A ESCRAVA ISAURA

A Escrava Isaura 8.58 · 8.58

'A duty long overdue'

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Oh! isto é muito!... não vejo motivo nenhum para demorar o cumprimento de um dever, de que ha muito tempo já devias ter-te desempenhado.

Word by word

OhohOh!istoEESH-tuthiséeismuitoMOOÑ-tutoo much!...nãonãunotvejoVE-zhuI seemotivomo-TEE-vureasonnenhumne-NYũno ... at allparaPA-ratodemorarde-mo-RARdelayouthecumprimentokun-pri-MEN-tufulfilmentdediofumũadeverde-VERduty,dediofquekewhichhaathere ismuitoMOOÑ-tumuchtempoTEN-putimezhaalreadydeviasde-VEE-ashyou shouldter-teTER-tihavedesempenhadode-zem-pe-NYA-dudischarged.

The setting

Oh! this is too much!... I see no reason at all to delay the fulfilment of a duty you should have discharged long ago.

A note on this passage

The reproach crests. 'Isto é muito' — this is too much, more than she can bear — and she can find 'motivo nenhum,' no reason whatever, for the delay. She frames freeing Isaura not as generosity but as a 'dever,' a duty, and one already overdue: Leôncio 'ha muito tempo já devias ter-te desempenhado' — should long since have discharged it. Obligation, not mercy, is the ground she stands on.

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