English translations of the aphorisms of Nicolás Gómez Dávila
December 25, 2010
#2,478
Political scientists learnedly analyze the squawking, howling, [and] growling of the animals on board, while the maelstrom of the masses silently pushes the ship from one shore to another.
Los politólogos analizan sabiamente los gaznidos, gañidos, gruñidos, de los animales embarcados, mientras los remolinos empujan silenciosamente el barco hacia una u otra orilla.
The original Spanish is:
ReplyDeleteLos politólogos analizan sabiamente los gaznidos, gañidos, gruñidos, de los animales embarcados, mientras los remolinos empujan silenciosamente el barco hacia una u otra orilla.
There are two noteworthy aspects of this aphorism in Spanish.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the three nouns in a row in the first clause (squawking, howling, growling) all start with "g" in Spanish.
Second, the word remolinos in the second clause means both a maelstrom and, in a figurative sense, a confused and turbulent mass of people.