The Souls of Black Folk — Page 10
The holocaust of war, the terrors of the Ku-Klux Klan, the lies of carpet-baggers, the disorganization of industry, and the contradictory advice of friends and foes, left the bewildered serf with no new watchword beyond the old cry for freedom.
El holocausto de la guerra, los terrores del Ku-Klux Klan, las mentiras de los carpet-baggers, la desorganización de la industria, y los consejos contradictorios de amigos y enemigos, dejaron al desconcertado siervo sin ninguna nueva consigna más allá del antiguo clamor por la libertad.
As the time flew, however, he began to grasp a new idea.
Con el paso del tiempo, sin embargo, comenzó a comprender una nueva idea.
The ideal of liberty demanded for its attainment powerful means, and these the Fifteenth Amendment gave him.
El ideal de la libertad exigía para su consecución medios poderosos, y estos se los proporcionó la Decimoquinta Enmienda.
The ballot, which before he had looked upon as a visible sign of freedom, he now regarded as the chief means of gaining and perfecting the liberty with which war had partially endowed him.
El voto, que antes había considerado como un signo visible de libertad, lo contemplaba ahora como el principal medio para obtener y perfeccionar la libertad con la que la guerra lo había dotado parcialmente.
And why not?
¿Y por qué no?
Had not votes made war and emancipated millions?
¿Acaso los votos no habían provocado la guerra y emancipado a millones?
Had not votes enfranchised the freedmen?
¿Acaso los votos no habían concedido el sufragio a los libertos?
Was anything impossible to a power that had done all this?
¿Había algo imposible para un poder que había logrado todo esto?
A million black men started with renewed zeal to vote themselves into the kingdom.
Un millón de hombres negros comenzaron con renovado fervor a votar para abrirse paso hacia el reino.
So the decade flew away, the revolution of 1876 came, and left the half-free serf weary, wondering, but still inspired.
Así transcurrió la década, llegó la revolución de 1876, y dejó al siervo medio libre agotado, perplejo, pero aún inspirado.
Slowly but steadily, in the following years, a new vision began gradually to replace the dream of political power,—a powerful movement, the rise of another ideal to guide the unguided, another pillar of fire by night after a clouded day.
Lenta pero firmemente, en los años siguientes, una nueva visión comenzó gradualmente a reemplazar el sueño del poder político: un poderoso movimiento, el surgimiento de otro ideal para guiar a los sin guía, otra columna de fuego en la noche tras un día nublado.
It was the ideal of "book-learning"; the curiosity, born of compulsory ignorance, to know and test the power of the cabalistic letters of the white man, the longing to know.
Era el ideal del «aprendizaje en los libros»; la curiosidad, nacida de la ignorancia impuesta, de conocer y poner a prueba el poder de las cabalísticas letras del hombre blanco, el anhelo de saber.
Vocabulary
- holocausto
- Holocaust; complete destruction or slaughter
- guerra
- War; armed conflict between nations or groups
- terrores
- Terrors; intense fears or frightening things
- Klan
- Klan; white supremacist organization in America
- mentiras
- Lies; false statements intended to deceive
- carpet-baggers
- Carpet-baggers; Northern opportunists in post-Civil War South
- desorganización
- Disorganization; lack of order or organization
- industria
- Industry; manufacturing or economic sector
- consejos
- Advice; counsel or recommendations given
- contradictorios
- Contradictory; mutually opposed or inconsistent
- amigos
- Friends; people with whom one has friendship
- enemigos
- Enemies; people hostile to or opposed
- dejaron
- Left; past tense of dejar
- desconcertado
- Confused; bewildered or uncertain about something
- siervo
- Servant; person in service or slavery
- sin
- Without; lacking or deprived of something
- ninguna
- None; not any or not a single
- nueva
- New; recently made or not seen before
- consigna
- Slogan; watchword or rallying cry of group
- más
- More; greater in amount or degree
- allá
- Beyond; on the far side of
- antiguo
- Ancient; very old or former times
- clamor
- Clamor; loud public expression of opinion
- por
- For; indicating purpose or duration
- libertad
- Freedom; state of being free or liberated
- Con
- With; accompanied by or having something
- paso
- Step; movement or pace forward
- tiempo
- Time; duration or period of existence
- embargo
- However; nevertheless or on the other hand
- comenzó
- Began; started or commenced an action
- comprender
- Understand; grasp meaning or significance of
- idea
- Idea; thought or concept in mind
- ideal
- Ideal; perfect or most desirable form
- exigía
- Demanded; required or insisted upon something
- para
- For; intended purpose or destination
- consecución
- Achievement; accomplishment or attainment of goal
- medios
- Means; methods or ways to achieve
- poderosos
- Powerful; having great strength or influence
- estos
- These; referring to things just mentioned
- proporcionó
- Provided; furnished or supplied something needed
- Decimoquinta
- Fifteenth; ordinal number fifteen
- Enmienda
- Amendment; modification or change to document
- voto
- Vote; formal expression of opinion or choice
- que
- That; which or what relative pronoun
- antes
- Before; previously in time or order
- había
- Had; past perfect auxiliary verb form
- considerado
- Considered; thought about or reflected upon
- como
- As; in capacity of or like
- signo
- Sign; symbol or indication of something
- visible
- Visible; able to be seen or observed
- contemplaba
- Regarded; looked at or considered something
- ahora
- Now; at present time or moment
- principal
- Main; most important or chief element
- medio
- Means; method or way of doing
- obtener
- Obtain; acquire or come into possession of
- perfeccionar
- Perfect; make complete or improve to excellence
- con
- With; accompanied by or having something
- dotado
- Gifted; endowed with talent or ability
- parcialmente
- Partially; in part or not completely
- qué
- What; interrogative pronoun asking for information
- no
- No; negative response or negation
- Acaso
- Perhaps; possibly or by chance
- votos
- Votes; plural of voto or formal expressions
- habían
- Had; past perfect auxiliary verb form plural
- provocado
- Caused; brought about or provoked
- emancipado
- Emancipated; freed from legal or social restriction
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