ALENCAR

O Guarani 2.2 · 2.2

A soldier of the conquest

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Era um dos cavalheiros que mais se havião distinguido nas guerras da conquista, contra a invasão dos francezes e os ataques dos selvagens.

He was one of the gentlemen who had most distinguished themselves in the wars of the conquest, against the French invasion and the raids of the natives.

Word by word

EraEH-raHe wasumoononedosdooshof thecavalheiroska-va-LYAY-rooshgentlemenquekewhomaismaishmostsesethemselveshaviãoa-vee-OWNhaddistinguidodeesh-teen-GEE-doodistinguishednasnashin theguerrasGEH-hashwarsdadaof theconquistakon-KEESH-taconquest,contraKON-traagainstaatheinvasãoeen-va-ZOWNinvasiondosdooshof thefrancezesfran-SEH-zeshFrencheeeandosooshtheataquesa-TA-keshattacksdosdooshof theselvagenssel-VA-zhenshnatives.

The setting

A single sentence sets his record: among the knights who most distinguished themselves in the wars of conquest, against the French invasion and the raids of the natives.

A note on this passage

In two clauses Alencar files Dom Antônio among the founding warrior-caste of colonial Brazil, fighting on the two fronts that defined it: the European rival and the indigenous defender. The word selvagens ('wild men') sits here as plain period vocabulary, but the whole novel will spend itself complicating exactly that label.

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