Letter III
Vos ia nota ce la umana es un cosa strana. A veses en la pasada, el ia ave (e gasta, e desprende) sentos e sentos de relijios; oji, el ave sentos e sentos de relijios, e produi no min ce tre novas per anio. Me ta pote grandi esta numero e resta ancora coreta.
You have noticed that the human being is a curiosity. In times past he has had (and worn out and flung away) hundreds and hundreds of religions; today he has hundreds and hundreds of religions, and launches not fewer than three new ones every year. I could enlarge that number and still be within the facts.
Un de sua relijios xef es nomida la cristian. Un descrive corta va interesa vos. El es detalios presentada en un libro de du milion parolas, nomida la Atestas Vea e Nova. Esta libro ave ance un otra nom: La Parola de Dio. Car la cristian pensa ce cada parola en el ia es ditada par Dio – la un de ci me ia parla.
One of his principle religions is called the Christian. A sketch of it will interest you. It sets forth in detail in a book containing two million words, called the Old and New Testaments. Also it has another name – The Word of God. For the Christian thinks every word of it was dictated by God – the one I have been speaking of.
El es plen de interesa. El conteni poesia nobil, e alga fables astuta, e alga istoria empapada en sangue, e alga bon morales, e un tesoro de ofendes, e plu ce mil mentis.
It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.
Esta Biblia es xef construida de la pesos de Biblias plu vea, cual ia ave sua dias de gloria e ia desintegra a ruinas. Donce, par nesesa, la orijinalia es clar mancante. Sua tre o cuatro avenis la plu forsos e impresante ia aveni ja en Biblias plu vea. Tota sua prinsipes e regulas de condui ia veni ance de acel Biblias. Ave sola du cosas nova en el: Enferno es un, e la otra es acel sielo strana cual me ia relata a vos.
This Bible is built mainly out of the fragments of older Bibles that had their day and crumbled to ruin. So it noticeably lacks in originality, necessarily. Its three or four most imposing and impressive events all happened in earlier Bibles; all its best precepts and rules of conduct came also from those Bibles; there are only two new things in it: hell, for one, and that singular heaven I have told you about.
Ce nos va fa? Si nos crede, con esta popla, ce sua Dio ia inventa esta cosas cruel, nos malacusa El. Si nos crede ce esta popla ia inventa los par se mesma, nos malacusa los. Es un dilema nonplasente en cualce caso, car no la un e no la otra partito ia feri nos.
What shall we do? If we believe, with these people, that their God invented these cruel things, we slander him; if we believe that these people invented them themselves, we slander them. It is an unpleasant dilemma in either case, for neither of these parties has done us any harm.
Per la pas, ta ce nos eleje un lado. Ta ce nos grupi nos con la popla e pone la carga completa e nongrasios su el – sielo, enferno, Biblia, e tota. No pare bon, no pare justa; ma si vos considera acel sielo, e como el es crasente cargada con tota cosas cual es repulsante a un umana, como nos pote crede ce un umana ia inventa el? E cuando me va veni a descrive la enferno a vos, la manxa va es ancora plu grande, e vos va dise probable ce, no, un umana no ta pote furni acel loca, no per se mesma e no per un otra; simple, el no ta pote.
For the sake of tranquility, let us take a side. Let us join forces with the people and put the whole ungracious burden upon him – heaven, hell, Bible and all. It does not seem right, it does not seem fair; and yet when you consider that heaven, and how crushingly charged it is with everything that is repulsive to a human being, how can we believe a human being invented it? And when I come to tell you about hell, the stain will be greater still, and you will be likely to say, No, a man would not provide that place, for either himself or anybody else; he simply couldn’t.
Acel Biblia inosente parla sur la Crea. De ce – la universo? Si, la universo. En ses dias!
That innocent Bible tells about the Creation. Of what – the universe? Yes, the universe. In six days!
Dio ia fa el. El no ia nomi el la universo – esta nom es moderna. Sua atenta completa ia es sur esta mundo. El ia construi el en sinco dias – e alora? El ia nesesa sola un dia per crea 20 milion soles e 80 milion planetas!
God did it. He did not call it the universe – that name is modern. His whole attention was upon this world. He constructed it in five days – and then? It took him only one day to make twenty million suns and eighty million planets!
Ce ia es la rol de estas – seguente esta idea? Per furni lus per esta mundo peti juin. Acel ia es sua intende completa; el ia ave no otra. Un de la 20 milion soles (la sol la plu peti) ia es per lumina el en la dia, e la otras ia es per aida un de la lunas noncontable de la universo lejeri la oscuria de sua notes.
What were they for – according to this idea? To furnish light for this little toy-world. That was his whole purpose; he had no other. One of the twenty million suns (the smallest one) was to light it in the daytime, the rest were to help one of the universe’s countless moons modify the darkness of its nights.
Es clar ce el ia crede ce sua sielos nova creada ia es semida con acel multia de stelas sintilinte como diamantes a la momento cuando sua sol de la dia prima ia afonda su la orizon; ma, en fato, no un stela sintili en acel volta negra asta tre e un dui anios pos la completi de la laboras forte de acel semana memorable. Alora un stela ia apare, unica e solitar, e ia comensa sintili. Tre anios plu e un otra stela ia apare. La du stelas ia sintili la un con la otra per plu ce cuatro anios ante cuando un stela tre ia acompania los. A la fini de la sento anios prima, ia ave no plu ce 25 stelas sintilinte en la deserto larga de acel sielos sombre. A la fini de mil anios, la cuantia de stelas no ia sufisi ancora per fa un mostra. A la fini de milion anios, sola un dui de la estende presente ia envia sua lus tra la fronteras de la telescopio, e un otra milion anios ia debe pasa afin la otras segue la familia, como la espresa comun dise. Car no telescopio ia esiste alora, la aveni de los no ia es oservada.
It is quite manifest that he believed his fresh-made skies were diamond-sown with those myriads of twinkling stars the moment his first-day’s sun sank below the horizon; whereas, in fact, not a single star winked in that black vault until three years and a half after that memorable week’s formidable industries had been completed. Then one star appeared, all solitary and alone, and began to blink. Three years later another one appeared. The two blinked together for more than four years before a third joined them. At the end of the first hundred years there were not yet twenty-five stars twinkling in the wide wastes of those gloomy skies. At the end of a thousand years not enough stars were yet visible to make a show. At the end of a million years only half of the present array had sent their light over the telescopic frontiers, and it took another million for the rest to follow suit, as the vulgar phrase goes. There being at that time no telescope, their advent was not observed.
Per 300 anios, aora, la astronomiste cristian ia sabe ce sua Dio no ia crea la stelas en acel ses dias enorme; ma la astronomiste cristian no comenta sur acel detalia. E la prete no comenta ance.
For three hundred years, now, the Christian astronomer has known that his Deity didn’t make the stars in those tremendous six days; but the Christian astronomer does not enlarge upon that detail. Neither does the priest.
En sua Libro, Dio es bonparlante con lodas per sua laboras grande, e nomi los con la nomes la plu grande cual el pote trova – indicante en esta modo ce el ave un amira forte e justa de grandias; ma el ia crea acel miliones de soles enorme per lumina esta sfero multe peti, en loca de asinia la sol peti de esta sfero a dansa atendente sur los. El refere a Arturo en sua libro – vos recorda Arturo? Nos ia vade ala a un ves. El es un de la lampas de note per la tera! – acel globo jigante cual es 50 mil veses plu grande ce la sol de la tera, e compara se con el como un melon compara se con un catedral.
In his Book, God is eloquent in his praises of his mighty works, and calls them by the largest names he can find – thus indicating that he has a strong and just admiration of magnitudes; yet he made those millions of prodigious suns to light this wee little orb, instead of appointing this orb’s little sun to dance attendance upon them. He mentions Arcturus in his book – you remember Arcturus; we went there once. It is one of the earth’s night lamps! – that giant globe which is fifty thousand times as large as the earth’s sun, and compares with it as a melon compares with a cathedral.
An tal, la scola relijios instrui ancora la enfante ce Arturo ia es creada per aida lumina esta tera, e la enfante maturi e continua crede el a multe tempo pos descovre ce la probables es contra ce el es vera.
However, the Sunday school still teaches the child that Arcturus was created to help light this earth, and the child grows up and continues to believe it long after he has found out that the probabilities are against it being so.
Seguente la Libro e sua servantes, la universo ave no plu ce ses mil anios. Es sola en la sento anios presedente ce mentes studios e demandante ia trova ce el ave plu prosima sento milion anios.
According to the Book and its servants the universe is only six thousand years old. It is only within the last hundred years that studious, inquiring minds have found out that it is nearer a hundred million.
Entre la Ses Dias, Dio ia crea umanas e la otra animales.
During the Six Days, God created man and the other animals.
El ia crea un om e un fem e ia pone los en un jardin plasente, con la otra creadas. Tota de los ia abita la un con la otra en armonia e contentia e jovenia florinte per alga tempo; alora, turba ia veni. Dio ia avisa la om e la fem ce los debe no come de la fruta de un arbor spesifada. E El ia ajunta un comenta multe strana: El ia dise ce, si los come de el, los ta mori serta. Strana, per la razona ce, car los ia vide nunca un esemplo de mori, los ta pote nunca sabe cual el intende. No El e no alga otra dio ta pote fa acel enfantes iniorante sabe cual es intendeda, sin dona un esemplo. La parola mera no ta pote ave sinifia per los, no plu ce el ta pote ave sinifia per un enfante de un poca de dias.
He made a man and a woman and placed them in a pleasant garden, along with the other creatures. They all lived together there in harmony and contentment and blooming youth for some time; then trouble came. God had warned the man and the woman that they must not eat of the fruit of a certain tree. And He added a most strange remark: He said that if they ate of it they should surely die. Strange, for the reason that inasmuch as they had never seen a sample death they could not possibly know what he meant. Neither would he nor any other god have been able to make those ignorant children understand what was meant, without furnishing a sample. The mere word could have no meaning for them, any more than it would have for an infant of days.
Alora, un serpente ia xerca los en privata, e ia veni a los reta paseante, cual ia es la modo de serpentes en acel dias. La serpente ia dise ce la fruta proibida ta furni sabes a sua mentes vacuida. Donce los ia come el, cual ia es multe natural, car la umana es tal creada ce el desira zelos sabe; en contrasta, la prete, como Dio, de cual el es la imitor e representor, ia prende per sua comersia de la comensa ce el preveni otras de sabe cualce cosa usos.
Presently a serpent sought them out privately, and came to them walking upright, which was the way of serpents in those days. The serpent said the forbidden fruit would store their vacant minds with knowledge. So they ate it, which was quite natural, for man is so made that he eagerly wants to know; whereas the priest, like God, whose imitator and representative he is, has made it his business from the beginning to keep him from knowing any useful thing.
Adam e Eva ia come la fruta proibida, e subita un lus grande ia flue en sua testas oscur. Los ia oteni la sabe. Ce sabe? Sabe usos? No – sola la sabe ce ave un tal cosa como bonia e un tal cosa como malia, e como on fa malia. Los no ia pote fa malia a ante. Donce tota sua atas ante esta ora ia es sin manxa, sin culpa, sin ofende.
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and at once a great light streamed into their dim heads. They had acquired knowledge. What knowledge – useful knowledge? No – merely knowledge that there was such a thing as good, and such a thing as evil, and how to do evil. They couldn’t do it before. Therefore all their acts up to this time had been without stain, without blame, without offense.
Ma aora los ia pote fa malia – e sufri per el; aora los ia oteni cual la Eglesa clama un posese nonestimable, la Sensa Moral; e acel sensa cual difere umanas de bestas, e pone los supra bestas. En loca de su la besta – do on ta suposa la loca propre de umanas ta es, car los es sempre culpable e de mente mugros, e la bestas es sempre inosente e de mente limpa. Es como on ta valua un orolojo cual debe sempre era, supra un orolojo cual no pote era.
But now they could do evil – and suffer for it; now they had acquired what the Church calls an invaluable possession, the Moral Sense; that sense which differentiates man from the beast and sets him above the beast. Instead of below the beast – where one would suppose his proper place would be, since he is always foul-minded and guilty and the beast always clean-minded and innocent. It is like valuing a watch that must go wrong, above a watch that can’t.
La Eglesa valua ancora oji la Sensa Moral como la posese plu nobil de umanas, an si la Eglesa sabe ce Dio ia ave un opina clar povre de esta sensa e ia fa cual el pote, en sua modo torpe, per preveni ce sua Enfantes felis de la Jardin oteni el.
The Church still prizes the Moral Sense as man’s noblest asset today, although the Church knows God had a distinctly poor opinion of it and did what he could in his clumsy way to keep his happy Children of the Garden from acquiring it.
An tal, Adam e Eva ia sabe aora cual malia es, e como on fa el. Los ia sabe como on fa tipos varios de cosas mal e, entre los, un malia xef – la un cual Dio ia ave xef en sua mente. Acel ia es la arte e misterio de seso. Per los el ia es un descovre glorios, e los ia para sua osio e ia foca sua atende intera a el, esta enfantes povre e joios!
Very well, Adam and Eve now knew what evil was, and how to do it. They knew how to do various kinds of wrong things, and among them one principal one – the one God had his mind on principally. That one was the art and mystery of sexual intercourse. To them it was a magnificent discovery, and they stopped idling around and turned their entire attention to it, poor exultant young things!
En la media de un de esta selebras, los ia escuta Dio paseante entre la arboretas, cual ia es sua costum de posmedia, e los ia es colpada par teme. Per ce? Car los ia es nuda. Los no ia sabe esta a ante. Los no ia ave un problem con esta a ante; Dio no ia ave un problem ance.
In the midst of one of these celebrations they heard God walking among the bushes, which was an afternoon custom of his, and they were smitten with fright. Why? Because they were naked. They had not known it before. They had not minded it before; neither had God.
En esta momento memorable, nonmodestia ia nase; e alga persones ia valua el de alora a aora, an si esplica la razona ta confonde los.
In that memorable moment immodesty was born; and some people have valued it ever since, though it would certainly puzzle them to explain why.
Adam e Eva ia entra la mundo nuda e nonvergoniante – nuda e con mentes pur; e no desendente de los ia entra esta mundo en un otra modo. Tota ia entra el nuda, nonvergoniante, e con mente pur. Los ia entra el modesta. Los ia nesesa oteni nonmodestia e la mente susida; ave no otra modo per oteni el. La obliga prima de un madre cristian es ce el susi la mente de sua enfante, e el no descura esta obliga. Sua fio maturi per es un misionor, e vade a la savaje inosente e a la japanes sivilida, e susi sua mentes. E alora, los adota nonmodestia, los asconde sua corpos, los para bani nuda la un con la otra.
Adam and Eve entered the world naked and unashamed – naked and pure-minded; and no descendant of theirs has ever entered it otherwise. All have entered it naked, unashamed, and clean in mind. They have entered it modest. They had to acquire immodesty and the soiled mind; there was no other way to get it. A Christian mother’s first duty is to soil her child’s mind, and she does not neglect it. Her lad grows up to be a missionary, and goes to the innocent savage and to the civilized Japanese, and soils their minds. Whereupon they adopt immodesty, they conceal their bodies, they stop bathing naked together.
La abitua cual on malnomi la modestia no ave un model, e no pote ave un model, car el es oposada a natur e razona, e es donce un artifisia e sujeto a la capris de cualcun, la capris malada de cualcun. E donce, en India, la fem refinada covre sua fas e senos ma lasa sua gamas resta nuda de la coxas a su, en cuando en Europa, la fem refinada covre sua gamas e esposa sua fas e sua senos. En paises abitada par la savaje inosente, la fem refinada de Europa deveni pronto comfortable con nudia completa e matur de la savaje, e sesa es ofendeda par el. Un conte e contesa franses e multe refinada – no relatada la un a la otra – ci ia es abandonada en sua vestes de note, par ruina de barco, sur un isola nonabitada en la sentenio des-oto, ia es pronto nuda. Ance vergoniante – per un semana. Pos alora, sua nudia no disturba los, e los sesa pronto pensa de esta.
The convention miscalled modesty has no standard, and cannot have one, because it is opposed to nature and reason, and is therefore an artificiality and subject to anybody’s whim, anybody’s diseased caprice. And so, in India the refined lady covers her face and breasts and leaves her legs naked from the hips down, while the refined European lady covers her legs and exposes her face and her breasts. In lands inhabited by the innocent savage the refined European lady soon gets used to full-grown native stark-nakedness, and ceases to be offended by it. A highly cultivated French count and countess – unrelated to each other – who were marooned in their nightclothes, by shipwreck, upon an uninhabited island in the eighteenth century, were soon naked. Also ashamed – for a week. After that their nakedness did not trouble them, and they soon ceased to think about it.
Vos ia vide nunca un person con vestes. A, bon, vos no ia perde cualce cosa.
You have never seen a person with clothes on. Oh, well, you haven’t lost anything.
Me prosede con la curiosias de la Biblia. Natural, vos va pensa ce la menasa de puni Adam e Eva per nonobedi ia no es completida, car los no ia crea se mesmas o sua natures o sua impulsas o sua debilias, e donce los no ia es obligada obedi la comandas de cualcun, e no ia es culpable per sua atas. Ma tu va es surprendeda par sabe ce la menasa ia es completida. Adam e Eva ia es punida, e esta crimin trova apolojistes asta esta dia. La condena a mori ia es esecutada.
To proceed with the Biblical curiosities. Naturally you will think the threat to punish Adam and Eve for disobeying was of course not carried out, since they did not create themselves, nor their natures nor their impulses nor their weaknesses, and hence were not properly subject to anyone’s commands, and not responsible to anybody for their acts. It will surprise you to know that the threat was carried out. Adam and Eve were punished, and that crime finds apologists unto this day. The sentence of death was executed.
Como vos persepi, la person unica culpable per la ofende de la duple ia evade; e no sola ia evade ma ia deveni la esecutor de la inosente.
As you perceive, the only person responsible for the couple’s offense escaped; and not only escaped but became the executioner of the innocent.
En vos pais e el de me, nos ta ave la vantaje de burla esta tipo de moralia, ma burla el asi ta es basa. Multe de esta persones ave la capasia de razona, ma nun usa el en cosas relijios.
In your country and mine we should have the privilege of making fun of this kind of morality, but it would be unkind to do it here. Many of these people have the reasoning faculty, but no one uses it in religious matters.
La mentes la plu bon ta dise a tu ce, cuando un om ia crea un enfante, el es moral obligada de cura per el, proteje el de dole, scermi el de maladia, vesti el, nuri el, tolera sua difisilia, no pone un mano a el esetante con ama e per sua bonia propre, e nunca en cualce caso forsa cruelia nonprovocada a el. La trata par Dio de sua enfantes en tera, a cada dia e cada note, es esata la oposante de tota de acel, e ancora esta mentes la plu bon justi zelos esta crimines, aseta los, pardona los, e refusa indiniada regarda los como crimines en cualce modo, cuando El fa los. Vos pais e el de me es un pais interesante, ma ave ala no cosa cual ave an un dui de la interesa de la mente umana.
The best minds will tell you that when a man has begotten a child he is morally bound to tenderly care for it, protect it from hurt, shield it from disease, clothe it, feed it, bear with its waywardness, lay no hand upon it save in kindness and for its own good, and never in any case inflict upon it a wanton cruelty. God’s treatment of his earthly children, every day and every night, is the exact opposite of all that, yet those best minds warmly justify these crimes, condone them, excuse them, and indignantly refuse to regard them as crimes at all, when He commits them. Your country and mine is an interesting one, but there is nothing there that is half so interesting as the human mind.
Bon, Dio ia esclui Adam e Eva de la Jardin, e a fini el ia asasina los. Tota per nonobedi un comanda de cual el no ia ave la direto de dise. Ma el no ia para ala, como vos va vide. El ia ave un codigo de leges per se mesma, e un codigo tota diferente per sua enfantes. El esije ce sua enfantes trata justa – e jentil – con ofendores, e pardona los a setedes e sete veses; ma el trata no justa e no jentil con algun, e el no ia pardona la du jovenes prima, iniorante e nonpensante, an sua ofende peti e prima par dise “Vos pote vade libre a esta ves, e me va permete a vos un atenta nova.”
Very well, God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden, and eventually assassinated them. All for disobeying a command which he had no right to utter. But he did not stop there, as you will see. He has one code of morals for himself, and quite another for his children. He requires his children to deal justly – and gently – with offenders, and forgive them seventy-and-seven times; whereas he deals neither justly nor gently with anyone, and he did not forgive the ignorant and thoughtless first pair of juveniles even their first small offense and say, “You may go free this time, and I will give you another chance.”
Esata la oposante! El ia eleje puni la enfantes de los, tra tota edas a la fini de tempo, per un ofende nonimportante fada par otras ante cuando los ia nase. El es ancora puninte los. En modos jentil? No, en modos asustante.
On the contrary! He elected to punish their children, all through the ages to the end of time, for a trifling offense committed by others before they were born. He is punishing them yet. In mild ways? No, in atrocious ones.
Vos no ta suposa ce esta tipo de esente reseta multe lodas. No engana vos: la mundo clama el la “Tota-Justa”, la “Tota-Virtuos”, la “Tota-Bon”, la “Tota-Pardonos”, la “Tota-Veros”, la “Tota-Amante”, la Fonte de Tota Moralia. Esta sarcasmos es diseda a cada dia, tra tota la mundo. Ma no como sarcasmos consensa. No, los es intendeda como seria: los es diseda sin un rieta.
You would not suppose that this kind of Being gets many compliments. Undeceive yourself: the world calls him the All-Just, the All-Righteous, the All-Good, the All-Merciful, the All-Forgiving, the All-Truthful, the All-Loving, the Source of All Morality. These sarcasms are uttered daily, all over the world. But not as conscious sarcasms. No, they are meant seriously: they are uttered without a smile.
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