Orwell: Animal farm – 6 (MP3)

‚Man is the only creature that consumes without producing.

He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilises it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid in this last year, and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old-you will never see one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?

‚And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. For myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones. I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come-cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.

‚Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious.

 

creature stworzenie
consume konsumować
to give dawać
milk mleko
to lay eggs składac jajka
weak słaby
to pull pchać
plough pług
to run biegać, biec
fast szybko
to catch łapać
rabbit królik
lord pan, władca
to set nakłaniać, zapędzać
bare jedyne
to prevent powstrzymywać, zapobiegać
starving głodowanie, umieranie z głodu
rest reszta
to keep zachowywać
for himself dla siebie samego
to till uprawiać (ziemię), orać
dung gnój, nawóz
to fertilize użyźniać, nawozić
to own posiadać
bare skin naga, goła skóra
gallon galon
during w ciągu, w przeciągu
breeding hodowla, chów
sturdy mocny, krzepki, nieugięty
calf (pl. calves) cielę
drop kropla
throat gardło
hen kura
chicken kurczak
to hatch wylęgać się
to gone znikać
market rynek
to bring in money przynieść pieniądze
foal źrebię
pleasure przyjemność
old age starość
each was sold każde zostało sprzedane
at a year old w wieku roczku (jednego roku)
one of them jedno z nich
in return w zamian
confinement zamknięcie (w więzieniu), ograniczenie, odosobnienie
field pole
to except oczekiwać
ration racja, przydział
stall przegroda w stajni
even nawet
miserable nędzny, marny, nieszczęśliwy, nieszczęsny
to lead prowadzić
to allow umożliwić, pozwolić
span rozpiętość, szerokość
to grumble narzekać, zrzędzić
lucky szczęśliwy
over ponad
child (pl. children) dziecko
such taki/a/ie
pig świnia
to escape uciekać
cruel okrutny, srogi
knife nóż
young młody
porker wieprz
in the front of me przede mną
to scream krzyczeć
horror horror
all eszyscy
everyone każdy
better lepszy
fate los, przeznaczenie
great wielki, świetny
muscles mięśnie
to lose stracić, gubić
power moc, siła
to sell sprzedawać
knacker’s yard rzeźnia, ubojnia (najczęściej koni)
to cut przecinać
to boil wrzeć, gotować
to grow rosnąć
foxhounds psy gończe
toothless bezzębny
to tie przywiązać
brick cegła
round wokół
neck szyja
to drown topić
nearest najbliższy
pond staw, jeziorko, bajorko
crystal krystalicznie
clear jasny,czysty, przejrzysty
evil zło
to spring mieć przyczynę
tyranny tyrania
to get rid of pozbyć się
our own nazsze własne
almost prawie
overnight przez noc, w ciągu nocy, z dnia na dzień
to become rich and free stać się bogatym i wolnym
body and soul ciało i dusza
to overthrow obalić
human race rasa ludzka
message wiadomość
rebellion rebelia, powstanie
week tydzień
surely z pewnością
straw słoma
beneath pod
feet stopa
sooner or later prędzej czy później
justice sprawiedliwość
throughout od początku do końca
short krótki
to pass on podać dalej, przekazać
future generations przyszłe pokolenia
to carry on prowadzić dalej
struggle walka
until do
victorious zwycięstwo