The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 11
The soldier expended his strength and generally laid down his life on alien soil, leaving no fit successor of his own stock to carry on the work according to his standards.
Le soldat dépensait ses forces et posait généralement sa vie sur une terre étrangère, ne laissant aucun successeur convenable de sa propre souche pour poursuivre l'œuvre selon ses normes.
The priest under the celibate system, in its better days left no offspring at all and in the days of its corruption none bred and reared under the influences that make for social and political progress.
Le prêtre sous le régime du célibat, dans ses meilleurs jours, ne laissait aucune descendance et dans les jours de sa corruption, aucun n'était élevé et éduqué sous les influences qui favorisent le progrès social et politique.
The dark chambers of the Inquisition stifled all advance in thought, so the civilization and the culture of Spain, as well as her political system, settled into rigid forms to await only the inevitable process of stagnation and decay.
Les sombres chambres de l'Inquisition étouffèrent tout progrès de la pensée, de sorte que la civilisation et la culture de l'Espagne, ainsi que son système politique, se figèrent en des formes rigides pour n'attendre que l'inévitable processus de stagnation et de déclin.
In her proudest hour an old soldier, who had lost one of his hands fighting her battles against the Turk at Lepanto, employed the other in writing the masterpiece of her literature, which is really a caricature of the nation.
Dans son heure la plus glorieuse, un vieux soldat, qui avait perdu l'une de ses mains en combattant ses batailles contre le Turc à Lépante, employa l'autre à écrire le chef-d'œuvre de sa littérature, qui est en réalité une caricature de la nation.
There is much in the career of Spain that calls to mind the dazzling beauty of her "dark-glancing daughters," with its early bloom, its startling--almost morbid--brilliance, and its premature decay.
Il y a bien des choses dans le destin de l'Espagne qui rappellent l'éblouissante beauté de ses « filles au regard sombre », avec son épanouissement précoce, son éclat saisissant — presque morbide — et son déclin prématuré.
Vocabulary
- soldat
- A person who serves in an army; soldier.
- dépensait
- Was spending or using up resources or energy.
- forces
- Physical or mental strength and energy.
- posait
- Was placing or putting something down; risked.
- généralement
- In most cases or situations; generally, usually.
- vie
- The state of being alive; one's life.
- terre
- The ground, soil, or a territory; land.
- étrangère
- Belonging to or coming from another country; foreign.
- laissant
- Present participle of laisser; leaving behind something.
- aucun
- Negative determiner meaning 'no' or 'not any'.
- successeur
- A person who follows another in a role; successor.
- convenable
- Meeting required standards; suitable, appropriate, proper.
- propre
- Belonging to oneself; own; also can mean clean.
- souche
- Family lineage, stock, or ancestral origin; roots.
- poursuivre
- To continue or carry on with an activity; pursue.
- œuvre
- A body of work or a creative undertaking; work.
- selon
- Preposition meaning 'according to' or 'in line with'.
- normes
- Established standards or rules guiding behavior; norms.
- prêtre
- An ordained religious minister in certain churches; priest.
- régime
- A system of government or a set of rules; regime.
- célibat
- The state of being unmarried and abstaining from sex; celibacy.
- meilleurs
- Comparative/superlative of 'bon'; better or best.
- jours
- Plural of jour; days or periods of time.
- laissait
- Was leaving or allowing; imperfect tense of laisser.
- aucune
- Feminine form of aucun; no, not any (feminine).
- descendance
- Offspring or lineage descending from an ancestor; descendants.
- corruption
- Dishonest or fraudulent conduct; moral decay; corruption.
- élevé
- Raised or brought up; also means high or elevated.
- éduqué
- Having received education and training; educated.
- influences
- Forces or factors that affect outcomes or behavior; influences.
- favorisent
- To support or encourage the development of something; favor.
- progrès
- Forward movement or development toward a goal; progress.
- social
- Relating to society and human interaction; social.
- politique
- Relating to government and public affairs; political.
- sombres
- Dark, gloomy, or dismal in character or appearance.
- chambres
- Rooms in a building; also chambers or halls.
- Inquisition
- Historical Catholic tribunal that prosecuted heresy harshly.
- étouffèrent
- Past tense of étouffer; smothered, suppressed, or stifled.
- tout
- All, every, or everything; a broad intensifier.
- pensée
- The act of thinking; a thought or idea; thought.
- sorte
- A kind, type, or manner of something; sort, kind.
- civilisation
- An advanced stage of human social and cultural development.
- culture
- The arts, customs, and achievements of a society; culture.
- Espagne
- A country in southwestern Europe; Spain.
- ainsi
- In this way or manner; thus, so, likewise.
- système
- An organized set of principles or structures; system.
- figèrent
- Past tense of figer; froze, became rigid or fixed.
- formes
- Shapes, structures, or patterns; forms.
- rigides
- Not flexible; stiff, strict, or unyielding; rigid.
- attendre
- To wait for something or someone; to await.
- inévitable
- Impossible to avoid or prevent; certain to happen; inevitable.
- processus
- A series of steps leading to a result; process.
- stagnation
- A lack of movement, growth, or development; stagnation.
- déclin
- A gradual decrease or deterioration in quality; decline.
- heure
- A unit of time equal to sixty minutes; hour.
- glorieuse
- Full of glory or great achievement; glorious, magnificent.
- vieux
- Having lived a long time; old, aged.
- perdu
- Past participle of perdre; lost or having lost something.
- mains
- The body parts at the end of arms; hands.
- combattant
- A person actively engaged in fighting; fighter, combatant.
- batailles
- Armed conflicts between opposing military forces; battles.
- contre
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposed to'.
- Turc
- Relating to Turkey or its people; Turk, Turkish.
- employa
- Past tense of employer; used or employed for a purpose.
- autre
- Different or additional; other, another.
- écrire
- To form letters or words on a surface; to write.
- littérature
- Written works valued for artistic or intellectual merit; literature.
- réalité
- The state of things as they actually exist; reality.
- caricature
- An exaggerated depiction highlighting certain features; caricature.
- nation
- A large group of people sharing territory and government; nation.
- bien
- Well, good; also used as an intensifier meaning 'quite'.
- choses
- Objects, matters, or affairs; things.
- destin
- The predetermined course of events; fate, destiny.
- rappellent
- Third person plural of rappeler; remind or call to mind.
- éblouissante
- Extremely bright or impressive; dazzling, stunning.
- beauté
- The quality of being pleasing to the senses; beauty.
- filles
- Female children or young women; girls, daughters.
- regard
- A gaze or look directed at someone or something.
- sombre
- Dark or lacking light; gloomy, somber, or dim.
- épanouissement
- Blossoming, flourishing, or full development of potential.
- précoce
- Developing or occurring earlier than usual; precocious, early.
- éclat
- Brilliant display or dazzling effect; brilliance, splendor.
- saisissant
- Striking or gripping in a powerful, startling way.
- presque
- Very nearly but not completely; almost, nearly.
- morbide
- Characterized by an unhealthy focus on unpleasant things; morbid.
- prématuré
- Occurring or done before the proper or expected time; premature.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →