The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 13
In the countries more in contact with the trend of civilization and more susceptible to revolutionary influences from the mother country this separation came from within, while in the remoter parts the archaic and outgrown system dragged along until a stronger force from without destroyed it.
En los países más en contacto con la corriente de la civilización y más susceptibles a las influencias revolucionarias de la metrópoli, esta separación vino desde dentro, mientras que en las partes más remotas el sistema arcaico y obsoleto se arrastró hasta que una fuerza más poderosa desde fuera lo destruyó.
Nowhere was the crystallization of form and principle more pronounced than in religious life, which fastened upon the mother country a deadening weight that hampered all progress, and in the colonies, notably in the Philippines, virtually converted her government into a hagiarchy that had its face toward the past and either could not or would not move with the current of the times.
En ningún lugar fue la cristalización de forma y principio más pronunciada que en la vida religiosa, que impuso sobre la metrópoli un peso paralizante que obstaculizó todo progreso, y en las colonias, especialmente en Filipinas, convirtió virtualmente su gobierno en una hagiocracia que tenía el rostro vuelto hacia el pasado y que no podía o no quería moverse con la corriente de los tiempos.
So, when "the shot heard round the world," the declaration of humanity's right to be and to become, in its all-encircling sweep, reached the lands controlled by her it was coldly received and blindly rejected by the governing powers, and there was left only the slower, subtler, but none the less sure, process of working its way among the people to burst in time in rebellion and the destruction of the conservative forces that would repress it.
Así, cuando «el disparo escuchado en todo el mundo», la declaración del derecho de la humanidad a ser y a llegar a ser, en su alcance totalizador, llegó a las tierras controladas por ella, fue recibido con frialdad y rechazado ciegamente por los poderes gobernantes, y solo quedó el proceso más lento, más sutil, pero no menos seguro, de abrirse camino entre el pueblo para estallar con el tiempo en rebelión y en la destrucción de las fuerzas conservadoras que pretendían reprimirlo.
In the opening years of the nineteenth century the friar orders in the Philippines had reached the apogee of their power and usefulness.
En los primeros años del siglo XIX, las órdenes de frailes en Filipinas habían alcanzado el apogeo de su poder y su utilidad.
Their influence was everywhere felt and acknowledged, while the country still prospered under the effects of the vigorous and progressive administrations of Anda and Vargas in the preceding century.
Su influencia se sentía y reconocía en todas partes, mientras el país seguía prosperando bajo los efectos de las vigorosas y progresistas administraciones de Anda y Vargas en el siglo precedente.
Vocabulary
- En
- In; at; on (preposition indicating location or time)
- los
- The (definite article, masculine plural)
- países
- Countries; nations (plural of país)
- más
- More; most (comparative and superlative adverb)
- contacto
- Contact; connection (noun)
- con
- With (preposition indicating accompaniment or means)
- la
- The (definite article, feminine singular)
- corriente
- Current; stream; flow (noun)
- de
- Of; from (preposition indicating possession or origin)
- civilización
- Civilization; advanced culture and society (noun)
- susceptibles
- Susceptible; prone; open to influence (adjective)
- las
- The (definite article, feminine plural)
- influencias
- Influences; effects exerted on someone or something (noun)
- revolucionarias
- Revolutionary; related to revolution (adjective, feminine plural)
- metrópoli
- Metropolis; principal city or capital (noun)
- esta
- This; this one (demonstrative pronoun or adjective)
- separación
- Separation; division; distance between things (noun)
- vino
- Came; arrived (preterite of venir)
- desde
- From; since (preposition indicating origin or starting point)
- dentro
- Inside; within (adverb or preposition)
- mientras
- While; during the time that (conjunction)
- que
- That; which; what (relative pronoun or conjunction)
- partes
- Parts; sections; regions (noun, plural)
- remotas
- Remote; distant; far away (adjective, feminine plural)
- el
- The (definite article, masculine singular)
- sistema
- System; organized structure or method (noun)
- arcaico
- Archaic; ancient; old-fashioned (adjective)
- obsoleto
- Obsolete; outdated; no longer in use (adjective)
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; itself (pronoun)
- arrastró
- Dragged; crawled; persisted (preterite of arrastrar)
- hasta
- Until; up to; even (preposition or adverb)
- una
- A; one (indefinite article, feminine singular)
- fuerza
- Force; strength; power (noun)
- poderosa
- Powerful; mighty; strong (adjective, feminine singular)
- fuera
- Outside; were (adverb or preterite subjunctive of ser)
- lo
- It; him; that (direct object pronoun)
- destruyó
- Destroyed; ruined (preterite of destruir)
- ningún
- No; not any (negative determiner)
- lugar
- Place; location; spot (noun)
- fue
- Was; went (preterite of ser or ir)
- cristalización
- Crystallization; solidification; clear formation (noun)
- forma
- Form; shape; manner (noun)
- principio
- Principle; beginning; start (noun)
- pronunciada
- Pronounced; marked; distinct (adjective, feminine singular)
- vida
- Life; living; existence (noun)
- religiosa
- Religious; related to religion (adjective, feminine singular)
- impuso
- Imposed; enforced (preterite of imponer)
- sobre
- On; upon; about (preposition)
- un
- A; one (indefinite article, masculine singular)
- peso
- Weight; burden; heaviness (noun)
- paralizante
- Paralyzing; immobilizing; causing immobility (adjective)
- obstaculizó
- Hindered; obstructed; blocked (preterite of obstaculizar)
- todo
- All; everything; every (pronoun or adjective)
- progreso
- Progress; advancement; development (noun)
- colonias
- Colonies; settlements; territories (noun, plural)
- especialmente
- Especially; particularly; specifically (adverb)
- convirtió
- Converted; transformed; changed (preterite of convertir)
- virtualmente
- Virtually; practically; in effect (adverb)
- su
- His; her; its; your (possessive adjective)
- gobierno
- Government; rule; administration (noun)
- tenía
- Had; possessed (imperfect of tener)
- rostro
- Face; visage; countenance (noun)
- vuelto
- Turned; facing; directed (past participle of volver)
- hacia
- Toward; towards; in the direction of (preposition)
- pasado
- Past; previous; bygone (noun or adjective)
- no
- No; not (negative adverb)
- podía
- Could; was able to (imperfect of poder)
- quería
- Wanted; wished; desired (imperfect of querer)
- moverse
- To move; to shift; to change position (infinitive)
- tiempos
- Times; periods; eras (noun, plural)
- Así
- Thus; so; in this way (adverb)
- cuando
- When; at the time that (conjunction or adverb)
- disparo
- Shot; gunshot; discharge of weapon (noun)
- escuchado
- Heard; listened to (past participle of escuchar)
- mundo
- World; earth; people (noun)
- declaración
- Declaration; statement; announcement (noun)
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →