The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 14
Native levies had fought loyally under Spanish leadership against Dutch and British invaders, or in suppressing local revolts among their own people, which were always due to some specific grievance, never directed definitely against the Spanish sovereignty.
Les contingents indigènes avaient combattu loyalement sous la direction espagnole contre les envahisseurs hollandais et britanniques, ou pour réprimer les révoltes locales au sein de leur propre peuple, lesquelles étaient toujours dues à quelque grief particulier, sans jamais être dirigées expressément contre la souveraineté espagnole.
The Philippines were shut off from contact with any country but Spain, and even this communication was restricted and carefully guarded.
Les Philippines étaient coupées de tout contact avec n'importe quel pays hormis l'Espagne, et même cette communication était restreinte et soigneusement contrôlée.
There was an elaborate central government which, however, hardly touched the life of the native peoples, who were guided and governed by the parish priests, each town being in a way an independent entity.
Il existait un gouvernement central élaboré qui, cependant, touchait à peine à la vie des peuples indigènes, lesquels étaient guidés et gouvernés par les curés de paroisse, chaque ville constituant en quelque sorte une entité indépendante.
Of this halcyon period, just before the process of disintegration began, there has fortunately been left a record which may be characterized as the most notable Spanish literary production relating to the Philippines, being the calm, sympathetic, judicial account of one who had spent his manhood in the work there and who, full of years and experience, sat down to tell the story of their life.
De cette période heureuse, juste avant que le processus de désintégration ne commence, il nous est heureusement resté un témoignage que l'on peut qualifier de la production littéraire espagnole la plus remarquable relative aux Philippines, étant le récit calme, bienveillant et mesuré de celui qui avait consacré sa vie d'homme au travail là-bas et qui, riche d'années et d'expérience, s'était assis pour raconter l'histoire de leur vie.
[4] In it there are no puerile whinings, no querulous curses that tropical Malays do not order their lives as did the people of the Spanish village where he may have been reared, no selfish laments of ingratitude over blessings unasked and only imperfectly understood by the natives, no fatuous self-deception as to the real conditions, but a patient consideration of the difficulties encountered, the good accomplished, and the unavoidable evils incident to any human work.
[4] On n'y trouve ni pleurnicheries puériles, ni malédictions querelleuses parce que les Malais tropicaux n'ordonnent pas leur vie comme le faisaient les gens du village espagnol où il avait peut-être été élevé, ni lamentations égoïstes sur l'ingratitude envers des bienfaits non sollicités et seulement imparfaitement compris par les indigènes, ni auto-illusion stupide quant aux conditions réelles, mais une considération patiente des difficultés rencontrées, du bien accompli et des maux inévitables inhérents à toute œuvre humaine.
Vocabulary
- Les
- The (plural definite article)
- contingents
- Groups or units of troops or soldiers
- indigènes
- Indigenous or native people of a region
- avaient
- Had (past tense auxiliary verb)
- combattu
- Fought or combated (past participle)
- loyalement
- Loyally or faithfully; with devotion
- sous
- Under or beneath; subordinate to
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- direction
- Direction, management, or leadership of something
- espagnole
- Spanish (feminine adjective form)
- contre
- Against or in opposition to something
- envahisseurs
- Invaders or those who invade
- hollandais
- Dutch (relating to Holland or Netherlands)
- britanniques
- British (relating to Britain)
- réprimer
- To suppress, repress, or crush
- révoltes
- Revolts, uprisings, or rebellions against authority
- locales
- Local or pertaining to a particular place
- sein
- Breast; or bosom; midst or heart
- propre
- Own or belonging to oneself
- peuple
- People or population of a nation
- lesquelles
- Which (feminine plural relative pronoun)
- toujours
- Always or still; continuously
- dues
- Due or owed; caused by
- grief
- Grievance, complaint, or cause of complaint
- particulier
- Particular, specific, or individual
- sans
- Without or lacking something
- jamais
- Never or ever; at no time
- dirigées
- Directed or aimed (feminine plural)
- expressément
- Expressly or explicitly; in clear terms
- souveraineté
- Sovereignty or supreme power of state
- coupées
- Cut off or separated (feminine plural)
- contact
- Contact or communication between people
- importe
- Matters or is important; any
- quel
- Which or what (interrogative adjective)
- pays
- Country, nation, or land
- hormis
- Except or besides; save
- même
- Even or same; identical
- communication
- Communication or exchange of information
- restreinte
- Restricted or limited in scope
- soigneusement
- Carefully or with great attention
- contrôlée
- Controlled or regulated (feminine singular)
- existait
- Existed or was present (past tense)
- gouvernement
- Government or system of administration
- central
- Central or in the middle
- élaboré
- Elaborate or carefully developed
- cependant
- However, nevertheless, or yet
- touchait
- Touched or affected (past tense)
- peine
- Difficulty, hardship, or pain
- guidés
- Guided or directed (masculine plural)
- gouvernés
- Governed or ruled (masculine plural)
- curés
- Priests or parish priests
- paroisse
- Parish or ecclesiastical district
- chaque
- Each or every one
- ville
- City or town
- constituant
- Constituting or forming a part
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