Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 14
It would be some advantage to live a primitive and frontier life, though in the midst of an outward civilization, if only to learn what are the gross necessaries of life and what methods have been taken to obtain them; or even to look over the old day-books of the merchants, to see what it was that men most commonly bought at the stores, what they stored, that is, what are the grossest groceries.
Seria uma vantagem viver uma vida primitiva e fronteiriça, mesmo em meio a uma civilização exterior, ainda que apenas para aprender quais são as necessidades brutas da vida e quais métodos foram utilizados para obtê-las; ou mesmo para folhear os antigos livros de registros dos comerciantes, para ver o que os homens mais comumente compravam nas lojas, o que armazenavam, isto é, quais são os mantimentos mais grosseiros.
For the improvements of ages have had but little influence on the essential laws of man's existence; as our skeletons, probably, are not to be distinguished from those of our ancestors.
Pois as melhorias dos séculos tiveram pouca influência sobre as leis essenciais da existência do homem; assim como nossos esqueletos, provavelmente, não se distinguem dos de nossos ancestrais.
By the words, _necessary of life_, I mean whatever, of all that man obtains by his own exertions, has been from the first, or from long use has become, so important to human life that few, if any, whether from savageness, or poverty, or philosophy, ever attempt to do without it.
Pelas palavras, _necessidade de vida_, quero dizer tudo aquilo que, de tudo o que o homem obtém por seus próprios esforços, foi desde o início, ou pelo uso prolongado tornou-se, tão importante para a vida humana que poucos, se algum, seja por selvageria, pobreza ou filosofia, jamais tentam passar sem isso.
To many creatures there is in this sense but one necessary of life, Food.
Para muitas criaturas há, neste sentido, apenas uma necessidade de vida, o Alimento.
To the bison of the prairie it is a few inches of palatable grass, with water to drink; unless he seeks the Shelter of the forest or the mountain's shadow.
Para o bisão da pradaria, são alguns centímetros de capim palatável, com água para beber; a menos que ele busque o Abrigo da floresta ou a sombra da montanha.
None of the brute creation requires more than Food and Shelter.
Nenhuma das criaturas brutas necessita de mais do que Alimento e Abrigo.
Vocabulary
- Seria
- SEH-ree-ah — It would be; conditional form of 'ser'
- uma
- OO-mah — A, an; feminine indefinite article
- vantagem
- van-TAH-zheng — Advantage, benefit, or gain
- viver
- vee-VEHR — To live, to exist, to dwell
- vida
- VEE-dah — Life, existence, or way of living
- primitiva
- pree-mee-CHEE-vah — Primitive, original, or uncivilized
- fronteiriça
- fron-tey-REE-sah — Frontier-like, bordering, or boundary-related
- mesmo
- MEZ-moo — Even, same, or very; emphatic adverb
- em
- eng — In, at, on; common preposition of location
- meio
- MAY-oo — Middle, midst, or environment
- civilização
- see-vee-lee-zah-SOWNG — Civilization, organized and developed human society
- exterior
- ex-teh-ree-OR — Exterior, outer, or outside world
- ainda
- ah-EEN-dah — Still, yet, even; temporal or emphatic adverb
- que
- keh — That, which, than; versatile conjunction or pronoun
- apenas
- ah-PEH-nahs — Only, just, merely; restrictive adverb
- para
- PAH-rah — For, to, in order to; purpose preposition
- aprender
- ah-pren-DEHR — To learn, to acquire knowledge or skills
- quais
- kwais — Which, what; plural interrogative or relative pronoun
- são
- sowng — Are; third person plural of 'ser'
- necessidades
- neh-seh-see-DAH-dehs — Needs, necessities, essential requirements for life
- brutas
- BROO-tahs — Raw, crude, gross, or basic in nature
- métodos
- MEH-toh-dohs — Methods, procedures, or systematic approaches
- foram
- FOH-rowng — Were; third person plural past tense of 'ser/ir'
- utilizados
- oo-tee-lee-ZAH-dohs — Used, employed, or put into practice
- obtê-las
- ob-TEH-lahs — To obtain them; infinitive with pronoun attached
- ou
- oh — Or; disjunctive coordinating conjunction
- folhear
- fol-yeh-AR — To leaf through, to browse pages of book
- antigos
- an-CHEE-gohs — Old, ancient, or former; masculine plural adjective
- livros
- LEE-vrohs — Books; plural of livro
- registros
- heh-ZHEES-trohs — Records, logs, registers of documented information
- comerciantes
- koh-mehr-see-AN-chehs — Merchants, traders, or business people
- ver
- vehr — To see, to look at, to observe
- homens
- OH-mengs — Men, males; plural of homem
- mais
- maish — More, most; common comparative adverb
- comumente
- koh-moo-MEN-cheh — Commonly, usually, or most frequently
- compravam
- kom-PRAH-vowng — They used to buy; past imperfect of comprar
- lojas
- LOH-zhahs — Shops, stores; places to buy goods
- armazenavam
- ar-mah-zeh-NAH-vowng — They used to store or stockpile goods
- isto
- EES-too — This; neuter demonstrative pronoun
- é
- EH — Is; third person singular of ser
- mantimentos
- man-chee-MEN-tohs — Provisions, foodstuffs, or basic supplies
- grosseiros
- groh-SAY-rohs — Coarse, crude, rough, or unrefined
- Pois
- poish — For, because, since; causal conjunction
- melhorias
- mel-yoh-REE-ahs — Improvements, enhancements, or betterments over time
- séculos
- SEH-koo-lohs — Centuries; periods of one hundred years
- tiveram
- chee-VEH-rowng — They had; third person plural preterite of ter
- pouca
- POH-kah — Little, few, not much; feminine singular
- influência
- een-floo-EN-see-ah — Influence, effect, or impact on something
- sobre
- SOH-breh — About, over, on top of; preposition
- leis
- laysh — Laws, rules; plural of lei
- essenciais
- eh-sen-see-AIS — Essential, fundamental, or indispensable; plural adjective
- existência
- eh-zees-TEN-see-ah — Existence, being, or the state of existing
- homem
- OH-meng — Man, human being; masculine singular noun
- assim
- ah-SING — Thus, so, in this way; adverb
- como
- KOH-moo — As, like, how; comparison or manner word
- nossos
- NOH-sohs — Our; first person plural possessive pronoun
- esqueletos
- es-keh-LEH-tohs — Skeletons; the bony framework of the body
- provavelmente
- proh-vah-vel-MEN-cheh — Probably, likely; adverb expressing probability
- não
- nowng — No, not; basic negation word
- se
- seh — Themselves, each other; reflexive pronoun
- distinguem
- dees-TING-geng — Distinguish, differ from; third person plural verb
- ancestrais
- an-ses-TRAIS — Ancestors, forebears; plural of ancestral
- palavras
- pah-LAH-vrahs — Words; units of spoken or written language
- _necessidade
- neh-seh-see-DAH-deh — Necessity, need; italicized term being defined
- vida_
- VEE-dah — Life; italicized as part of defined phrase
- quero
- KEH-roo — I want, I mean; first person of querer
- dizer
- dee-ZEHR — To say, to mean, to express in words
- tudo
- TOO-doo — Everything, all; indefinite pronoun
- aquilo
- ah-KEE-loo — That, that thing; distal demonstrative pronoun
- obtém
- ob-TENG — Obtains, gets; third person singular of obter
- por
- pohr — By, through, for; common preposition
- seus
- SAY-ohs — His, her, their, your; possessive pronoun plural
- próprios
- PROH-pree-ohs — Own, one's own; masculine plural adjective
- esforços
- es-FOR-sohs — Efforts, attempts, or exertions; plural noun
- foi
- foy — Was, went; third person singular preterite
- desde
- DEZ-deh — Since, from; temporal or spatial preposition
- início
- ee-NEE-see-oo — Beginning, start, or origin of something
- uso
- OO-zoo — Use, usage, practice of using something
- prolongado
- proh-lon-GAH-doo — Prolonged, extended, or lasting a long time
- tornou-se
- tor-NOH-seh — Became; reflexive preterite of tornar-se
- tão
- towng — So, as, such; degree adverb
- importante
- eem-por-TAN-cheh — Important, significant, or of great relevance
- humana
- oo-MAH-nah — Human; feminine adjective relating to humanity
- poucos
- POH-kohs — Few, not many; masculine plural adjective
- algum
- al-GOONG — Some, any; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- seja
- SAY-zhah — Be; present subjunctive of ser
- selvageria
- sel-vah-zheh-REE-ah — Savagery, wildness, or uncivilized behavior
- pobreza
- poh-BREH-zah — Poverty, destitution, or lack of resources
- filosofia
- fee-loh-zoh-FEE-ah — Philosophy, love of wisdom and deep thought
- jamais
- zhah-MAIS — Never, ever; strong negative temporal adverb
- tentam
- TEN-towng — They try, they attempt; third plural present
- passar
- pah-SAR — To pass, to get by, to do without
- sem
- seng — Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- isso
- EE-soo — That, it; medial demonstrative pronoun
- Para
- PAH-rah — For, to; preposition of purpose or direction
- muitas
- MWEE-tahs — Many, a lot of; feminine plural adjective
- criaturas
- kree-ah-TOO-rahs — Creatures, beings, or living organisms
- há
- ah — There is, there are; existential form of haver
- neste
- NES-cheh — In this; masculine contraction of em+este
- sentido
- sen-CHEE-doo — Sense, meaning, or direction
- necessidade
- neh-seh-see-DAH-deh — Necessity, need, or essential requirement
- Alimento
- ah-lee-MEN-too — Food, nourishment, sustenance for living beings
- bisão
- bee-ZOWNG — Bison, large North American or European bovine
- pradaria
- prah-dah-REE-ah — Prairie, grassland, or open grassy plain
- alguns
- al-GOONSH — Some, a few; masculine plural indefinite pronoun
- centímetros
- sen-CHEE-meh-trohs — Centimeters; units of metric length measurement
- capim
- kah-PING — Grass, pasture grass; common plant covering ground
- palatável
- pah-lah-TAH-vel — Palatable, acceptable in taste or flavor
- com
- kong — With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- água
- AH-gwah — Water; essential liquid for life
- beber
- beh-BEHR — To drink, to consume liquid
- menos
- MEH-nohs — Less, fewer; comparative adverb or adjective
- ele
- EH-leh — He, it; third person masculine singular pronoun
- busque
- BOOS-keh — May seek; present subjunctive of buscar
- Abrigo
- ah-BREE-goo — Shelter, refuge, or protection from elements
- floresta
- floh-RES-tah — Forest, woods; large area covered with trees
- sombra
- SOM-brah — Shade, shadow; darkness caused by blocked light
- montanha
- mon-TAN-yah — Mountain; large natural elevation of earth's surface
- Nenhuma
- nen-YOO-mah — None, not any; feminine singular negative pronoun
- necessita
- neh-seh-SEE-tah — Needs, requires; third person singular of necessitar
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →