ALENCAR

O Guarani 7.17 · 7.17

Half Christian, half savage

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Era uma cena ao mesmo tempo simples e majestosa a que apresentava essa prece meio cristã, meio selvagem; em todos aqueles rostos, iluminados pelos raios do ocaso, respirava um santo respeito.

It was a scene at once simple and majestic that this prayer presented — half Christian, half savage; on all those faces, lit by the rays of the sunset, breathed a holy reverence.

Word by word

EraE-raIt wasumaOO-maacenaSE-nasceneaoowatmesmoMEZ-musametempoTEN-putimesimplesSEENG-pleshsimpleeeeandmajestosama-zhesh-TO-zamajesticaawhichquekethatapresentavaa-pre-zen-TA-vapresentedessaE-sathatprecePRE-seprayermeioMAY-uhalfcristãkrish-TOWNGChristian,meioMAY-uhalfselvagemsel-VA-zhengsavage;emengontodosTO-dushallaquelesa-KE-leshthoserostosHOSH-tushfaces,iluminadosee-lu-mee-NA-dushlitpelosPE-lushby theraiosHA-yushraysdoduof theocasoo-KA-zusunset,respiravahesh-pee-RA-vabreathedumoongasantoSAN-tuholyrespeitohesh-PAY-tureverence.

The setting

It was a scene at once simple and majestic that this prayer presented — half Christian, half savage; on all those faces, lit by the rays of the sunset, breathed a holy reverence.

A note on this passage

'Half Christian, half savage' is the novel's whole ambition in a phrase: a new, mixed faith of the New World, where the Catholic Angelus and the wild forest kneel together. This is Alencar's founding myth of Brazil.

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