural present tense of 'ser', meaning 'are'
falsos: False; not true or genuine, deceitful in nature
maestros: Teachers or masters skilled in a particular field
malos: Bad or evil; lacking goodness or moral quality
gobernantes: Rulers or governors who lead and control a society
humanidad: Humanity; all human beings collectively or human nature
encarnación: Incarnation; embodiment of a quality or abstract concept
ellos: Third person plural pronoun meaning 'they' or 'them'
un: Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' for masculine nouns
reino: Kingdom; territory ruled by a king or queen
no: Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
existe: Exists; to have real being or actual presence
ningún: No or none; not any particular thing or place
lugar: Place or location where something exists or happens
tierra: Earth or land; the ground or the planet
sino: But rather; used to contrast a negative statement
está: Third person singular present of 'estar', meaning 'is'
reservado: Reserved or set aside for a particular purpose
cielo: Heaven or sky; the realm above or divine dwelling
ser: To be; infinitive form of the verb 'ser'
modelo: Model or example to be followed or imitated
norma: Norm or standard rule guiding behavior or judgment
vida: Life; the state of being alive and existing
Ninguna: None or not any; feminine form of negation
creación: Creation; something made or brought into existence
tan: So or as; used in comparisons of degree
inspirada: Inspired; creatively motivated by a divine or great source
armonía: Harmony; pleasing agreement or consistency between elements
consigo: With itself or with oneself; reflexive prepositional phrase
misma: Same or itself; feminine form used for emphasis
tampoco: Neither or not either; used to add a negative
lo: Neuter or masculine object pronoun meaning 'it' or 'him'
están: Third person plural present of 'estar', meaning 'are'
las: Plural definite article 'the' for feminine nouns
nubes: Clouds; masses of water vapor in the sky
cuando: When; used to introduce a time clause
atraviesa: Crosses or passes through something from one side
Todo: All or every; referring to the entirety of something
matiz: Nuance or shade; subtle difference in meaning or color
luz: Light; electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye
sombra: Shadow or shade; darkness caused by blocking light
verdad: Truth; that which is real, accurate, and not false
ficción: Fiction; imaginative narrative not based on real events
velo: Veil; a covering that conceals or partially hides something
admisible: Admissible; acceptable or allowable within a given context
una: Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' for feminine nouns
obra: Work; a literary, artistic, or creative production
imaginación: Imagination; the ability to form mental images or ideas
filosófica: Philosophical; relating to philosophy and deep intellectual inquiry

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