The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere — Page 10
Only with the passing of the years and the increase of wealth and influence, the ease and luxury invited by these, and the consequent corruption so induced, with the insatiable longing ever for more wealth and greater influence, did the poison of greed and grasping power enter the system to work its insidious way into every part, slowly transforming the beneficent institution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries into an incubus weighing upon all the activities of the people in the nineteenth, an unyielding bar to the development of the country, a hideous anachronism in these modern times.
只有随着岁月的流逝，财富与势力的增长，由此而来的安逸与奢靡，以及随之滋生的腐败，加之对更多财富和更大势力永无止境的渴望，贪婪与攫取权力的毒素才得以侵入这一体系，以其潜移默化的方式渗透至每一个角落，将十六、十七世纪那造福于民的机构，慢慢变为十九世纪压在人民一切活动之上的梦魇，成为阻碍国家发展的顽固壁垒，成为现代社会中一个丑陋的时代错误。
It must be remembered also that Spain, in the years following her brilliant conquests of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, lost strength and vigor through the corruption at home induced by the unearned wealth that flowed into the mother country from the colonies, and by the draining away of her best blood.
还须记住的是，西班牙在十五、十六世纪辉煌征服之后的岁月里，因殖民地流入本国的不劳而获的财富所引发的国内腐败，以及精英血脉的不断流失，而丧失了自身的力量与活力。
Nor did her sons ever develop that economic spirit which is the permanent foundation of all empire, but they let the wealth of the Indies flow through their country, principally to London and Amsterdam, there to form in more practical hands the basis of the British and Dutch colonial empires.
其子民也从未培育出那种作为一切帝国永久根基的经济精神，而是任由印度群岛的财富流经本国，主要流向伦敦与阿姆斯特丹，在更具实干精神的人手中，奠定了英国与荷兰殖民帝国的基础。
The priest and the soldier were supreme, so her best sons took up either the cross or the sword to maintain her dominion in the distant colonies, a movement which, long continued, spelled for her a form of national suicide.
神职人员与军人至高无上，因此她最优秀的儿子们或执十字架，或握刀剑，以维持她在遥远殖民地的统治，这一趋势长期持续，对她而言无异于一种民族的自我毁灭。
Vocabulary
- 只有
- zhǐyǒu — Only; only if a condition is met
- 随着
- suízhe — Along with; as something progresses or changes
- 岁月
- suìyuè — Years; the passage of time
- 的
- de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 流逝
- liúshì — To pass away; of time slipping by
- 财富
- cáifù — Wealth; material riches and assets
- 与
- yǔ — And; together with
- 势力
- shìlì — Power; influence; political or social force
- 增长
- zēngzhǎng — To grow; to increase in amount or scale
- 由此
- yóucǐ — From this; as a result of this
- 而来
- érlái — Coming from; arising as a consequence
- 安逸
- ānyì — Comfort; ease; a leisurely and comfortable life
- 奢靡
- shēmí — Extravagance; lavish and wasteful lifestyle
- 以及
- yǐjí — As well as; and also
- 随之
- suízhī — Following that; consequently; thereupon
- 滋生
- zīshēng — To breed; to give rise to something negative
- 腐败
- fǔbài — Corruption; moral or political decay
- 加之
- jiāzhī — Moreover; in addition to that
- 对
- duì — Toward; regarding; directed at
- 更多
- gèngduō — Even more; greater in quantity
- 和
- hé — And; together with
- 更大
- gèngdà — Even larger; greater in size or extent
- 永无止境
- yǒng wú zhǐjìng — Endless; having no limit or boundary ever
- 渴望
- kěwàng — To crave; to desire something intensely
- 贪婪
- tānlán — Greed; excessive desire for wealth or power
- 攫取
- juéqǔ — To seize; to grab forcibly and aggressively
- 权力
- quánlì — Power; authority over others or institutions
- 毒素
- dúsù — Toxin; poisonous substance causing harm
- 才
- cái — Only then; indicating a condition just met
- 得以
- déyǐ — To be able to; to manage to do something
- 侵入
- qīnrù — To invade; to infiltrate or enter by force
- 这一
- zhè yī — This particular; referring to a specific thing
- 体系
- tǐxì — System; an organized structure or framework
- 以其
- yǐqí — With its; using its own particular method
- 潜移默化
- qián yí mò huà — Subtle influence; imperceptibly changing someone over time
- 方式
- fāngshì — Method; manner or way of doing something
- 渗透
- shèntòu — To permeate; to seep or infiltrate gradually
- 至
- zhì — To; until; reaching as far as
- 每一个
- měi yī gè — Every single one; each individual instance
- 角落
- jiǎoluò — Corner; a hidden or remote spot
- 将
- jiāng — To turn into; future marker or causative verb
- 世纪
- shìjì — Century; a period of one hundred years
- 那
- nà — That; referring to something previously mentioned
- 造福
- zàofú — To benefit; to bring welfare to people
- 于民
- yú mín — For the people; benefiting the common population
- 机构
- jīgòu — Institution; an organized body or organization
- 慢慢
- mànmàn — Slowly; gradually over time
- 变为
- biànwéi — To become; to transform into something else
- 压在
- yā zài — To weigh upon; to press down heavily on
- 人民
- rénmín — The people; citizens of a nation collectively
- 一切
- yīqiè — Everything; all things without exception
- 活动
- huódòng — Activity; actions or movements undertaken by people
- 之上
- zhī shàng — Above; on top of; over something
- 梦魇
- mèngyǎn — Nightmare; a terrifying oppressive burden or experience
- 成为
- chéngwéi — To become; to turn into something new
- 阻碍
- zǔ'ài — To obstruct; to hinder progress or development
- 国家
- guójiā — Nation; country; a sovereign state
- 发展
- fāzhǎn — Development; growth and advancement of society
- 顽固
- wángù — Stubborn; obstinate; rigidly resistant to change
- 壁垒
- bìlěi — Barrier; a fortified wall or entrenched obstacle
- 现代
- xiàndài — Modern; contemporary; of the present era
- 社会
- shèhuì — Society; the community of people living together
- 中
- zhōng — Within; in the middle of; among
- 一个
- yī gè — One; a single unit or instance
- 丑陋
- chǒulòu — Ugly; unpleasant in appearance or character
- 时代
- shídài — Era; age; a distinct historical period
- 错误
- cuòwù — Error; mistake; something wrong or incorrect
- 还须
- hái xū — Must also; it is still necessary to
- 记住
- jìzhù — To remember; to keep in mind firmly
- 是
- shì — Is; to be; affirmative linking verb
- 西班牙
- Xībānyá — Spain; the European nation on the Iberian Peninsula
- 在
- zài — At; in; located at a place or time
- 辉煌
- huīhuáng — Glorious; brilliant; magnificently splendid
- 征服
- zhēngfú — Conquest; to conquer and subjugate by force
- 之后
- zhīhòu — Afterward; after a certain event or time
- 里
- lǐ — Inside; within a period or place
- 因
- yīn — Because of; due to a reason or cause
- 殖民地
- zhímíndì — Colony; a territory controlled by a foreign power
- 流入
- liúrù — To flow into; to stream inward toward something
- 本国
- běnguó — One's own country; the home nation
- 不劳而获
- bù láo ér huò — To gain without effort; unearned windfall profit
- 所
- suǒ — Particle indicating something caused or acted upon
- 引发
- yǐnfā — To trigger; to cause something to happen
- 国内
- guónèi — Domestic; within the borders of one's country
- 精英
- jīngyīng — Elite; the most talented or privileged group
- 血脉
- xuèmài — Bloodline; vital energy flowing through a nation
- 不断
- bùduàn — Continuously; without stopping or interruption
- 流失
- liúshī — To drain away; to lose gradually over time
- 而
- ér — And yet; but; connecting contrasting clauses
- 丧失
- sàngshī — To lose; to forfeit something important permanently
- 了
- le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state
- 自身
- zìshēn — Oneself; one's own self or entity
- 力量
- lìliàng — Strength; power; capacity to exert force
- 活力
- huólì — Vitality; vigor; dynamic energy and liveliness
- 其
- qí — Its; their; referring to something previously mentioned
- 子民
- zǐmín — Subjects; citizens under a ruler's governance
- 也
- yě — Also; too; likewise
- 从未
- cóngwèi — Never; at no point in the past
- 培育出
- péiyù chū — To cultivate and produce; to develop and nurture
- 那种
- nà zhǒng — That kind of; that type or sort
- 作为
- zuòwéi — As; serving the role of; acting as
- 帝国
- dìguó — Empire; a vast realm ruled by an emperor
- 永久
- yǒngjiǔ — Permanent; lasting forever without end
- 根基
- gēnjī — Foundation; base; fundamental underlying support
- 经济
- jīngjì — Economy; the system of production and trade
- 精神
- jīngshén — Spirit; mentality; the driving mindset of a people
- 而是
- érshì — But rather; instead it is something else
- 任由
- rènyóu — To let freely; to allow without intervention
- 印度
- Yìndù — India; the South Asian country
- 群岛
- qúndǎo — Archipelago; a group or chain of islands
- 流经
- liújīng — To flow through; to pass through an area
- 主要
- zhǔyào — Mainly; primarily; the most important part
- 流向
- liúxiàng — To flow toward; direction of flow
- 伦敦
- Lúndūn — London; the capital city of England
- 阿姆斯特丹
- Āmǔsītèdān — Amsterdam; the capital city of the Netherlands
- 更具
- gèng jù — More possessing of; having greater qualities
- 实干
- shígàn — Pragmatic; hardworking and practically capable
- 人
- rén — Person; people; human beings
- 手中
- shǒu zhōng — In the hands of; under someone's control
- 奠定
- diàndìng — To establish; to lay a firm foundation for
- 英国
- Yīngguó — Britain; the United Kingdom
- 荷兰
- Hélán — The Netherlands; Holland; a Western European nation
- 殖民
- zhímín — Colonial; relating to colonization of territories
- 基础
- jīchǔ — Foundation; basis; the underlying groundwork
- 神职
- shénzhí — Clerical; relating to religious or priestly duties
- 人员
- rényuán — Personnel; staff; members of a group
- 军人
- jūnrén — Soldier; military personnel; a person in service
- 至高无上
- zhì gāo wú shàng — Supreme; of the highest status above all others
- 因此
- yīncǐ — Therefore; as a result of this reason
- 她
- tā — She; her; third-person feminine pronoun
- 最
- zuì — Most; the superlative degree of an adjective
- 优秀
- yōuxiù — Outstanding; excellent; of superior quality or talent
- 儿子们
- érzi men — Sons; male children of a family or nation
- 或
- huò — Or; either one of two options
- 执
- zhí — To hold; to grasp firmly in hand
- 十字架
- shízìjià — Cross; the Christian religious cross symbol
- 握
- wò — To grip; to hold tightly in the hand
- 刀剑
- dāojiàn — Swords and blades; weapons of war
- 以
- yǐ — In order to; so as to achieve a purpose
- 维持
- wéichí — To maintain; to keep something in a state
- 遥远
- yáoyuǎn — Distant; far away in space or time
- 统治
- tǒngzhì — To rule; to govern over a territory or people
- 趋势
- qūshì — Trend; a general direction or tendency
- 长期
- chángqī — Long-term; over an extended period of time
- 持续
- chíxù — To continue; to persist without stopping
- 而言
- éryán — In terms of; speaking from a certain perspective
- 无异于
- wú yì yú — No different from; tantamount to something else
- 一种
- yī zhǒng — A kind of; a type or sort of something
- 民族
- mínzú — Ethnic group; nation; a people sharing culture
- 自我
- zìwǒ — Self; oneself; one's own identity
- 毁灭
- huǐmiè — Destruction; annihilation; complete ruin or obliteration
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