ZdenSvk
Member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2023
- Location
- Nitra
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Slovak
- Home Country
- Slovak Republic
- Current Location
- Slovak Republic
Hi,
Thanks to everybody who had a look at my first thread about Seneca's Moral letters. I worked on the second letter. It was pretty straightforward, but two things caught my eye:
Quote #1: "Be careful, however, lest this reading of many authors and books of every sort may tend to make you discursive and unsteady"
Question #1: What is the purpose of the verb "tend"? Is it just a verbose way of saying: "...books of every sort can make you discursive and unsteady", or does it change the meaning, if used? Or does it have something with the conjuction "lest"?
Question #2: Why is "however" used? I don't know how to understand it here. I get the meaning of the sentence: "Don't read many authors; It can make you discursive", but I'd like to know details.
Quote #: "There is nothing so efficacious that it can be helpful while it is being shifted about. And in reading of many books is distraction."
Question: #1: Here I am completely lost. I would understand "and reading of many books is distraction" or "and in reading of many books there is distraction", but this is simply weird. Again I get the meaning (at least I think), but I want to know what it is I am not getting.
I know it is an old translation (1915), but I can understand most of the text clearly, apart from a few odd sentences here and there.
Thank you in advance for any help.
Have a nice day
Zdenko
Thanks to everybody who had a look at my first thread about Seneca's Moral letters. I worked on the second letter. It was pretty straightforward, but two things caught my eye:
Quote #1: "Be careful, however, lest this reading of many authors and books of every sort may tend to make you discursive and unsteady"
Question #1: What is the purpose of the verb "tend"? Is it just a verbose way of saying: "...books of every sort can make you discursive and unsteady", or does it change the meaning, if used? Or does it have something with the conjuction "lest"?
Question #2: Why is "however" used? I don't know how to understand it here. I get the meaning of the sentence: "Don't read many authors; It can make you discursive", but I'd like to know details.
Quote #: "There is nothing so efficacious that it can be helpful while it is being shifted about. And in reading of many books is distraction."
Question: #1: Here I am completely lost. I would understand "and reading of many books is distraction" or "and in reading of many books there is distraction", but this is simply weird. Again I get the meaning (at least I think), but I want to know what it is I am not getting.
I know it is an old translation (1915), but I can understand most of the text clearly, apart from a few odd sentences here and there.
Thank you in advance for any help.
Have a nice day
Zdenko
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