La duda y el temor......doubt and fear.

Question

Este es final de un párrafo de un escrito que trata sobre la 'duda y el temor''a ver si hay alguien que me pueda dar una mejor idea como finalizarlo.

'Por lo tanto, no nos desalentemos cuando la duda brote en nuestro corazón, ya que la duda es la llama que ilumina el sendero de la búsqueda, y el temor es el arma que revela nuestro verdadero valor.?

Y en Ingles:

? 'so, do not despair when doubt and fear appear to plague your soul, for it is doubt the fuel that inspires us to search for answers, and fear, the weapon that reveals our power.'

Answer 1

Regarding lighten:

In the Shakespeare quote, it appears to mean the following (copyright Oxford English Dictionary):

lighten, v.2

6. To flash lightning, to emit flashes of lightning. Chiefly impers.

OED does support the meaning of "to illuminate:"
*
1. trans. To shed light upon; to give light to; to make bright or luminous; to light up, brighten. Also fig. or in fig. context.*

However, I have to agree with James that in American English this usage is obsolete, and a different word would be understood better. In fact, this meaning is flagged as archaic in the American Heritage Dictionary.

Answer 2

Por lo tanto, no nos desalentemos cuando la duda brote en nuestro corazón, ya que la duda es la llama que ilumina el sendero de la búsqueda, y el temor la llave que libera nuestro verdadero valor.

so, do not despair when doubt and fear appear to plague your soul, for it is doubt the fuel that inspires us to search for answers, and fear, the key that unlocks our true valor.

Answer 3

Yeah James...I realized that later on...it did sound good but it didn't fit into the idea...haha you caught the message before I had a chance to delete it seems it is fear and valor that get disconnected

Answer 4

me gustaría esa palabra por la sílaba de más que lleva, pero quería crear una conexión entre valor y temor

Answer 5

You know...I think I'm going for worthiness...it has that extra syllable that I was looking for to make the whole phrase sound more rhythmic.Thanks again Heidita

It may sound more rhythmic, but it makes no sense to me. How does fear unlock our "worthiness"? Of what are we worthy'

Answer 6

so, do not despair when doubt and fear appear to plague your soul, for it is doubt what fuels our inspiration to find the answers, and fear the key that unlocks our true valor.

Suena muy bonito. pero valor....no se podría poner"worthiness", parece una palabra muy bonita. No sé cómo le suena a un nativo.

Answer 7

so, do not despair when doubt and fear appear to plague your soul, for it is doubt what fuels our inspiration to find the answers, and fear the key that unlocks our true valor.

Answer 8

and fear, the key that unlocks our true valor...how about that?

Eso me gusta mucho más. Nos da una impresión positiva, a diferencia de "arma," la cual tiene una connotación negativa.

Answer 9

Someone will probably provide evidence of lighten being used to mean to light

And indeed here is the evidence, from none other than The Bard himself:

I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say 'It lightens.' Sweet, good night!

(from "Romeo and Juliet", Act II, Scene II)

but I still say it doesn't work in the present context, if for no other reason than ambiguity

I agree it is ambiguous, but I don't like "illuminate" or any alternative I can think of.

Oh the vagaries of language...

Answer 10

and fear, the key that unlocks our true valor...how about that'

Answer 11

Valor as in valiant. A scared person (fear) can be more dangerous than a tiger...when we realize the object or our fear and feel the NEED to change, then we are able to tackle the problem more determinedly...it's what I mean

If that is the case, I don't think "weapon" conveys the idea in English. A weapon is used against an enemy, but you seem to be saying that fear brings out our true valor. I realize that you are writing this in Spanish, so I'll have to let a native speaker comment on whether the arma metaphor works in that language.

Answer 12

Well, we do use lighten, for example, in the context of making a color lighter, and while there may be rare occasions where it is used to mean increase the amount of light, I can't recall seeing it used to mean "to illuminate," which is the meaning here. In that meaning, "to light" is the verb used much more often. (Someone will probably provide evidence of lighten being used to mean to light, but I still say it doesn't work in the present context, if for no other reason than ambiguity.)

Answer 13

1. Lighten means to make lighter (less heavy), so it isn't right here.

It is right (http://www.answers.com/lighten), although perhaps a bit ambiguous.

Answer 14

Valor as in valiant. A scared person (fear) can be more dangerous than a tiger...when we realize the object or our fear and feel the NEED to change, then we are able to tackle the problem more determinedly...it's what I mean

Answer 15

I'm a big fan of not slavishly sticking to the original in translation, but in this case I agree with aurino that a more literal rendering is both more faithful to the original and sounds perfectly natural in English. A couple of comments on his version:

'Por lo tanto, no nos desalentemos cuando la duda brote en nuestro corazón, ya que la duda es la llama que ilumina el sendero de la búsqueda, y el temor es el arma que revela nuestro verdadero valor.?

Therefore let us not despair when doubt and fear blossom in our hearts, for doubt is the flame that lightens our path, and fear is the weapon that reveals our true valor

1. Blossom is usually used in a positive sense, so I don't think it is appropriate here. Brotar can also mean to well up, as in tears well up, and I like that image here, that of doubt slowing filling the spaces of our heart.

2. Lighten means to make lighter (less heavy), so it isn't right here.

3. The "de la búsqueda" part is not translated.

4. Question to Robert: Valor can mean either bravery (as aurino has translated it) or value/worth. Which meaning is it here? I can't tell from the context, but the English meanings are completely distinct and should not be conflated.

My version:

Therefore let us not despair when doubt and fear well up in our hearts, for doubt is the flame that illuminates the path on our search, and fear is the weapon that reveals our true valor/worth.