The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments — Page 3
It is not merely a scholar's edition, though no oriental student can afford to be without it; but beyond this narrow circle it has ever appealed to the wide audience that cares to know the famous books of the world in their most perfect and faithful reflections.
No es simplemente una edición académica, aunque ningún estudiante de estudios orientales puede permitirse prescindir de ella; pero más allá de este estrecho círculo, siempre ha apelado al amplio público que desea conocer los libros famosos del mundo en sus reflejos más perfectos y fieles.
The actual moment is an opportune one for the reappearance of the work.
El momento actual es oportuno para la reaparición de la obra.
Egypt just now holds a foremost place in the eyes of the world, and it is of Egypt that the _Thousand and One Nights_ have most to tell.
Egipto ocupa ahora mismo un lugar destacado a los ojos del mundo, y es de Egipto de lo que las _Mil y una noches_ tienen más que contar.
Indian or Persian as many of the tales are in their origin, their setting is almost purely Egyptian; and though the place may be nominally Baghdád or India, or even furthest China, it is in mediæval Cairo, in the days of the Memlooks, that the scene of the Arabian Nights is really laid.
Aunque muchos de los cuentos son de origen indio o persa, su escenario es casi puramente egipcio; y aunque el lugar pueda ser nominalmente Bagdad o la India, o incluso la lejana China, es en el Cairo medieval, en los días de los mamelucos, donde se desarrolla realmente la escena de Las mil y una noches.
The people described are not Hindoos or Chinese, but Arabs and Egyptians as they lived and moved in the fifteenth century, when some of the beautiful mosques and tombs, that still make Cairo the delight of artists, were being built, and the devastating hand of the Ottoman Turk had not yet been laid on the land of the Pharaohs.
Las personas descritas no son hindúes ni chinos, sino árabes y egipcios tal como vivieron y se desenvolvieron en el siglo XV, cuando algunas de las hermosas mezquitas y tumbas, que aún hacen de El Cairo el deleite de los artistas, estaban siendo construidas, y la devastadora mano del turco otomano aún no había caído sobre la tierra de los faraones.
For a minute picture of Arabian society as it was in the Middle Ages, the _Thousand and One Nights_ have no rival, and it is Mr.
Para una descripción detallada de la sociedad árabe tal como era en la Edad Media, las _Mil y una noches_ no tienen rival, y es el Sr.
Vocabulary
- simplemente
- Simply, in a simple or plain manner
- edición
- An edition or published version of a work
- académica
- Relating to academic or scholarly pursuits
- aunque
- Although, even though, even if
- ningún
- No, not any; used before masculine nouns
- estudiante
- A person who studies at a school
- estudios
- Studies or fields of academic inquiry
- orientales
- Relating to the East or Oriental cultures
- puede
- Third person singular of poder: can, is able
- permitirse
- To allow oneself or afford to do something
- prescindir
- To do without or dispense with something
- allá
- Over there, beyond, further away
- estrecho
- Narrow, tight; also a strait of water
- círculo
- A circle or a small group of people
- siempre
- Always, at all times, on every occasion
- apelado
- Past participle of apelar: appealed, called upon
- amplio
- Wide, broad, ample, spacious
- público
- The general public or an audience
- desea
- Third person singular of desear: wishes, desires
- conocer
- To know, meet, or become acquainted with
- libros
- Books, written or printed works
- famosos
- Famous, well-known, celebrated
- mundo
- The world, earth, or universe
- reflejos
- Reflections, reflexes, or mirror images
- perfectos
- Perfect, flawless, without defect
- fieles
- Faithful, loyal, accurate, true
- momento
- A moment, instant, or point in time
- actual
- Current, present, happening now
- oportuno
- Opportune, timely, well-timed
- reaparición
- Reappearance, return after an absence
- obra
- A work, literary or artistic creation
- Egipto
- Egypt, the country in northeastern Africa
- ocupa
- Third person singular of ocupar: occupies, takes up
- ahora
- Now, at this moment, currently
- mismo
- Same, itself; used for emphasis
- lugar
- A place, location, or position
- destacado
- Outstanding, prominent, notable
- ojos
- Eyes, the organs of sight
- _Mil
- One thousand; part of title Thousand and One Nights
- noches_
- Nights; feminine plural of noche
- contar
- To count or to tell, narrate a story
- Aunque
- Although, even though, even if
- muchos
- Many, a large number of
- cuentos
- Short stories, tales, or narratives
- origen
- Origin, source, or starting point
- indio
- Indian, relating to India or indigenous peoples
- persa
- Persian, relating to Persia or Iran
- escenario
- Setting, stage, or scenario of events
- casi
- Almost, nearly, practically
- puramente
- Purely, entirely, in a pure manner
- egipcio
- Egyptian, relating to Egypt or its culture
- pueda
- Subjunctive form of poder: can, may be able
- nominalmente
- Nominally, in name only, not in reality
- incluso
- Even, including, inclusive of
- lejana
- Distant, far away, remote
- medieval
- Relating to the Middle Ages period of history
- días
- Days, plural of día
- mamelucos
- Mamluks, medieval Muslim slave soldiers of Egypt
- donde
- Where, in which place
- desarrolla
- Develops, unfolds, takes place
- realmente
- Really, truly, in reality
- escena
- A scene, setting, or stage of action
- mil
- One thousand, the number 1000
- noches
- Nights, the plural of noche
- personas
- People, persons, individuals
- descritas
- Described, depicted; feminine plural past participle
- hindúes
- Hindus or people from India
- ni
- Nor, neither; used in negative constructions
- chinos
- Chinese people or things from China
- sino
- But rather, but instead; corrective conjunction
- árabes
- Arabs, Arabic people or language
- egipcios
- Egyptians, people from Egypt
- tal
- Such, so, as; used in comparisons
- vivieron
- Third person plural preterite of vivir: they lived
- desenvolvieron
- They developed, unfolded; preterite of desenvolver
- siglo
- A century, a period of one hundred years
- cuando
- When, at the time that
- algunas
- Some, a few; feminine plural of algún
- hermosas
- Beautiful, lovely; feminine plural adjective
- mezquitas
- Mosques, Islamic places of worship
- tumbas
- Tombs, graves, burial monuments
- aún
- Still, yet; indicates something continues
- deleite
- Delight, pleasure, great enjoyment
- artistas
- Artists, people who create art
- construidas
- Built, constructed; feminine plural past participle
- devastadora
- Devastating, destructive, causing great damage
- mano
- Hand, the body part at end of arm
- turco
- Turkish, relating to Turkey or its people
- otomano
- Ottoman, relating to the Ottoman Empire
- caído
- Past participle of caer: fallen, dropped
- sobre
- On, over, above, about
- tierra
- Land, earth, ground, soil
- faraones
- Pharaohs, rulers of ancient Egypt
- descripción
- A description, account, or portrayal
- detallada
- Detailed, thorough, with many particulars
- sociedad
- Society, a community or social organization
- árabe
- Arab, Arabic; relating to Arab culture
- Edad
- Age, era; as in Edad Media: Middle Ages
- Media
- Middle; Edad Media means the Middle Ages
- rival
- A rival, competitor, or opponent
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