The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 3
The lightness and vivacity of the Spanish character, with its strain of Orientalism, its fertility of resource in meeting new conditions, its adaptability in dealing with the dwellers in warmer lands, all played their part in this as in the other conquests.
La ligereza y vivacidad del carácter español, con su veta de orientalismo, su fertilidad de recursos para hacer frente a nuevas condiciones, su adaptabilidad para tratar con los habitantes de tierras más cálidas, todo ello desempeñó su papel en esta conquista como en las demás.
Only on occasions when some stubborn resistance was met with, as in Manila and the surrounding country, where the most advanced of the native peoples dwelt and where some of the forms and beliefs of Islam had been established, was it necessary to resort to violence to destroy the native leaders and replace them with the missionary fathers.
Solo en ocasiones en que se encontró una resistencia tenaz, como en Manila y los territorios circundantes, donde habitaban los pueblos nativos más avanzados y donde algunas de las formas y creencias del islam se habían establecido, fue necesario recurrir a la violencia para destruir a los líderes nativos y reemplazarlos por los padres misioneros.
A few sallies by young Salcedo, the Cortez of the Philippine conquest, with a company of the splendid infantry, which was at that time the admiration and despair of martial Europe, soon effectively exorcised any idea of resistance that even the boldest and most intransigent of the native leaders might have entertained.
Algunas salidas del joven Salcedo, el Cortés de la conquista filipina, al frente de una compañía de la espléndida infantería que era en aquella época la admiración y la desesperación de la Europa marcial, exorcizaron pronto y de manera efectiva cualquier idea de resistencia que incluso los más audaces e intransigentes de los líderes nativos pudieran haber albergado.
For the most part, no great persuasion was needed to turn a simple, imaginative, fatalistic people from a few vague animistic deities to the systematic iconology and the elaborate ritual of the Spanish Church.
En su mayor parte, no fue necesaria gran persuasión para apartar a un pueblo sencillo, imaginativo y fatalista de unas pocas divinidades animistas y vagas, y llevarlo hacia la iconología sistemática y el elaborado ritual de la Iglesia española.
An obscure _Bathala_ or a dim _Malyari_ was easily superseded by or transformed into a clearly defined _Dios_, and in the case of any especially tenacious "demon," he could without much difficulty be merged into a Christian saint or devil.
Un oscuro _Bathala_ o un difuso _Malyari_ era fácilmente reemplazado o transformado en un _Dios_ claramente definido, y en el caso de algún «demonio» especialmente tenaz, este podía sin mucha dificultad ser fusionado con un santo o un diablo cristiano.
Vocabulary
- ligereza
- Lightness, agility, or quickness of character
- vivacidad
- Liveliness, vivaciousness, or spirited energy
- carácter
- Character, personality, or distinguishing nature
- español
- Spanish; relating to Spain or its people
- veta
- Vein, streak, or trace of a quality
- orientalismo
- Orientalism; cultural influence from Eastern traditions
- fertilidad
- Fertility; richness or productivity of resources
- recursos
- Resources; available means or tools
- hacer
- To do or to make something
- frente
- Front; to face or confront a situation
- condiciones
- Conditions; circumstances or terms of a situation
- adaptabilidad
- Adaptability; ability to adjust to new circumstances
- tratar
- To treat, deal with, or handle someone
- habitantes
- Inhabitants; people who live in a place
- tierras
- Lands; territories or geographical regions
- cálidas
- Warm; feminine plural adjective describing warm climates
- ello
- It; neuter pronoun referring to a concept
- desempeñó
- Played, performed, or fulfilled a role
- papel
- Role or paper; part played in an event
- conquista
- Conquest; military or territorial takeover
- demás
- The others; the rest of a group
- ocasiones
- Occasions; specific times or instances
- encontró
- Found, encountered; past tense of encontrar
- resistencia
- Resistance; opposition or refusal to comply
- tenaz
- Tenacious; stubborn, persistent, or determined
- territorios
- Territories; regions under specific control or jurisdiction
- circundantes
- Surrounding; encircling or neighboring areas
- habitaban
- Inhabited; past tense of living in a place
- pueblos
- Peoples, towns; communities or ethnic groups
- nativos
- Natives; original inhabitants of a region
- avanzados
- Advanced; developed or progressive in culture
- formas
- Forms, ways; shapes or manners of something
- creencias
- Beliefs; religious or ideological convictions
- islam
- Islam; the Muslim religion and its practices
- establecido
- Established; set up or firmly put in place
- necesario
- Necessary; required or essential for a purpose
- recurrir
- To resort to; to turn to as a last measure
- violencia
- Violence; forceful or aggressive harmful action
- destruir
- To destroy; to demolish or ruin completely
- líderes
- Leaders; people in positions of authority
- reemplazarlos
- To replace them; substitute them with others
- padres
- Fathers; here referring to Catholic missionary priests
- misioneros
- Missionaries; religious workers spreading faith abroad
- salidas
- Outings, sorties; departures or military excursions
- joven
- Young; adjective describing a youthful person
- filipina
- Filipino; feminine adjective relating to the Philippines
- compañía
- Company; a military unit or a business group
- espléndida
- Splendid; magnificent or impressively excellent
- infantería
- Infantry; foot soldiers in a military force
- aquella
- That; distal feminine demonstrative adjective
- época
- Era, epoch; a period of historical time
- admiración
- Admiration; feeling of wonder and high regard
- desesperación
- Desperation; state of hopelessness or despair
- marcial
- Martial; relating to war or military affairs
- exorcizaron
- Exorcised; drove out or dispelled unwanted ideas
- pronto
- Soon, quickly; in a short amount of time
- manera
- Manner, way; method or style of doing something
- efectiva
- Effective; producing the intended result successfully
- cualquier
- Any; indefinite adjective meaning any one
- idea
- Idea; a thought, concept, or mental plan
- incluso
- Even, including; used to emphasize inclusion
- audaces
- Bold, daring; courageous or audacious individuals
- intransigentes
- Intransigent; unwilling to compromise or change views
- pudieran
- Could, might; subjunctive past of poder
- haber
- To have; auxiliary verb for perfect tenses
- albergado
- Harbored, sheltered; past participle of albergar
- mayor
- Greater, larger; comparative adjective or noun
- parte
- Part; a portion or share of a whole
- necesaria
- Necessary; feminine adjective meaning required
- persuasión
- Persuasion; act of convincing someone to believe
- apartar
- To separate, remove; to move someone away from
- pueblo
- People, town; a community or ethnic group
- sencillo
- Simple, plain; uncomplicated or modest in nature
- imaginativo
- Imaginative; having or showing creative imagination
- fatalista
- Fatalistic; believing events are predetermined and inevitable
- pocas
- Few; feminine plural adjective meaning a small number
- divinidades
- Divinities; gods or divine supernatural beings
- animistas
- Animist; relating to belief in spirits in nature
- vagas
- Vague; imprecise or undefined in character
- llevarlo
- To take or lead him/it somewhere
- hacia
- Toward; preposition indicating direction or tendency
- iconología
- Iconology; study and use of religious images
- sistemática
- Systematic; organized and methodical in approach
- elaborado
- Elaborate; complex, detailed, or carefully developed
- ritual
- Ritual; a set religious or ceremonial practice
- Iglesia
- Church; the Christian institution or its building
- española
- Spanish; feminine adjective relating to Spain
- oscuro
- Dark, obscure; unclear or little known
- difuso
- Diffuse; spread out, vague, or poorly defined
- fácilmente
- Easily; without difficulty or effort
- reemplazado
- Replaced; substituted by something or someone else
- transformado
- Transformed; changed in form or nature completely
- _Dios_
- God; the Christian deity, capitalized as proper noun
- claramente
- Clearly; in a clear or obvious manner
- definido
- Defined; clearly outlined or specified
- caso
- Case; an instance or situation
- algún
- Some, any; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- demonio
- Demon; an evil supernatural spirit or devil
- especialmente
- Especially; particularly or above all others
- podía
- Could; imperfect tense of poder, meaning was able
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- dificultad
- Difficulty; something hard to do or understand
- ser
- To be; fundamental verb expressing identity or nature
- fusionado
- Fused, merged; blended into one unified entity
- santo
- Saint; a holy person recognized by the Church
- diablo
- Devil; the supreme evil being in Christian belief
- cristiano
- Christian; relating to Christianity or its followers
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