Tres héroes

Name: Tres héroes
Availability: InStock
Author: José Martí

Three Heroes

by José Martí

Martí reflects on freedom and the strengths and flaws of heroes.

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Original language: SpanishLevel: Advanced3,148 characters · ≈ 5 minSource: Wikisource

Authentic text: the opening of a public-domain original
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Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

CuentanThey sayquethatunaviajerotravelerllegóarrivedundíaone dayatoCaracasCaracasalanochecerat nightfallyandsinsacudirsewithout shaking offelthepolvodustdelcaminoof the roadnonotpreguntóhe askeddóndewheresecomíaone ateninorsedormíaone sleptsinobut rathercómohowseibaone wentadondeto whereestabawaslatheestatuastatuedeBolívarof Bolívar

They say that one day a traveler came to Caracas at nightfall, and without shaking off the dust of the road, he did not ask where one ate or slept, but how to go where the statue of Bolívar was.

YAndcuentanthey sayquethateltheviajerotravelersoloaloneconwithlostheárbolestreesaltostallyandolorososfragrantdeoflatheplazasquarellorabawas weepingfrenteain front oflatheestatuastatuequewhichparecíaseemedquethatsemovíait movedcomolikeunapadrefathercuandowhenseleacercaapproaches himunahijoson

And they say that the traveler, alone with the tall, sweet-smelling trees of the square, was crying in front of the statue, which seemed to move, like a father when a son comes near him.

ElTheviajerotravelerhizobiendid wellporquebecausetodosalllostheamericanosAmericansdebenshould / mustquererlovea(personal a, untranslated)BolívarBolívarcomolike / asa(personal a, untranslated)unapadrefather

The traveler did well, because all Americans should love Bolívar like a father.

ABolívarTo Bolívaryandatodoslosqueto all those whopelearonfoughtcomoéllike himporqueso thatlaAméricaAmericafuesewould bedelhombreamericanoof the American man

To Bolívar, and to all who fought like him so that America would belong to the American man.

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About the book

The text begins with the story of a traveler who arrives in Caracas at dusk, goes straight to Bolívar's statue, and weeps before it, then moves to the idea that freedom is every person's right to be honest and to think and speak without hypocrisy. The tone is earnest and storyteller-like, as if patiently explaining a lesson to young readers.

About the author

José Martí (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban nationalist who was also a poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, and is considered a Cuban national hero known as the "Apostle of Cuban Independence." Born in Havana, he devoted his life to Cuba's independence from Spain, playing a key role in planning the Cuban War of Independence, and was an important figure in Latin American literature.

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

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