Zamenhof
Esperanto Reading 1
Chapter 6 · Zamenhof's Own Words
🖋️ Zamenhof's Own Words — La vortoj de Zamenhof
Until now the texts were written for this course. In this chapter you read the real thing: two short pieces by L. L. Zamenhof (1859–1917), the creator of Esperanto. Both are in the public domain, and the text below is taken from the Esperanto Wikisource (Vikifontaro) pages for them. You already have the tools; the point of the chapter is to see that a century-old text is still readable.
1. La Espero — the poem
"La Espero" (The Hope) is a poem by Zamenhof. It is now the best-known hymn of the Esperanto movement, usually sung to a march composed by Félicien Menu de Ménil in 1909. Sources give its date of writing as around 1890 or 1891, so treat the year as approximate. It has three verses; read each one, then check the word list.
La Espero
tra la mondo iras forta voko;
Per flugiloj de facila vento
nun de loko flugu ĝi al loko.
Ne al glavo sangon soifanta
ĝi la homan tiras familion;
Al la mond’ eterne militanta
ĝi promesas sanktan harmonion.
kolektiĝas pacaj batalantoj,
Kaj rapide kreskas la afero
per laboro de la esperantoj.
Forte staras muroj de miljaroj
inter la popoloj dividitaj;
Sed dissaltos la obstinaj baroj,
per la sankta amo disbatitaj.
komprenante unu la alian,
La popoloj faros en konsento
unu grandan rondon familian.
Nia diligenta kolegaro
en laboro paca ne laciĝos,
Ĝis la bela sonĝo de l’ homaro
por eterna ben’ efektiviĝos.
Words to help
| Esperanto | English | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| sento | feeling | voko | call |
| flugilo | wing | vento | wind |
| loko | place | glavo | sword |
| sango | blood | soifi | to thirst |
| tiri | to draw, pull | milito | war |
| promesi | to promise | sankta | holy |
| signo | sign | kolekti | to gather |
| batalanto | fighter | kreski | to grow |
| afero | matter, cause | muro | wall |
| miljaro | millennium | popolo | people, nation |
| obstina | obstinate | baro | barrier |
| salti | to jump | bati | to hit, strike |
| neŭtrala | neutral | fundamento | foundation |
| kompreni | to understand | konsento | agreement |
| rondo | circle | diligenta | diligent |
| kolegaro | body of colleagues | laciĝi | to grow tired |
| sonĝo | dream | beno | blessing |
Show a translation
Verse 1. A new feeling has come into the world; a strong call goes through the world. On the wings of an easy wind, let it now fly from place to place. Not to a sword thirsting for blood does it draw the human family; to the eternally warring world it promises a holy harmony.
Verse 2. Under the holy sign of hope, peaceful fighters gather, and the cause grows quickly through the work of the hopers (the Esperantists). The walls of millennia stand strong between the divided peoples; but the obstinate barriers will leap apart, shattered by holy love.
Verse 3. On a neutral language foundation, understanding one another, the peoples will form in agreement one great family circle. Our diligent body of colleagues will not grow tired in peaceful work, until humanity's beautiful dream comes true for an eternal blessing.
Taking it apart
| In the poem | What to notice |
|---|---|
| En la mondon venis | The object-ending -n after en shows direction ("into the world"). The verb comes after the place, which is a poet's order. |
| mond’, ben’, l’ | The apostrophe marks an omitted letter: mond’ = mondo, ben’ = beno, l’ = la. |
| soifanta, militanta | Active participles (Chapter 4): the sword "thirsting", the world "warring". |
| dividitaj, disbatitaj | Passive participles: the peoples that have been divided, the barriers that have been shattered. dis- means "apart", so dissaltos is "will leap apart". |
| kolektiĝas | kolekti + -iĝ-: "to gather (oneself)". |
| esperantoj | esper- + -anto + -j: "those who hope". This is where the name of the language comes from. |
| komprenante unu la alian | An adverbial participle: "understanding one another". |
2. A preface — Dua Libro de l’ Lingvo Internacia
The Dua Libro (Second Book) of 1888 was the first book written entirely in Esperanto, and it came out in notebooks over the year. The passage below is from its preface (Antaŭparolo), in the 1892 edition on Wikisource. That edition prints the words split into roots and endings with commas (viv,u, hom,ar,o); the commas are removed here so you can read the text as ordinary Esperanto. Three sentences are extracted:
Antaŭparolo (eltiraĵo)
| Esperanto | English | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| elirante | coming out, appearing | fojo | time (occasion) |
| devo | duty | danki | to thank |
| kunsento | sympathy | genio | spirit |
| vekiĝi | to wake up | flanko | side |
| amaso | crowd, mass | porti | to carry |
| ŝtono | stone | konstruo | construction, building |
| frateco | brotherhood | utilega | very useful |
Show a translation
① Appearing once more before the esteemed public, I feel the duty above all to thank the reading public for the lively sympathy that it has shown for my cause. ② The good spirit of humanity has awoken: from all sides crowds are coming to the work of all humankind … young and old, men and women hasten to carry their stone for the great, important and very useful building. ③ Long live humanity, long live the brotherhood of the peoples, long live (it) forever!
What differs from modern style
- Elision with an apostrophe. l’homaro is la homaro, and de l’popoloj is de la popoloj.
- Long sentences with participles. Sentence ① starts with Elirante, an adverbial participle, and has its verb sentas well into the sentence. Find the verb first, as in Chapter 4.
- -eg- for "very". utilega is utila (useful) + -eg- (augmentative), "very useful".
- The command Vivu! Vivu (from vivi) ends in -u, so it is a wish: "may it live", "long live".
✏️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. In "La Espero" verse 1, what does the "new feeling" promise to the world?
Show answer
A holy harmony (sanktan harmonion) for the world that is always fighting.
2. Expand the apostrophes: mond’, ben’, de l’ espero.
Show answer
mondo, beno, de la espero.
3. Take dissaltos and disbatitaj apart.
Show answer
dis- + salt- + -os: "will leap apart"; dis- + bat- + -it- + -aj: "shattered" (plural adjective).
4. What does esperantoj literally mean and why?
Show answer
"Those who hope": esper- (hope) + -ant- (the one doing it) + -o-j. The language was named after Zamenhof's pen-name, Doktoro Esperanto.
5. In verse 3, what will the peoples do "on a neutral language foundation"?
Show answer
They will form, in agreement, one great family circle, understanding one another.
6. Which word in the first sentence of the preface is an adverbial participle, and what does it mean?
Show answer
Elirante: "(while) appearing", from eliri + -ante.
7. Find the main verb of sentence ① and its subject.
Show answer
The verb is sentas; the subject is understood, mi (I).
8. Why does utilega mean "very useful"?
Show answer
Because -eg- makes a word bigger or stronger: utila + -eg-.
9. Translate Vivu la frateco de la popoloj!
Show answer
Long live the brotherhood of the peoples!
10. In your own words, name two ways Zamenhof's style differs from the everyday Esperanto of the earlier chapters.
Show answer
Examples: the apostrophe of elision (l’, mond’); longer sentences built with participles; a poet's word order in verse.
Words used in this chapter
sento feeling · voko call · flugilo wing · vento wind · glavo sword · sango blood · soifi thirst · promesi promise · sankta holy · signo sign · kolekti gather · batalanto fighter · kreski grow · afero matter · muro wall · popolo people · baro barrier · salti jump · bati strike · neŭtrala neutral · fundamento foundation · konsento agreement · rondo circle · diligenta diligent · sonĝo dream · beno blessing · devo duty · danki thank · genio spirit · vekiĝi wake · amaso crowd · porti carry · ŝtono stone · konstruo building · frateco brotherhood · dis- apart · -eg- very