The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 4
There was no organized priesthood to be overcome, the primitive religious observances consisting almost entirely of occasional orgies presided over by an old woman, who filled the priestly offices of interpreter for the unseen powers and chief eater at the sacrificial feast.
Es gab keine organisierte Priesterschaft, die überwunden werden musste, da die primitiven religiösen Bräuche fast ausschließlich aus gelegentlichen Orgien bestanden, die von einer alten Frau geleitet wurden, die die priesterlichen Ämter der Dolmetscherin für die unsichtbaren Mächte und der Hauptesserin beim Opfermahl bekleidete.
With their unflagging zeal, their organization, their elaborate forms and ceremonies, the missionaries were enabled to win the confidence of the natives, especially as the greater part of them learned the local language and identified their lives with the communities under their care.
Mit ihrem unermüdlichen Eifer, ihrer Organisation, ihren ausgefeilten Formen und Zeremonien gelang es den Missionaren, das Vertrauen der Einheimischen zu gewinnen, zumal der größte Teil von ihnen die Landessprache erlernte und sein Leben mit den Gemeinschaften verband, die ihrer Obhut anvertraut waren.
Accordingly, the people took kindly to their new teachers and rulers, so that in less than a generation Spanish authority was generally recognized in the settled portions of the Philippines, and in the succeeding years the missionaries gradually extended this area by forming settlements from among the wilder peoples, whom they persuaded to abandon the more objectionable features of their old roving, often predatory, life and to group themselves into towns and villages "under the bell."
Dementsprechend nahmen die Menschen ihre neuen Lehrer und Herrscher wohlwollend auf, sodass innerhalb weniger als einer Generation die spanische Autorität in den besiedelten Teilen der Philippinen allgemein anerkannt wurde, und in den darauffolgenden Jahren erweiterten die Missionare dieses Gebiet schrittweise, indem sie unter den wilderen Völkern Siedlungen gründeten, die sie dazu überredeten, die anstößigeren Merkmale ihres alten unsteten, oft räuberischen Lebens aufzugeben und sich in Städten und Dörfern „unter der Glocke" zusammenzuschließen.
Vocabulary
- gab
- Gave; past tense of 'geben', there was/were
- keine
- No, none; negating article or pronoun
- organisierte
- Organized; adjective describing structured arrangement
- Priesterschaft
- Priesthood; the collective body of priests
- überwunden
- Overcome; past participle of 'überwinden'
- werden
- To become; auxiliary verb for passive or future
- musste
- Had to; past tense of modal verb 'müssen'
- da
- Since, because; also means 'there' or 'then'
- primitiven
- Primitive; adjective describing basic or undeveloped practices
- religiösen
- Religious; adjective relating to religion or faith
- Bräuche
- Customs, practices; traditional habits or rituals
- fast
- Almost, nearly; adverb of approximation
- ausschließlich
- Exclusively, solely; only and nothing else
- aus
- From, out of; preposition indicating origin or composition
- gelegentlichen
- Occasional; adjective meaning happening from time to time
- bestanden
- Consisted of; past tense of 'bestehen'
- alten
- Old; adjective in inflected form
- Frau
- Woman, wife, Mrs.; adult female person
- geleitet
- Led, guided; past participle of 'leiten'
- wurden
- Were; past tense auxiliary for passive constructions
- priesterlichen
- Priestly; adjective relating to priests or their duties
- Ämter
- Offices, posts; plural of 'Amt', official positions
- Dolmetscherin
- Female interpreter; woman who translates spoken language
- unsichtbaren
- Invisible; adjective meaning not able to be seen
- Mächte
- Powers, forces; plural of 'Macht', supernatural or political forces
- beim
- At the, during the; contraction of 'bei dem'
- bekleidete
- Held, occupied; past tense of 'bekleiden', to hold an office
- unermüdlichen
- Tireless, indefatigable; adjective meaning without fatigue
- Eifer
- Zeal, eagerness; strong enthusiasm or dedication
- Organisation
- Organization; structured group or systematic arrangement
- ausgefeilten
- Refined, elaborate; adjective meaning carefully polished or developed
- Formen
- Forms, shapes; plural of 'Form', formats or styles
- Zeremonien
- Ceremonies; formal rituals or official observances
- gelang
- Succeeded; past tense of 'gelingen', to succeed
- Missionaren
- Missionaries; dative plural of 'Missionar'
- Vertrauen
- Trust, confidence; belief in reliability of someone
- Einheimischen
- Locals, natives; people indigenous to a particular place
- gewinnen
- To win, gain; to obtain or earn something
- zumal
- Especially since, particularly because; emphasizing conjunction
- größte
- Greatest, largest; superlative adjective of 'groß'
- Teil
- Part, portion; a section or share of something
- ihnen
- Them, to them; dative form of third-person plural pronoun
- Landessprache
- National language; the official language of a country
- erlernte
- Learned, acquired; past tense of 'erlernen'
- sein
- To be; also possessive pronoun meaning 'his' or 'its'
- Leben
- Life; the state of being alive or one's existence
- Gemeinschaften
- Communities; groups of people sharing common interests
- verband
- Connected, linked; past tense of 'verbinden'
- Obhut
- Care, custody; protective supervision over someone
- anvertraut
- Entrusted; past participle of 'anvertrauen', to entrust
- waren
- Were; past tense of 'sein', to be
- Dementsprechend
- Accordingly, correspondingly; in line with what was mentioned
- nahmen
- Took; past tense of 'nehmen', to take
- Menschen
- People, humans; plural of 'Mensch'
- neuen
- New; adjective in inflected form meaning recently arrived
- Lehrer
- Teacher; person who instructs or educates others
- Herrscher
- Ruler, sovereign; person who governs or has authority
- wohlwollend
- Benevolent, well-disposed; showing goodwill toward others
- sodass
- So that; conjunction expressing result or consequence
- innerhalb
- Within, inside; preposition indicating time or spatial limit
- weniger
- Fewer, less; comparative form of 'wenig'
- als
- Than, as, when; used in comparisons or temporal clauses
- Generation
- Generation; all people born and living at the same time
- spanische
- Spanish; adjective relating to Spain or its culture
- Autorität
- Authority; power or right to give orders and enforce obedience
- besiedelten
- Settled, populated; adjective describing inhabited areas
- Teilen
- Parts, regions; dative plural of 'Teil'
- allgemein
- Generally, universally; adjective or adverb meaning widely accepted
- anerkannt
- Recognized, acknowledged; past participle of 'anerkennen'
- darauffolgenden
- Subsequent, following; adjective meaning coming directly after
- Jahren
- Years; dative plural of 'Jahr'
- erweiterten
- Expanded, extended; past tense of 'erweitern'
- Missionare
- Missionaries; people sent to promote religious beliefs abroad
- dieses
- This; demonstrative pronoun in genitive or neuter form
- Gebiet
- Area, territory; a defined region or field of activity
- schrittweise
- Gradually, step by step; proceeding incrementally
- indem
- By, while; conjunction indicating means of an action
- unter
- Under, among; preposition of position or group membership
- wilderen
- Wilder, more savage; comparative adjective of 'wild'
- Völkern
- Peoples, nations; dative plural of 'Volk'
- Siedlungen
- Settlements; communities established in a new location
- gründeten
- Founded, established; past tense of 'gründen'
- dazu
- To that, in addition; adverb indicating addition or purpose
- überredeten
- Persuaded, convinced; past tense of 'überreden'
- anstößigeren
- More offensive, objectionable; comparative of 'anstößig'
- Merkmale
- Characteristics, features; distinguishing qualities of something
- unsteten
- Unstable, unsettled; adjective meaning not fixed or steady
- oft
- Often, frequently; adverb of frequency
- räuberischen
- Predatory, plundering; adjective relating to robbery or raiding
- Lebens
- Life's; genitive form of 'Leben'
- aufzugeben
- To give up, abandon; infinitive of 'aufgeben'
- sich
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person
- Städten
- Cities, towns; dative plural of 'Stadt'
- Dörfern
- Villages; dative plural of 'Dorf'
- Glocke
- Bell; a hollow metal object that rings when struck
- zusammenzuschließen
- To unite, join together; to form a collective or group
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