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.
Il soldato consumava le sue forze e generalmente sacrificava la vita in terra straniera, senza lasciare un degno successore del suo stesso ceppo che portasse avanti l'opera secondo i suoi principi.
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.
Il sacerdote nel sistema del celibato, nei suoi giorni migliori non lasciava alcuna prole e nei giorni della sua corruzione nessuno veniva allevato e cresciuto sotto le influenze che favoriscono il progresso sociale e politico.
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.
Le oscure camere dell'Inquisizione soffocavano ogni avanzamento del pensiero, così la civiltà e la cultura della Spagna, come anche il suo sistema politico, si cristallizzarono in forme rigide per attendere soltanto l'inevitabile processo di stagnazione e decadenza.
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.
Nel suo momento più glorioso un vecchio soldato, che aveva perso una mano combattendo le sue battaglie contro il Turco a Lepanto, impiegò l'altra nello scrivere il capolavoro della sua letteratura, che è in realtà una caricatura della nazione.
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.
Vi è molto nella storia della Spagna che richiama alla mente la bellezza abbagliante delle sue "figlie dagli occhi scuri", con il suo sbocciare precoce, il suo splendore sorprendente — quasi morboso — e la sua prematura decadenza.
Vocabulary
- soldato
- A person who serves in an army; soldier
- consumava
- Was consuming, using up, or depleting something
- forze
- Plural of forza; physical or mental strengths, forces
- generalmente
- In most cases or situations; generally, typically
- sacrificava
- Was sacrificing or giving up something valuable
- vita
- The state of being alive; life
- terra
- Ground, earth, or land; territory or country
- straniera
- Belonging to another country; foreign, alien
- senza
- Preposition indicating absence or lack: 'without'
- lasciare
- To leave behind or allow something to remain
- degno
- Worthy of respect or merit; deserving, fitting
- successore
- A person who follows another in a role; successor
- stesso
- Used for emphasis or identity: 'same', 'very', 'himself'
- ceppo
- Lineage, stock, or family trunk; stump or origin
- portasse
- Subjunctive imperfect of portare: 'that he might carry'
- avanti
- Forward in direction or time; ahead, onward
- opera
- A work, undertaking, or artistic creation; opera
- secondo
- In conformity with; according to, following
- principi
- Fundamental rules or beliefs guiding behavior; principles
- sacerdote
- An ordained religious minister or priest
- sistema
- An organized set of connected elements; system
- celibato
- The state of abstaining from marriage; celibacy
- giorni
- Plural of giorno; periods of twenty-four hours; days
- migliori
- Comparative plural of buono: better, best
- lasciava
- Was leaving behind or allowing something to remain
- alcuna
- Feminine singular negative or indefinite: 'any', 'no'
- prole
- Offspring or descendants of a person; progeny
- corruzione
- Dishonest or immoral conduct; corruption, depravity
- nessuno
- Not any person or thing; nobody, no one
- veniva
- Imperfect of venire used as auxiliary: 'was being'
- allevato
- Raised or brought up from childhood; reared, bred
- cresciuto
- Past participle of crescere: grown up, raised
- sotto
- Preposition indicating position below: 'under', 'beneath'
- influenze
- Plural of influenza; forces affecting a person or outcome
- favoriscono
- Third person plural present of favorire: they favor
- progresso
- Forward development or improvement in society; progress
- sociale
- Relating to society or its organization; social
- politico
- Relating to government or public affairs; political
- oscure
- Feminine plural of oscuro: dark, gloomy, obscure
- camere
- Rooms or chambers; plural of camera
- Inquisizione
- Historical Catholic tribunal for suppressing heresy; Inquisition
- soffocavano
- Were suffocating or suppressing; stifling, smothering
- ogni
- Adjective indicating totality: 'every', 'each'
- avanzamento
- The act of moving or developing forward; advancement, progress
- pensiero
- A mental idea or reflection; thought, thinking
- così
- Adverb indicating manner or degree: 'so', 'thus'
- civiltà
- An advanced stage of human social development; civilization
- cultura
- The arts, customs, and achievements of a society; culture
- Spagna
- The country located in southwestern Europe; Spain
- anche
- Adverb adding something to what was said: 'also', 'too'
- cristallizzarono
- Became fixed and rigid; crystallized into set forms
- forme
- Shapes, structures, or modes of expression; forms
- rigide
- Feminine plural of rigido: stiff, inflexible, strict
- attendere
- To wait for something or to expect; await
- soltanto
- Limiting adverb excluding other possibilities: 'only', 'just'
- inevitabile
- Impossible to avoid or prevent; inevitable, unavoidable
- processo
- A series of actions or changes toward a result; process
- stagnazione
- A state of no activity or development; stagnation
- decadenza
- A decline into inferior conditions or morality; decadence
- momento
- A very brief period of time; moment, instant
- più
- Adverb of degree indicating greater quantity: 'more', 'most'
- glorioso
- Deserving or bringing great fame; glorious, illustrious
- vecchio
- An elderly or aged person; old man
- perso
- Past participle of perdere: lost, forfeited
- mano
- The body part at the end of the arm; hand
- combattendo
- Gerund of combattere: fighting, battling, engaging in combat
- battaglie
- Plural of battaglia: armed conflicts between forces; battles
- contro
- Preposition indicating opposition: 'against'
- Turco
- A person or thing of Turkish origin; Turk
- Lepanto
- Site of the 1571 naval battle; Lepanto
- impiegò
- Past tense of impiegare: employed, used, devoted
- altra
- Feminine singular of altro: another, other (one)
- scrivere
- To produce written text; to write
- capolavoro
- An artist's greatest or most celebrated work; masterpiece
- letteratura
- Written works of artistic or intellectual value; literature
- realtà
- The state of things as they actually exist; reality
- caricatura
- An exaggerated depiction mocking its subject; caricature
- nazione
- A large group of people sharing territory and government; nation
- Vi
- Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'in it'
- molto
- Adverb or adjective indicating large amount: 'much', 'very'
- storia
- A record of past events; history or story
- richiama
- Calls back or brings to mind; evokes, recalls
- mente
- The faculty of consciousness and thought; mind
- bellezza
- The quality of being pleasing to the senses; beauty
- abbagliante
- So bright as to dazzle; dazzling, blinding, stunning
- figlie
- Plural of figlia: female offspring; daughters
- occhi
- Plural of occhio: the organs of sight; eyes
- scuri
- Masculine plural of scuro: dark in color or shade
- sbocciare
- To open up like a flower; to bloom, blossom
- precoce
- Occurring or developing earlier than usual; precocious, premature
- splendore
- Great brightness or magnificence; splendor, radiance
- sorprendente
- Causing wonder or astonishment; surprising, astonishing
- quasi
- Adverb indicating near approximation: 'almost', 'nearly'
- morboso
- Relating to disease or unhealthy fixation; morbid, unhealthy
- prematura
- Occurring before the expected or proper time; premature
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