Bram Stoker, Dracula
"The effect on Lucy was not bad, for the faint seemed to merge subtly into the narcotic sleep. It was with a feeling of personal pride that I could see a faint tinge of colour steal back into the pallid cheeks and lips. No man knows, till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own lifeblood drawn away into the veins of the woman he loves. The Professor watched me critically. "That will do," he said. "Already" I remonstrated. "You took a great deal more from Art." To which he smiled a sad sort of smile as he replied, "He is her lover, her fiance. You have work, much work to do for her and for others, and the present will suffice."
55 Quotes
"The effect on Lucy was not bad, for the faint seemed to merge subtly into the narcotic sleep. It was with a feeling of personal pride that I could see a faint tinge of colour steal back into the pallid cheeks and lips. No man knows, till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own lifeblood drawn away into the veins of the woman he loves. The Professor watched me critically. "That will do," he said. "Already" I remonstrated. "You took a great deal more from Art." To which he smiled a sad sort of smile as he replied, "He is her lover, her fiance. You have work, much work to do for her and for others, and the present will suffice."
"لم يكن وقع الأمر على لوسي وخيمًا، فقد بدا الإغماء يذوب برقة في سبات التخدير. راودني شعور بالفخر الشخصي وأنا أرى مسحة خفيفة من اللون تتسلل عائدة إلى خديها وشفتيها الشاحبتين. لا يعلم امرؤ، حتى يختبره، ما هو شعور أن تُسحب دماء حياته لتجري في عروق المرأة التي يحبها. راقبني الأستاذ بعين ناقدة. "هذا يكفي،" قال. "بهذه السرعة؟" احتججتُ. "لقد أخذتَ أكثر من ذلك بكثير من آرت." فابتسم ابتسامة يكسوها الحزن وهو يجيب: "إنه حبيبها، خطيبها. لديك عمل، عمل كثير لتنجزه لها وللآخرين، وهذا القدر يكفي."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful wine-press for awhile; and shall later on be my companion and my helper."
"وأنتِ، يا أحبّهم إلى قلبي، صرتِ الآن مني لحمي ودمي؛ قرينتي؛ معصرة خمري الوفيرة لبعض الوقت؛ وستكونين لاحقًا رفيقتي ومعينتي."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air."
"إني لأتوق إلى لقائك، وإلى البحر، حيث يمكننا أن نتحدث بحرية ونبني قصورنا في الهواء."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Keep it always with you that laughter who knock at your door and say, 'May I come in' is not true laughter. No! He is a king, and he come when and how he like. He ask no person, he choose no time of suitability. He say, 'I am here."
"اجعل هذا نصب عينيك دائمًا: الضحك الذي يطرق بابك ويقول "هل لي بالدخول؟" ليس بضحك حقيقي. لا! إنه ملك، يأتي متى وكيفما يشاء. لا يستأذن أحدًا، ولا يختار وقتًا مناسبًا. إنه يقول: "أنا هنا"."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Keep it always with you that laughter who knock at your door and say, 'May I come in' is not the true laughter. No! he is a king, and he come when and how he like. He ask no person; he choose no time of suitability. He say, 'I am here.' ... Oh, friend John, it is a strange world, a sad world, a world full of miseries, and woes, and troubles; and yet when King Laugh come he make them all dance to the tune he play. Bleeding hearts, and dry bones of the churchyard, and tears that burn as they fall - all dance together to the music that he make with that smileless mouth of him. And believe me, friend John, that he is good to come, and kind. Ah, we men and women are like ropes drawn tight with strain that pull us different ways. Then tears come; and, like the rain on the ropes, they brace us up, until perhaps the strain become too great, and we break. But King Laugh he come like the sunshine, and he ease off the strain again; and we bear to go on with our labour, what it may be."
"تذكر دائمًا أن الضحك الذي يطرق بابك ويقول: "هل لي بالدخول؟" ليس هو الضحك الحقيقي. لا! إنه ملك، يأتي متى وكيف يشاء. لا يستأذن أحدًا؛ ولا يختار وقتًا ملائمًا. يقول: "أنا هنا." ... آه يا صديقي جون، إنه عالم غريب، عالم حزين، عالم مليء بالبؤس والشقاء والمتاعب؛ ومع ذلك، عندما يأتي الملك الضحك، يجعلها كلها ترقص على اللحن الذي يعزفه. القلوب الدامية، وعظام المقابر البالية، والدموع التي تحرق وهي تسقط – كلها ترقص معًا على الموسيقى التي يصنعها بفمه الخالي من الابتسامة ذاك. وصدقني يا صديقي جون، إن مجيئه خير ولطيف. آه، نحن الرجال والنساء كالحبال المشدودة بالتوتر الذي يشدنا في اتجاهات مختلفة. ثم تأتي الدموع؛ وكالمطر على الحبال، تشد أزرنا، حتى ربما يشتد التوتر أكثر من اللازم، فننقطع. لكن الملك الضحك يأتي كالشمس المشرقة، فيخفف التوتر من جديد؛ فنحتمل الاستمرار في عملنا، أيًا كان."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves."
"THINKING PROCESS:
The user wants a translation of a philosophical aphorism: "In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves."
I need to translate this into eloquent Fusha Arabic, preserving the deeper meaning and poetic tone, not just a literal word-for-word translation.
Let's break down the original sentence:
- "In selfish men": This refers to a characteristic of selfish people.
- "caution": This is the key subject. It's usually seen as a protective quality.
- "is as secure an armour": This implies it acts as a strong defense.
- "for their foes": This is the surprising part – it protects their enemies.
- "as for themselves": And it also protects them (the selfish men).
The core idea is that the caution of selfish men, while seemingly protecting *them*, paradoxically also protects *their enemies*. How? Perhaps by making them inactive, unwilling to take risks, or by revealing their predictable nature, which enemies can exploit. Or perhaps by preventing them from taking actions that might harm their enemies, even if those actions would also benefit themselves. The "selfishness" aspect is crucial here. Their caution is rooted in self-preservation, but this very self-preservation, when taken to an extreme or when it defines their character, can inadvertently benefit others, even adversaries.
Let's consider different ways to phrase this in Arabic, focusing on eloquence and meaning.
1. **"In selfish men"**:
* عند الرجال الأنانيين (too literal, less eloquent)
* في الأنانيين (better, but "الأنانيين" can be a bit blunt)
* أما الأنانيون (more elegant, introduces the subject)
* في نفوس الأنانيين (emphasizes the internal nature)
* من سمات الأنانيين (describes it as a characteristic)
2. **"caution"**:
* الحذر (standard, good)
* الاحتياط (similar, good)
* التحوّط (implies taking precautions)
* التوقي (implies warding off harm)
3. **"is as secure an armour"**:
* درع حصين (secure shield/armour - very good)
* حماية متينة (strong protection)
* وقاء منيع (impenetrable shield)
* حصن منيع (impenetrable fortress)
4. **"for their foes as for themselves"**:
* لأعدائهم كما لأنفسهم (literal, okay)
* لأعدائهم بقدر ما لأنفسهم (as much for their foes as for themselves - good)
* لأعدائهم مثلما لأنفسهم (similar to above)
* لأعدائهم كأنفسهم (more concise, "like themselves")
* لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لهم (as much as it is for them)
Let's try to combine these.
Attempt 1 (more literal but aiming for eloquence):
إن الحذر عند الأنانيين درع حصين لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم.
(This is quite good, but "عند الأنانيين" could be smoother.)
Attempt 2 (focus on the characteristic):
الحذر في الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم كما هو لأنفسهم.
(Better flow, "في الأنانيين" works well.)
Attempt 3 (using "أما" for introduction and emphasis):
أما الأنانيون، فالحذر فيهم درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم.
(This adds a nice literary touch, but "فالحذر فيهم" might be slightly clunky.)
Attempt 4 (rephrasing the "as...as" part):
الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ يحمي أعداءهم بقدر ما يحميهم هم.
(This clarifies the action of protection, "يحمي" - protects.)
Attempt 5 (more concise and poetic):
الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم، كما هو لأنفسهم.
(This is elegant. "كما هو لأنفسهم" is a good parallel structure.)
Let's consider the nuance of "secure armour". It's not just *an* armour, but a *secure* one.
"درع حصين" captures "secure armour" very well. "حصين" means fortified, impregnable, secure.
The core paradox is that their caution, intended for self-preservation, *also* serves their enemies. How? By making them predictable, unwilling to take risks that might harm enemies, or by revealing their weaknesses.
Let's try to make it flow naturally.
"In selfish men caution is as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves."
Consider the structure: "X is as Y for A as for B."
"الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم."
This feels quite accurate and eloquent.
Another option:
"الحذر عند الأنانيين وقاءٌ منيعٌ لأعدائهم كما هو لهم."
"وقاء منيع" (impenetrable shield/protection) is also good. "لهم" is more concise than "لأنفسهم" if the context is clear.
Let's stick with "درع حصين" as it directly translates "secure armour" and is very common in eloquent Arabic.
"لأنفسهم" emphasizes the self-referential nature, which is important given "selfish men".
Final check:
"الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم."
- "الحذر": Caution (perfect)
- "لدى الأنانيين": In selfish men (eloquent and accurate)
- "درعٌ حصينٌ": Secure armour (perfect)
- "لأعدائهم": For their foes (perfect)
- "بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم": As much as it is for themselves (captures "as...as" and "for themselves" well, emphasizing the equal measure).
This translation preserves the meaning, the slightly aphoristic tone, and uses eloquent Fusha.
The phrase "بقدر ما هو" (as much as it is) effectively conveys the "as...as" comparison of equal measure.
"لدى" is a good choice for "in" when referring to a characteristic present within a group.
One last check for alternative phrasing for "as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves":
"درع حصين لأعدائهم كما هو لأنفسهم" - This is also very good and perhaps slightly more concise than "بقدر ما هو". "كما هو" implies "just as it is".
Let's compare:
1. "الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم بقدر ما هو لأنفسهم." (Emphasizes the *degree* of protection)
2. "الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم كما هو لأنفسهم." (Emphasizes the *similarity* or *likeness* of protection)
Both are valid. The original "as secure an armour for their foes as for themselves" implies an equivalence in the *degree* of security provided. So "بقدر ما هو" might be slightly more precise in capturing that nuance. However, "كما هو" is also very common for "as...as" comparisons and sounds very natural.
Let's go with "كما هو" for its elegance and common usage in such comparisons, which often implies equivalence in degree.
"الحذر لدى الأنانيين درعٌ حصينٌ لأعدائهم كما هو لأنفسهم."
This sounds complete and eloquent."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"All men are mad in some way or another, and inasmuch as you deal discreetly with your madmen, so deal with God's madmen too, the rest of the world."
"كل إنسانٍ فيه مسٌّ من الجنون على نحوٍ ما. وبقدر ما تداري مجانينك، فكذلك عامل مجانين الله، سائر الخلق."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Come,' he said, 'come, we must see and act. Devils or no devils, or all the devils at once, it matters not; we fight him all the same."
"تعالَ، قال، تعالَ، يجب أن نرى ونفعل. شياطين أم لا شياطين، أو كل الشياطين دفعة واحدة، لا يهم؛ سنقاتله على أي حال."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"I was in doubt, and then everything took a hue of unreality, and I did not know what to trust, even the evidence of my own senses. Not knowing what to trust, I did not know what to do; and so had only to keep on working in what had hitherto been the groove of my life. The groove ceased to avail me, and I mistrusted myself."
"كنت في ريب، ثم تلوّن كل شيء بصبغة من اللاواقعية، ولم أعد أعرف ما الذي أثق به، حتى شهادة حواسي. ولأنني لم أعد أعرف ما أثق به، لم أعد أعرف ما أفعله؛ وهكذا لم يكن أمامي سوى الاستمرار في العمل ضمن المسار الذي كان عليه حياتي حتى ذلك الحين. ثم توقف هذا المسار عن إفادتي، وساورني الشك في نفسي."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Oh, friend John, it is a strange world, a sad world, a world full of miseries, and woes and troubles, and yet when King Laugh come he make them all dance to the tune he play."
"يا صديقي جون، إنه عالم عجيب، عالم كئيب، عالم يضجّ بالبؤس والأسى والمحن. ومع ذلك، حين يطلّ الملك الضحك، يجعلهم جميعًا يرقصون على إيقاع نغمته."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Whatever may happen, it must be of new hope or of new courage to me!"
"مهما جرى، فليكن لي فيه أملٌ جديد أو شجاعةٌ متجددة!"
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"I have been so long masterthat I would be master still, or at least that none othershould be master of me."
"لقد كنت سيدًا لفترة طويلة جدًا، لدرجة أنني أود أن أبقى سيدًا، أو على الأقل ألا يكون أحد غيري سيدًا عليّ."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks on this earth is the one who finds… true love?"
"هل تؤمن بالقدر؟ بأن قوى الزمن ذاتها يمكن أن تتغير من أجل غاية واحدة؟ بأن أسعد رجل يمشي على هذه الأرض هو من يجد... الحب الحقيقي؟"
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"I have read of a gentleman who owned a so fine house in London, and when he went for months of summer to Switzerland and lock up his house, some burglar came and broke window at back and got in. Then he went and made open the shutters in front and walk out and in through the door, before the very eyes of the police. Then he have an auction in that house, and advertise it, and put up big notice; and when the day come he sell off by a great auctioneer all the goods of that other man who own them. Then he go to a builder, and he sell him that house, making an agreement that he pull it down and take all away within a certain time. And your police and other authority help him all they can. And when that owner come back from his holiday in Switzerland he find only an empty hole where his house had been. This was all done en règle; and in our work we shall be en règle too. We shall not go so early that the policemen who have then little to think of, shall deem it strange; but we shall go after ten o’clock, when there are many about, and such things would be done were we indeed owners of the house."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"He means to succeed, and a man who has centuries before him can afford to wait and to go slow."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"He came back full of life and hope and determination."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"I suppose it is that sickness and weakness are selfish things and turn our inner eyes and sympathy on ourselves, whilst health and strength give love rein, and in thought and feeling he can wander where he wills."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"It is something like the way dame Nature gathers round a foreign body an envelope of some insensitive tissue which can protect from evil that which it would otherwise harm by contact. If this be an ordered selfishness, then we should pause before we condemn any one for the vice of egoism, for there may be deeper root for its causes than we have knowledge of."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Souls and memories can do strange things during trance."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
"Let me advise you, my dear young friend-- nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you will not by any chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle. It is old, and has many memories, and there are bad dreams for those who sleep unwisely."
Bram Stoker, Dracula
✉️
Get more quotes like Bram Stoker, Dracula's — every morning.
Join thousands of wisdom seekers getting daily quotes from 300,000+ curated sources.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
🎉 Check your inbox to confirm your subscription!