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.
L'olocausto della guerra, i terrori del Ku-Klux Klan, le menzogne dei carpet-baggers, la disorganizzazione dell'industria e i consigli contraddittori di amici e nemici, lasciarono il servo disorientato senza alcuna nuova parola d'ordine al di là del vecchio grido di libertà.
As the time flew, however, he began to grasp a new idea.
Col passare del tempo, tuttavia, egli cominciò ad afferrare una nuova idea.
The ideal of liberty demanded for its attainment powerful means, and these the Fifteenth Amendment gave him.
L'ideale della libertà richiedeva, per il suo raggiungimento, mezzi potenti, e questi il Quindicesimo Emendamento glieli fornì.
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.
Il voto, che in precedenza aveva considerato come un segno visibile di libertà, lo considerava ora come il principale mezzo per conquistare e perfezionare la libertà di cui la guerra lo aveva parzialmente dotato.
And why not?
E perché no?
Had not votes made war and emancipated millions?
Non erano stati i voti a fare la guerra e a emancipare milioni di persone?
Had not votes enfranchised the freedmen?
Non erano stati i voti a concedere il diritto di voto agli ex schiavi?
Was anything impossible to a power that had done all this?
Era forse qualcosa impossibile per un potere che aveva fatto tutto ciò?
A million black men started with renewed zeal to vote themselves into the kingdom.
Un milione di uomini neri si misero all'opera con rinnovato fervore per votarsi nell'ingresso nel regno.
So the decade flew away, the revolution of 1876 came, and left the half-free serf weary, wondering, but still inspired.
Così il decennio volò via, giunse la rivoluzione del 1876, e lasciò il servo mezzo libero stanco, perplesso, ma ancora ispirato.
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.
Lentamente ma costantemente, negli anni seguenti, una nuova visione cominciò gradualmente a sostituire il sogno del potere politico — un potente movimento, l'ascesa di un altro ideale per guidare chi era privo di guida, un'altra colonna di fuoco nella notte dopo un giorno nuvoloso.
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 l'ideale del «sapere dai libri»; la curiosità, nata dall'ignoranza coatta, di conoscere e mettere alla prova il potere delle lettere cabalistiche dell'uomo bianco, il desiderio ardente di sapere.
Vocabulary
- olocausto
- Holocaust; systematic mass destruction or genocide
- guerra
- War; armed conflict between groups or nations
- terrori
- Terrors; extreme fears or acts of violence
- menzogne
- Lies; deliberate false statements meant to deceive
- disorganizzazione
- Disorganization; lack of order or systematic structure
- industria
- Industry; economic sector involving production and manufacturing
- consigli
- Advice; recommendations or suggestions given to someone
- contraddittori
- Contradictory; mutually inconsistent or conflicting in nature
- amici
- Friends; people with whom one has a bond
- nemici
- Enemies; people who are hostile or opposed to one
- lasciarono
- They left; third person plural past tense of 'lasciare'
- servo
- Servant; a person who serves or is enslaved
- disorientato
- Disoriented; confused and lacking clear direction or purpose
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- alcuna
- Any; used in negative or indefinite contexts, feminine form
- nuova
- New; recently appeared or not previously known
- parola
- Word; a unit of language conveying meaning
- ordine
- Order; a command, arrangement, or guiding principle
- là
- There; in or at that place
- vecchio
- Old; having existed or lived for a long time
- grido
- Cry; a loud shout or rallying call
- libertà
- Freedom; the state of being free from oppression
- passare
- To pass; to go by or move from one point
- tempo
- Time; the progression of events or a period
- tuttavia
- However; nevertheless, used to introduce a contrast
- egli
- He; third person masculine singular subject pronoun
- cominciò
- He began; third person singular past tense of 'cominciare'
- afferrare
- To grasp; to seize or comprehend something firmly
- idea
- Idea; a thought or concept formed in the mind
- ideale
- Ideal; a standard of perfection or ultimate goal
- richiedeva
- It required; third person singular imperfect of 'richiedere'
- raggiungimento
- Achievement; the act of reaching or attaining a goal
- mezzi
- Means; resources or methods used to achieve something
- potenti
- Powerful; having great strength or influence
- questi
- These; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby things
- Quindicesimo
- Fifteenth; ordinal number referring to the Fifteenth Amendment
- Emendamento
- Amendment; a formal change or addition to a document
- fornì
- It provided; third person singular past tense of 'fornire'
- voto
- Vote; a formal expression of choice or preference
- precedenza
- Previously; before, in an earlier time or situation
- considerato
- Considered; past participle of 'considerare', to regard
- segno
- Sign; a visible mark or symbol indicating something
- visibile
- Visible; able to be seen or perceived by the eye
- considerava
- He considered; third person singular imperfect of 'considerare'
- ora
- Now; at the present time or moment
- principale
- Main; most important or primary among several things
- mezzo
- Means; a method or instrument for achieving something
- conquistare
- To conquer; to gain or achieve something through effort
- perfezionare
- To perfect; to improve or refine something to completion
- cui
- Whose/which; relative pronoun used after a preposition
- parzialmente
- Partially; in part, not completely or fully
- dotato
- Endowed; gifted or provided with particular qualities
- perché
- Why; for what reason or purpose
- voti
- Votes; formal expressions of individual choices or preferences
- fare
- To do or make; a very common and versatile verb
- emancipare
- To emancipate; to free someone from legal or social restraints
- milioni
- Millions; the plural of 'milione', a very large number
- persone
- People; human beings considered collectively or individually
- concedere
- To grant; to give or allow something to someone
- diritto
- Right; a legal or moral entitlement to something
- ex
- Former; prefix meaning previously held a certain status
- schiavi
- Slaves; people held in servitude against their will
- forse
- Perhaps; used to express possibility or uncertainty
- qualcosa
- Something; an unspecified or unknown thing
- impossibile
- Impossible; not able to occur or be achieved
- potere
- To be able to; modal verb expressing ability or possibility
- fatto
- Done; past participle of 'fare', meaning accomplished
- tutto
- All; the entirety of something or everything
- ciò
- This; a demonstrative pronoun referring to something mentioned
- milione
- Million; the number one million
- uomini
- Men; adult male human beings
- neri
- Black; adjective describing dark color or Black people
- misero
- They put; third person plural past tense of 'mettere'
- opera
- Work; a task or labor undertaken with purpose
- rinnovato
- Renewed; restored or revived with fresh energy
- fervore
- Fervor; intense enthusiasm or passionate dedication
- votarsi
- To devote oneself; to dedicate oneself entirely to something
- ingresso
- Entry; the act of entering or gaining access to something
- regno
- Kingdom; a realm or domain ruled or governed
- Così
- So; thus, in this way or manner
- decennio
- Decade; a period of ten years
- volò
- It flew; third person singular past tense of 'volare'
- via
- Away; indicating movement from a place
- giunse
- It arrived; third person singular past tense of 'giungere'
- rivoluzione
- Revolution; a fundamental political or social transformation
- lasciò
- It left; third person singular past tense of 'lasciare'
- libero
- Free; unrestrained, at liberty to act or move
- stanco
- Tired; weary from exertion or prolonged effort
- perplesso
- Perplexed; confused and uncertain about how to proceed
- ancora
- Still; continuing up to the present time
- ispirato
- Inspired; filled with motivation or creative enthusiasm
- Lentamente
- Slowly; at a low speed or gradual pace
- costantemente
- Constantly; continuously without interruption or variation
- anni
- Years; plural of 'anno', units of time
- seguenti
- Following; coming after in sequence or time
- visione
- Vision; an idea or mental image of the future
- gradualmente
- Gradually; slowly and in small increments over time
- sostituire
- To replace; to take the place of something else
- sogno
- Dream; a hope or aspiration for the future
- politico
- Political; relating to politics or government affairs
- potente
- Powerful; having great strength, influence, or authority
- movimento
- Movement; a group working toward a shared social goal
- ascesa
- Rise; the process of ascending or gaining prominence
- altro
- Other; different or additional in relation to something
- guidare
- To guide; to lead or direct someone toward a goal
- chi
- Who; relative or interrogative pronoun referring to people
- privo
- Devoid; lacking or deprived of something essential
- guida
- Guide; a person or thing that shows the way
- altra
- Another; a different one of the same kind
- colonna
- Column; a vertical structure or guiding line of support
- fuoco
- Fire; flames or burning, often used symbolically
- notte
- Night; the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
- dopo
- After; following in time or sequence
- giorno
- Day; the period of light between sunrise and sunset
- nuvoloso
- Cloudy; overcast with clouds, lacking clear sky
- sapere
- To know; to have knowledge or awareness of something
- libri
- Books; written or printed works bound together
- curiosità
- Curiosity; a strong desire to know or learn something
- nata
- Born; past participle of 'nascere', feminine form
- ignoranza
- Ignorance; lack of knowledge or information
- coatta
- Forced; compelled or imposed against one's will
- conoscere
- To know; to be acquainted with a person or thing
- mettere
- To put; to place something in a specific location
- prova
- Test; a trial or examination to assess something
- lettere
- Letters; written characters or alphabetic symbols
- cabalistiche
- Kabbalistic; mysterious, esoteric, or having hidden significance
- uomo
- Man; an adult male human being
- bianco
- White; the color white or a white person
- desiderio
- Desire; a strong wish or longing for something
- ardente
- Ardent; intensely enthusiastic, passionate, or burning
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