William Wilberforce: For the Abolition of Slavery (1791)
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 2:01 am
This is a short excerpt I've found on Wikipedia of William Wilberforce's speech before the House of Commons,
delivered April 18, 1791. The entire speech can be found on Google books, The Parliamentary history of England from the earliest period to the year 1803.
I have scarcely deviated from the original. Since I have a rather meager vocabulary, LSJ along with Perseus' English-to-Greek tool
were very beneficial. I hope to receive corrections and constructive criticism.
Original:
Let us not despair; it is a blessed cause, and success, ere long, will crown our exertions. Already we have gained one victory; we have obtained,
for these poor creatures, the recognition of their human nature, which, for a while was most shamefully denied. This is the first fruits of our efforts;
let us persevere and our triumph will be complete. Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name,
released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity,
looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonour to this country.
Translation:
μὴ ἀπελπίζωμεν, ὦ ἄνδρες· μακάριον γὰρ τὸ αἴτιον καὶ ἡμεῖς πλέον ποιήσoμεν πρότερον ἢ οὔ. τοῦτο δὴ ἤδη νενικήκαμεν, ὅτι τούτοις τοῖς ταλαιπώροις τὸ γιγνῶσκον τὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐσχήκαμεν, ὅπερ πολὺν ἀναισχυντότατ᾿ ἀπηρνήθη. τοῦτ᾿ ἔσθ᾿ ὁ πρῶτος καρπὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων σπουδῶν. διαφέρωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡ νίκη ἡμῶν τελεσθήσεται δή. οὔποτε μήν, ὦ ἄνδρες, οὐ μὴ παυσώμεθα ἕως ἂν ἀπολελυκότες ὦμεν ταύτην τὴν αἰσχύνην τοῦ χριστιανικοῦ ὀνόματος κἂν ἠλευθερωμένοι ὦμεν τῆς αἰτίας ὑφ᾿ ᾗ νυνὶ πονοῦμεν κἂν παντάπασιν ἐξῃρηκότες ὦμεν ταύτην τὴν αἱματηρὰν ἐμπορίαν, ἣ οἱ λοιποὶ προσβλέψαντες τὰ νῦν μόλις νομιοῦσιν ἡμᾶς ἀνέχεσθαι αὐτὴν τοσαῦτα ἤδη ἔτη αἰσχράν τε καὶ ἄτιμον οὖσαν τῇ πόλει.
delivered April 18, 1791. The entire speech can be found on Google books, The Parliamentary history of England from the earliest period to the year 1803.
I have scarcely deviated from the original. Since I have a rather meager vocabulary, LSJ along with Perseus' English-to-Greek tool
were very beneficial. I hope to receive corrections and constructive criticism.
Original:
Let us not despair; it is a blessed cause, and success, ere long, will crown our exertions. Already we have gained one victory; we have obtained,
for these poor creatures, the recognition of their human nature, which, for a while was most shamefully denied. This is the first fruits of our efforts;
let us persevere and our triumph will be complete. Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name,
released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity,
looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonour to this country.
Translation:
μὴ ἀπελπίζωμεν, ὦ ἄνδρες· μακάριον γὰρ τὸ αἴτιον καὶ ἡμεῖς πλέον ποιήσoμεν πρότερον ἢ οὔ. τοῦτο δὴ ἤδη νενικήκαμεν, ὅτι τούτοις τοῖς ταλαιπώροις τὸ γιγνῶσκον τὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐσχήκαμεν, ὅπερ πολὺν ἀναισχυντότατ᾿ ἀπηρνήθη. τοῦτ᾿ ἔσθ᾿ ὁ πρῶτος καρπὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων σπουδῶν. διαφέρωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡ νίκη ἡμῶν τελεσθήσεται δή. οὔποτε μήν, ὦ ἄνδρες, οὐ μὴ παυσώμεθα ἕως ἂν ἀπολελυκότες ὦμεν ταύτην τὴν αἰσχύνην τοῦ χριστιανικοῦ ὀνόματος κἂν ἠλευθερωμένοι ὦμεν τῆς αἰτίας ὑφ᾿ ᾗ νυνὶ πονοῦμεν κἂν παντάπασιν ἐξῃρηκότες ὦμεν ταύτην τὴν αἱματηρὰν ἐμπορίαν, ἣ οἱ λοιποὶ προσβλέψαντες τὰ νῦν μόλις νομιοῦσιν ἡμᾶς ἀνέχεσθαι αὐτὴν τοσαῦτα ἤδη ἔτη αἰσχράν τε καὶ ἄτιμον οὖσαν τῇ πόλει.