← The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere

The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 12

English → It Preface Level 6/10

Rapid and brilliant was her rise, gradual and inglorious her steady decline, from the bright morning when the banners of Castile and Aragon were flung triumphantly from the battlements of the Alhambra, to the short summer, not so long gone, when at Cavite and Santiago with swift, decisive havoc the last ragged remnants of the once world-dominating power were blown into space and time, to hover disembodied there, a lesson and a warning to future generations.

Rapida e brillante fu la sua ascesa, graduale e ingloriosa il suo costante declino, dal luminoso mattino in cui le bandiere di Castiglia e Aragona furono issate trionfalmente dai bastioni dell'Alhambra, alla breve estate, non tanto lontana, in cui a Cavite e Santiago con rapida e decisiva rovina gli ultimi laceri resti di quella che fu una potenza dominatrice del mondo furono dispersi nel tempo e nello spazio, a volteggiare lì incorporei, come lezione e monito per le generazioni future.

Whatever her final place in the records of mankind, whether as the pioneer of modern civilization or the buccaneer of the nations or, as would seem most likely, a goodly mixture of both, she has at least--with the exception only of her great mother, Rome--furnished the most instructive lessons in political pathology yet recorded, and the advice to students of world progress to familiarize themselves with her history is even more apt today than when it first issued from the encyclopedic mind of Macaulay nearly a century ago.

Qualunque sia il suo posto definitivo negli annali dell'umanità, che sia come pioniera della civiltà moderna o come piratessa delle nazioni, o, come sembrerebbe più probabile, un'ottima mescolanza di entrambe le cose, essa ha almeno — con la sola eccezione della sua grande madre, Roma — fornito le lezioni più istruttive di patologia politica fino ad oggi registrate, e il consiglio agli studiosi del progresso mondiale di familiarizzarsi con la sua storia è ancora più pertinente oggi di quando scaturì per la prima volta dalla mente enciclopedica di Macaulay quasi un secolo fa.

Hardly had she reached the zenith of her power when the disintegration began, and one by one her brilliant conquests dropped away, to leave her alone in her faded splendor, with naught but her vaunting pride left, another "Niobe of nations."

Aveva appena raggiunto lo zenit del suo potere quando cominciò la disintegrazione, e una dopo l'altra le sue brillanti conquiste si dissolsero, lasciandola sola nel suo splendore sbiadito, con nient'altro che il suo orgoglio tracotante, un'altra "Niobe delle nazioni".

Vocabulary

rapida
Fast, quick, or rapid in speed or movement.
brillante
Bright, shining, or brilliant in appearance or intellect.
fu
Was; third person singular past tense of essere.
la
The; feminine singular definite article in Italian.
sua
His, her, or its; feminine singular possessive adjective.
ascesa
Rise, ascent, or upward movement in status or power.
graduale
Gradual; occurring or progressing slowly over time.
il
The; masculine singular definite article in Italian.
suo
His, her, or its; masculine singular possessive adjective.
costante
Constant, steady, or continuous without change or interruption.
declino
Decline, deterioration, or gradual weakening of power.
dal
From the; contraction of da and il.
luminoso
Luminous, bright, or shining with light or radiance.
mattino
Morning; the early part of the day until noon.
in
In, into, or within; common Italian preposition.
cui
Which, whom, or whose; relative pronoun in Italian.
le
The; feminine plural definite article in Italian.
bandiere
Flags; plural of bandiera, symbols of nations or groups.
di
Of, from; common Italian preposition expressing possession.
furono
Were; third person plural past tense of essere.
issate
Raised, hoisted, or elevated up high in air.
dai
From the; contraction of da and i.
dell
Of the; contraction of di and el.
alla
To the, at the; contraction of a and la.
breve
Brief, short, or lasting only a little time.
estate
Summer; warmest season of the year.
non
Not; negative adverb used to negate verbs or adjectives.
tanto
So much, so many, or as much as.
lontana
Distant, far, or remote in distance or time.
con
With; Italian preposition expressing accompaniment or means.
decisiva
Decisive; determining the outcome or conclusion definitively.
rovina
Ruin, destruction, or the state of being destroyed.
gli
The; masculine plural definite article or indirect object pronoun.
ultimi
Last, final, or most recent in a sequence.
resti
Remains, remnants, or what is left of something.
quella
That; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun.
che
That, which, or who; relative pronoun in Italian.
una
A, an; feminine singular indefinite article in Italian.
potenza
Power, strength, or a nation with great influence.
mondo
World; the earth and all its people and things.
dispersi
Scattered, dispersed, or spread widely apart in different directions.
nel
In the; contraction of in and il.
tempo
Time; the progression of events or duration.
nello
In the; contraction of in and lo.
spazio
Space; the expanse in which all things exist.
lì
There; adverb indicating location or position.
come
As, like, or how; common Italian conjunction and adverb.
lezione
Lesson, class, or instruction in a subject.
monito
Warning, admonition, or cautionary message.
per
For, to, or in order to; Italian preposition.
generazioni
Generations; plural of generazione, periods of people born.
future
Future; coming or occurring in time to come.
Qualunque
Whatever, whichever, or any kind of.
sia
Be; subjunctive form of essere in Italian.
posto
Place, position, or job; where something is located.
definitivo
Definitive, final, or conclusive without further change.
negli
In the; contraction of in and gli.
annali
Annals; historical records of events by year.
umanità
Humanity; all human beings or human nature.
civiltà
Civilization; advanced stage of human social development.
moderna
Modern; contemporary or of recent times.
nazioni
Nations; plural of nazione, independent countries.
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