Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 9
A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind.
Una desesperación estereotipada pero inconsciente se oculta incluso bajo lo que se llaman los juegos y diversiones de la humanidad.
There is no play in them, for this comes after work.
No hay juego verdadero en ellos, pues este viene después del trabajo.
But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.
Pero es característico de la sabiduría no hacer cosas desesperadas.
When we consider what, to use the words of the catechism, is the chief end of man, and what are the true necessaries and means of life, it appears as if men had deliberately chosen the common mode of living because they preferred it to any other.
Cuando consideramos cuál es, para usar las palabras del catecismo, el fin principal del hombre, y cuáles son las verdaderas necesidades y medios de vida, parece como si los hombres hubieran elegido deliberadamente el modo común de vivir porque lo preferían a cualquier otro.
Yet they honestly think there is no choice left.
Sin embargo, honestamente creen que no les queda ninguna otra opción.
But alert and healthy natures remember that the sun rose clear.
Pero las naturalezas alertas y sanas recuerdan que el sol salió despejado.
It is never too late to give up our prejudices.
Nunca es demasiado tarde para abandonar nuestros prejuicios.
No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof.
Ninguna forma de pensar o de actuar, por antigua que sea, puede ser digna de confianza sin prueba.
What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had trusted for a cloud that would sprinkle fertilizing rain on their fields.
Lo que todos repiten o dejan pasar en silencio como verdad hoy puede resultar ser mentira mañana, mero humo de opinión, en el que algunos habían confiado como si fuera una nube que rociaría lluvia fertilizante sobre sus campos.
What old people say you cannot do you try and find that you can.
Lo que los ancianos dicen que no puedes hacer, lo intentas y descubres que sí puedes.
Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.
Viejas hazañas para la gente vieja, y nuevas hazañas para la nueva.
Old people did not know enough once, perchance, to fetch fresh fuel to keep the fire a-going; new people put a little dry wood under a pot, and are whirled round the globe with the speed of birds, in a way to kill old people, as the phrase is.
Los ancianos no sabían lo suficiente en otro tiempo, quizás, para buscar combustible fresco que mantuviera el fuego encendido; la gente nueva pone un poco de leña seca bajo una olla, y es arrastrada alrededor del globo con la velocidad de los pájaros, de una manera que mataría a los ancianos, como se suele decir.
Vocabulary
- Una
- Feminine form of the indefinite article 'a' or 'an'.
- desesperación
- A state of despair or hopelessness; loss of hope.
- estereotipada
- Stereotyped; reduced to a fixed, oversimplified pattern.
- pero
- But; a conjunction used to contrast ideas or statements.
- inconsciente
- Unconscious; not aware of one's actions or surroundings.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself, himself, herself, themselves.
- oculta
- Hides; conceals; keeps secret from view or knowledge.
- incluso
- Even; including; used to emphasize or add information.
- bajo
- Under; beneath; below; also means low in height.
- lo
- It; the neuter definite article or objective pronoun.
- que
- That; which; what; a relative or interrogative pronoun.
- llaman
- They call; third person plural present of 'llamar'.
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article or object pronoun.
- juegos
- Games; plural of juego; activities played for entertainment.
- diversiones
- Entertainments; amusements; activities done for pleasure or fun.
- de
- Of; from; belonging to; used to show possession.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article or object pronoun.
- humanidad
- Humanity; humankind; all human beings collectively as species.
- No
- No; not; used to negate a statement or question.
- hay
- There is; there are; third person singular of 'haber'.
- juego
- Game; play; a contest or amusement with rules.
- verdadero
- True; real; genuine; authentic; not false or fake.
- en
- In; on; at; a preposition showing location or position.
- ellos
- They; them; masculine plural personal pronoun in Spanish.
- pues
- Well; then; since; a conjunction or discourse marker.
- este
- This; this one; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun.
- viene
- Comes; arrives; third person singular present of 'venir'.
- después
- After; afterward; later; following in time or sequence.
- del
- Of the; contraction of 'de' and 'el'.
- trabajo
- Work; labor; employment; an activity done for income.
- es
- Is; third person singular present of 'ser'.
- característico
- Characteristic; typical; distinctive; commonly associated with something.
- sabiduría
- Wisdom; knowledge and good judgment combined together.
- no
- Not; negation; indicates absence or denial of something.
- hacer
- To do; to make; to perform an action.
- cosas
- Things; objects; plural of cosa; general items or matters.
- desesperadas
- Desperate; despairing; showing extreme loss of hope.
- Cuando
- When; at what time; at the moment that.
- consideramos
- We consider; first person plural present of 'considerar'.
- cuál
- Which; what; which one; interrogative pronoun.
- para
- For; toward; in order to; expressing purpose.
- usar
- To use; to employ; to make use of something.
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article or object pronoun.
- palabras
- Words; plural of palabra; units of language communication.
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article or object pronoun.
- fin
- End; goal; purpose; conclusion of something.
- principal
- Principal; main; primary; most important or chief.
- hombre
- Man; human male; mankind; a human being.
- cuáles
- Which; which ones; plural interrogative pronoun.
- son
- Are; third person plural present of 'ser'.
- verdaderas
- True; real; genuine; authentic; not false.
- necesidades
- Needs; requirements; things that are needed to survive.
- medios
- Means; ways; methods; resources for achieving something.
- vida
- Life; living; existence; the state of being alive.
- parece
- Seems; appears; third person singular of 'parecer'.
- como
- Like; as; how; in the manner of something.
- si
- If; in case that; conditional conjunction.
- hombres
- Men; males; humans; plural of hombre.
- hubieran
- Had; past subjunctive of 'haber'; conditional past tense.
- elegido
- Chosen; selected; past participle of 'elegir'.
- deliberadamente
- Deliberately; intentionally; on purpose; with full awareness.
- modo
- Mode; manner; way; method of doing something.
- común
- Common; ordinary; usual; widespread or shared.
- vivir
- To live; to exist; to reside in place.
- porque
- Because; for; the reason that; causal conjunction.
- preferían
- Preferred; third person plural imperfect of 'preferir'.
- cualquier
- Any; whichever; any one of several possibilities.
- otro
- Other; another; different; an additional one.
- Sin
- Without; lacking; in the absence of something.
- embargo
- Embargo; seizure; however used in 'sin embargo'.
- honestamente
- Honestly; sincerely; truthfully; in an honest manner.
- creen
- Believe; think; third person plural present of 'creer'.
- les
- Them; to them; indirect object pronoun.
- queda
- Remains; is left; third person singular of 'quedar'.
- ninguna
- No; none; not any; feminine singular form.
- otra
- Other; another; different; feminine singular.
- opción
- Option; choice; an alternative possibility available.
- naturalezas
- Natures; essences; plural of naturaleza; inherent qualities.
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