The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 5
The tactics employed in the conquest and the subsequent behavior of the conquerors were true to the old Spanish nature, so succinctly characterized by a plain-spoken Englishman of Mary's reign, when the war-cry of Castile encircled the globe and even hovered ominously near the "sceptered isle," when in the intoxication of power character stands out so sharply defined: "They be verye wyse and politicke, and can, thorowe ther wysdome, reform and brydell theyr owne natures for a tyme, and applye ther conditions to the manners of those men with whom they meddell gladlye by friendshippe; whose mischievous maners a man shall never know untyll he come under ther subjection; but then shall he parfectlye parceve and fele them: for in dissimulations untyll they have ther purposes, and afterwards in oppression and tyrannye, when they can obtain them, they do exceed all other nations upon the earthe." [1]
Le tattiche impiegate nella conquista e il comportamento successivo dei conquistatori erano fedeli all'antica natura spagnola, così efficacemente descritta da un inglese schietto del regno di Maria, quando il grido di guerra di Castiglia circondava il globo e incombeva persino minacciosamente vicino all'"isola dello scettro", quando nell'ebbrezza del potere il carattere si delinea in modo così netto: "Sono molto saggi e politici, e possono, attraverso la loro saggezza, riformare e frenare la propria natura per un tempo, e adattare le loro inclinazioni ai modi di quegli uomini con cui si mescolano volentieri in amicizia; i cui modi malvagi un uomo non conoscerà mai finché non cadrà sotto la loro soggezione; ma allora li percepirà e li sentirà perfettamente: poiché nella dissimulazione finché non hanno raggiunto i loro scopi, e in seguito nell'oppressione e nella tirannia, quando riescono a ottenerli, superano tutte le altre nazioni della terra." [1]
In the working out of this spirit, with all the indomitable courage and fanatical ardor derived from the long contests with the Moors, they reduced the native peoples to submission, but still not to the galling yoke which they fastened upon the aborigines of America, to make one Las Casas shine amid the horde of Pizarros.
Nel dispiegarsi di questo spirito, con tutto il coraggio indomabile e l'ardore fanatico derivati dai lunghi scontri con i Mori, ridussero i popoli nativi alla sottomissione, ma non ancora al giogo oppressivo che imposero agli aborigeni d'America, tale da far risplendere un solo Las Casas in mezzo all'orda dei Pizarro.
Vocabulary
- tattiche
- Tactics; strategic methods used to achieve goals
- impiegate
- Employed, used, applied in a context
- conquista
- Conquest; the act of taking control by force
- comportamento
- Behavior; the way a person or group acts
- successivo
- Subsequent, following, coming after something else
- conquistatori
- Conquerors; those who seize territory by force
- fedeli
- Faithful, loyal, true to something or someone
- antica
- Ancient, old, belonging to a distant past
- natura
- Nature; the innate character or quality of something
- spagnola
- Spanish; relating to Spain or its people
- così
- So, thus, in this way or manner
- efficacemente
- Effectively; in a manner producing the desired result
- descritta
- Described; portrayed or depicted in words
- inglese
- English; relating to England or its language
- schietto
- Frank, straightforward, plain-spoken and honest
- regno
- Kingdom, reign; the domain ruled by a monarch
- quando
- When; at the time that something occurs
- grido
- Cry, shout; a loud call or battle cry
- guerra
- War; armed conflict between groups or nations
- Castiglia
- Castile; a historic region and kingdom in Spain
- circondava
- Surrounded; enclosed or encircled on all sides
- globo
- Globe; the entire world or a spherical object
- incombeva
- Loomed, hung over; threatened imminently from above
- persino
- Even; used for emphasis, meaning 'even' or 'as far as'
- minacciosamente
- Threateningly; in a menacing or intimidating manner
- vicino
- Near, close; situated a short distance away
- isola
- Island; a landmass surrounded entirely by water
- scettro
- Scepter; a staff symbolizing royal authority and power
- ebbrezza
- Intoxication, exhilaration; a state of heady excitement
- potere
- Power; authority and ability to control others
- carattere
- Character; the defining traits of a person or group
- delinea
- Takes shape, emerges; becomes clearly outlined or defined
- modo
- Way, manner; the method or style of doing something
- netto
- Clear, sharp, distinct; well-defined without ambiguity
- molto
- Very, much; to a great degree or extent
- saggi
- Wise; having or showing good judgment and wisdom
- politici
- Political; relating to politics or political figures
- attraverso
- Through; by means of, or across something
- saggezza
- Wisdom; the quality of having sound judgment
- riformare
- To reform; to change or improve something significantly
- frenare
- To restrain, curb; to hold back or check impulses
- propria
- Own; belonging to oneself, one's own
- tempo
- Time; the indefinite continued progress of existence
- adattare
- To adapt; to adjust or modify to suit conditions
- inclinazioni
- Inclinations; natural tendencies or preferences toward something
- modi
- Ways, manners; customs or habitual behaviors of people
- quegli
- Those; demonstrative adjective for distant masculine plural
- uomini
- Men; adult male human beings
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whom', 'which', 'whose'
- mescolano
- They mix, mingle; to associate or blend with others
- volentieri
- Willingly, gladly; done with pleasure or good will
- amicizia
- Friendship; a close bond of mutual affection
- malvagi
- Wicked, evil; morally bad or villainous people
- uomo
- Man; an adult male human being
- conoscerà
- Will know; future tense of 'conoscere', to know someone
- mai
- Never; not at any time or ever
- finché
- Until, as long as; up to the point when something happens
- cadrà
- Will fall; future tense of 'cadere', to fall
- sotto
- Under, beneath; in a lower position or under control
- soggezione
- Subjection; state of being under another's power or control
- allora
- Then, at that time; referring to a specific moment
- percepirà
- Will perceive; future tense of 'percepire', to perceive
- sentirà
- Will feel or hear; future tense of 'sentire'
- perfettamente
- Perfectly; in a complete and flawless manner
- poiché
- Since, because; introducing a cause or reason
- dissimulazione
- Dissimulation; concealment of true feelings or intentions
- raggiunto
- Reached, achieved; past participle of 'raggiungere'
- scopi
- Goals, aims; intended objectives or purposes
- seguito
- Followed; past participle of 'seguire', also means 'aftermath'
- oppressione
- Oppression; prolonged cruel treatment of a group
- tirannia
- Tyranny; cruel and oppressive exercise of power
- riescono
- They succeed; third person plural of 'riuscire'
- ottenerli
- To obtain them; infinitive 'ottenere' with pronoun attached
- superano
- They surpass; exceed or go beyond all others
- tutte
- All; every one of the feminine plural group
- altre
- Other; different or additional feminine plural things
- nazioni
- Nations; sovereign states or large bodies of people
- terra
- Earth, land; the planet or ground beneath one's feet
- dispiegarsi
- Unfolding, deploying; the spreading out of something
- spirito
- Spirit; the essential character or animating force
- tutto
- All, entire; the whole of something
- coraggio
- Courage; the ability to face danger without fear
- indomabile
- Indomitable; impossible to subdue or overcome
- ardore
- Ardor; intense enthusiasm or passionate zeal
- fanatico
- Fanatical; filled with excessive and uncritical zeal
- derivati
- Derived; originating or resulting from something else
- lunghi
- Long; extending a great distance or duration
- scontri
- Clashes, conflicts; violent confrontations or battles
- Mori
- Moors; Muslim inhabitants of medieval Iberia
- ridussero
- Reduced; past tense of 'ridurre', to reduce or subdue
- popoli
- Peoples; groups sharing culture, language, or territory
- nativi
- Natives; people indigenous to a particular place
- sottomissione
- Submission; the act of yielding to authority or power
- ancora
- Still, yet, again; continuing or repeating an action
- giogo
- Yoke; a symbol of bondage or oppressive burden
- oppressivo
- Oppressive; unjustly harsh, burdensome, and domineering
- imposero
- They imposed; past tense of 'imporre', to impose forcefully
- aborigeni
- Aboriginals; original or earliest known inhabitants of a place
- tale
- Such; of that kind, to such a degree
- risplendere
- To shine, stand out; to radiate brilliance or glory
- solo
- Only, alone; exclusively or by oneself
- mezzo
- Middle, means; a medium or halfway point
- orda
- Horde; a large group, often disorderly or destructive
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